Game 8—Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils

[Dr Z]

Saturday, December 16th at 2 pm. 

 

The Delta Devils are still looking for a win. Kent beat them by 13

 

[ZippyRulz]

espn3. I like the former lady zips assistant that has been doing commentary on these broadcasts...very knowledgeable.

 

This game seems well placed and spaced to give the guys some study time for finals before heading out to Hawaii for Xmas.

 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2017 by ZippyRulz

[1981 grad]

Mississipi Valley State is a historically Black College that supports the University by travelling the country playing basketball across the country.  They play their entire non conference schedule on the road.  The game at Akron will be their 8th or 9th straight road game.  I recently watched a sports news show regarding this team or similar team and the issue raised was whether it was fair to the student althlete to be travelling across the country instead of attending classes.  They will have visited 10 states in 6 weeks. and have lost all their games including losses by 30 or more points. They play Duquesne three days before they play us.  (can anyone imagine KD scheduling this game)   I would like to know how much Akron is paying this team to come into the JAR.  Personally, I would rather save the money and play an opponent that is more challenging.   Does anyone on the board believe it is a good idea to schedule these types of games?  

[Bruce Willis Drummond]

12 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:

Mississipi Valley State is a historically Black College that supports the University by travelling the country playing basketball across the country.  They play their entire non conference schedule on the road.  The game at Akron will be their 8th or 9th straight road game.  I recently watched a sports news show regarding this team or similar team and the issue raised was whether it was fair to the student althlete to be travelling across the country instead of attending classes.  They will have visited 10 states in 6 weeks. and have lost all their games including losses by 30 or more points. They play Duquesne three days before they play us.  (can anyone imagine KD scheduling this game)   I would like to know how much Akron is paying this team to come into the JAR.  Personally, I would rather save the money and play an opponent that is more challenging.   Does anyone on the board believe it is a good idea to schedule these types of games?  

On the scale of good ideas, I would say it’s equivalent to scheduling UAPB in football.

[Hilltopper]

This week is exam week. The players need extra time to concentrate on their class work. As far as whether it's a good idea for teams like Miss. Valley St to play this kind of schedule, I think it is a great way for the school to raise money to be able to fund their athletic programs.  With the internet it is entirely possible to travel and complete their studies.

[clarkwgriswold]

The kids that choose to play basketball for Jerry Rice's alma mater are well aware of the ambitious schedule as the school makes no mystery of what they're doing.  I'd prefer that they'd legitimately do their coursework from a distance than have them taking made up or fluff classes like those at UNC.   As for them being on the UA schedule, it is a perfect time with exams this week, and into every season a Coppin State must fall.

[NWAkron]

8 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 As for them being on the UA schedule, it is a perfect time with exams this week, and into every season a Coppin State must fall.

Masterfully planned by our new coaching staff for the end of finals week.   Just need to watch for a let down and MVSU team that has nothing to lose.

[lance99]

1 hour ago, Hilltopper said:

This week is exam week. The players need extra time to concentrate on their class work. As far as whether it's a good idea for teams like Miss. Valley St to play this kind of schedule, I think it is a great way for the school to raise money to be able to fund their athletic programs.  With the internet it is entirely possible to travel and complete their studies.

 

 

Tell that in bold to Miami fans when they used to do it........

[clarkwgriswold]

4 hours ago, Bruce Willis Drummond said:

On the scale of good ideas, I would say it’s equivalent to scheduling UAPB in football.

Or travelling to Penn State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Michigan, etc... in football.  Need to try to make some money in some part of an athletic program.

[Let'sGoZips94]

Please tell me our marketing department has reached out to the Football HoF to try and get Jerry Rice to make an appearance, maybe even with Jason Taylor. 

[clarkwgriswold]

9 minutes ago, lilroodude said:

Please tell me our marketing department has reached out to the Football HoF to try and get Jerry Rice to make an appearance, maybe even with Jason Taylor. 

 

No, but if the Zips score 100 everyone in the crowd will get a sample of Minute Rice.

[Illini Zip]

5 hours ago, 1981 grad said:

Mississipi Valley State is a historically Black College that supports the University by travelling the country playing basketball across the country.  They play their entire non conference schedule on the road.  The game at Akron will be their 8th or 9th straight road game.  I recently watched a sports news show regarding this team or similar team and the issue raised was whether it was fair to the student althlete to be travelling across the country instead of attending classes.  They will have visited 10 states in 6 weeks. and have lost all their games including losses by 30 or more points. They play Duquesne three days before they play us.  (can anyone imagine KD scheduling this game)   I would like to know how much Akron is paying this team to come into the JAR.  Personally, I would rather save the money and play an opponent that is more challenging.   Does anyone on the board believe it is a good idea to schedule these types of games?  

