[SuperJon]

We also don't have as many seats as we used to.

Then again, we won't stop selling tickets til the fire marshal tells us to.

[kingaling42]

4) Some schools already have long, built in local rivalries with smaller schools. We play Mars Hill, Brevard, and Montreat just about every year (some regular season, usually exhibition.) These schools are within 30 mins from campus, the coaches and players know each other, the Justice is usually packed and I don't think it would be beneficial for UNC-Asheville to take those games away.

Ok, Charleston Southern.

You're Division I. Step up and play a Division I schedule. If you wanted the rivalries, you should've stayed DII.

REALLY??? When Lu's Non-Conference strength of schedule is even in the TOP 100 in the Country- then come talk about playing a OOC tough D-1 schedule... We had at one time this year the #3 OOC SOS in the nation- currently #13 (Ken Pom)..

BTW- CSU is at #177, LU's only at #157 OOC SOS- so the Bucs were your example to us??? That's not so super....

[SuperJon]

No no no, you didn't get what I was saying. I know we schedule non-D1's. I didn't have a problem with that. I know that we're trying to get rid of them. I said something about the idea that you wouldn't get rid of certain teams that were sub-DI because they were "rivals" or something like that.

[kingaling42]

Oh OK- just checking!!!

I think the term "rivals" is the problem here... UNCA playing Montreat for example isn't a rivalry, even though we were also formerly an NAIA program & our close proximities lend itself to such reference- we beat them everytime we play them except for one fluke time after I graduated (which I opt we never speak of!)- so it's certainly not a rivalry, UNCA vs Western Carolina is a rivalry for example, Mars Hill was a big time rivalry due to some serious physical altercations that occurred many years back- but that series has only been renewed in a couple of exhibition games in recent times... so us calling Montreat our rival is like saying Carolina is our rivalry too?? Which is ridiculous..

Anyways- the conference power ranking isn't going to lend to anything major if you have the best team in the league & the perenial powerhouse of the league going 0 for ??? whatever in non-conference play.. UNCA always has a poor non-conference record but it's not all that hard to figure out why with the big games Eddie schedules year in & year out- with our antiquated facilities, it's really a great recruitment tool to have guys want to play & compete on the larger stages..

[UNCA Alum]

Rival was the wrong term for me to use and I have already said as much.

My main point remains the same....

We shouldn't mandate non-D1 games. There are situations where playing a D2 school or two can be beneficial for a variety of reasons and schools should have that option if they so choose.

If yall get a 15 seed instead of a 14 seed next year because we played Brevard out of conference.... my apologies.