What have we earned so far?

[GJGood]

While we all hope for a MAC title and NCAA berth, what will our resume get us as it stands now? I sicerely doubt we will get a sniff from the NIT, but what about the CBI and CollegeInsider.com tourney? Have we already done enough to earn a bid in one of those 16 team events?

[Captain Kangaroo]

While we all hope for a MAC title and NCAA berth, what will our resume get us as it stands now? I sicerely doubt we will get a sniff from the NIT, but what about the CBI and CollegeInsider.com tourney? Have we already done enough to earn a bid in one of those 16 team events?

No.

[skip-zip]

My opinion........too many losses, and too low SOS to get an invitation to any tournament.

Among the tournament selection committees......They will see us as the 6th best team in the MAC based on our seeding. And I don't think they will view the 6th best team in the MAC as deserving of any kind of post-season play.

[ZippyforPresident]

The UA Intramural Legend beat me to this one. The only way we could even sniff the CIT (which probably only me and the custodial staff at the JAR would even care about) is if we take it to the championship game and lose in some sort of closely contested overtime debacle. 22 wins would still have to be worth something, even if the bottom 4 MAC West teams continue to drag our conference, sos, and livelihood into the abyss...

[K92]

even if the bottom 4 MAC West teams continue to drag our conference, sos, and livelihood into the abyss...

I know. We got absolutely no credit for beating the bottom 4 West teams...especially when we could only beat 2 of them.

[ZippyforPresident]

even if the bottom 4 MAC West teams continue to drag our conference, sos, and livelihood into the abyss...

I know. We got absolutely no credit for beating the bottom 4 West teams...especially when we could only beat 2 of them.

Hahaha. Yes, actually beating all of those teams certainly wouldn't have hurt.

[UAZipster0305]

even if the bottom 4 MAC West teams continue to drag our conference, sos, and livelihood into the abyss...

I know. We got absolutely no credit for beating the bottom 4 West teams...especially when we could only beat 2 of them.

Hahaha. Yes, actually beating all of those teams certainly wouldn't have hurt.

Without those two losses, this season is completely different. I'd give us a nod for the CBI or .com tournaments with 22 wins already.

Even though we blew them out, the Milliken game is a blemish on our schedule/record as well. The RPI doesn't even consider it a win and neither do I. As a D-III program, they have different rules and standards by which to operate their program. So, it wasn't a fair fight. I hope to not see any more of these glorified scrimmages on our regular season schedule in the future.

Let's get win #20 by beating the Sweaters today. Go Zips.

[skip-zip]

even if the bottom 4 MAC West teams continue to drag our conference, sos, and livelihood into the abyss...

I know. We got absolutely no credit for beating the bottom 4 West teams...especially when we could only beat 2 of them.

Hahaha. Yes, actually beating all of those teams certainly wouldn't have hurt.

Without those two losses, this season is completely different. I'd give us a nod for the CBI or .com tournaments with 22 wins already.

Even though we blew them out, the Milliken game is a blemish on our schedule/record as well. The RPI doesn't even consider it a win and neither do I. As a D-III program, they have different rules and standards by which to operate their program. So, it wasn't a fair fight. I hope to not see any more of these glorified scrimmages on our regular season schedule in the future.

Let's get win #20 by beating the Sweaters today. Go Zips.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but without those two losses, aren't we the MAC regular season champs right now?

[UAZipster0305]

even if the bottom 4 MAC West teams continue to drag our conference, sos, and livelihood into the abyss...

I know. We got absolutely no credit for beating the bottom 4 West teams...especially when we could only beat 2 of them.

Hahaha. Yes, actually beating all of those teams certainly wouldn't have hurt.

Without those two losses, this season is completely different. I'd give us a nod for the CBI or .com tournaments with 22 wins already.

Even though we blew them out, the Milliken game is a blemish on our schedule/record as well. The RPI doesn't even consider it a win and neither do I. As a D-III program, they have different rules and standards by which to operate their program. So, it wasn't a fair fight. I hope to not see any more of these glorified scrimmages on our regular season schedule in the future.

