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"Saving Coach Ryan"

I wonder if folks truly understand how much $$$ is at stake for the MAC getting a second bid? It's not a 1-year payday, it's a 5-year payday, and higher if one or both MAC teams advance a round or two. Being a Top 12 league may have been enough to get Miami an at-large. Now, giving Miami an at-large only incentivizes other teams to play weak schedules, build gaudy records, then expect the NCAA to give them a pass into the tournament. Believe me, the NCAA is not going to open that can of worms by giving Miami an at-large bid.

Any Zips player who has pro aspirations is long gone from Infocision by the time their senior season rolls around.

All of this is fine and dandy. But the key is to take advantage of these games and win. The recent Sun Belt debacle shows what happens when (Akron included) teams seemingly snub their noses at these opportunities. Those Sun Belt games were tee-d up for the MAC to make hay and climb closer to being ranked among the Top 12 Conferences in the country -- instead of falling back down closer to near No. 20. Clearly MAC coaches/players looked at those games as a break in MAC play, not a chance to rise above. MAC only won 3 games but were favored in nearly all of them. I remember when 'MAC' teams pulled for all 'MAC' teams in these types of games, but not so much anymore. I remember when coaches took winning these games as a source of team/MAC pride. Now most privately and publicly bitch about playing them. Until the MAC, the players and the coaches all take winning thee games seriously again, they will never make a positive difference. Miami is undefeated. But you're only as tall as the shoulders you stand on. And right now MAC shoulders belong to midgets. If Miami fails to be an NCAA Tournament at-large team this season, every team in the MAC should look in the mirror, then call Miami and tell them 'we're sorry.' Folks will say they beat nobody. Using the Sun Belt Challenge as an example ... they would be right.

108-105 in 2OT.

Wow Akron with a big upset win over Ohio. Zips are 4-1 in conference after starting off 0-8.

I didn't mean a carbon copy event. Simply playing top OOC mid major competition in January/February. If it takes multiple games in one event, do it. Get an event going where 3 games are played between 6 of the highest NET mid majors. Otherwise, campus site games will do just fine.

It could all be true. It could also be one of those things people close to athletic departments buy because they over trust those working in those departments.

Those events do exist. Akron played Murray State in Vegas. Ohio played St. Bonaventure in Cleveland. They're just part of double or triple header events. Michigan and Duke are large national brands with deep pocketed alumni. If they played a game in Butte, Montana 10k people would still show. If Akron played Northern Iowa at the Kia Center in Orlando, FL (and that was the headline event) how many people do you think would honestly show? Now remember renting out an NBA arena for a day probably costs $100k, perhaps more, and you receive none of the parking or concession revenue. Both teams would eat heavy financial losses.

I'd be surprised if the SunBelt expands beyond 14 teams. So much league revenue, like NCAA tournament credits, is fixed so unless adding them leads to at-large bids (not happening), you're just splitting the same size pie more ways. The SunBelt could have interest in Miami/OU, but I'm inclined to think that it would be a contingency to back fill in the event they get raided by PAC-12, MWC, or AAC.

Exactly, luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Their players have made big plays in big moments. Ours stepped over the line while trying to inbound a pass.