I'm working in Chattanooga this week, so I eased on over to the roundhouse to catch a little college basketball. First off, Stephen Curry isn't 6'2, nor does he need to be. Just him being on the court gave Davidson such a psychological advantage UT-C couldn't do anything with them. The 80 foot shot he hit at the end of the first half looked effortless, and should make SportsCenter as a top play tonight. That being said, take him away from the Wildcats and they are a dirty version of Belmont. McKillop is STILL AN ASS, and they play really dirty basketball.
Chattanooga is in shambles. They looked like ETSU did Tim Smith's senior year, only they don't have a Tim on their team to score 30 a night. They have no continuity on their team, and Shulman looks like he may croak from hypertension. That man has got to have an ulcer.
As for the rest of tonight, the SugarMocs are still SMOKING HOT, including the four from Johnson City, the pep band is still really loud, but incredible, and if they ever could decrease capacity in there to about 8000 or so, that place would be a nightmare to play in.

Video of the shot..........

curry's shot and other parts of the game

[from the Mocs board)

Are you freaking kidding me?!

Wow, that seems like itd be a good place to catch a game

This is just another reason why I wish we were in the SoCon. I'd really like a shot against Davidson. We wouldn't win the league....but it would be a lot of fun

02 will tell me the ASun is comparable. The attendance is comparable. The atmosphere is comparable.

Incredible. Just imagine...the Bucs used to draw crowds like that on a regular basis. Go ahead 02, take your best shot.

If we make a run in the NCAAs like Davidson did last year, have a player like Mike Smith suddenly go off and burst onto the national scene, and end up playing in the Elite Eight, then we would see crowds like that wherever we play. Just like Davidson.

Take Curry away and Davidson is basically Belmont. And attendance in the rest of the SoCon is the same as the A-Sun. I think there is another thread on this board about that subject.

The two leagues are still "one bid" leagues with comparable attendance and atmosphere.

And one other thing, if Curry goes ANYWHERE right now crowds like that follow, plus everyone is giving Davidson their best shot since they've won 40-plus straight conference games. If they came to the Dome right now it would be a sellout.

This isn't a SoCon is better than ASun deal. It's a "Curry is the show" phenomenon.

2002


Have you ever been to the Southern Conference tournament? Have you ever been to the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament?

Yes. I've been to both several times, and I will admit that this is one area in which there is a difference. I do think the A-Sun's turnover, lack of rivals, and travel distance make for a tournament that does not have the same attendance numbers.

What the SoCon has done with their tournament is great and commendable. I thought we were discussing general regular season attendance in the thread. When it comes to that there is no real difference. Going to Western, Elon, UNCG, Wofford or Furman is pathetic. Someone using this one game at Chattanooga as some statement of the SoCon's superiority means one has to ignore the other circumstances (Davidson's rare NCAA run, their fortune to have Curry, and the fact they will return to the norm when he is gone).

(01-29-2009 01:49 PM)Buc2002 Wrote:  What the SoCon has done with their tournament is great and commendable. I thought we were discussing general regular season attendance in the thread. When it comes to that there is no real difference. Going to Western, Elon, UNCG, Wofford or Furman is pathetic.

That depends entirely upon what era you are talking about. I've been to Furman and Western Carolina at times when they had decent crowds. Furman has been down really since Butch Estes left. They had a small gym in those days but it was packed and it was loud. They also had some pretty good tournament crowds as has Western at certain era's. The A-Sun doesn't have this at any turn. Throw out ETSU and the only game that features hostile crowds (big or small) is the Lipscomb/Belmont game. Outside of that meeting the Lipscomb/Belmont fans don't show up and the one's who do are as intense as a mental patient solving math problems. I've been to Belmont twice and it's like walking into a funeral home. Gardner Webb was like attending a sheep show. When we used to walk into ASU it felt like we were entering a war zone and you know it.

(01-29-2009 01:49 PM)Buc2002 Wrote:  Someone using this one game at Chattanooga as some statement of the SoCon's superiority means one has to ignore the other circumstances (Davidson's rare NCAA run, their fortune to have Curry, and the fact they will return to the norm when he is gone).

I don't buy into this for a second because doing so would be to ignore the fact that this hapens in the SoCon from time to time. This Davidson team may or may not be the best team in SoConn history, that is highly debatable. But great SoCon teams that make national headlines are nothing new. Go back to the Mister years at ETSU. Chattanooga's sweet sixteen run. The old Gerald Wilkins/Willie White team from Chattanooga. I could go on but you get the idea. If you throw Davidson out the SoConn is actually down right now. Yet they are still superior to the A-sun.

There is a difference between being loyal to ETSU Basketball and being an apologist for the A-sun.

(01-29-2009 02:35 PM)Goldfinger Wrote:  

(01-29-2009 01:49 PM)Buc2002 Wrote:  What the SoCon has done with their tournament is great and commendable. I thought we were discussing general regular season attendance in the thread. When it comes to that there is no real difference. Going to Western, Elon, UNCG, Wofford or Furman is pathetic.

