I didn't know what to expect this season. I guess I did expect us to be better. Trying to be fair, all of our losses have been on the road where we know it is tough to get wins. However, the losses have all been decisive and several have been complete blow-outs. I think our home game against UCA could be telling. UCA is likely comparable to most OVC teams and we will get half of those teams at home. If we beat UCA that would be a good sign to me. If we win most of our home games and steal 2 or 3 on the road we will likely finish in the top half of the league. Don't know if we are capable of that, but that's still what I'm hoping for. Road trips to ASU and Jacksonville State will be comparable to OVC road trips so I'll be interested to see how we do. The trips to East Tennessee State and UCA did not turn out very well.

I still feel like we have decent midmajor talent. Realistically the OVC is a low major conference at this point in time (i.e. after losing Belmont, Austin Peay, and Murray State) so I feel like we have the talent to compete. Some folks I've talked with blame it on "coaching". Honestly, I don't have the skills to accurately assess that. I guess all I can look at is wins and losses, and so far that doesn't look very good. However, I'm not throwing in the towel until I see how we do in the heart of the conference season. Realistically our nonconference season was not built for success.

It doesn't look good does it. We don't seem to be any better than we were last year. Last year we were 5-7 in OOC games. This year we stand at 2-6 so far and will probably be 4-9 when conference starts. A site I follow has us going 8-21 overall and 6-12 (last) in the OVC and not making it into the tournament.

(12-02-2022 10:08 AM)ez272 Wrote:  It doesn't look good does it. We don't seem to be any better than we were last year. Last year we were 5-7 in OOC games. This year we stand at 2-6 so far and will probably be 4-9 when conference starts. A site I follow has us going 8-21 overall and 6-12 (last) in the OVC and not making it into the tournament.

That prediction is not unreasonable considering the way we played. Still, I will be shocked if we don't finish in the top 8 of the OVC. Two teams are DII move-ups, although USI certainly looks better than us at this point in time.

(12-02-2022 11:08 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 10:08 AM)ez272 Wrote:  It doesn't look good does it. We don't seem to be any better than we were last year. Last year we were 5-7 in OOC games. This year we stand at 2-6 so far and will probably be 4-9 when conference starts. A site I follow has us going 8-21 overall and 6-12 (last) in the OVC and not making it into the tournament.

That prediction is not unreasonable considering the way we played. Still, I will be shocked if we don't finish in the top 8 of the OVC. Two teams are DII move-ups, although USI certainly looks better than us at this point in time.

Same site has DII move-up Southern Indiana finishing first in the OVC and winning the OVC tournament.

(12-02-2022 11:34 AM)ez272 Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 11:08 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 10:08 AM)ez272 Wrote:  It doesn't look good does it. We don't seem to be any better than we were last year. Last year we were 5-7 in OOC games. This year we stand at 2-6 so far and will probably be 4-9 when conference starts. A site I follow has us going 8-21 overall and 6-12 (last) in the OVC and not making it into the tournament.

That prediction is not unreasonable considering the way we played. Still, I will be shocked if we don't finish in the top 8 of the OVC. Two teams are DII move-ups, although USI certainly looks better than us at this point in time.

Same site has DII move-up Southern Indiana finishing first in the OVC and winning the OVC tournament.

That would be crazy. They are not allowed to go to the NCAA tournament. I believe the tournament runner-up would go in that scenario. So I guess, if we were to make the championship game, we would want USI as our opponent.

It is hard to stomach that the program we have passionately followed for decades has fallen to the point where D2 move ups are even considered to be in our class much less finish above us. Add that to the fact we are in a league that is lower ranked than the TAAC ever was and I have moved on from being angry. Now I am just sad. I went for twenty five years and did not miss a game, brought all of my kids to games as they grew up, now it is hard to get motivated to drive from Russellville to watch this level of ball.

At this point I am definitely planning to go to the tournament. However, if the men don't make it, I don't have a clue what I will do. We made trip, a few years back, when the men didn't make it to watch the women. I believe they won it, so it was worth the trip. However, going to New Orleans (now Pensacola) is a lot different than going to Evansville, Indiana in the winter. If Foley gets the women turned around (it is hard to know how good they are with their schedule), like he usually does, it may be worth the trip. I could see him retiring, after this season (no inside info on this), after he had the court named for him last month. I would like to be there to see him win his last championship if that were the case. At this point, I still believe the men will make the tournament. But, certainly not as confident as I was before the season started when I didn't think not making it was even a possibility.

(12-02-2022 12:37 PM)Karl B Wrote:  It is hard to stomach that the program we have passionately followed for decades has fallen to the point where D2 move ups are even considered to be in our class much less finish above us. Add that to the fact we are in a league that is lower ranked than the TAAC ever was and I have moved on from being angry. Now I am just sad. I went for twenty five years and did not miss a game, brought all of my kids to games as they grew up, now it is hard to get motivated to drive from Russellville to watch this level of ball.

I feel the same pain, and it does hurt! But this is what happens when non sports people start dictating how an athletic department should be run. In a few short years we’ve gone from the heights of an outstanding Basketball Coach in Chris Beard and an outstanding Athletic Director in Chase Conque to the crap show we have now!

