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

(02-12-2024 03:50 PM)notnow Wrote:  In the last 6 games we could have gone 0-6. We went 4-2.
We are playing for seeding in the AAC tournament. It looks like a dog fight to the end. I like our dogs! I watched the FAU/Wichita St game and the announcers were talking about how the UAB/FAU game in Birmingham was so physical which played to our team play.
USF and Charlotte need to lose. They along with FAU and SMU came close to losing this past weekend. We need to keep winning the next game and take advantage of the schedule that favors us. We are done playing the current top 3 teams and can split with SMU later at Bartow. Will CJ Noland, #22, for UNT be able to play at Bartow on Sunday? We was a very physical player and did the splits in OT and missed the last few minutes. We never trailed in the OT. I don't think he has played since that game. What about Reuben Jones? North Texas hosts Memphis Thursday night.

Over and over and over. They couldn't stop talking about it.

(02-12-2024 04:27 PM)BlazerDave Wrote:  

(02-12-2024 03:50 PM)notnow Wrote:  In the last 6 games we could have gone 0-6. We went 4-2.
We are playing for seeding in the AAC tournament. It looks like a dog fight to the end. I like our dogs! I watched the FAU/Wichita St game and the announcers were talking about how the UAB/FAU game in Birmingham was so physical which played to our team play.
USF and Charlotte need to lose. They along with FAU and SMU came close to losing this past weekend. We need to keep winning the next game and take advantage of the schedule that favors us. We are done playing the current top 3 teams and can split with SMU later at Bartow. Will CJ Noland, #22, for UNT be able to play at Bartow on Sunday? We was a very physical player and did the splits in OT and missed the last few minutes. We never trailed in the OT. I don't think he has played since that game. What about Reuben Jones? North Texas hosts Memphis Thursday night.

Over and over and over. They couldn't stop talking about it.

haha...I watched maybe 5 minutes (I don't think it was that long) and they mentioned it. I thought I tuned in at just the right time, but I guess not

Games remaining against other Top 6 teams:

1) USF: 3
2) CLT: 2
3) FAU: 4
4) SMU: 4
5) UAB: 2
6) PISS: 5

It may take winning out at 15-3 for us to grab a share of the title. In any event, the goal of finishing Top 4 is very in focus, if we can hold our own in the remaining schedule.

(02-12-2024 05:50 PM)FNblazer Wrote:  Games remaining against other Top 6 teams:

1) USF: 3
2) CLT: 2
3) FAU: 4
4) SMU: 4
5) UAB: 2
6) PISS: 5

It may take winning out at 15-3 for us to grab a share of the title. In any event, the goal of finishing Top 4 is very in focus, if we can hold our own in the remaining schedule.

I was looking at this yesterday, at least UAB's schedule. 6-1 (probably lose at Memphis) or 5-2 (Memphis and we drop a random one) should be very attainable for us to close out the season. If we do that then I think there's a really good shot to finish top 4.

I also didn't realize that UAB had the toughest AAC schedule per KenPom. If we can finish top 4 with that difficult of a schedule then I'm feeling pretty good.

The losses to Southern Miss and Arkansas State might very well be too much to overcome, and you just want to vomit over the missed opportunities against Bradley, Clemson, Charlotte and SMU. So close to a special season. Still can be one.

Keep griding and improving. One at a time.

I agree. If we just take those two terrible losses off the resume, I wonder how things look now.

(02-13-2024 11:13 AM)blazers9911 Wrote:  I agree. If we just take those two terrible losses off the resume, I wonder how things look now.

A little better. Torvik has us as the 35th team out at this moment if we won both of those. As it stands now, we're the 43rd team out. The bubble looks very strong this year. There could be teams with NETs in the 40s that get left out.

Because the bubble is so strong, I think it is more likely the committee throws out the metrics and uses the eye test a bit more. There are some *really* screwy metrics. Everybody in the game knows the NET is flawed.

As of right now, UAB isn’t near the bubble. Shouldn’t be, either. But let’s say UAB wins out from here losing only at Memphis and at Tulane. That would mean winning 17 of the last 22, all losses on road, plus avenging losses to FAU and SMU and beating every other top contender in the league at least once except Charlotte. Good enough? Doubt it, but committee can also pretty easily recognize that a team with 9 new players took some December Ls to figure it out and then played like a tournament team for 2+ months. None of this happens in a vacuum.

