I always thought it was when Dr. J suggested that UALR could be the "next" Gonzaga. Two totally different schools. But I don't know that VCU is that much different than UALR. Both state schools. Both located in their state's biggest city. Both play second fiddle to major state schools. No way either school gets the best players in their state or geographical area. No I don't expect to see UALR in the Final 4. But today it doesn't see quite as ridiculous as it did a couple of weeks ago.

Trojans to the Final Four. I can live with that!

(03-27-2011 04:06 PM)outsideualr Wrote:  Trojans to the Final Four. I can live with that!

That would put UALR over the hump as far as gaining major, sustained local support. Even a sweet sixteen would probably help quite a bit and is more reasonable to expect if we can get lucky.

I like to think attendance should be a bit better next season due to the NCAA exposure.

(03-27-2011 10:49 PM)Robert C Wrote:  I like to think attendance should be a bit better next season due to the NCAA exposure.

I always felt that UALR making the Sweet 16 would be equivalent to a BCS school winning the national championship. But VCU or Butler will be in the final, and then it just takes one more upset to be the champion.

Colonial is a much stronger conference than SBC.

(03-27-2011 10:56 PM)mjs Wrote:  [I always felt that UALR making the Sweet 16 would be equivalent to a BCS school winning the national championship.

At least.

(03-28-2011 06:53 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  Colonial is a much stronger conference than SBC.

It certainly is now. Now sure it was 10-15 years ago. Not sure what has happened to the Belt. Probably football, which the Colonial is smart enough not to mess with.

(03-28-2011 11:52 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(03-28-2011 06:53 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  Colonial is a much stronger conference than SBC.

It certainly is now. Now sure it was 10-15 years ago. Not sure what has happened to the Belt. Probably football, which the Colonial is smart enough not to mess with.

Actually, the CAA does sponsor football, but at the right level. CAA football is the strongest conference in America at the FCS level. Richmond football competes in the CAA. That said, the CAA is way stronger than the SBC year in and year out in basketball. George Mason, Old Dominion, VCU are pretty solid every year, and the others make noise from time to time. Drexel, James Madison, UNC-Willmington, Northeastern.

VCU is similar to UALR in a lot of ways, and dissimilar in some other really important ways concerning athletics. The #1 difference is how the VCU community relates to and supports the program. The Seigal Center at VCU holds about 7,000 and it is regularly full or pretty close to it. VCU really does a good job of promoting its athletics in the City of Richmond.

Also, although VCU is not the main state university, it attracts a different kind of student than UVA. Those students get behind the Rams in a big way, and there are a ton of them- the school has a student body of about 30,000, so filling up a 7,000 seat arena with current students and local alums isn't that big of a trick.

And finally, the population of the State of Virginia is not as myoptic about sports as is the largely provential population of this state that has totally bought into the "Chickenhawgs are the only game in town" mentality.

(03-29-2011 11:42 AM)PTJR Wrote:  

(03-28-2011 11:52 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(03-28-2011 06:53 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  Colonial is a much stronger conference than SBC.

It certainly is now. Now sure it was 10-15 years ago. Not sure what has happened to the Belt. Probably football, which the Colonial is smart enough not to mess with.

Actually, the CAA does sponsor football, but at the right level. CAA football is the strongest conference in America at the FCS level. Richmond football competes in the CAA. That said, the CAA is way stronger than the SBC year in and year out in basketball. George Mason, Old Dominion, VCU are pretty solid every year, and the others make noise from time to time. Drexel, James Madison, UNC-Willmington, Northeastern.

VCU is similar to UALR in a lot of ways, and dissimilar in some other really important ways concerning athletics. The #1 difference is how the VCU community relates to and supports the program. The Seigal Center at VCU holds about 7,000 and it is regularly full or pretty close to it. VCU really does a good job of promoting its athletics in the City of Richmond.

Also, although VCU is not the main state university, it attracts a different kind of student than UVA. Those students get behind the Rams in a big way, and there are a ton of them- the school has a student body of about 30,000, so filling up a 7,000 seat arena with current students and local alums isn't that big of a trick.

And finally, the population of the State of Virginia is not as myoptic about sports as is the largely provential population of this state that has totally bought into the "Chickenhawgs are the only game in town" mentality.

Good thing they haven't since Richmond, VCU, George Mason, and Virginia Tech have all been better than the flagship campus for a number of years.

(03-29-2011 03:52 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(03-29-2011 11:42 AM)PTJR Wrote:  

(03-28-2011 11:52 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(03-28-2011 06:53 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  Colonial is a much stronger conference than SBC.

It certainly is now. Now sure it was 10-15 years ago. Not sure what has happened to the Belt. Probably football, which the Colonial is smart enough not to mess with.

Actually, the CAA does sponsor football, but at the right level. CAA football is the strongest conference in America at the FCS level. Richmond football competes in the CAA. That said, the CAA is way stronger than the SBC year in and year out in basketball. George Mason, Old Dominion, VCU are pretty solid every year, and the others make noise from time to time. Drexel, James Madison, UNC-Willmington, Northeastern.

VCU is similar to UALR in a lot of ways, and dissimilar in some other really important ways concerning athletics. The #1 difference is how the VCU community relates to and supports the program. The Seigal Center at VCU holds about 7,000 and it is regularly full or pretty close to it. VCU really does a good job of promoting its athletics in the City of Richmond.

Also, although VCU is not the main state university, it attracts a different kind of student than UVA. Those students get behind the Rams in a big way, and there are a ton of them- the school has a student body of about 30,000, so filling up a 7,000 seat arena with current students and local alums isn't that big of a trick.

And finally, the population of the State of Virginia is not as myoptic about sports as is the largely provential population of this state that has totally bought into the "Chickenhawgs are the only game in town" mentality.

Good thing they haven't since Richmond, VCU, George Mason, and Virginia Tech have all been better than the flagship campus for a number of years.

Richmond, VCU, George Mason, and Old Dominion have all been better than both Virginia Tech and Virginia for a while.