(04-07-2017 11:05 AM)fastbow Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 11:00 AM)Huskypride Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 10:57 AM)fastbow Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 10:31 AM)Huskypride Wrote:  IF UConn rebounds (i think they will, we brought in a great recruiting assistant head coach and well still have a nasty back-court in Jalen Adams and former 5* recruit Alterique Gilbert who will return from injury this year) and Houston will be solid and UCF should be good, not to mention UC and SMU as well as temple. What would be ur prediction for ur overall W/L record and ur AAC W/L be?

I'm in class, and we don't have the 2018 schedule anyway, but I'll cook something up based on what I think I know. Let's say 35 games, every AAC team twice for simplicity, and make an out-of-my-butt guess on who we'll play in the noncon from our prior scheduling habits.

Noncon
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Saint Louis
Three 100-150 mid majors
Four 150-250 tune-ups

Maui
3 games. Who knows?

Con - 22
Cincinnati
SMU
Houston
UCF
UCONN
Memphis
Tulsa
Temple
East Carolina
Tulane
USF

Looking at that for a schedule, I think it's reasonable to say we can sweep our noncon. Our marquee teams are either coming off of a poop season or breaking in a new coach, and we've always been able to handle our buy games. That'll put us at 10 wins.

Miami, we will probably be favored, but it'll still probably end up giving us our first loss, probably in the second game. That'll put us at 12-1 going into conference play.

We should have no problems home and away with USF - Tulsa. Tulsa will give us a game, but we're familiar enough with them that we can handle it. 10 wins, for 22-1.

Memphis - Houston, I think we pick up two losses. Away games at UCONN and UCF. That'll put us at 28-3.

SMU, I think we can sweep. It's too early to tell though, but I'll pencil it in. 30-3.

Cincinnati, we will not sweep. And since it's a renewal of an old rivalry, I think they sweep us. 30-5.

So in short, I think we can accomplish what we did last year. The year after next, we will come back to the field a bit, since we lose a LOT of seniors. But this year, 30 wins could happen. Depends on who we get in Maui and the noncon. More heavy hitters in the noncon could add a few losses.

agree but i do think that you guys will lose at SMU...no one wins at SMU anymore lol

Let's see what the draft does. Dallas isn't much of a trip for us, and if the away game falls later in the schedule, we'll be adjusted to bigger arenas in the con schedule. If it's early, yeah, we likely lose. But later in the season? We can do it.

yeah be ready. UConn, Cincy, SMU have arenas that may not be that big compared to UK or KU but we have die hard fan bases that will make you think that there is 20,000-30,000 people there.

(04-07-2017 11:17 AM)Huskypride Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 11:05 AM)fastbow Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 11:00 AM)Huskypride Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 10:57 AM)fastbow Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 10:31 AM)Huskypride Wrote:  IF UConn rebounds (i think they will, we brought in a great recruiting assistant head coach and well still have a nasty back-court in Jalen Adams and former 5* recruit Alterique Gilbert who will return from injury this year) and Houston will be solid and UCF should be good, not to mention UC and SMU as well as temple. What would be ur prediction for ur overall W/L record and ur AAC W/L be?

I'm in class, and we don't have the 2018 schedule anyway, but I'll cook something up based on what I think I know. Let's say 35 games, every AAC team twice for simplicity, and make an out-of-my-butt guess on who we'll play in the noncon from our prior scheduling habits.

Noncon
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Saint Louis
Three 100-150 mid majors
Four 150-250 tune-ups

Maui
3 games. Who knows?

Con - 22
Cincinnati
SMU
Houston
UCF
UCONN
Memphis
Tulsa
Temple
East Carolina
Tulane
USF

Looking at that for a schedule, I think it's reasonable to say we can sweep our noncon. Our marquee teams are either coming off of a poop season or breaking in a new coach, and we've always been able to handle our buy games. That'll put us at 10 wins.

Miami, we will probably be favored, but it'll still probably end up giving us our first loss, probably in the second game. That'll put us at 12-1 going into conference play.

We should have no problems home and away with USF - Tulsa. Tulsa will give us a game, but we're familiar enough with them that we can handle it. 10 wins, for 22-1.

Memphis - Houston, I think we pick up two losses. Away games at UCONN and UCF. That'll put us at 28-3.

SMU, I think we can sweep. It's too early to tell though, but I'll pencil it in. 30-3.

Cincinnati, we will not sweep. And since it's a renewal of an old rivalry, I think they sweep us. 30-5.

So in short, I think we can accomplish what we did last year. The year after next, we will come back to the field a bit, since we lose a LOT of seniors. But this year, 30 wins could happen. Depends on who we get in Maui and the noncon. More heavy hitters in the noncon could add a few losses.

agree but i do think that you guys will lose at SMU...no one wins at SMU anymore lol

Let's see what the draft does. Dallas isn't much of a trip for us, and if the away game falls later in the schedule, we'll be adjusted to bigger arenas in the con schedule. If it's early, yeah, we likely lose. But later in the season? We can do it.

yeah be ready. UConn, Cincy, SMU have arenas that may not be that big compared to UK or KU but we have die hard fan bases that will make you think that there is 20,000-30,000 people there.

The Valley used to have some of that. But SIU-C, Bradley, and Missouri State haven't been road trips worth mentioning in a while.

