The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(12-14-2020 02:33 PM)Chillie Willie Wrote:  

(12-14-2020 01:48 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(12-14-2020 11:37 AM)Chillie Willie Wrote:  

(12-14-2020 10:09 AM)Monarchblue Wrote:  

(12-13-2020 11:56 PM)Chillie Willie Wrote:  I can agree on equality. And I also believed that the ceiling was higher for basketball, but if you break it down it’s not much higher. Comparing levels of achievement that are relatively the same for both sports:

National Championship: about the same.
“Final Four”: basketball wins here.
Conference championship: you could argue basketball wins here but I say about the same.
Winning record: about the same.
Postseason: about the same.

The big difference is the basketball postseason consists of a huge tournament with the potential for moving up. Realistic football postseason is one bowl game but it is easier to get a bowl game than the big dance. And while getting to the Final Four may be slightly more realistic than making the football playoffs, both would require lightning to strike.

So yeah, somewhat higher ceiling, but c’mon, we have FOOTBALL!

Here is where I disagree a bit. Getting to the Sweet Sixteen is not nearly as difficult as getting to a New Year's Six Bowl, which I think is about equivalent in terms of exposure and prestige. It is not out of the realm of possibility that we could build a basketball program that could get to the Sweet Sixteen a couple times a decade in pretty short order, and their is the possibility that if you are able to build that, you keep building to the point that you are getting there even more regularly, which cements your program as a top tier basketball program that is on par with most power conference teams. You can build a brand that allows you to be mentioned along side the best in the sport. On the football side, that kind of dominance at the mid major level is pretty much unheard of, and even if you do get to NY6 bowls regularly, which I think is much more difficult with our money and facilities, you are still viewed as the little G5 school that keeps getting the charity bid, you never are really accepted into the world of bigtime college football.

It is also much cheaper to reach elite mid major status in basketball.

Sweet sixteen a couple of times a decade. Are you sure you didn’t mistype? I know you prefaced it with “not out of the realm of possibility”, which is technically true, but the rest of your post builds on the assumption that we achieve that level. I would challenge you to find a mid major that has achieved that level. The blue bloods and some high majors are at that level. I think one final four ever would be more likely. You’ve seen what that can do for a mid major.

I think a sweet 16 once a decade is not asking too much for a program like ours. (I know thats not what he said) Id also like to get to the point where we are an NCAA team at least 33% of the time. As it is we should be one 25% (and we aren't close to that under JJ). Gonzaga, Belmont, VCU, Wichita St, Dayton, San Diego St, UNLV, Temple... all non p-5s that we should be in close company with. Not sure why ODU, with our budget, resources, history, facilities, fan base etc cant seem to get there.

That is the age old question. Why do teams with resources fail? I have been asking that of all the teams I support.

Mets: Plenty of talent, injuries are a problem, but I think the overriding problem is management.

Giants: Have not been relevant since their last Super Bowl win. It’s been a coaching carousel the last few years. I blame certain individuals in management.

Knicks: They were a perennial playoff team, but haven’t been relevant in 20 years. I’ve kind of given up on them and don’t care much anymore. I don’t really get into the NBA until the playoff s anyway.

ODU: There is a pattern here. While the addition of football may have had an impact, I think we are back to management issues. Poor hiring, no fan engagement. I think they have not yet learned how to manage basketball alongside an FBS football program.

I agree with you, Chillie. A very good assessment. Having followed and yes supported odu basketball for many years my assessment is that the administration generally takes the fan support for granted. Very little fan engagements, activities for children, food selection, etc. Let’s all be honest, this is basic management 101...know your fan base, know what they would like to see, and provide those things. And as far as the on court performance, others have spoken to those issues much better than I can. I for one am ready for major changes in this administration.