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

Flying Mouse Wrote:Oh, this team is capable of winning 25 or more. Capable of losing 12 or 13, too.

The same could be said about most teams.

Pence Wrote:

Uab91Eng Wrote:I believe that we can win out the rest of the OOC games. And if that were to happen then one can say that the players have definitely learned to play as a team. The most number of losses that we will have in conference play is TWO (Memphis and Memphis). So worst case scenario is that we will finish the season 26-5. I actually see us finishing the season 27-4 with us splitting games with Memphis. UAB (and Memphis) should be dancing in March regardless of the C-USA tournament. We will show everyone THIS year that CUSA is at least two bid league.

I don't believe this for a second. We needed OT to beat Louisiana Lafayette a week and a half ago. One game at a time. Right now I'm worried about South Florida.

Well everyone has their own opinions and beliefs. I just choose to be very positive. But don't get me wrong. I am not trying to look past any game that we play. I am just very positive when it comes to UAB athletics. I am seeing a different team from those 3 straight losses. I am seeing our players learn from mistakes. I see them learning their strengths and weaknesses and adjusting accordingly. Too many times in the past our Blazers played down to the level of subpar teams and squeek out some wins when we were "supposed" to win by 15 or more. Some of those we would lose as well. Sure we escaped from LaLa but the players learned and followed it up with two big wins. The past two games we were supposed to beat down Cinci and A&M and we did just that. I see improvement and a solid win streak.

<<The committee also tends to take injuries into account. Two of those losses came immediately after UAB lost its best returning player to injury.>>

Though not necessarily in a good way. The committe stripped Cincinnati of a sure #1 seed a few years ago because Kenyon Martin broke his leg in the CUSA tournament.

<<this team is capable of winning 25 or more. Capable of losing 12 or 13, too.>>

This is true, and it is belief that will make the difference between those. Our belief, transmitted to our players, transmitted to our coach. The Mike Davis who called on the fans to support the Blazers against Cincinnati can win 25. The Mike Davis who was happy where he was at will lose 13. We can make that difference, we can encourage the growth in Mike Davis to fulfill his potential, his dreaded "talent," to awaken his players and himself. If he grows up, they will grow up, and in the shining spotlight of our Belief they shall bring the sacred banner back to Bartow.

I will be in Louisville with my brothers and sisters, as we provide that Belief that is stronger than "talent."

I have cleared my March calendar of business obligations. I am not concerned with how many bids CUSA will receive, or whether an RPI of 50 is enough for an at-large bid. This is the talk of losers, who "hope we don't get blown out" against mighty Florida, who talk of "next year" in November - bammer next year. Any of us could be dead next year. Did the Sparkplug teach you nothing of the sheer unhaltered JOY of living?

We are Blazers. Our goal is to win Six Straight.

Again Davis was not saying he was happy he lost 3 games.

I think Mouse had the best perspective on it since he was there in person.

ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:Again Davis was not saying he was happy he lost 3 games.

I think Mouse had the best perspective on it since he was there in person.

Except that Mouse seems to have a perspective on every game, whether he was there in person or not.

Davis said what he said. He said he was happy where they were (after losing three games) No matter how he meant it, it obviously was going to be interpreted as it was. He should learn to express himself better if he doesnt mean what he is seeming to say.

I didn't take it that way but then again, I am not looking for every fault in the guy and trying to be overly critical of him. I listened to what he was saying leading up to the statement and understood clearly what he was talking about.

Our RPI IF we win the remaining OOC games will rise to about 100 or so. We probably need to be about 50 or under to have an RPI that should get us in the tournament.

IF memphis manages to win almost all of their games also it will get help us just to play them but the rest of CUSA will not help. So, we for the 25 % of RPI we control need to have a very very high won loss record - Right now our RPI Record is 4.6 wins - 3.6 loses (not 7-3).
The next three road games are crucial to improve our record. Futher we cannot lose ANY games at home except to Memphis.

Yes CUSA will be a one bid league. But a second deserving team from a one bid league can go.

Factors that could be good - signature Wins KY & Memphis are chance
Record last ten games, (includes tex elpaso and Memphis twice)
Overall record get to 22 wins regular season 25 in tournament and your hard to ignore.

Bad factors - Weak Out of confernce schedule under our control played to many cupcakes at home, Weaker than ever CUSA at this time,

We can make it but our margin is very thin.

How are you getting 3.6 losses? We lost three games on neutral courts. Neutral losses equal 1 each.

uabbean,
If home games are worth .6 and away games are worth 1.4, I have our wins at 5.8 (5 home wins and two road wins)
I also have our losses at 3 (three neutral losses.

Therefore wouldn't our record be 5.8 and 3.

I also think that many of our opponents RPI will improve once they get in conference.
Frankly the RPI is meaningless right now. Everyone takes into account what a win will jump us to, but no one takes into account that other teams lose as well and will drop, thus moving us up if we continue to win.

Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville, etc. will probably all see their RPIs increase since they're considered to be better teams in their conference. I agree the RPI is garbage at this point. We're at 144 or so now... but that could easily swing to 240 or 40 depending on how teams that we play do. So far Georgia Southern, FSU, and Rhode Island have done quite well. Can't worry about it. Just win.

Memphis,

You caught me ! I had LaLA as a loss instead of a win. but the road win home loss factor is actually 1.6 not 1.4. So our RPI win 6.2 loss 3.

The RPI to quote Jerry Palm begins to have meaning at about 10 games - so it is not right but is getting close at this point.

Your right in that our record is 25 % of RPI - the other 75 % is our oponents record and our Opponents opponents record Often called SOS (strenght of schedule). SO, a home loss to say Memphis will improve our RPI and home vicory ove Tulane and we might drop. Even though some of cupcakes record will imporve in their weak conference the Opponents Opponents in the weak league will decrease.

The problem is that OOC (out of conference) SOS is lower that last year and as of now CUSA has also dropped. CUSA was 11th last year currently 15th. My total will eyed guess is we will imporve to around a 100 RPI by then end of Dec if we continue to win.

Memphis Blazer Wrote:uabbean,
If home games are worth .6 and away games are worth 1.4, I have our wins at 5.8 (5 home wins and two road wins)
I also have our losses at 3 (three neutral losses.

Therefore wouldn't our record be 5.8 and 3.

I also think that many of our opponents RPI will improve once they get in conference.
Frankly the RPI is meaningless right now. Everyone takes into account what a win will jump us to, but no one takes into account that other teams lose as well and will drop, thus moving us up if we continue to win.

According to collegerpi.com, it is 1.4 not 1.6.

"A team's win total for RPI purposes is 1.4 * road wins + neutral site wins + 0.6 * home wins. A team's losses is calculated as 0.6 * road losses + neutral site losses + 1.4 * home losses. "

Just go win the games and the RPI will take care of itself.