(01-03-2017 01:40 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(01-02-2017 11:26 PM)moss2k Wrote:  Charlotte laid a huge turd tonight at home. White and Ogbueze combining for 2 points is never going to get it done for us. In good news, Davis seems ok after injuring his ankle and touted Freshman Quentin Jackson following up a 17pt performance vs NT with 19 tonight.

We played some solid defense, but Charlotte couldn't get anything to fall even when they got open. Some sloppy play all around (FT, anyone?) but no complaining from me with the 89-70 road win.

MTSU is next up for our home conference opener and I think we are finally ready for that one...

I was frustrated by this game. Not that Charlotte should have won, but we were getting good solid looks at the basket all night.we looked like the road team playing a Saturday nooner after a 9:00 pm Thursday game. Just out of sync all night.

Charlotte could go 13-5 or 5-13. At this point I have no idea.

(01-04-2017 11:32 PM)Tintin Wrote:  

(01-03-2017 01:40 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(01-02-2017 11:26 PM)moss2k Wrote:  Charlotte laid a huge turd tonight at home. White and Ogbueze combining for 2 points is never going to get it done for us. In good news, Davis seems ok after injuring his ankle and touted Freshman Quentin Jackson following up a 17pt performance vs NT with 19 tonight.

We played some solid defense, but Charlotte couldn't get anything to fall even when they got open. Some sloppy play all around (FT, anyone?) but no complaining from me with the 89-70 road win.

MTSU is next up for our home conference opener and I think we are finally ready for that one...

I was frustrated by this game. Not that Charlotte should have won, but we were getting good solid looks at the basket all night.we looked like the road team playing a Saturday nooner after a 9:00 pm Thursday game. Just out of sync all night.

Charlotte could go 13-5 or 5-13. At this point I have no idea.

yup, you guys missed a ton of wide open threes, but until you started hitting them (which you never did), we were content to try to keep the ball out of the low post.

Nice slate of games tomorrow. Rice MTSU should be interesting

(01-05-2017 12:43 AM)HoustonRoadRunner Wrote:  Nice slate of games tomorrow. Rice MTSU should be interesting

Rice is only scheduled once in the regular season against MTSU (as well as UAB on Saturday and Marshall on March 2), making the game even more important for the Owls.

(01-05-2017 06:21 AM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(01-05-2017 12:43 AM)HoustonRoadRunner Wrote:  Nice slate of games tomorrow. Rice MTSU should be interesting

Rice is only scheduled once in the regular season against MTSU (as well as UAB on Saturday and Marshall on March 2), making the game even more important for the Owls.

Why does this make the game more important? It's our overall conference record that matters in the end. We fought both Texas Tech and Pitt-- both on the road-- down to the wire. I just want to see us do the same vs. MTSU. Sure, I'd love us to come away with the upset, but a close game will only reaffirm that Rice is a legitimate contender.

(01-05-2017 07:14 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(01-05-2017 06:21 AM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(01-05-2017 12:43 AM)HoustonRoadRunner Wrote:  Nice slate of games tomorrow. Rice MTSU should be interesting

Rice is only scheduled once in the regular season against MTSU (as well as UAB on Saturday and Marshall on March 2), making the game even more important for the Owls.

Why does this make the game more important? It's our overall conference record that matters in the end. We fought both Texas Tech and Pitt-- both on the road-- down to the wire. I just want to see us do the same vs. MTSU. Sure, I'd love us to come away with the upset, but a close game will only reaffirm that Rice is a legitimate contender.

Way too early to talk C-USA tourney seeding, but my logic is you want to be in the top 4 - and we have 5 or 6 legitimate contenders. If the experts are right about MTSU (with a lot of basketball left), then pencil MTSU in as 1 or 2, but no worse than 3. Would it be big for Rice to sneak past them and enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed, and not play MTSU until the championship game? Or if MTSU is No. 1, I think 2 or 3 is better than 4.

I know most Rice fans are thinking alphabet post-season tournament, but I hope the NIT takes a hard look at the best C-USA team not in the NCAAs. If Rice can land there, and open play against Houston or a local Big 12 team (or A&M) I think that helps Rhoades earn recognition for our program locally. Wouldn't it be fun to knock the Cougars, Aggies or Horns out of the NIT and advance?

That's why we need this one tonight against MTSU.

