On paper, Niagara looks a lot like Akron. Not very big, but they shoot (and make) a ton of threes. Their leading scorer, Dukes, takes nearly 7 a game and has hit 42% of them. That's pretty darn good. It looks like their front court starters go 6'7 and 6'8, and they bring another 6'7 guy off the bench.

Our defense should give them some problems, as I've doubt they've seen much 2-3 zone all year, and I doubt even more they've seen length like we have. Should be a fun game, though. They will be jacking up lots of shots.

(03-12-2018 10:55 AM)RamyEMU Wrote:  Well, the CIT is actually at 16 teams. Not sure if they asked 4 to drop out if there were indeed 20 teams at one point.

There are 20. 4 of them got 1st round byes. Pretty confusing format, but whatever. I'm excited for more basketball, and I hope we go on a nice little run.

(03-12-2018 10:58 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 10:55 AM)RamyEMU Wrote:  Well, the CIT is actually at 16 teams. Not sure if they asked 4 to drop out if there were indeed 20 teams at one point.

There are 20. 4 of them got 1st round byes. Pretty confusing format, but whatever. I'm excited for more basketball, and I hope we go on a nice little run.

My GUESS is that CIT could handle 16 - 32 teams divisible by four. E.G., 24 teams would be 16 team play-in.

Twenty is 8 Team play-in including CMU.

BTW, the 8 team playin was announced LAST week.

CMU advanced today over Fort Wayne.

BTW, fans can financially support this effort by donating toward the purchase of $5 student tickets.

E.g. $50 will cover 10 student tickets.

I will once I get home later in the week. I'm on spring break. :)

There is a link at the emueagles.com website.

25, 50 or $100 gifts will make this happen.

Woah, just realized buffalo got 13 seeding. With a 31 RPI, you would expect an 8 seed. Maybe bumped down to 10 since they are a mid major. But 13 is way too low.

NCAA gives very little weight to RPI now.

(03-12-2018 04:02 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  Woah, just realized buffalo got 13 seeding. With a 31 RPI, you would expect an 8 seed. Maybe bumped down to 10 since they are a mid major. But 13 is way too low.

Buffalo just didn't have any major wins. Compare Buffalo to the 12 seeds in the tournament this year:

South Dakota State: Beat Buffalo 94-80 in the Cayman Islands classic. Also beat Iowa.

Davidson: 2-1 against ranked Rhode Island, split against 11-seed St. Bonaventure

New Mexico State: Beat then-no. 6 Miami, beat Illinois.

The one you can argue, you can't really argue:

Murray State: 16-2 in Ohio Valley conference, RPI is lower than Buffalo, I don't see any great wins, but they also haven't lost since January.

March Madness is the NCAA Tournament, the greatest spectacle in sports. I won't even watch the NIT. No one cares about those manufactured "ersatz" tournaments. Try again next season, this one's over...How far has the MAC fallen? Not one NIT invite. Hello, rock bottom. Depressing.

(03-12-2018 04:56 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  March Madness is the NCAA Tournament, the greatest spectacle in sports. I won't even watch the NIT. No one cares about those manufactured "ersatz" tournaments. Try again next season, this one's over...How far has the MAC fallen? Not one NIT invite. Hello, rock bottom. Depressing.

Please share with Keno

(03-12-2018 05:37 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 04:56 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  March Madness is the NCAA Tournament, the greatest spectacle in sports. I won't even watch the NIT. No one cares about those manufactured "ersatz" tournaments. Try again next season, this one's over...How far has the MAC fallen? Not one NIT invite. Hello, rock bottom. Depressing.

Please share with Keno

I know you and all 4 rabid EMU fans are absolutely pissing your pants in anticipation of this coveted tourney. A tournament so awesome, teams will pay lots of money (literally) to get in!

(03-11-2018 08:29 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(03-11-2018 07:26 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  

(03-11-2018 06:47 PM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  

(03-11-2018 06:29 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(03-11-2018 06:21 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  Ramy spending $30K to host a game is also indeed insignificant to the total projected budget that the University faces, it does not even register a percentage figure.

Perhaps I am being over sensitive to the highly vocal yet minority of people who have served to disparage EMU over the years. The Huron logo, the President's House and the recent racist graffiti were all molehills converted into mountains by these people.

I can be accused of having tunnel vision to be sure. The Championship Building Plan is of paramount importance to me, I simply don't want there to be any obstruction to this project that will not only improve the University but more importantly the City and surrounding area as well.

Well said.

My point is there will probably be 500 people at the game. This game means nothing for national exposure.