I am 110% disengaged this season, and the last. If you asked me about the roster or records of either the men's or women's teams right now I could not answer. Can't really explain it. 25 years and I'm almost totally checked out.

(12-02-2022 12:35 PM)mjs Wrote:  So I guess, if we were to make the championship game, we would want USI as our opponent.

Want to feel worse? Southern Indiana just lost to Chicago State 78-61.

(12-04-2022 08:33 PM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 12:35 PM)mjs Wrote:  So I guess, if we were to make the championship game, we would want USI as our opponent.

Want to feel worse? Southern Indiana just lost to Chicago State 78-61.

Interesting since, according to the rumor mill, the OVC turned Chicago State down for membership.

CSU's men's coach (via Stamford) looks to be the real deal.

(12-05-2022 02:31 PM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  CSU's men's coach (via Stamford) looks to be the real deal.

So is he from Samford or Stanford? Maybe both?

Samford. Alabama.

(12-02-2022 12:35 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 11:34 AM)ez272 Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 11:08 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 10:08 AM)ez272 Wrote:  It doesn't look good does it. We don't seem to be any better than we were last year. Last year we were 5-7 in OOC games. This year we stand at 2-6 so far and will probably be 4-9 when conference starts. A site I follow has us going 8-21 overall and 6-12 (last) in the OVC and not making it into the tournament.

That prediction is not unreasonable considering the way we played. Still, I will be shocked if we don't finish in the top 8 of the OVC. Two teams are DII move-ups, although USI certainly looks better than us at this point in time.

Same site has DII move-up Southern Indiana finishing first in the OVC and winning the OVC tournament.

That would be crazy. They are not allowed to go to the NCAA tournament. I believe the tournament runner-up would go in that scenario. So I guess, if we were to make the championship game, we would want USI as our opponent.

No, should USI or Lindenwood win the conference tournament before they are eligible the OVC would send the regular season champion to the tournament regardless of who makes it to the championship game against one of them.

So if you win the regular season, and then get to the tournament final against one of them, you would be guaranteed to get the bid regardless of who won the championship game.

This is the same thing that happened in the ASun last year when Bellarmine won their conference tourney but was ineligible to go to the NCAA tournament as a newer D1, so the regular season champion got the auto-bid.

(12-06-2022 02:19 PM)redmyers Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 12:35 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 11:34 AM)ez272 Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 11:08 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 10:08 AM)ez272 Wrote:  It doesn't look good does it. We don't seem to be any better than we were last year. Last year we were 5-7 in OOC games. This year we stand at 2-6 so far and will probably be 4-9 when conference starts. A site I follow has us going 8-21 overall and 6-12 (last) in the OVC and not making it into the tournament.

That prediction is not unreasonable considering the way we played. Still, I will be shocked if we don't finish in the top 8 of the OVC. Two teams are DII move-ups, although USI certainly looks better than us at this point in time.

Same site has DII move-up Southern Indiana finishing first in the OVC and winning the OVC tournament.

That would be crazy. They are not allowed to go to the NCAA tournament. I believe the tournament runner-up would go in that scenario. So I guess, if we were to make the championship game, we would want USI as our opponent.

No, should USI or Lindenwood win the conference tournament before they are eligible the OVC would send the regular season champion to the tournament regardless of who makes it to the championship game against one of them.

So if you win the regular season, and then get to the tournament final against one of them, you would be guaranteed to get the bid regardless of who won the championship game.

This is the same thing that happened in the Horizon last year when Bellarmine won their conference tourney but was ineligible to go to the NCAA tournament as a newer D1, so the regular season champion got the auto-bid.

Thanks for that info. I like that better. However, do we then lose out on an NIT bid or would USI or Lindenwood be eligible to go?

(12-06-2022 05:32 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(12-06-2022 02:19 PM)redmyers Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 12:35 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 11:34 AM)ez272 Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 11:08 AM)mjs Wrote:  That prediction is not unreasonable considering the way we played. Still, I will be shocked if we don't finish in the top 8 of the OVC. Two teams are DII move-ups, although USI certainly looks better than us at this point in time.

Same site has DII move-up Southern Indiana finishing first in the OVC and winning the OVC tournament.

That would be crazy. They are not allowed to go to the NCAA tournament. I believe the tournament runner-up would go in that scenario. So I guess, if we were to make the championship game, we would want USI as our opponent.

No, should USI or Lindenwood win the conference tournament before they are eligible the OVC would send the regular season champion to the tournament regardless of who makes it to the championship game against one of them.

So if you win the regular season, and then get to the tournament final against one of them, you would be guaranteed to get the bid regardless of who won the championship game.

This is the same thing that happened in the Horizon last year when Bellarmine won their conference tourney but was ineligible to go to the NCAA tournament as a newer D1, so the regular season champion got the auto-bid.

Thanks for that info. I like that better. However, do we then lose out on an NIT bid or would USI or Lindenwood be eligible to go?

Actually MJS, I think you had it right in the first place. According to the info on the official OVC Championship site, if an ineligible team for the NCAA Tournament wins the OVC Tournament, the auto bid would go to the OVC Tournament runner-up. If the runner-up were also ineligible, then it goes to the highest seeded eligible team entering the tournament. This takes care of the possibility that both the OVC Tournament winner, and the OVC Regular Season Champ are both ineligible for the NCAA Tournament.