Article on the State of MAC Hoops

[Captain Kangaroo]

The MVC has earned 11 at-large NCAA tournament bids since 1999, 11 more than the MAC. That difference alone makes the Valley much closer to the sport’s haves than its have-nots, where the MAC lives. According to MVC commissioner Doug Elgin, about 70 percent of his league’s revenue comes from NCAA tournament compensation.

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[Quickzips]

Pretty well defines the problems with MAC hoops. The main problem being that hoops have been ignored for a decade now in favor of "progress" on the football side of things. How much progress we have actually made is still debatable, but the effects on basketball aren't. It is up to the league office and the individual institution presidents to step up and say that this isn't acceptable, otherwise the MAC is going to continue down this road.

[skip-zip]

I've seen people use the MVC example before. That should pretty much puts a lid on the skepticism concerning the benefits of upgrading your schedule. But, some people apparently have their own opinion.

[Z.I.P.]

The MVC has earned 11 at-large NCAA tournament bids since 1999, 11 more than the MAC. That difference alone makes the Valley much closer to the sport’s haves than its have-nots, where the MAC lives. According to MVC commissioner Doug Elgin, about 70 percent of his league’s revenue comes from NCAA tournament compensation.

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So, the 50% extra that MVC (and A-10) schools budget to BB over the MAC (someone check my estimate, I think it's pretty close to reality) produces a very sizable dividend. That's a pretty good investment, if you ask me. Is there any chance of MAC schools making that extra investment, and it not coming from football, as it does for the opposition (not that we're that much better than them in FB, but at least a division ahead)?

[ZachTheZip]

According to midmajority.com, the MVC schools spend an average of $2.1 million per year on basketball while the MAC schools spend an average of just $1.4 million despite having a much larger overall athletic budget.Nothing the conference office can do will change individual school budgets on a sport. It takes a collective effort to raise the quality of MAC basketball, and the will to change it just isn't there for some of the university presidents.

[Z-Pouch]

I've seen people use the MVC example before. That should pretty much puts a lid on the skepticism concerning the benefits of upgrading your schedule. But, some people apparently have their own opinion.

You might want to do some research on their current schedules before making such claims.......try the current top four teams - Illinois State, Northern Iowa, Wichita State, and Missouri State. "Maybe" a game different from the Zips but far from what you continually cry about.It's just ignorant to still believe that the Zips don't want to schedule more 1 and 1's with the Rhode Islands of the Mids world to improve scheduling. It's good for the fans and competition for the team. I think we would schedule 1 and 1s with any good team but try getting it done with a pathetic fan base and attendance. Schedule all of the games you want and I'm not sure what's the benefit of constantly playing on the road against stacked decks. It comes down to balance of ATM games, 1 and 1s and a couple of cupcakes. Starting a lot of "2 for maybe 1s" leads to alot of road trips, scheduling nighmares and broken contracts down the road. Our current schedule is 1 maybe 2 games off....hardly deserving of the constant rants....check the schedules above.It's also kinda funny that this continually comes up on the heels of a NCAA appearance and maybe a path that got us prepared to be there last year. Not a bad result. As for an at large berth coming out of the MAC in the league current state- schedule your ass off, it's not happening.

[Captain Kangaroo]

According to midmajority.com, the MVC schools spend an average of $2.1 million per year on basketball while the MAC schools spend an average of just $1.4 million despite having a much larger overall athletic budget.Nothing the conference office can do will change individual school budgets on a sport. It takes a collective effort to raise the quality of MAC basketball, and the will to change it just isn't there for some of the university presidents.

How has Gonzaga done it in their conference? I see no reason why a MAC program cannot rise above the garbage if it so chooses. The lofty goal of becoming "The Gonzaga of the East" seems to be increasingly difficult for the Zips to attain. But becoming "The Gonzaga of the MAC" is pretty realistic. Hell...we're 90% of the way there already.

[GP1]

Isn't Xavier kind of the Gonzaga of the East right now?

[GJGood]

Isn't Xavier kind of the Gonzaga of the East right now?

I thought Butler was.

[Zip_ME87]

Pretty well defines the problems with MAC hoops. The main problem being that hoops have been ignored for a decade now in favor of "progress" on the football side of things. How much progress we have actually made is still debatable, but the effects on basketball aren't.

What's debatable about the progress made in MAC football. Doesn't 1-14 in the last 15 bowl games indicate where MAC football is. The MAC was 1-4 in this season's bowl games, and the Zips only had 2 MAC wins...Akron should definitely keep pouring money down the football hole while ignoring hoops; perhaps we'll achieve 5 MAC wins again and get into a $750k bowl through a convoluted tie-breaker. So much better than the money that could be earned by getting to the sweet 16 or elite 8, NOT.

