UAB has lost to some bad teams this season when it comes to Selection Sunday:
-Wichita St.
-Marshall
-USM
-Georgia Southern
UAB also has some marginal losses:
-USF
-Rhode Island (bubble team)
-FSU (bubble team)
UAB has only one "good" loss:
-Memphis
In a normal season, this leaves us with no shot at the NCAA Tournament. Fortunately, this isn't one of those seasons. We'd already be talking about where UAB will play in the first round of the NIT if it weren't for Memphis being in the Top 10. There is also a slew of teams that are considered on the bubble and none are really breaking away from the pack.
And we can't kid ourselves; UAB will lose again this season. Whether it's tonight at UTEP or March 8 at Memphis, UAB will lose one or more games. A loss to Memphis and our bubble thins slightly. A loss to anyone else and we need to start hoping for a home game in the NIT.
But, if we find a way to beat Memphis on the road, UAB's NCAA hopes are restored and our bubble position will be fortified.
As Gene Bartow told his players, "If you think you can, you might. If you think you won't, you're right."
You lost me when you put these two sentences in the same post.
Quote:And we can't kid ourselves; UAB will lose again this season. Whether it's tonight at UTEP or March 8 at Memphis, UAB will lose one or more games.
Quote:As Gene Bartow told his players, "If you think you can, you might. If you think you won't, you're right."
I guess when fans think we won't, then we are not kidding ourselves and just being realistic.
Uab91Eng Wrote:You lost me when you put these two sentences in the same post.
Quote:And we can't kid ourselves; UAB will lose again this season. Whether it's tonight at UTEP or March 8 at Memphis, UAB will lose one or more games.
Quote:As Gene Bartow told his players, "If you think you can, you might. If you think you won't, you're right."
I guess when fans think we won't, then we are not kidding ourselves and just being realistic.
Realism SUCKS!!!
GO BLAZERS FINAL FOUR BOUND!!!
Pass the koolaid baby
Schard Wrote:UAB has lost to some bad teams this season when it comes to Selection Sunday:
-Wichita St.
-Marshall
-USM
-Georgia Southern
UAB also has some marginal losses:
-USF
-Rhode Island (bubble team)
-FSU (bubble team)
UAB has only one "good" loss:
-Memphis
In a normal season, this leaves us with no shot at the NCAA Tournament. Fortunately, this isn't one of those seasons. We'd already be talking about where UAB will play in the first round of the NIT if it weren't for Memphis being in the Top 10. There is also a slew of teams that are considered on the bubble and none are really breaking away from the pack.
And we can't kid ourselves; UAB will lose again this season. Whether it's tonight at UTEP or March 8 at Memphis, UAB will lose one or more games. A loss to Memphis and our bubble thins slightly. A loss to anyone else and we need to start hoping for a home game in the NIT.
But, if we find a way to beat Memphis on the road, UAB's NCAA hopes are restored and our bubble position will be fortified.
As Gene Bartow told his players, "If you think you can, you might. If you think you won't, you're right."
Now we are a NIT bid team and a thin bubble ncaa team
In november 2007 after the Florida fiasco , the margin error was close to zero now it is zero beside memphis .
UAB fan need to wish for very few upset during all conference tournaments because even if we win everygame and lose to memphis in the final we may not make it to the big dance
We need to beat UTEP too stay alive inside of this very thin bubble but a win will make the bubble thicker
I really just wanted to use the Gene quote. Steve Mitchell made mention of it during one broadcast this season.
If you step back and look at trends of this UAB team, the road is not a pretty place to be this season. The stats and trends for tonight's game and the game in Memphis aren't favorable for UAB... but "stats are for losers," as Nolan Richardson said at the XCMA coaching clinic. I'm just tempering my expectations.
Another thing--never question my ability to drink the Kool-Aid--I BRING the Kool-Aid son... BlazerTalk tailgaters can attest to that.
I am reminded of the almost near certainty that Blazer fans brought to this board before the Central Florida game on the road. Almost everyone chalked that down as a loss. Look what happened. Tonight is similar circumstances.
Personally, I think an increasing amount of importance is being placed on a team's last 10 or 12 games. Lose two more times (once in regular season and once in finals of conference tourney) and our last 10/12 profiles are 7-3 or 9-3, with all three losses to #1 Memphis. The committee will also consider our injuries and sit-outs, as well. I think that we would actually be taken OVER a Big 6 school like Baylor who goes something like 4-8 in the last 12 and bows out early in the conference tourney. It's not like we're the only bubble team with a WTF loss. Kentucky has San Diego and Gardner-Webb (RPI: 211)...Florida has a home loss to LSU
Ohio State has Iowa and Michigan...and the list goes on. While we might have a couple of more bad losses than some other teams, the team performance in the last 15 games or so of the season is what is really going to determine our fate. A win tonight is HUGE. Go Blazers!