Let's get win #20 by beating the Sweaters today. Go Zips.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but without those two losses, aren't we the MAC regular season champs right now?

Nope. That would have put us at 11-5, and Can't finished 12-4. It would have made the last game of the season at Can't that much more meaningful though.

[Z.I.P.]

even if the bottom 4 MAC West teams continue to drag our conference, sos, and livelihood into the abyss...

I know. We got absolutely no credit for beating the bottom 4 West teams...especially when we could only beat 2 of them.

Hahaha. Yes, actually beating all of those teams certainly wouldn't have hurt.

Without those two losses, this season is completely different. I'd give us a nod for the CBI or .com tournaments with 22 wins already.

Even though we blew them out, the Milliken game is a blemish on our schedule/record as well. The RPI doesn't even consider it a win and neither do I. As a D-III program, they have different rules and standards by which to operate their program. So, it wasn't a fair fight. I hope to not see any more of these glorified scrimmages on our regular season schedule in the future.

Let's get win #20 by beating the Sweaters today. Go Zips.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but without those two losses, aren't we the MAC regular season champs right now?

Nope. That would have put us at 11-5, and Can't finished 12-4. It would have made the last game of the season at Can't that much more meaningful though.

Come on people! I already bought my tickets to the CollegeInsider.com (whatever THAT is) Tue. first Rd game between Hawaii and Portland. Akron is better than those two, I'm sure.

[GJGood]

I'm not so sure that we aren't in the mix for at least the CIT. Keep in mind that the NCAA and NIT are comprised of 100 teams. The CBI, which many programs turn down invitations to, has another 16. Then there is the CIT which is for mid-majors only, so there will be no 16-16 "power conference" schools in the mix here either.

Akron has 21 wins, 20 against D-1 teams, and has 5 wins against the Top 4 seeds in the MAC tourney. It may be close but I'd have to think Akron is at least in the discussion if it comes down to that.

[Zipmeister]

Hey, our money is as good as anybodies.

[BirdZip]

even if the bottom 4 MAC West teams continue to drag our conference, sos, and livelihood into the abyss...

I know. We got absolutely no credit for beating the bottom 4 West teams...especially when we could only beat 2 of them.

Hahaha. Yes, actually beating all of those teams certainly wouldn't have hurt.

Without those two losses, this season is completely different. I'd give us a nod for the CBI or .com tournaments with 22 wins already.

Even though we blew them out, the Milliken game is a blemish on our schedule/record as well. The RPI doesn't even consider it a win and neither do I. As a D-III program, they have different rules and standards by which to operate their program. So, it wasn't a fair fight. I hope to not see any more of these glorified scrimmages on our regular season schedule in the future.

Let's get win #20 by beating the Sweaters today. Go Zips.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but without those two losses, aren't we the MAC regular season champs right now?

Nope. That would have put us at 11-5, and Can't finished 12-4. It would have made the last game of the season at Can't that much more meaningful though.

If we had won our last 2 games, Can't would not have finished at 12-4.

[Dave in Green]

UA should not pay a penny to play in one of the lesser tournaments unless the Zips players really, really want it. Watching them appear to play without being totally engaged in last season's CBI game at the JAR is one of the most disappointing memories I have of Zips basketball. The Zips coaching staff must do a thorough job of scouting the opponents, and the Zips players must execute a good game plan.

The only way I'm happy watching the Zips play in the CBA or CIT is if they come out with fire in their eyes.

[UAZipster0305]

UA should not pay a penny to play in one of the lesser tournaments unless the Zips players really, really want it. Watching them appear to play without being totally engaged in last season's CBI game at the JAR is one of the most disappointing memories I have of Zips basketball. The Zips coaching staff must do a thorough job of scouting the opponents, and the Zips players must execute a good game plan.

The only way I'm happy watching the Zips play in the CBA or CIT is if they come out with fire in their eyes.