Tall order but there are going to be a whole bunch of resumes just like that fighting for the last 5-6 spots.

Won’t even sniff the bubble. The committee doesn’t make exceptions or reach for teams like UAB.

Maybe, maybe not. More than likely, they'd give the last slot to the 7th MWC team. Don't think they won't try.

(02-13-2024 11:27 AM)FNblazer Wrote:  

(02-13-2024 11:13 AM)blazers9911 Wrote:  I agree. If we just take those two terrible losses off the resume, I wonder how things look now.

A little better. Torvik has us as the 35th team out at this moment if we won both of those. As it stands now, we're the 43rd team out. The bubble looks very strong this year. There could be teams with NETs in the 40s that get left out.

That system is a bit screwy too. I have us losses to only McNeese, FAU and SMU and we are still the 13th team out in that scenario.(with wins and losses using projections in the future) using these same starting points and making it all wins until a conference tournament loss to SMU has us as the 8th team out. I don’t believe 29-4, 16-2 would miss the tournament in that scenario.

(02-13-2024 12:01 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  Maybe, maybe not. More than likely, they'd give the last slot to the 7th MWC team. Don't think they won't try.

The MWC top 7 teams have a combined 24 quad 1 wins, the AAC top 7 have 9. We have to figure out a way to get top 1 wins amongst our top teams. Memphis and FAU did their part, the rest not so much.

Steve Irvine tweeted some interesting stats about Gaines in conference play.

61 assists vs 27 turnovers (avg 5.5 and 2.5)
9-21 3 point shooting in the last 5 games (including 0-5 @SMU)

(02-13-2024 12:11 PM)blazers9911 Wrote:  

(02-13-2024 12:01 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  Maybe, maybe not. More than likely, they'd give the last slot to the 7th MWC team. Don't think they won't try.

The MWC top 7 teams have a combined 24 quad 1 wins, the AAC top 7 have 9. We have to figure out a way to get top 1 wins amongst our top teams. Memphis and FAU did their part, the rest not so much.

The AAC should learn to game the computers like the MWC did.

Then they should put Rothstein on the payroll as hypeman. lol

(02-13-2024 01:30 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  

(02-13-2024 12:11 PM)blazers9911 Wrote:  

(02-13-2024 12:01 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  Maybe, maybe not. More than likely, they'd give the last slot to the 7th MWC team. Don't think they won't try.

The MWC top 7 teams have a combined 24 quad 1 wins, the AAC top 7 have 9. We have to figure out a way to get top 1 wins amongst our top teams. Memphis and FAU did their part, the rest not so much.

The AAC should learn to game the computers like the MWC did.

Then they should put Rothstein on the payroll as hypeman. lol

Whatever they have done we do need to replicate for sure. None of us would be in the position we are in the AAC if teams other than FAU and Memphis did anything out of conference.

For the last 15ish years we seem to be stuck in very competitive conferences, with lots of good, mostly evenly matched teams, that beat up on each other in conference and do nothing out of conference to warrant multiple tournament bids.

I would bet that FAU would be sweating it out if selection Sunday were today.

(02-13-2024 03:09 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  For the last 15ish years we seem to be stuck in very competitive conferences, with lots of good, mostly evenly matched teams, that beat up on each other in conference and do nothing out of conference to warrant multiple tournament bids.

I would bet that FAU would be sweating it out if selection Sunday were today.

I think FAU’s still comfortably in. But if they lose to anyone else besides Memphis the rest of the way, they’re probably gonna start feeling the heat. Their good wins still far outweigh their two bad (horrific really) losses.

FAU needs to do no worse that 4-2 in the next 6 games and they are fine. Anything other than that and the door is open

(02-13-2024 03:26 PM)Frank Grimes Wrote:  

(02-13-2024 03:09 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  For the last 15ish years we seem to be stuck in very competitive conferences, with lots of good, mostly evenly matched teams, that beat up on each other in conference and do nothing out of conference to warrant multiple tournament bids.

I would bet that FAU would be sweating it out if selection Sunday were today.

I think FAU’s still comfortably in. But if they lose to anyone else besides Memphis the rest of the way, they’re probably gonna start feeling the heat. Their good wins still far outweigh their two bad (horrific really) losses.

I agree but it wouldn’t be a slam dunk I don’t think. They’ve left the door open. Like golden ticket said, they still have to finish the season strong, and another “bad” loss might sink them.