 

I think 1981 Grad here and others raise legitimate scheduling questions/concerns to be evaluated going forward. I personally like the most challenging schedule that specific Zip team can handle (RPI) and I agree with NWAkron who thinks a lessor challenge during finals week is good strategy. But I would just remind everyone that the team and schedule this year came together late. Groce didn't know who he would have on his roster at first and then he didn't know how they would respond to the new system the first year. Also, I noticed many games this year are against teams he has relationships with and some teams that he scheduled against Illinois this year so he might have had to ask for some favors just to avoid a disaster. Next year he should be able to approach the schedule on his own terms. 

[Zipmeister]

If we can get about 10 more cupcakes on the home schedule folks might start referring to us as THE University of Akron.

[LZIp]

12 hours ago, Zipmeister said:

If we can get about 10 more cupcakes on the home schedule folks might start referring to us as THE University of Akron.

I count 2 real cupcakes on the schedule in MSVU and Concord. Maybe half of what has been there in recent years. Considering the timing of both cupcakes (right before finals and ending OOC), and especially the make up/expectations of our team this year, I have ZERO issue with it.

[RowdyZip]

2016-2017

300+:  2

200-299:  4

100-199:  4

50-99:  0

1-49:  2

Average RPI:  187.25

 

2017-2018

300+:  3

200-299:  4  (added #260 Princeton)

100-199:  2 (added #159 NM State)

50-99:  2

1-49:  0

Average RPI:   224.1

 

2015/2016:  185

2014/2015:  206.3

2013/2014"  159.8

2012/2013:  152.2

2011/2012:  142.7

2010/2011:  167.4

2009/2010:  183.0

2008/2009:  166.1

2007/2008:  170.8

2006/2007:  195.0

2005/2006:  167.5

2004/2005:  221.0

 

 

[zippy5]

This is such a weird year that I don't know if you can even compare schedules. For one, I'm sure some of the games were already scheduled before KD left, and two, Groce got a late start and slots were mostly filled across the country. I'm curious to see what next year's looks like

[clarkwgriswold]

The Zips played Creighton and Gonzaga before the MAC schedule last year which are superior to anything this year, but I prefer the UT schools, App State, UPFW and the rest over the likes of Coppin State, Mercer, Radford and Adrians that were on last year's schedule.    

[Z.I.P.]

5 hours ago, RowdyZip said:

2016-2017

300+:  2

200-299:  4

100-199:  4

50-99:  0

1-49:  2

Average RPI:  187.25

 

2017-2018

300+:  3

200-299:  4  (added #260 Princeton)

100-199:  2 (added #159 NM State)

50-99:  2

1-49:  0

Average RPI:   224.1

 

2015/2016:  185

2014/2015:  206.3

2013/2014"  159.8

2012/2013:  152.2

2011/2012:  142.7

2010/2011:  167.4

2009/2010:  183.0

2008/2009:  166.1

2007/2008:  170.8

2006/2007:  195.0

2005/2006:  167.5

2004/2005:  221.0

 

 

Not sure where you're getting those two 2017 opponents from.  Princeton and NM State are included in the Diamond Head Classic field.  We could play Princeton in second round -- we play USC, while the Tigers play Middle Tennessee in the next bracket segment.  However, NMSU is on the opposite side of the bracket and we couldn't face them, even potentially until X-Mas day, the final day of the tournament.

[RowdyZip]

I took a stab at the loser's bracket based on RPI and us losing to USC in the first round.  Unless we beat USC and get a matchup with Miami in the final, the numbers will be similar.  I'm just tired of all the schedule whining when we've always been right in the middle 1/3 of D1 for the non-conference.  This schedule is in the bottom 1/3.  And yes, I know it's a new staff and a very young team, but let's not praise this schedule when all we did was whine about cupcakes before.  I think everyone will find that in the coming years, getting perennial top 50 (or even top 100) teams in the JAR will be virtually impossible, as hit has been for the past decade.

[Let'sGoZips94]

10 minutes ago, RowdyZip said:

I took a stab at the loser's bracket based on RPI and us losing to USC in the first round.  Unless we beat USC and get a matchup with Miami in the final, the numbers will be similar.  I'm just tired of all the schedule whining when we've always been right in the middle 1/3 of D1 for the non-conference.  This schedule is in the bottom 1/3.  And yes, I know it's a new staff and a very young team, but let's not praise this schedule when all we did was whine about cupcakes before.  I think everyone will find that in the coming years, getting perennial top 50 (or even top 100) teams in the JAR will be virtually impossible, as hit has been for the past decade.

 

Not that this is the thread to discuss the schedule topic, but this schedule is getting praise for 3 reasons...

 

1) The same old crap teams aren't on it. I don't see any North Carolina Alphabet Soup teams, no Coppin States, nobody like that.

 

2a) The teams that are on this schedule, while their records may not reflect it, are competitive. They are athletic and for the most part can shoot the ball well. The lesser schools we've played in the past have lacked the athleticism and skills to truly challenge us. 

 

2b) The level of competitiveness we've seen is perfect for the youth and inexperience of this Zips squad. Groce has mentioned in post game interviews that we're getting the right level of competition, really testing all aspects of our game. 

 

 

With all of this being said (and to turn this discussion back on the game), I think we should more easily take care of MVS - similar to the second half of CSU and the entire UT Martin game. 

