lance99 Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 Pat Forde's column including a mismanaged athletic departments and uninspiring coaches. That line says it all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hip Zip Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Pat Forde's column including a part lamenting the state of the MAC and his lead-in was what he thought to be one of his unexplained phenomenons: Akron 89, Bowling Green 54, Feb. 15 in Bowling Green. The Zips entered this one a game behind the Falcons in the Mid-American Conference standings. But they built a 20-point lead after 18 minutes, stretched it to 40 with eight minutes to play and coasted in. Speaking of MAC mysteries … Why does this league stink? The MAC currently is rated the No. 18 league in the land by Jeff Sagarin's computer (and 21st in the RPI). That's a fairly precipitous fall from even the modest position the Midwestern collection of colleges once held. From 2000 to '05, the MAC average was No. 11 in Sagarin's ratings. From 2006 to the present, that rank is No. 16. And this season, it's all the way down to 18 -- just behind the Summit League and just ahead of the Big West (not to be confused in the slightest with the Big East). Sagarin does not rank a single MAC school in his top 100 -- there simply isn't a single entity in the 12-team league to get overly excited about. As recently as 2007-08, the MAC had five in the Sagarin top 100. In 2002, Can't State (34) reached the Elite Eight with Antonio Gates playing power forward. In 1999, Miami (Ohio) (35) made the Sweet 16 behind Wally Szczerbiak. In 1990, Ball State (36) advanced to the Sweet 16, where the Cardinals nearly upset eventual national champion UNLV. The next season, Eastern Michigan (37) made it to that round. So this is a league with some history. But it now has become a mystery. Maybe the general population decline in the industrial centers of the upper Midwest has had an impact on recruiting. Maybe schools have felt the budgetary crunch of playing football at the highest classification and it has affected the basketball bottom line. Maybe there are too many aging facilities, mismanaged athletic departments and uninspiring coaches. Whatever the root cause, MAC basketball is floundering. And there's no reason to believe that will change anytime soon. Good stuff, and very true. Take a look at the Horizon, it wasn't too long ago that we looked down at them but that changed in a hurry. Now, the top half of the Horizon is very strong. So whats the difference between the best of the Horizon and the best of the MAC ? I don't have all the answers because we pretty much recruit the same guys as they do and share similar geographical boundries. So what is the real difference ? what made them just as good if not better than us ? I have to believe that it's exposure. I have friends from several states that have developed an interest in the Horizon because they can get online and follow any team they want and watch them play for free in a high quality webcast that is far, far superior to a MAC school production that I would have to pay for. It's the same with the recruits. They can hop online and check out the various teams that may be interested in them and watch them play every single conference game.. In short, the Horizon has done a terrific job of promoting their product. What's the MAC done lately ?????????????????????? Despite a dead league office the MAC East still has some very solid programs but just look at the west, what a pile of dog s*#t. Take a look at the coaches over there and name one (other than Hawkins perhaps) that you respect. Eastern Michigan may as well start completely over from scratch. i could go on but I want to watch a good Horizon game tonight between Wright St and Detroit. Now we're looking up at the Summit......really ??? If the commisioner doesn't care why should we. Shame on the MAC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z.I.P. Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Would still love to see the Zips at least have the opportunity to play for the #1 seed (which means both Miami and Can't have to lose at least once more to someone other than us) because the automatic NIT bid goes with it just in case. I know others are going to disagree with me, but the NIT, CBI, CBA, etc., etc., etc. just don't do it for me. We've been there, we've done that. The games are kind of interesting, and it is nice to have at least some post-season action, but the final 4 of the NIT doesn't have the excitement factor of even a play-in game in the big-dance. NCAA's or bust for me. I've had enough of the consilation prizes. That's only becase you knew I would read this! I HATE the NCAA tournament! It is a suckers' dance where teams like Akron have their girl stolen away by a bully wearing a BCS varsity jacket. The best potential thing that could happen to Akron is that they get into one of the "other" post-season tournaments, and get a chance to beat multiple "Creightons" -- Northern Iowa, Virginia Commonwealth, (maybe Dayton) type teams that are our equals and rivals. That is the next stepping stone, before this program has a realistic chance to get into and make a real run in the NCAA tournament. Maybe THEN I will get excited. But PLEASE, don't make me watch Villanova play Wisconsin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Z.I.P., you make an excellent point. Should we wish the Zips to be a sacrificial lamb in the NCAA tournament before they've proven they can even go a round or two deep in the NIT or CBI? I suppose the other side of the coin is, what would be the value of going deep in the NIT or CBI compared to the possibility of an upset of a team like Georgetown in the NCAA tournament? If the Bobkitties could do that last year with a team that didn't look all that great in the MAC, why couldn't the Zips? I personally witnessed the Zips go toe-to-toe with Gonzaga in Portland in the NCAA tournament, and for 30 minutes the Zips gave the Zags all they could handle. The naysayers might say that the Zips collapsed in the last 10 minutes of that game. That's a valid point. But it's also valid to point out that the Zips outplayed the Zags for more than half of the game. They very well could have stretched that another 10 minutes, and become the darlings of the NCAA tournament that year as OU was last year. It's all a roll of the dice in trying to determine what's "best" for this Zips team. My personal opinion is that I'm with them all the way, NCAA, NIT, CBI or bust. Just go out and play your best game wherever you end up, and I promise I'll walk away with no voice left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 My sarcasm detector is going off. DiG might want to have his calibrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Z.I.P. may have intended it to be sarcastic, but it's still a good point for discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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