Fantastic Opportunity for the Zips!!!

[Captain Kangaroo]

If that doesn't make the March 9th game a "can't miss" I don't know what does!Opportunity to knock off a Top 25 team for the first time in our program's history!! AND, beat K.e.n.t. at the same time!! :thumb: :thumb:

[Dr Z]

I heard

[mivid12]

dambrots theory of not 'playing up' is why akron is looking at Can't in the top 25akron bb will never exp the success Can't does until it starts 'playin up'

[skip-zip]

At first, I was miffed when I heard that Can't was in the top 25...but then when I came to my senses I said, "that would make a win over them that much more sweet". mivid12...you're exactly right. Can't is in position for an at-large bid, and the formula for getting there is pretty obvious.

[Captain Kangaroo]

mivid12...you're exactly right. Can't is in position for an at-large bid, and the formula for getting there is pretty obvious.

The answer is obvious -- "Win."With our existing schedule, if we beat Winthrop, Dayton, Ken.t and VCU, we're in the at-large discussion and knocking on the door of a Top 25 ranking. Since we lost all those games, we're relegated to winning the MAC tourney as our sole opportunity for post-season play. That, or maybe that new 16-team, NIT "leftover" tourney might invite us.

[bigzipguy]

Unless McKnights(especially Chris) start contributing, down low, the Zips chances of beating Can't and winning the Mac championship are considerably less than 50 percent.

[mivid12]

mivid12...you're exactly right. Can't is in position for an at-large bid, and the formula for getting there is pretty obvious.

The answer is obvious -- "Win."With our existing schedule, if we beat Winthrop, Dayton, Ken.t and VCU, we're in the at-large discussion and knocking on the door of a Top 25 ranking. Since we lost all those games, we're relegated to winning the MAC tourney as our sole opportunity for post-season play. That, or maybe that new 16-team, NIT "leftover" tourney might invite us.

then why is dambrot so stubborn when it comes to playing up? that tells me he doesn't believe his kids can win...heck Can't has played at Duke...you mean akron couldn't play oh say an Iowa, or Virgina as an example...it frustrates me as a fan cause until akron schedules like Can't, the program will be on the proverbial treadmillpersonally i don't consider wintrop playing up...

[ziptrumpet87]

Unless McKnights(especially Chris) start contributing, down low, the Zips chances of beating Can't and winning the Mac championship are considerably less than 50 percent.

I thought CMcK did a fantastic job crashing the boards late in the VCU game and coming up with some crucial rebounds. Unfortunately they were unable to convert them all into points. If he continues that, I think we have a better chance at winning it all.

[bigzipguy]

I am refering more that Chris also has to SCORE down low.

[zipsbandman]

Based on our play against VCU, a similar team, I don't think we have the personnel to hang with Can't.

[GoZips88]

mivid12...you're exactly right. Can't is in position for an at-large bid, and the formula for getting there is pretty obvious.

The answer is obvious -- "Win."With our existing schedule, if we beat Winthrop, Dayton, Ken.t and VCU, we're in the at-large discussion and knocking on the door of a Top 25 ranking. Since we lost all those games, we're relegated to winning the MAC tourney as our sole opportunity for post-season play. That, or maybe that new 16-team, NIT "leftover" tourney might invite us.

Oh, but Captain, we came O-H S-O CLOSE in all of those games! We've been consistently "Oh so close" the last few years and even farther back than that I suppose (Xavier, Michigan, ...) - shouldn't that count for something?!? :rolleyes:You have to win something first? BLAH!

[RACER]

Can't plays up and loses all those games to duke.it does no good for a program to play those games,and lose.look at the state of mac football.all the teams play bcs teams and get there butts kicked.how has playing up helped the mac in football.same the thing basketball will happen.

[Valpo Zip]

Playing Duke and NC did not get Can't where they are. It is beating GMU and St. Mary that got Can't where they are.Playing teams does not get you anywhere, beating teams get you somewhere. Saying that we did not schedule any tought team is unfair, we had a schedule with Dayton, Winthrop, VCU, Miami(2), Ohio(2), Can't(2), and temple.All of those teams have been top 50 RPI teams. We just didn't beat them. The problem is not about the playing part, it is about the beating part.

[Blue & Gold]

Playing Duke and NC did not get Can't where they are. It is beating GMU and St. Mary that got Can't where they are.Playing teams does not get you anywhere, beating teams get you somewhere. Saying that we did not schedule any tought team is unfair, we had a schedule with Dayton, Winthrop, VCU, Miami(2), Ohio(2), Can't(2), and temple.All of those teams have been top 50 RPI teams. We just didn't beat them. The problem is not about the playing part, it is about the beating part.