That depends entirely upon what era you are talking about. I've been to Furman and Western Carolina at times when they had decent crowds. Furman has been down really since Butch Estes left. They had a small gym in those days but it was packed and it was loud. They also had some pretty good tournament crowds as has Western at certain era's. The A-Sun doesn't have this at any turn. Throw out ETSU and the only game that features hostile crowds (big or small) is the Lipscomb/Belmont game. Outside of that meeting the Lipscomb/Belmont fans don't show up and the one's who do are as intense as a mental patient solving math problems. I've been to Belmont twice and it's like walking into a funeral home. Gardner Webb was like attending a sheep show. When we used to walk into ASU it felt like we were entering a war zone and you know it.

(01-29-2009 01:49 PM)Buc2002 Wrote:  Someone using this one game at Chattanooga as some statement of the SoCon's superiority means one has to ignore the other circumstances (Davidson's rare NCAA run, their fortune to have Curry, and the fact they will return to the norm when he is gone).

I don't buy into this for a second because doing so would be to ignore the fact that this hapens in the SoCon from time to time. This Davidson team may or may not be the best team in SoConn history, that is highly debatable. But great SoCon teams that make national headlines are nothing new. Go back to the Mister years at ETSU. Chattanooga's sweet sixteen run. The old Gerald Wilkins/Willie White team from Chattanooga. I could go on but you get the idea. If you throw Davidson out the SoConn is actually down right now. Yet they are still superior to the A-sun.

There is a difference between being loyal to ETSU Basketball and being an apologist for the A-sun.

No apologist here. I just think we sometimes make make the SoCon into the SEC. Like I said before I will agree that the SoCon has had its great teams, but so has the A-Sun (or TAAC).

While most of those teams are now gone -- Charleston, UCF, Georgia State --I was really wanting to talk about the current state of both conferences. You can point back and so can I to success in both conferences, but right now Davidson really is the only difference. In fact, I again say I would love to put ETSU, Jax and Belmont in a round robin against Davidson, Charleston and Chattanooga. Davidson would likely win it but I bet in the end it would be a toss up on the overall record. You could then take the rest of both leagues and throw them together and again it would be even.

Certainly, I will agree that there is room for improvement with ASun attendance, rivalries and spirit. However, we are not talking about the difference between black or white, or Earthlings and Martians, when it comes to the SoCon and A-Sun. We proved that with wins over two of their better teams this year, not to mention UNF for goodness sake beating Furman on the Paladins home floor.

im simply trying to figure out if this wine is a merlot or a cabernet!!

(01-29-2009 03:57 PM)Buc2002 Wrote:  

(01-29-2009 02:35 PM)Goldfinger Wrote:  

(01-29-2009 01:49 PM)Buc2002 Wrote:  What the SoCon has done with their tournament is great and commendable. I thought we were discussing general regular season attendance in the thread. When it comes to that there is no real difference. Going to Western, Elon, UNCG, Wofford or Furman is pathetic.

That depends entirely upon what era you are talking about. I've been to Furman and Western Carolina at times when they had decent crowds. Furman has been down really since Butch Estes left. They had a small gym in those days but it was packed and it was loud. They also had some pretty good tournament crowds as has Western at certain era's. The A-Sun doesn't have this at any turn. Throw out ETSU and the only game that features hostile crowds (big or small) is the Lipscomb/Belmont game. Outside of that meeting the Lipscomb/Belmont fans don't show up and the one's who do are as intense as a mental patient solving math problems. I've been to Belmont twice and it's like walking into a funeral home. Gardner Webb was like attending a sheep show. When we used to walk into ASU it felt like we were entering a war zone and you know it.

(01-29-2009 01:49 PM)Buc2002 Wrote:  Someone using this one game at Chattanooga as some statement of the SoCon's superiority means one has to ignore the other circumstances (Davidson's rare NCAA run, their fortune to have Curry, and the fact they will return to the norm when he is gone).

I don't buy into this for a second because doing so would be to ignore the fact that this hapens in the SoCon from time to time. This Davidson team may or may not be the best team in SoConn history, that is highly debatable. But great SoCon teams that make national headlines are nothing new. Go back to the Mister years at ETSU. Chattanooga's sweet sixteen run. The old Gerald Wilkins/Willie White team from Chattanooga. I could go on but you get the idea. If you throw Davidson out the SoConn is actually down right now. Yet they are still superior to the A-sun.

There is a difference between being loyal to ETSU Basketball and being an apologist for the A-sun.

No apologist here. I just think we sometimes make make the SoCon into the SEC. Like I said before I will agree that the SoCon has had its great teams, but so has the A-Sun (or TAAC).

While most of those teams are now gone -- Charleston, UCF, Georgia State --I was really wanting to talk about the current state of both conferences. You can point back and so can I to success in both conferences, but right now Davidson really is the only difference. In fact, I again say I would love to put ETSU, Jax and Belmont in a round robin against Davidson, Charleston and Chattanooga. Davidson would likely win it but I bet in the end it would be a toss up on the overall record. You could then take the rest of both leagues and throw them together and again it would be even.

