kreed5120

Honestly, no thanks. He can't get up and down the court like we need in Groce's style of play. Nor is he good enough, like a Freeman, to work our offense around to work through.

The MAC was a bit of an anomaly as well for the past several seasons. Prior to covid it was pretty consistently in or around the top 15 conferences. Last year in particular the bottom fell out.

It's easier to win in the American now, but it's also very much a mid-major. Before it was in an awkward position where it wasn't a power conference school, but still clearly a step above the rest. If you actually look at the top 2/3 of both conferences they're pretty much the same now. Those top 8 teams in AAC have an average NET of 122.5 while the top 8 in the MAC are 122. The only thing that separates the 2 conferences is the handful of teams at the bottom of the conference. The MAC has more dead weight.

It's surprising Ball State isn't better. I know they are a middle to above average MAC team most years, but one would expect they should be one of the better ones. They play in a region of the country where high school and college basketball is a big deal and the last I looked I thought they drew decent crowds in Muncie so the fan support is there.

When they haven't been forcing turnovers the defense hasn't looked all that great in the half-court. We've been a bit slow in our defensive rotations, which has led to many wide open looks from our opponents. Definitely something we will need to clean up as the season progresses.

Pretty much playing a 7 man rotation in the 1st half.

I don't think anyone short of maybe 74 year old Nick Saban could lead us to a MAC championship. The funding gap between us and the top of the MAC is absurd. The reality is under the new landscape of college athletics most G5s are going to have to pick between football or basketball as the costs to compete at a high level at both really isn't obtainable. We have Bud already in place on the basketball side and have a proven coach in Groce. It makes sense to throw whatever limited resources we have at basketball while we have an open window of opportunity. Bud and Groce won't be here forever.

We joke, but if we can't fundraise for a ~$3k-$4k training table what are we even doing playing FBS athletics? You would think that would be pocket change for someone like Kaulig.

If only they could take the rest of the formerly MAC West schools with them. If you look at the 6 MAC East schools we're pretty much on par with the Atlantic 10 this season. Granted sample size is still small.

They can't leave the conference soon enough.

Well those numbers are also from 2020 so they wouldn't reflect revenue from the new B1G TV deal signed in 2022, which increased TV revenue ~150% for the conference, nor revenue from the expanded playoffs. The TV revenue alone for the conference went from $440 million to north of $1 billion annually. That adds 10s of millions of more revenue per school. They could very easily be at a profit now considering they were near breakeven before. Even if they're still losing $4 million, it's still well worth the cost given the marketing athletics provides them. They couldn't buy the publicity they receive at that cost. I'd say they're still spending responsibly. It's the programs like JMU, Florida State, Rutgers, etc that make you scratch your head wondering WTF are they even doing. Purdue I suppose would be another example that I didn't think of before about being responsible, but jumped out when looking at what you shared. Edit: According this this article Iowa athletics is self sufficient. It did borrow $50 million from the University during the covid year, but has been repaying that loan. https://www.thegazette.com/article/hawkeye-athletics-sets-another-revenue-record-while-isu-uni-struggle/

At the P4 level it's driven by delusions of grandeur by ADs and University presidents. Not everyone can be an Alabama or OSU. I imagine it's programs like Iowa who understand this that are doing well financially.

Financially they escaped the deal without eating too much money. I thought it was a dumb firing when it happened. It would have only made sense if they had an Urban Meyer or Nick Saban lined up to take the job. Virginia Tech was the real winners there.

It doesn't help they have the highest paid coach in the Big 12 despite him only having a 16-21 record...

It's a 4 year rolling average. I read up on it awhile ago and shared links to the website that lists all the APR scores when the news first broke. One of the years was laughably low and would make it near impossible to be compliant next season. I think that's the score that disappears at the end of next year.

Perhaps just looking for an early opportunity to play that way he can cash in on NIL in 1-2 years.

Akron improves to #40 in NET. I imagine a lot of that was driven because of Iona moving from #168 yesterday to #138 today after their 23 point win over Delaware. BGSU improved dramatically and now sits at #63 after their upset against Kansas State.