We need to improve MAC Basketball to become a two-three bid league (2 NCAA, 1 NIT). Take the money and bring in a good mid major to build excitement next season.

Good luck with the MAC getting 2 bids. The big money conferences are doing a good good job of controlling that. If a MAC team went 28-3 they would not get an at large bid because of a weak schedule. But a 20-11 Big 10 team would get in.

To be fair the MAC does not play high quality basketball. The Ohio and EMU runs to the sweet sixteen are not likely to be repeated anytime soon. I think the MAC has been one and done for at least five years now.

The NCAA needs to hire someone from the NFL or for that matter a Dave Gavitt type who ran the Big East years ago. Gavitt insisted that all of the teams in the conference have television exposure and it subsequently elevated the play and attendance for the entire league. The NFL insists on revenue sharing unlike the MLB and now just prints money.

Perhaps someone at the highly dysfunctional NCAA will realize that they are better off growing the brand by putting butts in the empty seats in Ypsilanti rather than expanding the season ticket wait list in Ann Arbor.

This is partly the MAC's fault. Scheduling Rochester, Concordia, etc does not build RPI, does not help recruiting, and brings the MAC quality of basketball down. The MAC conference could collectively help itself by scheduling preseason G5 tournaments, in addition to playing the bigger schools for payoff games......

Luckey you nailed it once again, the MAC is not helping itself. Yet I still think if the NCAA was intelligent it would require Power 5 schools to travel and play 2 games against the MAC and similar programs, with no payout. I realize that this is socialist thinking but I see a full Convocation Center, national TV exposure and a tide that raises all boats when MSU comes to Eastern. This is not a zero sum game where one program benefits only at the expense of another. Rather it is an attempt to elevate interest nationwide instead of being concentrated only in Power 5 areas. Gavitt built Big East basketball by elevating Seton Hall and yes Connecticut to the Georgetown level at the time. It was a win for the entire conference, we just need to expand that model.

(03-12-2018 07:24 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 05:37 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 04:56 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  March Madness is the NCAA Tournament, the greatest spectacle in sports. I won't even watch the NIT. No one cares about those manufactured "ersatz" tournaments. Try again next season, this one's over...How far has the MAC fallen? Not one NIT invite. Hello, rock bottom. Depressing.

Please share with Keno

I know you and all 4 rabid EMU fans are absolutely pissing your pants in anticipation of this coveted tourney. A tournament so awesome, teams will pay lots of money (literally) to get in!

By the way Bob, Keno is ALL IN here as well. I doubt that any team will have any chance against the GREAT KENO. After all he was National Coach of The Year just ELEVEN years ago.

Then again at Providence and CMU his conference records have yet to break .400. I'm sure it is just a matter of time until his genius shines again or else his Dad leaves him a team like Drake that even Keno could not screw up.

(03-12-2018 07:24 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 05:37 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 04:56 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  March Madness is the NCAA Tournament, the greatest spectacle in sports. I won't even watch the NIT. No one cares about those manufactured "ersatz" tournaments. Try again next season, this one's over...How far has the MAC fallen? Not one NIT invite. Hello, rock bottom. Depressing.

Please share with Keno

I know you and all 4 rabid EMU fans are absolutely pissing your pants in anticipation of this coveted tourney. A tournament so awesome, teams will pay lots of money (literally) to get in!

Not only aren't you an EMU fan, but you taunt those of us who are. Go away.

(03-12-2018 04:27 PM)emu steve Wrote:  NCAA gives very little weight to RPI now.

I guess you are right. I was just noticing it as well. I was also noticing that the RPI rankings have some pretty lousy teams highly ranked. which is why I always thought the sagarins rating and similar systems meant more.

Wondering if the selection committee is using the more formulaic/weighted ranking systems now too? Or are they using some kind of quality wins method as Blovl E is pointing out?

(03-12-2018 08:33 PM)Block_E Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 07:24 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 05:37 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 04:56 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  March Madness is the NCAA Tournament, the greatest spectacle in sports. I won't even watch the NIT. No one cares about those manufactured "ersatz" tournaments. Try again next season, this one's over...How far has the MAC fallen? Not one NIT invite. Hello, rock bottom. Depressing.

Please share with Keno

I know you and all 4 rabid EMU fans are absolutely pissing your pants in anticipation of this coveted tourney. A tournament so awesome, teams will pay lots of money (literally) to get in!

Not only aren't you an EMU fan, but you taunt those of us who are. Go away.

I agree with you Block E. I've been reading this forum for a few months now, and some posters I consider s???flingers. Negative Troll comments almost every time.