[Quickzips]

Pretty well defines the problems with MAC hoops. The main problem being that hoops have been ignored for a decade now in favor of "progress" on the football side of things. How much progress we have actually made is still debatable, but the effects on basketball aren't.

What's debatable about the progress made in MAC football. Doesn't 1-14 in the last 15 bowl games indicate where MAC football is. The MAC was 1-4 in this season's bowl games, and the Zips only had 2 MAC wins...Akron should definitely keep pouring money down the football hole while ignoring hoops; perhaps we'll achieve 5 MAC wins again and get into a $750k bowl through a convoluted tie-breaker. So much better than the money that could be earned by getting to the sweet 16 or elite 8, NOT.

It is debatable because a lot of people will point to more televised games (on ESPNU, ESPN360, ESPNforJapaneseDwarves, ESPNforFlyingPinkElephants) and the fact that the conference now has more bowl affiliations (that they generally fail miserably in) and say that these are signs of progress. This of course ignores the fact that pretty much every conference has a larger television profile and there are now more bowl games than anyone really cares to watch, hence more bowl bids. Pretty much the college football version of inflation. But never mind all of that, football is king, basketball be damned.

[RACER]

z-pouch is right on the money.we will never get kansas,duke,unc,kentucky to play at the jar.what's the point of plyaing them on thier floor where you have little chance of winning.miami came close and is now 3-9.how does coming close countfor anything.if we can get teams to agree to 1-1 then shcedule them.everybody said we need a harder schedule.yet who won the mac last year.akron.i am sure kd has a way he wants to build his program,and really does not care what peoplesay about his schedule.

[Zipmeister]

The MVC has earned 11 at-large NCAA tournament bids since 1999, 11 more than the MAC. That difference alone makes the Valley much closer to the sport’s haves than its have-nots, where the MAC lives. According to MVC commissioner Doug Elgin, about 70 percent of his league’s revenue comes from NCAA tournament compensation.

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I am thankful the writer just mentioned that 8 MAC teams had pathetic strength of schedules and didn't name the worst offender. But on a positive note, the Zips are are among the nations elite programs when it comes to scheduling weak opponents!

[Quickzips]

z-pouch is right on the money.we will never get kansas,duke,unc,kentucky to play at the jar.what's the point of plyaing them on thier floor where you have little chance of winning.miami came close and is now 3-9.how does coming close countfor anything.if we can get teams to agree to 1-1 then shcedule them.everybody said we need a harder schedule.yet who won the mac last year.akron.i am sure kd has a way he wants to build his program,and really does not care what peoplesay about his schedule.

Nobody is asking us to play a schedule comparable to Miami's. Nobody, that I have EVER seen on here, has asked us to go on the road for most of our OOC games and play top-10 and top-25 teams all the time. All that we want is to not sit at home playing NAIA and D-III schools so much. Give me one or two more road games against top-50 type programs and a couple more home games against solid D-I mid-majors. That is all that I, or anyone on here, can really ask for. Give yourself a chance. A chance to MAYBE get some at-large consideration and a chance to catch a little bit of the attention from the local community based on who we played and hopefully who we beat. That is all.

[Blue & Gold]

At this point, this thread could converge with the "New Arena Rumor" thread. Some naysayers state that we don't need a new arena because we don't fill up the JAR now. IMO, that's like saying one doesn't need a car to take a road trip because you don't take road trips on your bicycle now.But in all honesty, we really need to kick the non-con up a notch in order to draw more paying customers to the JAR. Only diehard Zips fans want to watch the Zips mop up on mostly less-than-worthy opponents. Right now, there just aren't enough diehards to fill the JAR. And if some new fans did wander in off the street, what did they witness? Well, most of the games have been YAWNERS.I brought a friend to the St. Francis game. Kinda lame.The Rhode Island game, on the other hand, was great! Even though it was a loss, the arena was electric, people were into the game, at a few certain points it was so loud you could hardly hear yourself think. That was a great experience. I wish I had been able to bring a few friends to that game. THEY WOULD HAVE DEFINITELY WANTED TO RETURN! Most of our home schedule? Not a chance. Again, only attractive to us diehard Zips fans who, like myself, would pay $10 to watch an inter-squad scrimmage in the parking lot.We need to schedule more... A-10 (UNC Charlotte, Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham, George Washington, La Salle, UMass, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, St. Joe's, St. Louis, Temple, Xavier)C-USA (Houston, Rice, SMU, UTEP, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, Central Florida, East Carolina, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss)WAC (Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana Tech, Nevada, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Utah State)Mountain West (Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, UNLV, Utah, Wyoming)Horizon League (Butler, Cleveland State, Detroit, UW-Green Bay, Loyola, UW-Milwaukee, UIC, Valpo, Wright State, Youngstown State)Theoretically, if what we hear about it being so difficult for mid-majors to schedule is true, shouldn't most, if not all, of the above schools be in the same boat that we are, and thus, be looking for games themselves? If mid-major scheduling is so difficult, most of the above schools should be thrilled to get a phone call from Akron looking for a few games.I just know we need more atmosphere in the JAR like we experienced @ the Rhode Island game to start attracting new fans. That environment and entire game experience (save the L) was a blast, which people would pay good money to experience.

