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There are 37 at-large bids in the NCAA tourney. Miami currently sits at #22 in the AP poll. If they only lose in the MAC tourney they should still be in the top 37 ; not saying they wouldn't get significantly snubbed however. As things stand now, if we meet them in Cleveland I believe they would be favored.

I see both sides. You're right—it's very difficult to run the table (MAC play), but Akron could have done it last year. If you replace the game at OU with a home game vs. Eastern, the Zips could have run the table too. Now juxtapose that against Miami not having to come to Akron this year.

I was a college housemate (Sumner and Gage Streets) of Jack Patterson’s son John. I’m still very good friends with him today. I attended Jack’s funeral, and John’s eulogy he told a neat story about his dad. John’s team made the intramural finals at Stow high school. They couldn’t break a press, so he asked his dad for help. Jack was the beat writer for Ohio State at the time. During a road game Jack pulled OSU coach Eldon Miller aside in a hotel lobby and asked him how to break a press. Eldon took Jack’s notepad and drew it out. John’s team won the game. Not sure if they were pressed at any point, but they were prepared. 😊

If Miami doesn't get an at-large, Miami only has themselves to blame. They knew they had a really good team this year and still rolled with one of the worst OOC schedules in D1.

Yes, I'm still not penciling Miami winning out this regular season, but the pathway looks more manageable now. The last team to go undefeated in MAC conference play was Miami in 1958. Back then the conference season was only 12 games. People act like Miami has created this path that is easy to replicate. The fact is it's not easy to go undefeated in MAC play if it takes 70 years to happen. We've experienced some fantastic MAC teams, several even objectively better than this Miami team, and none of them were able to accomplish the feat. If going 18-0 in MAC play was easy we would have already achieved it under Dambrot or Groce.

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

The only way Miami gets an at large is if they go 33-1 and lose to us in the final. And that's if its a championship game like last year. Even if you have *insert mid-major team here* with a non-conference schedule like Miami's they still have to play at least 18 conference games, and going undefeated in that is no cakewalk. Even if Western Kentucky plays the entire NEC and SWAC in noncon that isn't going to help them prepare for the conference schedule, much less a conference tournament

Each unit is about a total of $2 million and is spread over 6 years. That means the conference gets about 333K each year. If that gets divided evenly it comes out to ~28k per team each year for 6 years. The Toledo Blade did an article last spring/summer and people around the MAC were estimating Akron has a $1 million roster. UMass collective claims I believe something closer to $1.5 million. A program like WMU would probably have to spend an additional $200k-$400k on coaches/staff and an additional $300k-$400k in NIL to just become a competitive mid-major. The MAC earning an occasional at-large bid isn't going to cover those costs.

Yeah, something like that. But then in the box score, it says 4,847.

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.

I wonder if they are even having a pro day this year?

It’s been close to decade since the Zips have had somebody at the combine.

"Saving Coach Ryan"

82 combined 3 pointers in the game! How the world has changed.

I agree with a lot that is being said here. I just think the problems run much deeper than coaches complaining about these games. There are only a handful of teams actually trying to compete to make the big dance. Of these really only Akron, Miami, and UMass have the budgets to make real noise. Programs like WMU, CMU, and NIU don't seem to be remotely trying. In fact, if they could spend less to have more money for football, or in WMU case hockey, they would. You can probably throw EMU in there as well, but they look slightly more competent than the others as Heath managed to find 1-2 gems that cost little to no NIL.

Just amazing they had reporters dedicated to specific high school leagues.

Great interview with Amani here

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.

any Zips from last year doing the combine next week??? Dewalt is the only I remember mentioning that something about draft eligible? It would fun to watch if there was anyone

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.

IIRC they announced an attendance of 5,114.

I'm just going by what I've heard on this board (by @Hilltopper,IIRC?). I hope there's nothing to it.