Austin Peay

[a-zip]

Any thoughts regarding the Bracketbuster game we basically had to take vs. Austin Peay and the impact it had on our postseason opportunities. If I remember correctly - we won the game and lost spots in AP poll, Mid-major poll and RPI.

[Zipgrad1990]

I think a bracket buster should be just that. The Austin Peay game didn't help us (and may have hurt us) and wouldn't have helped Austin Peay if they would have won.Instead of mid-major verses mid-major as it is now. It should be mid-major verses major. Now that would be exciting especially if the mid-majors got to host all the games. Of course the majors would never go for it. No upside for them. We would see how overrated some of them are and hurt their chances come NCAA tournament time. And beating a mid-major is expected so they get now gain out of a win.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Any thoughts regarding the Bracketbuster game we basically had to take vs. Austin Peay and the impact it had on our postseason opportunities. If I remember correctly - we won the game and lost spots in AP poll, Mid-major poll and RPI.

The Austin Peay game was fine. It showed the separation between the OVC and the MAC.Furthermore, the Zips did themselves no favors by scheduling such a cake walk non-conf schedule, and losing @ home to Nevada.While there are a lot of scape goats to be found in discussing why the Zips aren't in the post-season, there are also a few things the Zips need to look in the mirror and reflect on as well. Scheduling is first and foremost. Closing out tight games is another. Everything isn't Rick Boyages' fault, or the time keeper's fault. The NIT snub is the only thing that is 100% unjust and 100% out of our control.

[zip81]

I agree our non-conference games were weak...and I've never thought we would get an at-large bid no matter how many wins we had.However, when someone points out Akron's non-confernece schedule, they are, in reality, indicting the quality of the MAC. In a major conference 13-3 is a heck of a record and a ticket to the dance....not in the MAC.Perhaps I state the obvious, but I don't think anyone has just come out and said it in all the critical comments made about the conference.If we're guilty of one thing, perhaps it's not realizing what life is like as a mid-major.

[ZachTheZip]

Our non-conference schedule was not designed to work out the way it did. The loss to UALR destroyed our plans to play tough competition. Instead, we got Gardner Webb, and since our schedule was freed up, we also played Tiffin. I think the plan was to play tough competition in the tournament at the beginning of the season to help the SOS, and then pad our record with wins with the rest of our non-conference schedule. I believe that it would have worked out great, but we screwed ourselves in that first game. Hopefully we won't make the same stupid mistakes next year.

[a-zip]

Oh well, as many people have already said.......It is time to start looking forward. I certainly hope KD does not get too discouraged by the recent events and starts to think about moving on. He has made great strides here and the team seems poised to continue progress with great new recruits and in a strange way I think we have gotten good exposure through this whole ordeal. Although they are key players, we only lose two seniors from this team. This has been a frustrating week but the future is bright.KD has a chance to be a legend here. There is no reason we could'nt consistently make the NCAAs every year. The key is for the administration to realize how important KD is to building that reputation. In most cases we are a stepping stone for hot young coaches. In KD's case I think we have a rare opportunity to keep one of the top coaches in the NCAA for his career.

[BirdZip]

On the schedule concept, there's been a lot of talk about wanting an even schedule if we play a major, but what about a 2-for-1 or even a 3-for-1 deal. We play twice or 3X at Pitt and they play us once at home over the next 4 years. Do the 3-for-1 with four teams, and it only sways your away vs home schedule by 2 games each year and it's 4 majors. Fill in the home games with mid-majors if you can.If that's not feasible, look at all the mid-majors that got at-large bids or that were bubble teams, etc., and schedule them. If you can't get the majors, get the top of the mid-majors. Schedule Old Dominion, Drexel, S. Ill., etc., or at least contact them and get as many as you can on 2-year or longer deals.I know it isn't as easy as just say-it and then do-it, but is the concept so horrible?Then you've faced really tough competition prior to the MAC starting, and you're ready to dominate the regular season MAC.

[unZIPped]

The key is for the administration to realize how important KD is to building that reputation.  In most cases we are a stepping stone for hot young coaches.  In KD's case I think we have a rare opportunity to keep one of the top coaches in the NCAA for his career.

I totally agree, but I've said this before. Mack Rhoades is no Laing Kennedy. Laing has shown in the past (last year specifically) that he will do whatever it takes (contract, salary, etc) to maintain a good goach. (Christian came VERY close to leaving Can't State last year until Laing "sweetened" the deal for him to stay at Can't). UA has KD by the tail - they know that this is where he WANTS to be...so why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free.

[Captain Kangaroo]

[uA has KD by the tail - they know that this is where he WANTS to be...so why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free.

I don't believe that is true at all. There is no way anyone at The University of Akron thinks that way. KD is no dummy either. That's why he's saying he "might need to look elsewhere" (paraphrased) in his Rasor interview the other day. He's letting Mack know he doesn't want to be taken for granted. I do the same thing with my boss every so often to keep him on his toes. Everyone does.Last year KD got a raise that put him in the top 4 in MAC coaches salaries. Joplin has beaten him twice in a row. Coles has taken 2 of the last three. Christianson has several championships under his belt. OU was stupid to pay O'Shea what they did, and no MAC school should adjust his salary structure based upon OU's stupidity. In my opinion, KD's salary is where it should be at this time.KD needs to continue the program's progress to get more money. He needs to win at The Q to get more money. Then he can garner top dollar at UA.If I'm Mack Roades, the one thing I do monitarily is get KD whatever bonus he had that was tied to a 2007 NIT berth. I think that would be a good, no-brainer gesture to let KD know his 26-win season was valued.