[Spin]

At this point, this thread could converge with the "New Arena Rumor" thread. Some naysayers state that we don't need a new arena because we don't fill up the JAR now. IMO, that's like saying one doesn't need a car to take a road trip because you don't take road trips on your bicycle now.

Yeah because we sold out every game at the Info, right??? Just build a nice structure, and the place will be packed, just because it's a nice building. Meanwhile we left money on the table and fans and students unable to attend several games just a little to the west...

[ZippyforPresident]

At this point, this thread could converge with the "New Arena Rumor" thread. Some naysayers state that we don't need a new arena because we don't fill up the JAR now. IMO, that's like saying one doesn't need a car to take a road trip because you don't take road trips on your bicycle now.

Yeah because we sold out every game at the Info, right??? Just build a nice structure, and the place will be packed, just because it's a nice building. Meanwhile we left money on the table and fans and students unable to attend several games just a little to the west...

Something tells me that Akron Basketball isn't going to go 3-9 any time in the near future. If any program is deserving of having some funds pumped into it (with the exception of soccer of course) it is the men's basketball program. In fact, that is exactly the point the article is trying to make. Basketball in the MAC no longer has the support that it once did, which is pretty bad, because there was some very respectable talent in this league not all that long ago. Think of it this way: If UA is able to make an investment in the basketball program in the immediate future, it could have a major leg up once the trend in the conference goes back toward basketball, which doesn't seem all that unreasonable when looking at the fact that our new commissioner comes from a conference that is focused on basketball as far as division one athletics are concerned. I dunno, something about both Akron v. K ent games being televised on the ESPN family of networks this season seems like it may be some sort of an indication that basketball in the MAC may be becoming a priority again for the conference, why not market its most competitive rivalry? It is a pretty fun one to watch after all...It would be great to upgrade facilities for the basketball team regardless, but pragmatically speaking, if the league does trend in a way that starts supporting basketball again, not only would the Zips have a leg up as far as winning games is concerned, but it would also have a leg up as far as $$$$ is concerned. If Akron is the flagship team of what becomes a respectable mid major conference, where do you think the media is going to focus? Which team do you think will be the one drawing in new fans? Who is going to be the one making money over the others? Why wouldn't you want that advantage? Carpe Diem buddy. Carpe Diem.

[RACER]

if somebody is really serious about scheduling b-ball games why not go to the a.d.,and complain.why get on the board, and continually cover the same topic 100 times a year.

[Spin]

Some of us have...

[Spin]

Why wouldn't you want that advantage?

That's a lot of "ifs". I agree we need a new arena. We need it now. And we need it if we want to go big time. I'd give my first born to see them in the Final Four. And I wish they would build it right along with a soccer stadium. But we know all they worry about is basketball and football.Akron could be the "Omaha of college soccer" with a nice stadium that lights up for TV. There are lots of tournament games here. Might even bid on the finals... It's not as prestigious as a top basketball program for sure, but it is something to put us on the map. Better than nothing...But, enough off-topic. I apologize.

[skip-zip]

z-pouch is right on the money.we will never get kansas,duke,unc,kentucky to play at the jar.what's the point of plyaing them on thier floor where you have little chance of winning.miami came close and is now 3-9.how does coming close countfor anything.if we can get teams to agree to 1-1 then shcedule them.everybody said we need a harder schedule.yet who won the mac last year.akron.i am sure kd has a way he wants to build his program,and really does not care what peoplesay about his schedule.