Exactly. Our schedule is fine. Losing to Duke and NC does nothing for you. One has to remember that on top of losing to VCU, Winthrop, K.e.n.t. & Dayton we also have bad losses against N.Illinois and Central Michigan. Western Michigan is an understandable loss, but 1) they pounded us and 2) K.e.n.t. beat them! So right now K.e.n.t. is 1) winning games they should win / not losing games they shouldn't lose, and 2) winning the toss-up games. In our program's history we have been inconsistent w/ #1 and completely unsuccessful w/ #2. No wonder K.e.n.t. is in the Top 25. They deserve it. We don't. The schedule's not the issue. If we had accomplished what Can't has w/ both points 1 and 2 above, we'd be in the Top 25 right now too.

[ziptrumpet87]

Playing Duke and NC did not get Can't where they are. It is beating GMU and St. Mary that got Can't where they are.Playing teams does not get you anywhere, beating teams get you somewhere. Saying that we did not schedule any tought team is unfair, we had a schedule with Dayton, Winthrop, VCU, Miami(2), Ohio(2), Can't(2), and temple.All of those teams have been top 50 RPI teams. We just didn't beat them. The problem is not about the playing part, it is about the beating part.

Exactly. Our schedule is fine. Losing to Duke and NC does nothing for you. One has to remember that on top of losing to VCU, Winthrop, K.e.n.t. & Dayton we also have bad losses against N.Illinois and Central Michigan. Western Michigan is an understandable loss, but 1) they pounded us and 2) K.e.n.t. beat them! So right now K.e.n.t. is 1) winning games they should win / not losing games they shouldn't lose, and 2) winning the toss-up games. In our program's history we have been inconsistent w/ #1 and completely unsuccessful w/ #2. No wonder K.e.n.t. is in the Top 25. They deserve it. We don't. The schedule's not the issue. If we had accomplished what Can't has w/ both points 1 and 2 above, we'd be in the Top 25 right now too.

Agreed. Don't forget, we had some votes when the season began. Had they won, we would surely be ranked.

[ZachTheZip]

Playing Duke and NC did not get Can't where they are. It is beating GMU and St. Mary that got Can't where they are.Playing teams does not get you anywhere, beating teams get you somewhere. Saying that we did not schedule any tought team is unfair, we had a schedule with Dayton, Winthrop, VCU, Miami(2), Ohio(2), Can't(2), and temple.All of those teams have been top 50 RPI teams. We just didn't beat them. The problem is not about the playing part, it is about the beating part.

Exactly. Our schedule is fine. Losing to Duke and NC does nothing for you. One has to remember that on top of losing to VCU, Winthrop, K.e.n.t. & Dayton we also have bad losses against N.Illinois and Central Michigan. Western Michigan is an understandable loss, but 1) they pounded us and 2) K.e.n.t. beat them! So right now K.e.n.t. is 1) winning games they should win / not losing games they shouldn't lose, and 2) winning the toss-up games. In our program's history we have been inconsistent w/ #1 and completely unsuccessful w/ #2. No wonder K.e.n.t. is in the Top 25. They deserve it. We don't. The schedule's not the issue. If we had accomplished what Can't has w/ both points 1 and 2 above, we'd be in the Top 25 right now too.

You both have seen the light! Scheduling a bunch of unwinnable games does nothing for you except give you a falsely high RPI, and RPI means nothing unless you are a bubble team in a major conference because then they can use it to justify leaving a better mid-major out.Win the games that we are supposed to, and win at least 50% of the toss-ups and you have a great season. We have done neither this year.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Win the games that we are supposed to, and win at least 50% of the toss-ups and you have a great season. We have done neither this year.

Oh stop it! Jesus...we have 19 wins and we're 9-4 in the conference. We'll hit 20 wins this Saturday, and likely 21 or 22 when we beat K.e.n.t. the following Sunday. We should get the MAC tourney #3 seed. If you're a Zips fan, I think...just maybe...you might have endured a worse season at some point during your lifetime?Take Fischer and Quaintence out of K.e.n.t.'s line up for a couple weeks and see how their record looks. To have a season like K.e.n.t.'s having, you need to be good...but you need the planets to align too. We had a bad stretch with injuries and it cost us a couple games. It now appears the Wood, Ced and Dials are healthy...at least as healthy as they've collectively been since December. We're smack dab in the thick of things for an NCAA tourney bid. There are honestly only 4 teams that can say that right now. On a neutral court, we can beat anyone in the MAC. The sky isn't falling.

[zippy5]

Based on our play against VCU, a similar team, I don't think we have the personnel to hang with Can't.

Are you serious?we lost by 3 pretty much...How about based on our play against Can't, the team you're talking about....we have a chance because we were up 10 at half and lost by 2...Debbie Downer damn.

[johnnyzip84]

Based on our play against VCU, a similar team, I don't think we have the personnel to hang with Can't.

Are you serious?we lost by 3 pretty much...How about based on our play against Can't, the team you're talking about....we have a chance because we were up 10 at half and lost by 2...Debbie Downer damn.