Good luck Rice fans. I'm glad to see you guys doing well. Lots of talent on your team.

I am looking forward to our match up against Southern Miss. Great chance to pick up our first road win of the season.

(01-05-2017 09:47 AM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  I am looking forward to our match up against Southern Miss. Great chance to pick up our first road win of the season.

I'll definitely be watching that stream. I love Henson's defensive schemes. Byron Frohnen is a dude's dude too.

(01-05-2017 07:14 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(01-05-2017 06:21 AM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(01-05-2017 12:43 AM)HoustonRoadRunner Wrote:  Nice slate of games tomorrow. Rice MTSU should be interesting

Rice is only scheduled once in the regular season against MTSU (as well as UAB on Saturday and Marshall on March 2), making the game even more important for the Owls.

Why does this make the game more important? It's our overall conference record that matters in the end. We fought both Texas Tech and Pitt-- both on the road-- down to the wire. I just want to see us do the same vs. MTSU. Sure, I'd love us to come away with the upset, but a close game will only reaffirm that Rice is a legitimate contender.

I'm guessing he see's them more important RPI wise. MTSU is setting at 36, Marshall at 101 and UAB is starting to climb again at 195. Rice only gets 1 shot at MTSU, Marshall and UAB. Rice does get 2 shots at ODU and only have to play FAU/FIU once.

(01-05-2017 11:32 AM)HerdZoned Wrote:  

(01-05-2017 07:14 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(01-05-2017 06:21 AM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(01-05-2017 12:43 AM)HoustonRoadRunner Wrote:  Nice slate of games tomorrow. Rice MTSU should be interesting

Rice is only scheduled once in the regular season against MTSU (as well as UAB on Saturday and Marshall on March 2), making the game even more important for the Owls.

Why does this make the game more important? It's our overall conference record that matters in the end. We fought both Texas Tech and Pitt-- both on the road-- down to the wire. I just want to see us do the same vs. MTSU. Sure, I'd love us to come away with the upset, but a close game will only reaffirm that Rice is a legitimate contender.

I'm guessing he see's them more important RPI wise. MTSU is setting at 36, Marshall at 101 and UAB is starting to climb again at 195. Rice only gets 1 shot at MTSU, Marshall and UAB. Rice does get 2 shots at ODU and only have to play FAU/FIU once.

MT is at 19. Use Nolan. He mimics the NCAA and his is live updated vs. the weekly NCAA update.

No idea what to expect with Charlotte @ WKU. Charlotte could win or lose by 20 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(01-05-2017 12:50 PM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote:  MT is at 19. Use Nolan. He mimics the NCAA and his is live updated vs. the weekly NCAA update.

Nolan's RPI numbers:
MT 19
Marshall 95
ODU 112
Rice 147
Charlotte 178
UAB 193
WKU 218
LA Tech 219
N Texas 284
FAU 288
UTSA 330
FIU 342
UTEP 349
USM 350

MT at 16 looks great and the next 3 RPIs aren't bad. The Rice loss to Texas Southern looks like its stinging right now. Win that game and I think Rice would be looking at a top 75-80 RPI. Also if Marshall would have been completely healthy I think we would have beat Chatty and Cincy and had a good shot at Pitt, which mean we would probably have a top 45-50 RPI if even two of those three games would have went our way.

WKU and LA Tech need to win some and get out of the 200s. N Texas, FAU, UTSA, FIU UTEP and USM are killing the conference. I understand Tub'o'Goo killed anything USM had going under Eustachy, hopefully Saddler can turn that bus around next year. No excuse for Tim Floyd though. He was an established coach when he got to UTEP and has now basically beat the dead horse over and over again in El Paso.

(01-05-2017 02:06 PM)HerdZoned Wrote:  

(01-05-2017 12:50 PM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote:  MT is at 19. Use Nolan. He mimics the NCAA and his is live updated vs. the weekly NCAA update.

Nolan's RPI numbers:
MT 19
Marshall 95
ODU 112
Rice 147
Charlotte 178
UAB 193
WKU 218
LA Tech 219
N Texas 284
FAU 288
UTSA 330
FIU 342
UTEP 349
USM 350

MT at 16 looks great and the next 3 RPIs aren't bad. The Rice loss to Texas Southern looks like its stinging right now. Win that game and I think Rice would be looking at a top 75-80 RPI. Also if Marshall would have been completely healthy I think we would have beat Chatty and Cincy and had a good shot at Pitt, which mean we would probably have a top 45-50 RPI if even two of those three games would have went our way.