Illinois State was probably the only truly hostile trip on our whole old conference slate. UNI might quibble, but the only thing hostile about Cedar Falls is the weather.

(04-07-2017 11:17 AM)Huskypride Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 11:05 AM)fastbow Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 11:00 AM)Huskypride Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 10:57 AM)fastbow Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 10:31 AM)Huskypride Wrote:  IF UConn rebounds (i think they will, we brought in a great recruiting assistant head coach and well still have a nasty back-court in Jalen Adams and former 5* recruit Alterique Gilbert who will return from injury this year) and Houston will be solid and UCF should be good, not to mention UC and SMU as well as temple. What would be ur prediction for ur overall W/L record and ur AAC W/L be?

I'm in class, and we don't have the 2018 schedule anyway, but I'll cook something up based on what I think I know. Let's say 35 games, every AAC team twice for simplicity, and make an out-of-my-butt guess on who we'll play in the noncon from our prior scheduling habits.

Noncon
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Saint Louis
Three 100-150 mid majors
Four 150-250 tune-ups

Maui
3 games. Who knows?

Con - 22
Cincinnati
SMU
Houston
UCF
UCONN
Memphis
Tulsa
Temple
East Carolina
Tulane
USF

Looking at that for a schedule, I think it's reasonable to say we can sweep our noncon. Our marquee teams are either coming off of a poop season or breaking in a new coach, and we've always been able to handle our buy games. That'll put us at 10 wins.

Miami, we will probably be favored, but it'll still probably end up giving us our first loss, probably in the second game. That'll put us at 12-1 going into conference play.

We should have no problems home and away with USF - Tulsa. Tulsa will give us a game, but we're familiar enough with them that we can handle it. 10 wins, for 22-1.

Memphis - Houston, I think we pick up two losses. Away games at UCONN and UCF. That'll put us at 28-3.

SMU, I think we can sweep. It's too early to tell though, but I'll pencil it in. 30-3.

Cincinnati, we will not sweep. And since it's a renewal of an old rivalry, I think they sweep us. 30-5.

So in short, I think we can accomplish what we did last year. The year after next, we will come back to the field a bit, since we lose a LOT of seniors. But this year, 30 wins could happen. Depends on who we get in Maui and the noncon. More heavy hitters in the noncon could add a few losses.

agree but i do think that you guys will lose at SMU...no one wins at SMU anymore lol

Let's see what the draft does. Dallas isn't much of a trip for us, and if the away game falls later in the schedule, we'll be adjusted to bigger arenas in the con schedule. If it's early, yeah, we likely lose. But later in the season? We can do it.

yeah be ready. UConn, Cincy, SMU have arenas that may not be that big compared to UK or KU but we have die hard fan bases that will make you think that there is 20,000-30,000 people there.

Sounds like we fit right in. Our crowd is the same.

I think we will win all home games. I think we could lose @cincy, @smu, @UConn, @1 or 2 others on the road.

So I will say 14-4 or 13-5 (conservatively) in the AAC. That is hoping that the draft doesn't snatch anyone. And that UConn can find a way to rebound some, even with the transfers...Etc.

Of course this could change depending on who we have home/home with...Etc.

(04-07-2017 09:23 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 09:11 AM)fastbow Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 09:06 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 08:42 AM)Huskypride Wrote:  

(04-07-2017 08:36 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote:  At Minges? Sure. We might even win.

you beating WSU is like UConn winning the AAC in football and making the playoff...not happening

We have beaten Cincy, Temple, Memphis & UCONN in Minges in the AAC era. I like to think Cincy & WSU would go toe to toe most years. Not out of the realm of possibility.

Most years? Maybe. Next year?

We return everyone off of a 30-win team. Our last game, we took Kentucky to the wire. We're expected to be Top 10, if not Top 5.

We aren't losing to ECU next year.

Yeah I doubt it would happen next year. And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we ROUTINELY beat ANYONE in Minges... lol I'm just saying we are pretty good at playing spoiler, where one of our guys goes off for 35-40 in a WTF game.
Wichita State would immediately be seen as a top 1-2 team in the conference, and would be favorites to win it next year.

THAT SAID...

Y'all will be taking a big step up in competition week in, and week out. The bottom of the MVC was as bad as the bottom of the AAC, but the top half of the AAC is much stronger.

RPI
12 - Cincinnati
13 - SMU
32 - Wichita State
33 - Illinois State
54 - Houston
69 - UCF
119 - UCONN
121 - Memphis
132- Tulsa
135 - Temple
145 - Southern Illinois
162 - Northern Iowa
182 - Loyola Chicago
188 - Evansville
209 - Missouri State
214 - East Carolina
220 - Bradley
233 - Indiana State
298 - Tulane
314 - Drake
316 - USF

Most years UCONN and Memphis are much better than they were this year. So, overall, the AAC is a much better league. WSU may be favorites to win it next year, but it will be more of a struggle than it was in the MVC.

I hope you get the invite!

So you have an idea of what being in the AAC means to us:

Used rpiforcast.com, replaced 2 games with UNI (tied 3rd in Valley), 2 games with Loyola (5th place) and home game with Bradley, all of which were wins.

For H/A with Houston and SMU, splitting both series, and winning a home game with Temple. Going 3-2.

Our record goes from 29-4 to 27-6, but our RPI goes from 32 to 24. That's just a 5 game change.