I have been meaning to bring this up before. If the players come out with this woe-is-me approach because they didn't make the NCAA or NIT tournaments, then I'd rather see us not play at all. Nothing worse then paying to host a post-season tournament game and then essentially not showing up. However, if they come out with fire and realize the CBI and .com tournaments are actually winnable and play to their potential, then I'm all for it. Otherwise, it's just embarrassing and a waste of money.

Go Zips!

[UAZipster0305]

even if the bottom 4 MAC West teams continue to drag our conference, sos, and livelihood into the abyss...

I know. We got absolutely no credit for beating the bottom 4 West teams...especially when we could only beat 2 of them.

Hahaha. Yes, actually beating all of those teams certainly wouldn't have hurt.

Without those two losses, this season is completely different. I'd give us a nod for the CBI or .com tournaments with 22 wins already.

Even though we blew them out, the Milliken game is a blemish on our schedule/record as well. The RPI doesn't even consider it a win and neither do I. As a D-III program, they have different rules and standards by which to operate their program. So, it wasn't a fair fight. I hope to not see any more of these glorified scrimmages on our regular season schedule in the future.

Let's get win #20 by beating the Sweaters today. Go Zips.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but without those two losses, aren't we the MAC regular season champs right now?

Nope. That would have put us at 11-5, and Can't finished 12-4. It would have made the last game of the season at Can't that much more meaningful though.

If we had won our last 2 games, Can't would not have finished at 12-4.

The earlier comment was winning two games against teams that we should beat at least 8 of 10 times. Not doing that on top of beating the bad guys at their place to close out the season too. Let's be reasonable, we should have beaten EMU and NIU during the regular season. IMO, that separates a good regular season from one of our best during the Dambrot era.

[skip-zip]

I'm not so sure that we aren't in the mix for at least the CIT. Keep in mind that the NCAA and NIT are comprised of 100 teams. The CBI, which many programs turn down invitations to, has another 16. Then there is the CIT which is for mid-majors only, so there will be no 16-16 "power conference" schools in the mix here either.

Akron has 21 wins, 20 against D-1 teams, and has 5 wins against the Top 4 seeds in the MAC tourney. It may be close but I'd have to think Akron is at least in the discussion if it comes down to that.

I wish you were right, but do you really think that having wins over teams ahead of us in the standings outweighs the fact that we finished behind them in the standings?

I really think our hopes rest solely on whether someone thinks that half of the teams in the MAC deserve post-season bids.

[GJGood]

I'm not so sure that we aren't in the mix for at least the CIT. Keep in mind that the NCAA and NIT are comprised of 100 teams. The CBI, which many programs turn down invitations to, has another 16. Then there is the CIT which is for mid-majors only, so there will be no 16-16 "power conference" schools in the mix here either.

Akron has 21 wins, 20 against D-1 teams, and has 5 wins against the Top 4 seeds in the MAC tourney. It may be close but I'd have to think Akron is at least in the discussion if it comes down to that.

I wish you were right, but do you really think that having wins over teams ahead of us in the standings outweighs the fact that we finished behind them in the standings?

I really think our hopes rest solely on whether someone thinks that half of the teams in the MAC deserve post-season bids.

I think that the selection commitees look at overall record as much as, if not more than conference record. 21 D-1 wins would be tops in the MAC of all teams not in the NCAA if we were to lose the title game.

I also thinl one of the absolute largest factors is record down the stretch, so with a loss in Cleveland Saturday, Akron would still be 9-3 in their last 12. How many mid-majors with 20+ wins and not in the NCAA or NIT can say that?

At tis point, though, I don't even want to say much more on this. Just win Saturday and none of this matters, at least not this year.

[Z.I.P.]

I'm not so sure that we aren't in the mix for at least the CIT. Keep in mind that the NCAA and NIT are comprised of 100 teams. The CBI, which many programs turn down invitations to, has another 16. Then there is the CIT which is for mid-majors only, so there will be no 16-16 "power conference" schools in the mix here either.

Akron has 21 wins, 20 against D-1 teams, and has 5 wins against the Top 4 seeds in the MAC tourney. It may be close but I'd have to think Akron is at least in the discussion if it comes down to that.