Nobody is asking us to play a schedule comparable to Miami's. Nobody, that I have EVER seen on here, has asked us to go on the road for most of our OOC games and play top-10 and top-25 teams all the time. All that we want is to not sit at home playing NAIA and D-III schools so much. Give me one or two more road games against top-50 type programs and a couple more home games against solid D-I mid-majors. That is all that I, or anyone on here, can really ask for. Give yourself a chance. A chance to MAYBE get some at-large consideration and a chance to catch a little bit of the attention from the local community based on who we played and hopefully who we beat. That is all.

Quickzips...I think this is pretty much on the money. It's real simple for me. Two chances to make the NCAA tournament, instead of one. Even if we don't have enough success to put ourselves in position for an at-large bid? The MAC tournament opportunity is still there.And, one needs to look no further than the College of Charleston upset over North Carolina last week to see how doing something of national significance can tremendously impact the publicity a program receives. And it happens all the time. We just don't have enough of those opportunities. More opportunities = more chances to do something big = more chances to show prospective local fans that Akron is not "that minor-league college basketball program down the street".

[RACER]

we lost to austin p,uri,n.c.state,texas a.m.(uri,n.c. state, texas a&m) were chances to be top 50 teams.we lost to every one of them plus austin-p.why would it make sense to schedule more of these type games when you can't even beat one of those teams.just beat one top 50 team first. then talk about scheduling more the next year.

[breezy123]

we lost to austin p,uri,n.c.state,texas a.m.(uri,n.c. state, texas a&m) were chances to be top 50 teams.we lost to every one of them plus austin-p.why would it make sense to schedule more of these type games when you can't even beat one of those teams.just beat one top 50 team first. then talk about scheduling more the next year.

Why not schedule more games like this? Look at Miami they may be 4-11, but does it really matter. An NCAA berth lies in the hands of the MAC Tournament not the regular season. Miami could get their butts kicked in all there ooc games and still make the tournament. I think its a bunch of crap when people say for us to not schedule better games like xavier, vcu, and gonzaga. At least we can gain more experience and play tougher teams that will better prepare us for the MAC Tournament instead of playing D II schools. I don't care if Akron won 2 games in their ooc schedule next year because thats not going to prohibit us from making the tournament. You can not win the games you do not schedule and by scheduling these tougher games gives us more of a chance to knock off these teams and move forward with the future of this program.

[WinZip]

we lost to austin p,uri,n.c.state,texas a.m.(uri,n.c. state, texas a&m) were chances to be top 50 teams.we lost to every one of them plus austin-p.why would it make sense to schedule more of these type games when you can't even beat one of those teams.just beat one top 50 team first. then talk about scheduling more the next year.

Why not schedule more games like this? Look at Miami they may be 4-11, but does it really matter. An NCAA berth lies in the hands of the MAC Tournament not the regular season. Miami could get their butts kicked in all there ooc games and still make the tournament. I think its a bunch of crap when people say for us to not schedule better games like xavier, vcu, and gonzaga. At least we can gain more experience and play tougher teams that will better prepare us for the MAC Tournament instead of playing D II schools. I don't care if Akron won 2 games in their ooc schedule next year because thats not going to prohibit us from making the tournament. You can not win the games you do not schedule and by scheduling these tougher games gives us more of a chance to knock off these teams and move forward with the future of this program.

Gaining confidence as well as getting fans behind a 2-11 team would be tough but if we could pull of some big wins against quality teams it would help for sure...a balanced schedule (one that challenges a team with winnable games) sounds much better in my opinion. I think we can learn from how they schedule, but not go overboard. Losing to all our quality opponents won't make the MAC look any better... Blah Blah Blah.

[BirdZip]

we lost to austin p,uri,n.c.state,texas a.m.(uri,n.c. state, texas a&m) were chances to be top 50 teams.we lost to every one of them plus austin-p.why would it make sense to schedule more of these type games when you can't even beat one of those teams.just beat one top 50 team first. then talk about scheduling more the next year.

Why not schedule more games like this? Look at Miami they may be 4-11, but does it really matter. An NCAA berth lies in the hands of the MAC Tournament not the regular season. Miami could get their butts kicked in all there ooc games and still make the tournament. I think its a bunch of crap when people say for us to not schedule better games like xavier, vcu, and gonzaga. At least we can gain more experience and play tougher teams that will better prepare us for the MAC Tournament instead of playing D II schools. I don't care if Akron won 2 games in their ooc schedule next year because thats not going to prohibit us from making the tournament. You can not win the games you do not schedule and by scheduling these tougher games gives us more of a chance to knock off these teams and move forward with the future of this program.

I keep seeing this argument and I don't understand it. We've been to the MAC championship game each of the last three years. No-one else has made it more than once in that time period, and we won it last year.