Certainly, I will agree that there is room for improvement with ASun attendance, rivalries and spirit. However, we are not talking about the difference between black or white, or Earthlings and Martians, when it comes to the SoCon and A-Sun. We proved that with wins over two of their better teams this year, not to mention UNF for goodness sake beating Furman on the Paladins home floor.

If Davidson loses in the SoCon tourney this year, they get an at large bid.

It may be just my view point but I think the Southern has fallen in overall strength since ETSU left, with the exception of Davidson of course. Am I the only one who feels this way?

I'm pretty sure Davy wont be losing to anyone in the SoCon. They are beating everyone by 20+.

They won't lose a game. Chattanooga was the second best team. UT-C hasn't drawn that since the UT game last year. The conference has a whole is down, which magnifies how good Davidson is. The shot was unreal.

(01-29-2009 03:57 PM)Buc2002 Wrote:  No apologist here. I just think we sometimes make make the SoCon into the SEC. Like I said before I will agree that the SoCon has had its great teams, but so has the A-Sun (or TAAC).

While most of those teams are now gone -- Charleston, UCF, Georgia State --I was really wanting to talk about the current state of both conferences. You can point back and so can I to success in both conferences, but right now Davidson really is the only difference. In fact, I again say I would love to put ETSU, Jax and Belmont in a round robin against Davidson, Charleston and Chattanooga. Davidson would likely win it but I bet in the end it would be a toss up on the overall record. You could then take the rest of both leagues and throw them together and again it would be even.

Certainly, I will agree that there is room for improvement with ASun attendance, rivalries and spirit. However, we are not talking about the difference between black or white, or Earthlings and Martians, when it comes to the SoCon and A-Sun. We proved that with wins over two of their better teams this year, not to mention UNF for goodness sake beating Furman on the Paladins home floor.

Actually you can't point to the past success of the A-sun because every team that had or wanted a good reputation in the A-sun left the league for better places.

If you throw Davidson out of the Southern Conference, which by definition you can't do, the SoConn is still superior to the A-Sun via College of Charelston. It amazes me how each of you appologists love to ignore the success that the College of Charelston is enjoing this year.

Chattanooga is down and has been down for the past few years....if Davidson came to play an A-sun team could said A-sun team draw eight to nine thousand fans?

Appalachian State has never had quite the same level of fandom since moving into their new gym....and let that be a lesson for all who wish to replace the dome with a cookie-cutter arena that is just like everyone else's.

Chattanooga enjoys playing in the glorious round house which seats around 11,000. It is true that their attendance is down compared to what it normally is. Does anyone hear actually think that Chattanooga will never return to the kind of program in which they are accustomed to? Can their lowered attendance be attributed to anything other than a disatisfied fanbase? Obiously Mocs fans are sending Chattanooga a message. Much the same as ETSU fans are sending ETSU despite the fact that we actually have a good team that is a lot of fun to watch. Because guess what...ETSU's image is in Johnson City is not a good one right now. Would you like to challenge this? Good luck.

Here's the difference between Chattanooga and ETSU. Chattanooga is not going to put up with a mediocre basketball team on and on. Schulman, although a likable guy, is a marked man. His days are numbered. Chattanooga cares about its fanbase. It cares about its reputation. In contrast what does the administration from ETSU care about? Certainly not about its own greatness.

The A-sun isn't even a shadow of the SoCon. I don't see people from Campbell going ape **** because they aren't winning with J-Rod. Chattanooga fans are mad. I wonder how Lipscomb fans are feeling about their current A-sun record. Do you think Sanderson has lost favor with them? I don't see any outrage. ETSU is having a good season this year....I would bet half the people on this site still don't like Bartow....why? Because they care.

2002,

You gripe at ETSU fans who fuss at being in the A-sun and fuss at losing football....but if you truly are an ETSU fan and not just someone doing damage control for an administration (who knows) then you should feel proud and lucky to have the rest of us as your fellow fans. Because in spite of it all...we still care. A lot of programs couldn't get away with dropping out of a beloved conference with heated rivalries to a conference that feels like a wasteland and maintain a base level of fans who are mad as hell because they still love the program in spite of it being cut to the bone.

Pitt would argue that the base level isn't large enough and that demonstrates why this is a bad sports town....and he may have a legitimate point but that point also fails to recognize that many schools our size would lose every faithful fan it had.

(01-29-2009 01:49 PM)Buc2002 Wrote:  No apologist here. I just think we sometimes make make the SoCon into the SEC. Like I said before I will agree that the SoCon has had its great teams, but so has the A-Sun (or TAAC).

I don't know which is funnier ... and less sincere. His "no apologist here" quote or the "but so has the A-Sun."

So you don't think ETSU is on par with the College of Charleston? I'm pretty sure we could beat them.