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It looks like MTSU will advance in the NCAA Tournament. As happy as I am for their players, fans, and the league, I can't help but feeling like that should have been us for the last two seasons.

Except that last year we choked away the Vance in march...and this year we did it much earlier

MTSU is still in a dog fight with Minn. Most of the fouls are going against the Blues. They had a 17 point lead but it got down to 4 points. Now back up to 6. Reggie Upshaw just scored 7 straight points.

Congrats to MT and C-USA!

31-4, incredible.

(03-16-2017 04:37 PM)BlazintheATL Wrote:  It looks like MTSU will advance in the NCAA Tournament. As happy as I am for their players, fans, and the league, I can't help but feeling like that should have been us for the last two seasons.

I can understand that feeling a year ago as UAB beat MT twice, but this season we went 0-2 against MT.

(03-16-2017 04:37 PM)BlazintheATL Wrote:  It looks like MTSU will advance in the NCAA Tournament. As happy as I am for their players, fans, and the league, I can't help but feeling like that should have been us for the last two seasons.

Maybe last year we were the better team that choked it away, but this year, even if we were playing at peak efficiency, I think they were the better team. They dominated the conference more than anyone since Memphis.

(03-16-2017 04:37 PM)BlazintheATL Wrote:  It looks like MTSU will advance in the NCAA Tournament. As happy as I am for their players, fans, and the league, I can't help but feeling like that should have been us for the last two seasons.

Could've been last year. The wheels fell off this year for whatever reason. At this point I just want to see a couple teams get in and do well. That is three years in a row we get an extra credi right?

I agree MTSU was absolutely the best team in the conference this year, and they probably had the best season of any team since CUSA 3.0 began. I just mean i feel like we were supposed to be at that level this season and we just fell apart from the beginning.

Middle Tennessee really has a chance to go deep. They play 4 Butler next, a game I think they can win. Next would probably be #1 North Carolina, but that game will be in Memphis and MTSU would probably have a really good home court advantage.

This is the 3rd straight year the CUSA champion has advanced as a lower seed over a higher seed (12 over a 5, 15 over a 2, 14 over a 3).

While I understand the seeding of our champions over the last few years given the level of play in CUSA, I wonder if the committee will reassess their seeding of CUSA teams given the consistent performance over the last few years. I'd say it's doubtful, but it makes you wonder.

Congrats to MTSU. It's good for them and good for the league. I think we have a legitimate shot to be back in the NCAA next year.

(03-16-2017 04:37 PM)BlazintheATL Wrote:  It looks like MTSU will advance in the NCAA Tournament. As happy as I am for their players, fans, and the league, I can't help but feeling like that should have been us for the last two seasons.

I totally agree. Really happy for them but it sucks. We played soft, timid, and completely didn't show up against WKU in 2016, when we were clearly the best team in conference. We played down to teams allllllllllll season that year, and it finally bit us in the butt in a very important moment.

This year, we were just terrible basically from start to finish, outside of a few good showings OOC and a short win streak in CUSA. There is no doubt in my mind we were an NCAA caliber talent team, but we lost Norton and then just imploded even more than I thought we would without him.

We should've been building on our excellent finish to to the the season in 2014, but instead we've been in a downward spiral since then. Very disheartening. Especially considering we've had essentially the same team for 3 years. UAB can never build on anything, and it's incredibly frustrating. How do you go from a team of all freshmen winning the conference tournament and winning an NCAA game, so barely going .500 in one of the worst conferences in America??

Next year is NCAA or bust. No reason to expect otherwise. Upper class laden team, Sullivan and Norton coming back, good talent overall, good freshmen coming in. Add a quality shooter and/or big man, and there's absolutely no reason to lower our expectations. This is assuming a full squad of course.

Last year we built on the NCAA run. You can't dismiss an entire season over a lose and your out loss. Wku was a bad matchup for us.

(03-16-2017 06:09 PM)Blazer85 Wrote:  This is the 3rd straight year the CUSA champion has advanced as a lower seed over a higher seed (12 over a 5, 15 over a 2, 14 over a 3).

While I understand the seeding of our champions over the last few years given the level of play in CUSA, I wonder if the committee will reassess their seeding of CUSA teams given the consistent performance over the last few years. I'd say it's doubtful, but it makes you wonder.

Congrats to MTSU. It's good for them and good for the league. I think we have a legitimate shot to be back in the NCAA next year.

It shouldn't but you never know. Prior years aren't supposed to be brought into play.

While I'm happy for MTSU for their success, I wonder if they're going to be hiring a new coach in a few weeks?

Kermit was a candidate for the UaB job when we hired Mike Davis. He now has 1 more win in the NCAA tournament than Robert Brown and Tyler Madison do in that time.

Last year is the year that hurt. We should have been a team going back to back. I think MTSU takes a slight step back next year losing Upshaw and Williams. Hopefully the return of Norton and Sullivan can move us to the top of the league again.

(03-16-2017 08:25 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  Last year is the year that hurt. We should have been a team going back to back. I think MTSU takes a slight step back next year losing Upshaw and Williams. Hopefully the return of Norton and Sullivan can move us to the top of the league again.

Unfortunately I just don't see it. Not sure Ehsan will have the coaching experience needed for a few years, which in my mind is too long. His first year wasn't a good way to start. Always hoping though

(03-16-2017 09:00 PM)Shrack Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 08:25 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  Last year is the year that hurt. We should have been a team going back to back. I think MTSU takes a slight step back next year losing Upshaw and Williams. Hopefully the return of Norton and Sullivan can move us to the top of the league again.

Unfortunately I just don't see it. Not sure Ehsan will have the coaching experience needed for a few years, which in my mind is too long. His first year wasn't a good way to start. Always hoping though

Yep. Can't say I'm exactly confident in him after year one. He didn't show me anything. I believe in the talent and experience of this team next year, but can't say I believe in the coaching yet.

The troubling part in coaching is not just we didn't win a single we thought, but the team got worse as the season progressed. As if the more influence he made on them the worse they got. I still think he can get it together, but he didn't leave reason for optimism.

(03-16-2017 07:04 PM)BlazerPhil Wrote:  Kermit was a candidate for the UaB job when we hired Mike Davis, and Kermit got hired at MTSU a week after we hired MD. He now has 1 more win in the NCAA tournament than Robert Brown and Tyler Madison do in that time.

Kermit Davis became head coach of MTSU in 2002. Mike Davis was hired by UAB in 2006. Kermit was interviewed, I believe, as a courtesy.