I didn't notice this before, but Akron is the highest rated team in the state of Ohio. Below is where the traditional contenders for that title are currently ranked. Ohio State - 63 Dayton -88 Xavier - 102 Cincinnati - 154

The one obstacle would be if the B1G decides to relocate from Lucas Oil. B1G current deal with Indianapolis conveniently expires in 2028. Just in time for the Brook Park stadium

That certainly plays a part. The formulas also while involving many of the same criteria weigh things differently. I'm not sure where Buffalo would be ranked in kenpom without the preseason expectations built in. We will find that out in early to mid-January when it gets completely phased out.

NET rankings have been released. Akron currently sits at #42. Others of note. UB - #87 Miami - #108 BGSU - #111 Toledo - #150 Kent State - #157 https://stats.ncaa.org/selection_rankings/nitty_gritties/47272

It's an entirely crappy situation. Same with the only portal window being in January when teams are still playing their postseason.

Move it to Brook Park once new stadium is built.

Here is how ChatGPT breaks this down. I compiled this on my phone while riding passenger on my way to Columbus. I attempted to manually format to make it a little bit cleaner and easier to read. Offense gap is large. Akron’s AdjO (~120.5) is elite for a mid-major and sits in the top ~25–60 nationally depending on week; Bucknell’s AdjO (~101.5) sits near the bottom third. That ~19 points per 100 possessions gap is the primary story. Tempo matters. Akron plays a noticeably faster pace (~72.4 possessions/game), which tends to amplify offensive advantage (more possessions = more opportunity). Bucknell is slower (~68.1) so they naturally reduce possessions — a classic underdog slowing strategy — but Akron’s offense is efficient enough that tempo moderation probably won’t fully erase the gap. Defense — middling vs below average. Akron’s AdjD (~106) is average-to-slightly-better-than-average; Bucknell’s AdjD (~111) is weaker. So Bucknell needs to get stops AND hope to limit Akron’s chances; that’s a tall order. Efficiency drivers (from box/advanced splits): KenPom’s line for Akron shows a high eFG% and top-50 tempo; Bucknell’s lower AdjO and worse eFG / turnover numbers (KenPom rank indicators) indicate Bucknell struggles to create clean shots and/or avoid turnovers and defensive breakdowns. Team strengths & weaknesses (practical) Akron (strengths) High-volume, efficient scoring — they rank well in AdjO and push possessions. That puts scoreboard pressure on opponents. They have players capable of hunting points efficiently. Transition / pace advantage — they do damage in open court and on early offense. Akron (weaknesses / things Bucknell could exploit) Not elite defensively. Teams that limit their three-point looks or force half-court possessions could narrow margins. Bucknell (strengths) Tendency to slow tempo and clamp in half-court sets. They try to limit possessions, protect the paint, and control the clock. This can make games lower scoring and increase variance. Bucknell (weaknesses) Offensive inefficiency. Low AdjO and poor shooting/creation numbers; struggles to score against better defenses. Recent heavy losses underline vulnerabilities. Defensive lapses vs quality opponents. When pressed by high-tempo teams that move the ball and attack the rim, Bucknell has had trouble. Key matchup factors & X–O chess Akron’s shooters vs Bucknell closeouts. If Akron shoots well from three, Bucknell’s slower pace won’t matter — Akron can get quick early leads and then control tempo. If Bucknell can force Akron into contested jumpers and reduce open looks, the game gets closer. Rebounding & second-chance points. Bucknell must limit Akron’s offensive rebounds and keep the game to a single possession per trip. Akron’s pace gives them offensive rebound opportunities. Turnover margin. Akron’s efficiency suggests they don’t turn the ball over excessively; Bucknell needs to generate turnovers to create extra possessions. If Akron protects the ball, Bucknell’s lower touchdown-rate offense won’t keep up. Foul/FT game. If Bucknell tries to hack/physical game to stop Akron early (and send them to line), watch Akron’s free-throw rates and make percentage. Teams that draw fouls and convert free throws can blunt a slowing strategy. Matchup projection & numbers Raw KenPom-style expectation: given Akron’s AdjO ~120.5 vs Bucknell AdjD ~111.1, and Akron’s AdjD ~106.3 vs Bucknell AdjO ~101.5, the net favors Akron by a sizable margin. On a neutral court, that gap commonly translates into a double-digit edge (≈10–15 points). If Akron is home that margin increases; if Bucknell is home it shrinks but Akron still looks favored on paper.

I don't feel we've looked particularly sharp this game, but we're still up 18.