The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(01-11-2022 05:00 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  Cusa isn’t those other leagues. There is a significant history as to why.

Maybe now that we're going to the AAC it's in ESPN's interest to have us be a stronger team and start propping us up

I'll believe in that after we're actually in the AAC. We're still in C-USA.

The first step to overcome hopelessness is to identify which distorted thoughts you use the most.

(01-11-2022 02:43 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote:  C-USA Big Dance Bids

2021 - 1
2020 - 1
2019 - 1
2018 - 1
2017 - 1
2016 - 1
2015 - 1
2014 - 1
2013 - 1
2012 - 2
2011 - 2
2010 - 2

Because there haven’t been any worthy at large teams in CUSA in a decade. The only one maybe is WKU last year.

(01-11-2022 01:34 PM)Blazer4Life14 Wrote:  

(01-10-2022 10:11 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  Guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we're in C-USA. There isn't an at-large coming out of C-USA. Win the conference tournament and you're in. Otherwise there's a very deserving 5th place team from the B1G that needs that spot.

Man, there must be a constant dark cloud over our fanbases’s head or something. The OVC and MVC have recently got at-large bids. Plus, C-USA is not nearly as bad as it has been the past few years. I’m not saying we’d be in right now, but to act like it’s impossible is just wrong.

This. Belmont got an at large in 2019 with the OVC being the 25th best conference, Drake got in last year with MVC being the 10th best. CUSA is sitting at #12 right now per KenPom. It was probably much more likely to happen with a win over West Virginia, but it's absolutely not impossible.

I'm not here hoping for a bubble, I expect UAB to win the conference tournament, but just being in the conversation is big. Joe Lunardi is going to get airtime during every ESPN network game for the next 3 months to talk about bubbles and seeding, and UAB just being mentioned is a big step for the program.

(01-12-2022 10:37 AM)Auburn_Blazer Wrote:  

(01-11-2022 01:34 PM)Blazer4Life14 Wrote:  

(01-10-2022 10:11 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  Guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we're in C-USA. There isn't an at-large coming out of C-USA. Win the conference tournament and you're in. Otherwise there's a very deserving 5th place team from the B1G that needs that spot.

Man, there must be a constant dark cloud over our fanbases’s head or something. The OVC and MVC have recently got at-large bids. Plus, C-USA is not nearly as bad as it has been the past few years. I’m not saying we’d be in right now, but to act like it’s impossible is just wrong.

This. Belmont got an at large in 2019 with the OVC being the 25th best conference, Drake got in last year with MVC being the 10th best. CUSA is sitting at #12 right now per KenPom. It was probably much more likely to happen with a win over West Virginia, but it's absolutely not impossible.

I'm not here hoping for a bubble, I expect UAB to win the conference tournament, but just being in the conversation is big. Joe Lunardi is going to get airtime during every ESPN network game for the next 3 months to talk about bubbles and seeding, and UAB just being mentioned is a big step for the program.

I agree. It's asinine to say that UAB had no shot before the season began, or that we didn't have a chance as of a week ago or few weeks ago. We haven't helped our case by choking at the end of the game vs. WVU and wetting the bed against Rice after a big win against UNT. However, the fact that we are even still in the CONVERSATION after those losses is testament to the strong chance we had/have to get an at large this season.

NOT THAT THIS IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN, but what if Rice goes on a big run and is better than expected. Our bad loss gets wiped away. Couple that with us going on a big run with only one or two more losses (Both to good teams on the road or on a neutral court). We'd end the season with no bad losses and several quad 1-2 wins. We'd squarely be on the bubble in that situation. We still have a shot, albeit very small. Sure, mid majors get screwed all the time in the situation, but To say we had no shot is crazy.

And everyone says I'm one of the negative ones?? Saying we never had a chance to get an at large, when we're still mentioned as on the bubble with a quad 3 loss, is extremely pessimistic and negative. A lot of the reasons that we "never had a chance" peddle in conspiracy theories, not hard numbers/resumes.

(01-12-2022 10:41 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  

(01-12-2022 10:37 AM)Auburn_Blazer Wrote:  

(01-11-2022 01:34 PM)Blazer4Life14 Wrote:  

(01-10-2022 10:11 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  Guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we're in C-USA. There isn't an at-large coming out of C-USA. Win the conference tournament and you're in. Otherwise there's a very deserving 5th place team from the B1G that needs that spot.

Man, there must be a constant dark cloud over our fanbases’s head or something. The OVC and MVC have recently got at-large bids. Plus, C-USA is not nearly as bad as it has been the past few years. I’m not saying we’d be in right now, but to act like it’s impossible is just wrong.

This. Belmont got an at large in 2019 with the OVC being the 25th best conference, Drake got in last year with MVC being the 10th best. CUSA is sitting at #12 right now per KenPom. It was probably much more likely to happen with a win over West Virginia, but it's absolutely not impossible.

