Jump to content

UB vs WV (Mac in The Big Dance)


Dr Z

Who will win  

19 members have voted

You do not have permission to vote in this poll, or see the poll results. Please sign in or register to vote in this poll.

Recommended Posts

Buffalo didn't look particularly great in the MAC tournament or the NCAA tournament. They just came out on top of a conference plagued by parity. Still, the MAC as a whole was the best its been in a very long time, and the best teams return most of their players, while even the worst teams have made improvements. Next season's gonna be a good one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are right Zach. I agree that the MAC made significant progress this year. I think the largest gains were by the usual bottom feeders of the past, There was not a night when somebody could rise up and beat the top teams in the conference. We were pretty much right there with the MVC in terms of conference RPI and that says a lot when they have two real powers in UNI & the Shockers.

As far as the Bulls go......

A nice effort after taking a big punch in the gut early on. The Bulls have a lot of fight in them. I think that Bearden is going to be a force in this conference. He reminds me a lot of Jackson, makes those freshman mistakes but just keeps coming at you. Looking forward to the matchups with Bearden and Evans going at it vs. Robo & AJack for the next two / three more years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With Carmelo Betancourt and Nick Harney handling point guard, I don't remember anyone liking that draw. I don't think anyone expected the absolute beating we received, but I don't remember anyone thinking we'd win either.

No knowledgeable Zips fan thought that VCU was a nice draw in the NCAA tournament. Facing VCU's havoc defense with the Zips star point guard (Alex Abreu) lost to the team was a nightmare draw. And then it got worse. Starting shooting guard Brian Walsh was so sick with the flu that he could barely move on the court for 9 scoreless and ineffective minutes. Backup center Pat Forsythe was so sick with the flu that he only lasted 3 scoreless and ineffective minutes. Backup shooting guard Deji Ibitayo had back spasms so bad he missed the game completely.

Everyone knew their defense/the loss of our PG would be a problem, but thats only part of the game. Many were bringing up counters to it/ how our size would be an advantage/etc. I went back and read the 1st 10 pages of the game thread. (Deji, Walsh, and Pat were last minute issues by the way, not at the time of the draw). Their was a lot more optimism than you two are making it out to be. Of course plenty of realistic opinions of saying there wasn't really a chance either. Don't forget, we were supposed to be a pretty damn good team that year. Even without our starting PG, we dominated a pretty damn good senior laden OU team fresh off of a sweet 16 run the prior year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hurley coached a good game. He's going to be on somebody's radar, but, the question is, will he make a move just for any perceived better job or will it have to be a leap to a P5 conference?

Oh, and thanks for playing, Jay Bilas & Mr President. ;)

I think he has already been linked to the DePaul job. Buffalo better pay up if they want to keep him. They just hired a D3 football coach. Hopefully they didn't overpay him and not leave money for anyone else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everyone knew their defense/the loss of our PG would be a problem, but thats only part of the game. Many were bringing up counters to it/ how our size would be an advantage/etc. I went back and read the 1st 10 pages of the game thread. (Deji, Walsh, and Pat were last minute issues by the way, not at the time of the draw). Their was a lot more optimism than you two are making it out to be. Of course plenty of realistic opinions of saying there wasn't really a chance either. Don't forget, we were supposed to be a pretty damn good team that year. Even without our starting PG, we dominated a pretty damn good senior laden OU team fresh off of a sweet 16 run the prior year.

Maybe I just remember wrong. I thought, with "Havoc" at VCU and the Zips without a PG, it was the worst possible matchup...and it turned out to be just that.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everyone knew their defense/the loss of our PG would be a problem, but thats only part of the game. Many were bringing up counters to it/ how our size would be an advantage/etc. I went back and read the 1st 10 pages of the game thread. (Deji, Walsh, and Pat were last minute issues by the way, not at the time of the draw). Their was a lot more optimism than you two are making it out to be. Of course plenty of realistic opinions of saying there wasn't really a chance either. Don't forget, we were supposed to be a pretty damn good team that year. Even without our starting PG, we dominated a pretty damn good senior laden OU team fresh off of a sweet 16 run the prior year.

Some were trying to put an optimistic spin on the nightmare draw in spite of the reality that going up against the best pressing defense in the country without a legitimate D-I PG was a disaster waiting to happen. The loss of other players on the eve of the game only made the disaster worse. The Zips' size would have helped them match up better against a team without a pressing defense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting decision for Hurley. On one hand, he'll certainly have offer at "bigger" schools. But he'll also have to rebuild any program he takes over. He has a team returning that will likely open as the MAC favorite, but there will also be some stiff competition - Central Michigan brings almost everyone back and the Zips will (hopefully) be healthy this time around. I'm betting he tries to go one more year, hoping for another MAC Title and a Tourney run before bolting. I'd be shocked if he was still in Buffalo to open 2016-2017.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If he gets a decent offer he will be gone. He has so many connections he will draw lots of interest from the P5 conferences .

I think thats the only way he should leave with the exception of some elite "mid-majors". The DePaul's and Bradley's of the world aren't really worth leaving for and taking the risk. IMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't say it's a good team. Put a good coach with support from the admin in the middle of Chicago and see what happens.

Absolutely. DePaul's in the Big East, which had the second highest conference RPI this season and placed 6 of its 10 teams (60%) in the NCAA tournament. Chicago is a hotbed for basketball recruiting. If DePaul's administration made a major commitment to becoming a perennial basketball power, it could be very attractive to an upcoming young coach. But I still think Hurley shoots for something higher.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolutely. DePaul's in the Big East, which had the second highest conference RPI this season and placed 6 of its 10 teams (60%) in the NCAA tournament. Chicago is a hotbed for basketball recruiting. If DePaul's administration made a major commitment to becoming a perennial basketball power, it could be very attractive to an upcoming young coach. But I still think Hurley shoots for something higher.

Do you view Rutgers or Fordham as attractive jobs? You can bring up conference and location all you want, but a shitty program is a shitty program. There's a very low chance you are going to take a bad program in a good conference and win.Therefore not a smart move. I'd rather make a career decision more on absolutes than what-ifs. Leaving Ohio for Illinois is a smart move. Leaving Buffalo for Depaul isn't, in my eyes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you view Rutgers or Fordham as attractive jobs? You can bring up conference and location all you want, but a shitty program is a shitty program. There's a very low chance you are going to take a bad program in a good conference and win.Therefore not a smart move. I'd rather make a career decision more on absolutes than what-ifs. Leaving Ohio for Illinois is a smart move. Leaving Buffalo for Depaul isn't, in my eyes.

Rutgers really isn't comparable. Crappy arena, an hour outside of the city they claim, a football team to fund.. And Fordham is in the A-10. The A-10 is a decent conference, but it's not the Big East.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would love to play basketball in the A-10 versus the MAC. A-10 always seems to get multiple teams in the dance....3 this year. The salary isn't much better.

Rutgers is one to be careful about though....Waters struggled and couldn't get it figured out. They are in the BigTen now though so maybe that changes things. The current coach though is making over $1 million a year.

Sadly Hurley is the kind of coach that we need to keep in the MAC to make it stronger. I wish BGSU could have kept Dakich and Can't could have kept Waters. This conference has so much potential but nobody has an opportunity to keep consistency with great coaching because they leave. Makes you remember we are fortunate to have Dambrodt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...