Schard Wrote:I really just wanted to use the Gene quote. Steve Mitchell made mention of it during one broadcast this season.
If you step back and look at trends of this UAB team, the road is not a pretty place to be this season. The stats and trends for tonight's game and the game in Memphis aren't favorable for UAB... but "stats are for losers," as Nolan Richardson said at the XCMA coaching clinic. I'm just tempering my expectations.
Another thing--never question my ability to drink the Kool-Aid--I BRING the Kool-Aid son... BlazerTalk tailgaters can attest to that.
I wasn't questioning your ability to drink Blazeraid. I was just a little confused on the use of the Gene quote and the previous comments in your post.
Tempering expectations is alright. Expecting the worst (like some do here) so one is never disappointed is depressing. I try not to temper my expectations when chearing for the Blazers because I do not live and breath Blazer athletics. I "expect" my Blazers to win everytime they play. If they lose then I chalk it up to the other team got lucky, played better, we had an off day, etc. I rarely get upset at loses. I take sports for what I believe sports were intended - fun
and a little bragging rights.
Uab91Eng Wrote:I wasn't questioning your ability to drink Blazeraid. I was just a little confused on the use of the Gene quote and the previous comments in your post.
cjrun was the one that brought up Kool-Aid...
and, if anything, I'm trying to set myself up to be suprised tonight.
Don't disagree entirely on some of the points, but I don't think the loss at Marshall is that bad. For that matter, both Marshall and USM now have better RPIs than USF does. The RPI forecast has UAB with an RPI in the mid 50s if we go 2-2 in the final 4 games. That translates to a bubble team, but one likely on the wrong side of the bubble. However, if UAB were to win a couple of games in the CUSA tournament, we could strongly help our case. No question, however, that tonight is big.
I was a huge kool aid drinker as the season began. This was caused by my natural bent toward seeing 1/2 full (green) glasses AND watching Delaney, Sharpe, Roderick show their stuff. As these guys went down, and as the bad losses mounted, I started looking for a NIT type year, with hope turned toward the ever-present "next year."
The two games against Memphis and Houston me showed how good this team "could" be even without the missing players. These guys have shown they CAN play with anybody, and are capable of beating everyone left on the schedule, even the Blue Menace. We will find out tonight if they will perform to the level needed. I still have faith in these guys and they have picked a wonderful time to start playing better.
Realistically, it would not take miracle for us to beat UTEP. They are good, real good at home, but we're not chopped liver. We are more talented than UTEP and a better team. That doesn't mean we will win, it just means that if we both play up to our individual capabilities...we will win.
I'm not drinking the NCAA kool aid yet, but I know where to find some if I get thirsty.
Blazer85 Wrote:Don't disagree entirely on some of the points, but I don't think the loss at Marshall is that bad. For that matter, both Marshall and USM now have better RPIs than USF does. The RPI forecast has UAB with an RPI in the mid 50s if we go 2-2 in the final 4 games. That translates to a bubble team, but one likely on the wrong side of the bubble. However, if UAB were to win a couple of games in the CUSA tournament, we could strongly help our case. No question, however, that tonight is big.
But USF and Witchita St. are that bad. Marshall and USM are just a little less stinky.
Blazer85 Wrote:The RPI forecast has UAB with an RPI in the mid 50s if we go 2-2 in the final 4 games. That translates to a bubble team, but one likely on the wrong side of the bubble.
We need to end the season with a single digit number in the loss column to be on the right side of the bubble.
ShelbyCoBlazer Wrote:I was a huge kool aid drinker as the season began. This was caused by my natural bent toward seeing 1/2 full (green) glasses AND watching Delaney, Sharpe, Roderick show their stuff. As these guys went down, and as the bad losses mounted, I started looking for a NIT type year, with hope turned toward the ever-present "next year."
The two games against Memphis and Houston me showed how good this team "could" be even without the missing players. These guys have shown they CAN play with anybody, and are capable of beating everyone left on the schedule, even the Blue Menace. We will find out tonight if they will perform to the level needed. I still have faith in these guys and they have picked a wonderful time to start playing better.
Realistically, it would not take miracle for us to beat UTEP. They are good, real good at home, but we're not chopped liver. We are more talented than UTEP and a better team. That doesn't mean we will win, it just means that if we both play up to our individual capabilities...we will win.
I'm not drinking the NCAA kool aid yet, but I know where to find some if I get thirsty.
I am right there with you.
I know I sat there and sipped the green colored kool-aid as I watched PDIII make a pass to Roderick for a trey and watched Sharpe tomahawk a missed shot dreaming of a sweet 16 or a final 8. There were a few of us passing around the green jug.
For consideration the NCAA looks at who out of conference you played on the road. We went to lala and Ga st and wichita and USF. We also had 4 neutral games. Check out our record in those 8 games 3-5. Most teams on the bubble wont have 8 games ooc road/neutral