(03-12-2018 04:33 PM)Block_E Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 04:02 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  Woah, just realized buffalo got 13 seeding. With a 31 RPI, you would expect an 8 seed. Maybe bumped down to 10 since they are a mid major. But 13 is way too low.

Buffalo just didn't have any major wins. Compare Buffalo to the 12 seeds in the tournament this year:

South Dakota State: Beat Buffalo 94-80 in the Cayman Islands classic. Also beat Iowa.

Davidson: 2-1 against ranked Rhode Island, split against 11-seed St. Bonaventure

New Mexico State: Beat then-no. 6 Miami, beat Illinois.

The one you can argue, you can't really argue:

Murray State: 16-2 in Ohio Valley conference, RPI is lower than Buffalo, I don't see any great wins, but they also haven't lost since January.

Much clearer now. Thanks for the analysis!

(03-12-2018 09:48 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 04:33 PM)Block_E Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 04:02 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  Woah, just realized buffalo got 13 seeding. With a 31 RPI, you would expect an 8 seed. Maybe bumped down to 10 since they are a mid major. But 13 is way too low.

Buffalo just didn't have any major wins. Compare Buffalo to the 12 seeds in the tournament this year:

South Dakota State: Beat Buffalo 94-80 in the Cayman Islands classic. Also beat Iowa.

Davidson: 2-1 against ranked Rhode Island, split against 11-seed St. Bonaventure

New Mexico State: Beat then-no. 6 Miami, beat Illinois.

The one you can argue, you can't really argue:

Murray State: 16-2 in Ohio Valley conference, RPI is lower than Buffalo, I don't see any great wins, but they also haven't lost since January.

Much clearer now. Thanks for the analysis!

One other weird thing I noticed, not sure the committee cared about it but Buffalo’s three conference losses were basically .500 teams. NIU, Kent State, Miami.

(03-12-2018 07:24 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 05:37 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 04:56 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  March Madness is the NCAA Tournament, the greatest spectacle in sports. I won't even watch the NIT. No one cares about those manufactured "ersatz" tournaments. Try again next season, this one's over...How far has the MAC fallen? Not one NIT invite. Hello, rock bottom. Depressing.

Please share with Keno

I know you and all 4 rabid EMU fans are absolutely pissing your pants in anticipation of this coveted tourney. A tournament so awesome, teams will pay lots of money (literally) to get in!

Bob are you off your meds again?

(03-12-2018 07:45 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  

(03-11-2018 08:29 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(03-11-2018 07:26 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  

(03-11-2018 06:47 PM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  

(03-11-2018 06:29 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  Well said.

My point is there will probably be 500 people at the game. This game means nothing for national exposure.

We need to improve MAC Basketball to become a two-three bid league (2 NCAA, 1 NIT). Take the money and bring in a good mid major to build excitement next season.

Good luck with the MAC getting 2 bids. The big money conferences are doing a good good job of controlling that. If a MAC team went 28-3 they would not get an at large bid because of a weak schedule. But a 20-11 Big 10 team would get in.

To be fair the MAC does not play high quality basketball. The Ohio and EMU runs to the sweet sixteen are not likely to be repeated anytime soon. I think the MAC has been one and done for at least five years now.

The NCAA needs to hire someone from the NFL or for that matter a Dave Gavitt type who ran the Big East years ago. Gavitt insisted that all of the teams in the conference have television exposure and it subsequently elevated the play and attendance for the entire league. The NFL insists on revenue sharing unlike the MLB and now just prints money.

Perhaps someone at the highly dysfunctional NCAA will realize that they are better off growing the brand by putting butts in the empty seats in Ypsilanti rather than expanding the season ticket wait list in Ann Arbor.

This is partly the MAC's fault. Scheduling Rochester, Concordia, etc does not build RPI, does not help recruiting, and brings the MAC quality of basketball down. The MAC conference could collectively help itself by scheduling preseason G5 tournaments, in addition to playing the bigger schools for payoff games......

Luckey you nailed it once again, the MAC is not helping itself. Yet I still think if the NCAA was intelligent it would require Power 5 schools to travel and play 2 games against the MAC and similar programs, with no payout. I realize that this is socialist thinking but I see a full Convocation Center, national TV exposure and a tide that raises all boats when MSU comes to Eastern. This is not a zero sum game where one program benefits only at the expense of another. Rather it is an attempt to elevate interest nationwide instead of being concentrated only in Power 5 areas. Gavitt built Big East basketball by elevating Seton Hall and yes Connecticut to the Georgetown level at the time. It was a win for the entire conference, we just need to expand that model.

Msu did come eastern we barely hit 3,000

3,711 actually.


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