Excellent "Debbie Downer" reference! The only thing missing is the forlorn trumpet playing whaa wha wha whaaaaaaaaaI dunno, after another 20 win season I might start feeling nostalgic for the days of Ken Cunningham.Freshmen Memories

[w00t]

Oh stop it! Jesus...we have 19 wins and we're 9-4 in the conference. We'll hit 20 wins this Saturday, and likely 21 or 22 when we beat K.e.n.t. the following Sunday. We should get the MAC tourney #3 seed. If you're a Zips fan, I think...just maybe...you might have endured a worse season at some point during your lifetime?Take Fischer and Quaintence out of K.e.n.t.'s line up for a couple weeks and see how their record looks. To have a season like K.e.n.t.'s having, you need to be good...but you need the planets to align too. We had a bad stretch with injuries and it cost us a couple games. It now appears the Wood, Ced and Dials are healthy...at least as healthy as they've collectively been since December. We're smack dab in the thick of things for an NCAA tourney bid. There are honestly only 4 teams that can say that right now. On a neutral court, we can beat anyone in the MAC. The sky isn't falling.

Thank you!!!!!!! VCU was the most encouraging loss I've ever witnessed. Cedrick Middleton looks like Cedrick Middleton again, Jeremiah Wood put in 23 solid minutes in his first game back from injury and no one who watched him play could possibly have thought, "That guy looks like he just had surgery". The McKnights look better every game. We have ten players who have the potential to make big plays and contribute. And why in God's name would we not be able to hang with Can't? We had a double-digit lead against them at halftime on their own court. Do you magically become unbeatable or something just because a bunch of clueless sportswriters decide you're one of the best 25 teams in the country? This team has as much talent (or more) as last year's. The ailing bodies are halfway through a week off to recharge for a tough stretch run. If they catch fire, the rest of the MAC will choke on their dust at the Q next month. Saturday against Buffalo is the tuneup for two huge games @ Ohio and vs. Can't. I think they're up to the challenge and there's no reason to believe that this couldn't be the first time in 21 years that we play in the NCAA Tournament.

[skip-zip]

I'm sorry, but I'm an old man, I've been around this program for a long time, and I get a little fired up about this topic of scheduling.Believe me, I respect the negative opinions about upgrading the schedule. And sure, if we had only won those games, we might be in Can't's position right now. BUT THAT'S EXACTLY THE PROBLEM. Our inability to prove our worth with even a "respectable" strength of schedule FORCES us to pretty much win all of our games to get into consideration for an at-large bid.As much as I hate to compliment those guys to the East of us, they seem to understand that you can't JUST WIN GAMES. You also have to show that you've played a fairly difficult schedule. And putting just a couple of marquis programs on your schedule, WIN OR LOSE, goes a long way towards accomplishing the 2nd half of that equation.As I've said before..."if we keep doing what we're doing, we'll keep getting what we've always gotten." And I've witnessed countless post-season snubs, going all the way back to the beginning of our D-1 era, and they've all happened with 20+ win teams.Here's a question for everyone to think about:Even if you don't necessarily agree that upgrading the schedule is worthwhile, isn't it at least a better alternative than sitting here year after year, with 20+ wins, and wondering why nobody will give us any respect?? Or, should we just keep doing what we're doing...and our predicament never changes??Although it ticks me off, Can't State just showed us how to get it done, even with so many people on this board vehemently professing all season long that nobody from the MAC can get an at-large bid. With our current schedule strength, just winning games is not going to get it done....unless we darn near win them all. And that's a lot of pressure to put on a bunch of 21 year old kids.

[Zipper10]

well put Skipobviously our tactics now are not getting us recognized and its definitely not or records so KD should at least try bumping up our schedule for a season and see how it goes. He doesn't have to get Duke or Memphis to play us but get more quality 3 or 4 star teams to play us like Pitt and or even Butler. Teams that wont make a loss look as bad as one to N. Ill. We just have to make sure not to lose the games we should win and pull down a couple W's in the toss up gamesCongrats to Can't on the top 25 they deserve itGo Zips!

[skip-zip]

Ok..back to the topic of this thread...I'm looking forward to the Can't game more than ever. How sweet would it be to knock off a top-25 team, in front of a roaring JAR Arena crowd, and it just happens to be Can't State??We DO have a good enough team to beat Can't. Why wouldn't we? Does someone really feel as if Can't has made that much separation between themselves and the rest of the teams in the MAC? Of course not, it's the MAC. And we only lost by a few points to them on their home floor. Come on detractors.....Can't might be the best team in a MAC this year, but I think it's silly to even remotely consider them to be unbeatable.

[Zip Watcher]

Debbie Downer damn.

I think that Doug & Wendy Whiner should be getting equal time in this forum lately.

[skip-zip]

ahhh....those 1970s Saturday Night Live skits represent an unforgettable and timeless collection of comedy.