I'm not here hoping for a bubble, I expect UAB to win the conference tournament, but just being in the conversation is big. Joe Lunardi is going to get airtime during every ESPN network game for the next 3 months to talk about bubbles and seeding, and UAB just being mentioned is a big step for the program.

I agree. It's asinine to say that UAB had no shot before the season began, or that we didn't have a chance as of a week ago or few weeks ago. We haven't helped our case by choking at the end of the game vs. WVU and wetting the bed against Rice after a big win against UNT. However, the fact that we are even still in the CONVERSATION after those losses is testament to the strong chance we had/have to get an at large this season.

NOT THAT THIS IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN, but what if Rice goes on a big run and is better than expected. Our bad loss gets wiped away. Couple that with us going on a big run with only one or two more losses (Both to good teams on the road or on a neutral court). We'd end the season with no bad losses and several quad 1-2 wins. We'd squarely be on the bubble in that situation. We still have a shot, albeit very small. Sure, mid majors get screwed all the time in the situation, but To say we had no shot is crazy.

And everyone says I'm one of the negative ones?? Saying we never had a chance to get an at large, when we're still mentioned as on the bubble with a quad 3 loss, is extremely pessimistic and negative. A lot of the reasons that we "never had a chance" peddle in conspiracy theories, not hard numbers/resumes.

Exactly.

You guys understand the politics behind this? I don’t think you do.

I've seen enough college basketball and I know a good dance resume when I see one and right now UAB doesn't have a resume that would warrant an at large bid regardless of what a NET or RPI says.

(01-12-2022 03:35 PM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  I've seen enough college basketball and I know a good dance resume when I see one and right now UAB doesn't have a resume that would warrant an at large bid regardless of what a NET or RPI says.

Agree a win against SC WV AND Pacific will have change that

(01-12-2022 01:38 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  You guys understand the politics behind this? I don’t think you do.

I think it’s extremely ignorant to say “The committee decides before the first game of the season that C-USA is only getting one team, because it’s C-USA”. They’ve proven that they take smaller conference teams over major conferences on occasion. Obviously more major conference teams get more at-larges, because they’re better and have better resumes, but the committee’s taken teams from outside those conferences. You can act like they don’t, but you’re just sticking your head in the sand.

Again, I’m not saying we’d be in right now. We wouldn’t be, but that can change depending on how we, along with other teams, play down the stretch. I’ll leave it at that, I’m tired of beating a dead horse.

UAB’s best wins to date - St. Louis (81) and North Texas (84). La Tech is sitting at 69 right now. The chances of a top 50 win don’t look promising at this moment. San Francisco (36) and West Virginia (39) were missed opportunities. Both were winnable games.

(01-13-2022 10:57 AM)KevMo4UAB Wrote:  UAB’s best wins to date - St. Louis (81) and North Texas (84). La Tech is sitting at 69 right now. The chances of a top 50 win don’t look promising at this moment. San Francisco (36) and West Virginia (39) were missed opportunities. Both were winnable games.

Both games were incredibly winnable, but our offense was predictably awful. We were the better team in the WVU game for most of the game, and just completely choked at the end. Too bad. Those losses are likely the difference between us getting an at large or not this season.

(01-12-2022 09:34 PM)Blazer4Life14 Wrote:  

(01-12-2022 01:38 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  You guys understand the politics behind this? I don’t think you do.

I think it’s extremely ignorant to say “The committee decides before the first game of the season that C-USA is only getting one team, because it’s C-USA”. They’ve proven that they take smaller conference teams over major conferences on occasion. Obviously more major conference teams get more at-larges, because they’re better and have better resumes, but the committee’s taken teams from outside those conferences. You can act like they don’t, but you’re just sticking your head in the sand.

Again, I’m not saying we’d be in right now. We wouldn’t be, but that can change depending on how we, along with other teams, play down the stretch. I’ll leave it at that, I’m tired of beating a dead horse.

No, it’s completely naive not to seek to understand how and why it came to be that way, and why it is now institutionalized into the system with very little power to change it other than hoping for a unique one-off set of circumstances. Doing so connects about 50 years of dots, which is how college sports works.

I am really starting to hate this place. lol

OVC and Sunbelt at large is PROOF.
To think otherwise is distorted.
Please stop with the hopelessness.

(01-13-2022 03:10 PM)notnow Wrote:  OVC and Sunbelt at large is PROOF.
To think otherwise is distorted.
Please stop with the hopelessness.

Did you learn to write sentences and paragraphs from the internet?

At least we are in the discussion and it seen that every year the one team cusa beat someone rank a lot better ...maybe we get 2 but i wont bet on it ,,,,,Please win the cusa ,,i want to go to see a real game

Couple of things.

One is another loss and we can forget about being on that bubble.

The other is we need to start averaging more than 2,894 tickets sold for basketball. (as of today) Current rank 133 so attendance is a nationwide issue. That said we need to start attending games as a fan base and community. Hopefully with the students back we will have more than a baker's dozen. Bartow is loud half full but I am starting to doubt it will get there this year. :-(