GJGood

Would Rhode Island be interested in moving up from FCS? Natural rival to UMass and a usually solid basketball program.

I get what you are saying but it was the landing spot for teams that earned championships throughout the entire season. You say 69th but quite often a team got hot for three or four games in their conference tournament but was not better than the team that proved itself tops in their league in the months of work prior. For this reason the NIT probably meant more to schools in leagues like the MAC than it would to schools in the ACC or Big East... but now they are coddling to them even more.

If Tavari and Prather stick around they would immediately be key contributors in 2024-25. I hope they both stay. I would love to see Lyles develop here as well but he seems to be a foul magnet, so I am not sold on him.

I don’t see it.. maybe if we have no more than six to possibly seven losses overall and even then they would never give us a decent shot in order to cater to a specific six conferences. The NIT changes this year have rendered the MAC regular season nearly meaningless. Given where they placed MAC schools the last two years my guess is now that they don’t have to take a regular season champ that they won’t. Maybe if Akron is a one or two loss in the MAC team including Cleveland on selection Sunday but that’s about the only way I see a MAC school in the NIT. It is time for a truly worthy second tournament after the NCAA to be developed. The NIT has been biased for a long, long time, just ask Keith Dambrot, Romeo Travis, and Dru Joyce about being left out at 24-7 after a championship loss on a 32 foot bank shot.... but now they are really pushed it too far and even the NABC is upset and some power conference coaches are saying this isn’t right.

The NIT has now rigged it so virtually no school from a conference ranked lower than 9th or 10th will get in Unless they have 30 wins

No Tribble nor Nate Johnson. Nate is a talented player as well.

Southern, Jackson State, and Florida A&M are Division 1. Muskingum, Heidelberg, and Miami-Hamilton are not. I have no problem with playing one non-D1 each year either to start the season or coming out of exams, but both seems a bit much. One or the other could be a FAMU type. Many of us lament the fact that bigger names/bigger conference schools never come to the JAR but I wish the reverse would happen too. Would love to see the Zips play a road game at a Southern or NC Central or Dartmouth type school early in the season. I know it may not do a ton for metrics but it seems like a likely win while learning to do so in a true road environment while team building. This year’s team is old so may not be as big of a deal, but would like to see it most seasons.

Watching the title games this weekend. Do the Zips have offers to or commitments from anyone playing this weekend? Anyone you like to see them offer?

I don’t mind Akron playing a game at a school like Ohio State or Tennessee at face value. It makes financial sense and actually can be a recruiting tool but I do not like it in place of a home game with a SEC school or in a year where you are already playing on the road at two “P5” schools. That is too much. I realize it was most likely UK that pulled out of the matchup in Akron and it seems wrong that they would be able to do so at such a late juncture that would make it tough for Akron to schedule a “name” program at home. While we all lament the things that happen to the Akron football program regularly there is something wrong with the bigger NCAA landscape which looks to coddle it’s more popular members. I hope at some point college sports fans unite and start seeing how wrong and unfair things are becoming in college sports but we are in a world and society that has increasingly become more and more about greed and superfluousness over fairness and what may be best in the long term.

I remember him talking about the schedule last year too. To be fair he said he understood playing so called “Power Five” schools but his problem was playing Tennessee and MSU who were both ranked in the top 20. I think the Rutgers and South Carolina games are the type he doesn’t mind, especially Rutgers... but I do agree I think he would wholeheartedly rather play Kentucky in Infocision than go to Columbus

Because Th at spot on the schedule was a home game against a Power Five opponent and now it is on the road, so one less home game for season ticket holders and it’s the marquee home game that was removed.

I don’t mind one non-D1 to either start the season with a young team or coming off of Finals Week when maybe practice time was way down due to academics. I don’t like having two. I could see scheduling a NET 300 team or so from D1 though to either tip off the season or as a return from Finals as well

Against Heidelberg I would like to see significant minutes for Lyles, Prather, and the new transfers

I don’t mind them scheduling a D-III team to open the season or maybe get back in the flow after finals. I do think two on one season’s schedule is a bit much. Also, why D-III and not D-II? That said I like one D-3 team on the schedule and if we want another tune up then pick a 270-320 NET type team. Or a 300+ but play them on the road

The NCAA has done it again. A year after schools like Florida Atlantic and San Diego State made the Final Four and mid-majors like North Texas and Utah Valley went deep into the NIT, the NCAA has taken action to quell any mid-major uprising. In an announcement that it seems they almost tried to keep quiet it was announced that the NIT will no longer give automatic bids to schools that won their conference in the regular season but lost in their conference tourney and were not selected as an at large to the NCAA tournament. Instead they have announced that they are going to give automatic bids and top seeds to the two highest NET ranked schools from each so called “Power Six” conference that we’re not selected to the NCAA tourney. So now there is no longer a guaranteed reward for a season long campaign that earns a regular season championship and it’s all about the conference tournament and the NCAA.... or maybe something like the CBI for a 24 or 25 win MAC regular season champ. I think this is simply wrong. Giving 15-19 (5-15 Big Ten) Ohio State a bid and a favorable seed over a 27 win MAC champ is an absolute travesty. We need as many people complaining about this in as many channels as possible. What are everyone’s thoughts?

After everY team playing just one game, if they made the matchups now I would think the Zips would be headed to Harrisonburg. As big as the Zips road win was, I’d love to get one with the national attention that JMU did.

That was the way it was described when announced last year. What I don’t know is if they would schedule a rematch. If the Zips and Southern Miss are atop their standings come February would they have them meet a second time?

Think I saw Utah Valley head coach Mark Madsen is accepting the job at Cal. Any chance with the sit out a year rule that Aziz ponders another transfer and could come back to be the heir apparent to Enrique or has he burned his bridges here? He was an absolute beast for UVU this year, leading them to the WAC regular season title and the NIT semifinals.

Definitely looks like the talent is there. Not real crazy about the attitude being exhibited. I associate that more with our primary rival. Hopefully there has been growth in terms of maturity since the time this video was taken.

We don’t know, recruiting probably wasn’t heavily impacted unless they saw someone at another school that would transfer to them ... what we do know is that multi-team same venue postseason tournaments generally bring coaches and athletic directors from different institutions to the same place where discussions could take place about scheduling. The biggest complaint all mid-majors have and hear about every year Is how they don’t play anyon and the scheduling difficulties . Well, I would rather play North Alabama, Charlotte, Rice, or Indiana State, maybe even home and home than just a simple one and done in the JAR with Morgan State or Division III Wheeling Jesuit. These tournaments allow discussions to take place that would not likely happen otherwise.

I don’t disagree with that in general but I am not so sure it applies in this specific situation. It could have been good for recruiting and particularly for future scheduling with 15 other teams in the same venue.

He certainly looks the part and I can definitely see why there would be interest Needs to develop a better outside shot but other than that looks pretty strong.

How hard should the Zips pursue Colin White of Ottawa-Glandorf? Seemed like he held his own against Xavier commit Dailyn Swain of Africentric. His offer list isn’t too shabby.

Anybody in particular I should be watching in the state high school basketball tournament, that has been offered or the Zips have shown interest in? Always like to watch with a Zips connection in mind. I know Colin White of Ottawa-Glandorf has been offered by the Zips but he seems to have gotten offers/interest from schools like Ohio State, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Butler, would love to have a legit shot at landing him.

Doesn’t playing those 15 teams outweigh playing nobody at all? We aren’t trying to boost metrics any more once the confidence tourney comes to an end. I feel another three or four games could make for more of a springboard into the 2023-24 season.