[RowdyZip]

44 minutes ago, lilroodude said:

 

Not that this is the thread to discuss the schedule topic, but this schedule is getting praise for 3 reasons...

 

1) The same old crap teams aren't on it. I don't see any North Carolina Alphabet Soup teams, no Coppin States, nobody like that.

 

2a) The teams that are on this schedule, while their records may not reflect it, are competitive. They are athletic and for the most part can shoot the ball well. The lesser schools we've played in the past have lacked the athleticism and skills to truly challenge us. 

 

2b) The level of competitiveness we've seen is perfect for the youth and inexperience of this Zips squad. Groce has mentioned in post game interviews that we're getting the right level of competition, really testing all aspects of our game. 

 

 

With all of this being said (and to turn this discussion back on the game), I think we should more easily take care of MVS - similar to the second half of CSU and the entire UT Martin game. 

I guess we'll all see what we want to see.  UT-somethings and Miss Valley States are no different than Arkansas-somethings and NC-somethings.  I'll agree that it is nice to see different teams, but a cupcake is still a cupcake, no matter the name.

 

That being said, this should be a double digit win.  MVS has lost each game by 13 (3x) or more.  I'll be disappointed if we don't match or better that.  We really can't take anything for granted this year with the youth and lack of depth on the squad, but if we keep the foot on the gas I see this as a 20+ victory.  Just keep winning.

[clarkwgriswold]

I think that only the long term is going to show us whether this slate of pre-MAC games was a strong one.  After we see how the season develops, we'll be able to better discern whether these teams were competitive or whether the Zips just aren't that good and made mediocre teams look good.

 

All in all, I like what I am seeing.  For getting a late start, I think Groce and his staff put together an decent roster and schedule.  In the end, I think it's a little better than a .500 team, but that's as good as could be expected after KD's departure and the losses the roster suffered.

[skip-zip]

1 hour ago, RowdyZip said:

I guess we'll all see what we want to see.  UT-somethings and Miss Valley States are no different than Arkansas-somethings and NC-somethings.  I'll agree that it is nice to see different teams, but a cupcake is still a cupcake, no matter the name.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

Maybe some people need to factor in the fact that we are playing these cupcakes this year with a team that's not as good as teams we've put up against them in the past.  These teams may "appear" to be more competitive for that reason.

[LZIp]

Creampuff candidates on last year's schedule:

 

YSU - Finished near bottom of Horizon. Horizon ranked 29th out of 32 conferences last year, using RPI.

American - Finished last place in Patriot League. Patriot League finished 27/32 last year.

Radford - Finished middle of Big South. Big South finished 30/32 last year.

GA Southern - Finished middle of Sun Belt. Sun Belt finished 25/32 last year.

Mercer - Finished middle of Southern. Southern finished 19/32 last year.

Adrian - Not D1. Enough said.

Coppin St - Finished middle of MEAC. MEAC finished 31/32 last year.

MD Eastern Shore - Finished middle of MEAC. MEAC finished 31/32 last year.

 

 

Candidates for this year's schedule (usng last years results):

Cleveland St. (though this is a game I have no issue being played no matter how good they are) - finished near bottom of Horizon, Horizon ranked 29/32.

UT-Martin - Won OVC. OVC finished 20/32.

UT-Chattanooga - Finished middle of Southern finished 19/32.

IPFW - Finished middle of Summit, beat us in post season a few years ago. Summit ranked 17/32

Appy State - Finished bottom of Sun Belt. Sun Belt finished 25/32.

MVSU - Finished middle of SWAC. SWAC finished 32/32.

Concord - Not D1. Enough said.

 

Bolded is who I would consider cream puffs for each year. The MAC finished 10th in RPI, FWIW. If you want to consider UT-C a creampuff, fine, but then you would have to do it for Mercer last year as well

Edited December 13, 2017 by LZIp

[Let'sGoZips94]

1 hour ago, skip-zip said:

 

I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

Maybe some people need to factor in the fact that we are playing these cupcakes this year with a team that's not as good as teams we've put up against them in the past.  These teams may "appear" to be more competitive for that reason.

 

Not in my opinion. Most of the teams we've faced this year have shot in the mid-high 40% range overall, some of them even reaching the 50% mark, and many of them also shooting in the low-mid 40% range from beyond the arc. Teams may change, but the basket, ball, and court measurements/dimensions don't. They are also more athletic than "creampuff" OOC opponents from the past. At least two of the teams we've played thus far have had powerhouse transfers (UTC had a Xavier transfer I believe, and IPFW had a Purdue transfer if I remember correctly); I know that doesn't always mean much, but they were recruited by their original schools for a reason. Time will tell how good we actually are, as well as our early season opponents, but I don't remember 1) the statistical output by past years' opponents and 2) the athleticism by past years' opponents. 

 

There are simply fundamentals that I'm seeing this year - both from us and our opponents - that I haven't seen in the past that lead me to believe we're going to be just fine.

Edited December 13, 2017 by lilroodude