[BJWilliams]

This is usually where Jon comes in and mentions all the guys we have coming back in addition to the (at this point) two very solid recruits we have coming in. We are only losing a couple players who played significant roles last year (and the jury is still out on whether or not TB gets an extra year and can come back). Itll be a new season and anything can happen.

[SuperJon]

This is usually where Jon comes in and mentions all the guys we have coming back in addition to the (at this point) two very solid recruits we have coming in. We are only losing a couple players who played significant roles last year (and the jury is still out on whether or not TB gets an extra year and can come back). Itll be a new season and anything can happen.

Don't throw that on me, BJ. I know we have the chance to finish top three next year but I don't expect anyone to pick us to do that. We have all the potential in the world next year but we're unproven. We, as Liberty fans, can expect top three but no one else should.

[jcmanson]

I know we've got alot coming back, but we lose alot in KO. Based on our current recruits (JVP, Baird, JC) and everyone else coming back, yes we'll be better. We will finish in the 3-4 range, but I don't think we'll be competing for a conference championship.

[kingaling42]

... Looking ahead to next fall, do you make WU preseason first in conference? More than likely, although I believe the polling will be alot closer than last fall, when everyone was giving the title to Radford on a silver platter. I'd say:

1. WU
2. CCU
3. LU
4. UNCA
5. PC
6. RU
7. HPU
8. VMI
9. CSU
10. G-W

I love looking to next year, even if it is WAY early to do so....I'm really excited about having a new coach in place for the first time in 15 years, hope springs eternal...it had better losing at least 7 seniors and who knows what else off of our roster with the change.
...

First, why would you have PC so low, considering what they have coming back from redshirts & is a young team that gained a ton of experience this year..

Secondly, why on Earth would you put Liberty over UNCA next year?? UNCA loses one player that was one-dimensional & was replaced many games this year alone (he had some good games don't get me wrong but that's all Sean was good for was shooting 3 pointers).. We started 2 sometimes 3 sophomores, 1 junior, most games a freshman center, & that lone senior last year.. JP Primm, Dickey, Stephenson, & Cunningham probably aren't going to get worse next year & we can replace Sean Smith in terms of an overall player.. I don't think UNCA vshould be picked to win the conference & if we're picked 4th (which sounds about right) it certainly shouldn't be behind Liberty.. no offense to you guys but we finished 4th & ahead of LU this year, UNCA is just as young, & we swept Liberty this year & should have swept Winthrop..

PC will be better than 5th IMHO as well- I would pick them as high as 2nd because they play defense & will return some guys who can score that redshirted this year...

[ToTheLeft]

We've been over this, and I constantly change my mind, but I'd say LU would be an early 4 behind WU, PC, and UNCA. CCU and LU split votes for 4th, so we might be 5th.

[Cider Jim]

I watched the game last night and was impressed with the coaching and playing of UAPB.

You have to love a coach who has a pre-game ritual of sitting on the bench and eating a bag of popcorn and drinking a diet Coke. Heck, that might even get SCAR back into coaching again.

[g-webb1994]

Now a good topic for debate would be the implementation of a rule that the Atlantic Sun had when G-W played there, which was that no school could schedule more than two games in a season against opponents that were not D-1 level. Meaning no Houghtons, Limestones, Covenants, Methodists, Montreats, Bartons, Roanokes, etc. Having a rule like that in place would help to begin to raise the conference RPI. If the biggies can have things like the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, why can't KK have some foresight to create a Big South/SOCON or Big South/CAA or even Big South/MEAC Challenge?

Things might have changed, but I didn't think non-D-1 schools counted in the RPI rankings. So I'm not sure how dropping them will help the conference RPI. Having said that, I would be fine with a limit of 2 per season. In a perfect world, I'd say don't schedule any of them... but I understand that some schools need them to fill out a home schedule. I've always been a fan of a Big South/SOCON Challenge, though I don't know how much the SOCON would be into that. I haven't thought about any other conference but right now I would take any conference. If anything, it would give schools some help when it comes to scheduling OOC games.

No, they don't count, but I was hinting act if we actually played more D-1 'countable' games, that is would boost RPI, even if we went say only .500 in them as a whole conference.....

[Maximus]

A bad NCAA loss is much easier to swallow than any Big South Tournament loss.

This is truth.

[UNCA Alum]

Not me. Maybe that's my pride, but I hate losing, especially on tv, especially being blown out. Now if we would have won the BSC and been a 15 or 16 seed playing a first round game, I'm fine with that... we'd be expected to be blown out.... But a blow out loss in a play-in game... sorry, I wouldn't want that.

Last night definitely wasn't fun as a WU fan, but it was 100 times more fun than last season when RU was in the dance. The fun of winning the conference tournament, the build-up to Selection Sunday, and the anticipation going into an NCAA tourney game (yes, even the opening round game) is much better than watching another conference team doing it, even if the result last night was not good. A bad NCAA loss is much easier to swallow than any Big South Tournament loss.

I don't know what some of these people are talking about. OBVIOUSLY you would rather lose by 20 in the play-in game than flame out in the Big South Tournament. Ten years from now people aren't going to remember whether you lost in the play-in game or to a 1 or 2 seed in the first round, but the Big South Championship banner will still be flying in your arena.

If you told Big South fans before next season that their team was going to win the Big South and then get smoked in the play-in game, 99.99% of them would take it in a heartbeat. If you are a big time favorite like Radford or Winthrop back in the old days, you might want a little more... but come on guys. Be rational.

[ToTheLeft]

but come on guys. Be rational.

Hah. Let me welcome you to FlameFans, you must be new here.

[LUconn]

I think it was just one person saying that. BUT the fact that we all agree that a BSC championship is goal #1 is a straw man since we were arguing that the play in game was ugly and laughable. Not the game itself but they way Winthrop played.