WKU and LA Tech need to win some and get out of the 200s. N Texas, FAU, UTSA, FIU UTEP and USM are killing the conference. I understand Tub'o'Goo killed anything USM had going under Eustachy, hopefully Saddler can turn that bus around next year. No excuse for Tim Floyd though. He was an established coach when he got to UTEP and has now basically beat the dead horse over and over again in El Paso.

This conference is a sinking ship I'm afraid. I had high hopes for this league in hoops, but the bottom is terrible. Historically good schools aren't winning enough and we just seem to have a couple of good teams each year.

The really sad part is that we actually scheduled a little better this year. Scheduled more winnable games and we had a third of the conference that still lost those games. Four less losses than a year ago in non-conference isn't enough to offset the easier schedule conference-wide. We were 66-89. That win/loss needs to be flipped. If it was we would be the 11th ranked conference and would have as many as five or six teams in the top 100 at the end of the season.

We lost way too many winnable games this year. That's why we sit where we sit. One of the five worst conferences in the nation. And I'm not sure that this is going to get any better. We have a ways to go.

(01-05-2017 02:39 PM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote:  This conference is a sinking ship I'm afraid. I had high hopes for this league in hoops, but the bottom is terrible. Historically good schools aren't winning enough and we just seem to have a couple of good teams each year.

The really sad part is that we actually scheduled a little better this year. Scheduled more winnable games and we had a third of the conference that still lost those games. Four less losses than a year ago in non-conference isn't enough to offset the easier schedule conference-wide. We were 66-89. That win/loss needs to be flipped. If it was we would be the 11th ranked conference and would have as many as five or six teams in the top 100 at the end of the season.

We lost way too many winnable games this year. That's why we sit where we sit. One of the five worst conferences in the nation. And I'm not sure that this is going to get any better. We have a ways to go.

I really like Saddler at USM if they give him time there to get out of the sanctions and have a clean slate to recruit with I think he can do what Eustachy was doing there. No question in my mind that UTEP will never correct its self under Tim Floyd, he needs gone now, not at the end of the season.

CUSA I think in the future can be a strong 8 maybe even 9 program conference. The thing is what I feared the most. There are a few programs in the conference that don't have the facilities or support to even really care about basketball. They field a team because its a requirement to be in a conference and that's it. Doesn't mean they can't get lucky on a player or two and get hot for a year or two but for the most part will drag you down year after year.

RPI forecast projects us to be the #23 conference. Still horrible, but not bottom 5.

A bit of good, albeit ultimately irrelevant, news: Lunardi has Marshall as a 14 seed ... and Middle Tennessee as one of the last four out (or I guess first four out, depending on your perspective):

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketb...acketology

Yea sorry guys WKU is not pulling our weight so far this season. But with so many new faces on the roster and only 1 true PG who is a freshman coming off the bench we have had our struggles early. We are starting to get a little better. If we can win the home stand games this week then I will feel better about conference play and that the team is finally beginning to gel more.

Next season though watch out. Top 10 recruiting class in the nation coming in plus still a minimum of 3 more scholarships we can fill in the spring signing period. We should be a top 25 team next season with the talent we will have.

(01-05-2017 04:23 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  A bit of good, albeit ultimately irrelevant, news: Lunardi has Marshall as a 14 seed ... and Middle Tennessee as one of the last four out (or I guess first four out, depending on your perspective):

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketb...acketology

And has VCU as the last four in. If that were to play out that way that would be a tough way to bow out based on a three point road loss. Had we pulled that out then he probably has the two of us flipped.

(01-05-2017 06:39 PM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote:  

(01-05-2017 04:23 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  A bit of good, albeit ultimately irrelevant, news: Lunardi has Marshall as a 14 seed ... and Middle Tennessee as one of the last four out (or I guess first four out, depending on your perspective):

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketb...acketology

And has VCU as the last four in. If that were to play out that way that would be a tough way to bow out based on a three point road loss. Had we pulled that out then he probably has the two of us flipped.

Obviously the only way Marshall gets in is if they win the CUSA tournament. I'm assuming Lunardi doesn't think MTSU has done quite enough yet to earn an at large bid. Or perhaps he didn't think about it all and just filled in his meaningless bracket.