I wish you were right, but do you really think that having wins over teams ahead of us in the standings outweighs the fact that we finished behind them in the standings?

I really think our hopes rest solely on whether someone thinks that half of the teams in the MAC deserve post-season bids.

I think that the selection commitees look at overall record as much as, if not more than conference record. 21 D-1 wins would be tops in the MAC of all teams not in the NCAA if we were to lose the title game.

I also thinl one of the absolute largest factors is record down the stretch, so with a loss in Cleveland Saturday, Akron would still be 9-3 in their last 12. How many mid-majors with 20+ wins and not in the NCAA or NIT can say that?

At tis point, though, I don't even want to say much more on this. Just win Saturday and none of this matters, at least not this year.

Frankly, I don't think the NIT is out of the question even at 22-13. There just aren't that many good teams left over. Hopefully, we will NOT have to find out late Sunday night!

[akronzips71]

I'm not so sure that we aren't in the mix for at least the CIT. Keep in mind that the NCAA and NIT are comprised of 100 teams. The CBI, which many programs turn down invitations to, has another 16. Then there is the CIT which is for mid-majors only, so there will be no 16-16 "power conference" schools in the mix here either.

Akron has 21 wins, 20 against D-1 teams, and has 5 wins against the Top 4 seeds in the MAC tourney. It may be close but I'd have to think Akron is at least in the discussion if it comes down to that.

I wish you were right, but do you really think that having wins over teams ahead of us in the standings outweighs the fact that we finished behind them in the standings?

I really think our hopes rest solely on whether someone thinks that half of the teams in the MAC deserve post-season bids.

I think that the selection commitees look at overall record as much as, if not more than conference record. 21 D-1 wins would be tops in the MAC of all teams not in the NCAA if we were to lose the title game.

I also thinl one of the absolute largest factors is record down the stretch, so with a loss in Cleveland Saturday, Akron would still be 9-3 in their last 12. How many mid-majors with 20+ wins and not in the NCAA or NIT can say that?

At tis point, though, I don't even want to say much more on this. Just win Saturday and none of this matters, at least not this year.

Frankly, I don't think the NIT is out of the question even at 22-13. There just aren't that many good teams left over. Hopefully, we will NOT have to find out late Sunday night!

I think we have an interesting scenario.

K E N T has been considered the best team in the MAC all season, and in fact won the league and got the #1 seed. By our own prior years arguments, they should be entitled to the NCAA bid.

If we win, I think they have a shot at an at large or play in, which actually opens up an NIT spot for someone.

If they win, I still think there is an outside chance for a play in for us.

And a better shot at the vacated NIT bid, if we lose by one point in double OT. Zeke is something of a ticket to maybe an NIT shot. There are not many true 7 footers in NCAA ball, and there won't be many left after the usual bids are given out. SO that might be an attraction for the NIT, to get better attendance.

All that BS being said, we made a great run after two horrible losses, and that might be worth a bid someplace. Had we not made it to the finals, I think any post season would be out of the question.

Of course, all we have to do is WIN tonight and you can just disregard everything I just said.

But even if we win I suspect we might see K E N T in the dance.

[MDZip]

Zero chance for Akron or Can't to make the NCAA without the automatic bid. Very little chance on the NIT for the Zips. I think the MAC needs two bids so I'd be happy to let Can't take the automatic NIT slot.

[K92]

I think we just earned a trip to the NCAA tournament. :champs:

[Z.I.P.]

Zero chance for Akron or Can't to make the NCAA without the automatic bid. Very little chance on the NIT for the Zips. I think the MAC needs two bids so I'd be happy to let Can't take the automatic NIT slot.

Looking back at the Time Before We Were Champs! Interesting how our friends from Ravenna are forced to fly to the Bay Area for a match vs a St Mary's team that will be loaded for bear -- not just becuse of getting shafted by the selection committee, but remembering how Can't managed to pull off a huge win there a year ago in the Bracket Buster. For those interested (shrug) put the $$$ on the Gaels to roll to a revenge victory.