[RACER]

im sick of hearing how our schedule was the reason we did not make the post season. we were 13-3 in our conference. we beat teams that are in the nit ,and ncaa tourney.while i did not think we would make the ncaa nor do probably alott people.winning 26 games and not make the nit was total b.s.if the university sits by and does nothing about it i think we will eventually lose kd.just like we lost huggins.

[GoZips88]

If I'm Mack Roades, the one thing I do monitarily is get KD whatever bonus he had that was tied to a 2007 NIT berth. I think that would be a good, no-brainer gesture to let KD know his 26-win season was valued.

BINGO on that one CK.

[Captain Kangaroo]

im sick of hearing how our schedule was the reason we did not make the post season. we were 13-3 in our conference. we beat teams that are in the nit ,and ncaa tourney.while i did not think we would make the ncaa nor do probably alott people.winning 26 games and not make the nit was total b.s.if the university sits by and does nothing about it i think we will eventually lose kd.just like we lost huggins.

The topic discussion was about the Zips schedule and the Austin Peay Bracketbuster, not the NCAA's. Our soft non-conf schedule coupled with our record at the time of the Bracketbuster selection is why we got Austin Peay, and not a upper-tier MVC school (or similar).20+ win A-P wasn't bad either. Just because we thumped them hard at the JAR doesn't mean they suck. We thumped most teams there.The #1 goal of the MAC this offseason should be to get the NIT issue addressed.

[timmyboy]

im sick of hearing how our schedule was the reason we did not make the post season. we were 13-3 in our conference. we beat teams that are in the nit ,and ncaa tourney.while i did not think we would make the ncaa nor do probably alott  people.winning 26 games and not make the nit was total b.s.if the university sits by and does nothing about it i think we will eventually lose kd.just like we lost huggins.

The topic discussion was about the Zips schedule and the Austin Peay Bracketbuster, not the NCAA's. Our soft non-conf schedule coupled with our record at the time of the Bracketbuster selection is why we got Austin Peay, and not a upper-tier MVC school (or similar).20+ win A-P wasn't bad either. Just because we thumped them hard at the JAR doesn't mean they suck. We thumped most teams there.The #1 goal of the MAC this offseason should be to get the NIT issue addressed.

definatly agree

[ZippyMania]

Any thoughts regarding the Bracketbuster game we basically had to take vs. Austin Peay and the impact it had on our postseason opportunities.  If I remember correctly - we won the game and lost spots in AP poll, Mid-major poll and RPI.

The Austin Peay game was fine. It showed the separation between the OVC and the MAC.Furthermore, the Zips did themselves no favors by scheduling such a cake walk non-conf schedule, and losing @ home to Nevada.While there are a lot of scape goats to be found in discussing why the Zips aren't in the post-season, there are also a few things the Zips need to look in the mirror and reflect on as well. Scheduling is first and foremost. Closing out tight games is another. Everything isn't Rick Boyages' fault, or the time keeper's fault. The NIT snub is the only thing that is 100% unjust and 100% out of our control.

I still don't know why KD was so against going on the road against good teams with THIS team. I mean, suck it up and play the BCS gamesmanship when you have as good a team as we did this year.The BB game was some BS. We were favored by 15.5 for gods sake. Why they put us against an OVC team is beyond me. Redhawks got a bad MVC team but it was a MVC team. Indy State favored by 2Can't got Mason...GMU favored by 4Toledo gets ODU....ODU favored by 1we get freaking AP from a HORRENDOUS conference? I think we were destined to get screwed.

[Big Zip]

I love the idea of schedule four big name schools in 3 for 1 games. Each year yet get big name schools on the schedule and if balanced right you get a top notch home game each year too. I'd also challenge the MAC office to schedule one or two conference challenges each year. MAC versus MVC or MAC versus WAC. Make a big deal about it. If you scheduled two you could automatically have one home game and one away game against "comparable" schools. Use the media preseason rankings and match the teams up against their counterparts. If you take the time with a creative MAC office you can guarantee your conference schedules some really good basketball.Fill the rest of your schedule with Cleveland State, Youngstown State, Wright State, Duquesne, Detroit, Western Kentucky, Niagra, Marshall, Dayton, Xavier, Butler etc. If you want to be the Gonzaga of the MAC you have to work at it. Gonzaga doesn't schedule Tiffin!!!

[RACER]

my point was about why we did not make the nit. i never thought we would make the ncaa tourney after lsoing to miami. everyone keps talking about our easy schedule.we won 26 and did not make the nit. we won less games last year ,and did make it and won a road game. as long as we are in the mac our b-ball program will go no where regardless of our w/l, or schedule strength. hopefully we willbe able to keep the coach,but if im kd why would i want to stay after what happened.

[BirdZip]

if im kd why would i want to stay after what happened.

Integrity. And commitments you've made. After the contract, then you look.

[unZIPped]

if im kd why would i want to stay after what happened.

For the big "atta boy" after 26 wins.

[Captain Kangaroo]

if im kd why would i want to stay after what happened.

What would that say to the kids? "When things get tough, quit"?How hypocritical could you be to complain about the selection system, then take a coaching job at a school that promotes excluding teams like the Zips from post season tourneys? The NIT thing needs to be fixed. There's no debate.Other than that, win the damn MAC tourney. K.e.n.t. did it 4 out of 8 seasons. Why can't we? Miami beat us 2-out-of-3 this year. Toledo's beaten us in consecutive games. We cosistently blow big, late leads at The Q. The time keeper can't be blamed for everything. We have improvement of our own to do in the MAC.If Dambrot wants us to be "the next Gonzaga" then he also needs to schedule better and start knocking off some marquee teams. You don't get to be the next Gonzaga by playing Tiffin, Winston-Salem-Marlboro, St. Francis, etc. Anymore, you don't even get mentioned as a "Bubble Team."