[g-webb1994]

Just want to throw this out to everyone here to opine upon.

Obviously, the conference power ranking had to effect Radford getting a #16 seed and getting the pleasure of playing North Carolina in Greensboro. The only thing Radford got in the deal is the ability to bus down to Greensboro and save major $$$ on travel expenses.

We just came over from the Atlantic Sun Conference, which currently has so many teams ineligible for postseason, caused their champ ETSU to get a #16 seed. The A-Sun has a rule in place for their postseason-eligible members, that they can only schedule 2 non D-1 opponents per year.

The question I have is should the Big South implement a similar rule, limiting the number of non D-1 opponents of its' membership, so that it would help improve the overall power ranking of the conference?

G-W played and beat great powers such as Ferrum, Anderson, and UVA-Wise this year. Y'all dined on the icing from cupcakes of Anderson, Coker, and Cincinnati Christian.

I'm one that non D-1 opponents should be kept to an absolute minimum. Y'all have the CAA within handy distance of your campus. We have the SOCON within ours, not to mention three former A-Sun foes (USC-Upstate, ETSU, and Campbell).

Good luck tomorrow night against Rider. Do our conference proud.

[Cider Jim]

Y'all dined on the icing from cupcakes of Anderson, Coker, and Cincinnati Christian.

English major?

[Fumblerooskies]

Once upon a time, Kyle Kallander "mandated" that all schools have a non-conference schedule that included (or averaged out to) teams ranked in the top 50% of the RPI. Just like everything else he "mandates", the schools pretty much ignored him. It is a shame, b/c a rule like that, along with a rule like you propose, would go a long way in improving the overall conference RPI.

[Chris Lang]

Problem is, though, that many Big South teams would struggle to get any home games. No one wants to go on the road and play teams like Liberty, Gardner-Webb and Winthrop. You can't ask your kids to play 12 non-league road games. It'll destroy them before league play starts and turn the Big South into the MEAC, where the conference champion routinely has 14 or 15 losses heading into the NCAAs.

Radford got a bit of a raw deal in terms of seeding. The Highs should have been a 15. But they'll adjust the S Curve some if it means keeping a lower-seeded team closer to home. That's probably what happened there.

[LUconn]

Once upon a time, Kyle Kallander "mandated" that all schools have a non-conference schedule that included (or averaged out to) teams ranked in the top 50% of the RPI. Just like everything else he "mandates", the schools pretty much ignored him. It is a shame, b/c a rule like that, along with a rule like you propose, would go a long way in improving the overall conference RPI.

Really? That's a pretty grueling schedule. But you won't know the RPI of a team until the season is over. So I'm assuming it's the RPI of the previous season and that's not really all that helpful anyway.

[g-webb1994]

Problem is, though, that many Big South teams would struggle to get any home games. No one wants to go on the road and play teams like Liberty, Gardner-Webb and Winthrop. You can't ask your kids to play 12 non-league road games. It'll destroy them before league play starts and turn the Big South into the MEAC, where the conference champion routinely has 14 or 15 losses heading into the NCAAs.

Radford got a bit of a raw deal in terms of seeding. The Highs should have been a 15. But they'll adjust the S Curve some if it means keeping a lower-seeded team closer to home. That's probably what happened there.

Yeah, and you could say that Radford could have been a 15, and ended up in G-boro anyway against Duke instead.

I am pretty sure the road game we played at Western Carolina from the SOCON this year has a return game next, along with the game at Longwood. We automatically get JMU at our place from the brackbuster game, likewise you guys get to host ODU next season (Vines should sellout easy for that one).

Signing home/home contracts with mid-majors is a way to start building the RPI. Schools in the A-Sun and MEAC would be easiest to deal with at this point.

The conference commish can impose all he/she wants, but unless the AD's and more importantly, the coaches in the league rally and start the practice of avoiding non D-1 cupcakes, then the RPI can swing upward. We have a decent collection of coaches in the Big South, it wouldn't be that difficult a proposition to make.

[jcmanson]

Clemson and ODU already on our home schedule next year, not too shabby.

[SuperJon]

The conference commish can impose all he/she wants, but unless the AD's and more importantly, the coaches in the league rally and start the practice of avoiding non D-1 cupcakes, then the RPI can swing upward. We have a decent collection of coaches in the Big South, it wouldn't be that difficult a proposition to make.

If the conference commish was someone the AD's actually respected, his words might have some weight.

[WinthropEagleFan]

More than anything, RU was hurt by having 0 OOC div-I wins. Also, there were very few low-seeds or teams with really bad overall records/rpi winning conference tourneys this season. The 'strength' of your conference influences your school's ratings (obviously), but your whole body of work does more to influence your seed more than the conference's RPI. As a league, the Big South finished 25th in the RPI, which is better than any year out of the last 7 except for 2006 (when the league was 19th, and WU got a 15-seed that year). WU got an 11-seed in 2007 when the league was 29th. WU also got a 13-seed when the league was 27th last year, and a 14-seed when the league was 27th in 2005. It has a lot more to do with how the individual team performs throughout the year than how the league rates compared to other leagues.

I'm not saying the league's standing compared to others plays no role, but who you beat (and lost to) plays a much bigger role in seeding, as does the stature of the other teams in the field. RU didn't beat anyone of note and had some losses to bad teams, so I thought their seeding was right on the money, especially since the field didn't have a lot of 'bad' teams this year.

[Fumblerooskies]

Once upon a time, Kyle Kallander "mandated" that all schools have a non-conference schedule that included (or averaged out to) teams ranked in the top 50% of the RPI. Just like everything else he "mandates", the schools pretty much ignored him. It is a shame, b/c a rule like that, along with a rule like you propose, would go a long way in improving the overall conference RPI.

Really? That's a pretty grueling schedule. But you won't know the RPI of a team until the season is over. So I'm assuming it's the RPI of the previous season and that's not really all that helpful anyway.

Yes...based on the previous year's RPI...which as we know...can fluctuate wildly amongst mid to low-level D1 teams.

[SuperJon]

It's all about baby steps. Eliminate the sub Division I games first. Yes, that means playing MEAC games, playing A-Sun games, and trying to play SoCon and CAA games. You might have to travel to an A-Sun or MEAC school but in the eyes of everyone, that's better than playing a good DII school.

Do that for a couple of years. As the teams get better, you can start going for the higher mid-majors on the road (MVC, maybe a West Coast trip) while still playing a few of those lower games. Tournaments like the one we played this year (Depaul, St. Louis, Northern Colorado, and USC Upstate) are great because you play teams from the power conferences and teams that aren't that great but are Division I.

[UNCA Alum]

It's easy for us to sit here as fans and say "We need to have a better schedule!!" but it's not quite as easy for those plans to come to fruition. Couple of points, some of which had already been mentioned:

1) Need to schedule home games. Home and homes with other small D1s are great, but it'd be difficult (and more expensive) to fill up an entire schedule with them. If the two non-D1 games at home are replaced with one game on the road and one at home, you lose one gate and also have to add another road trip's worth of expenses. Adds up through the years.

2) Need wins. 16-14 with two wins over D2 schools sounds a lot better than 14-16 with a tougher schedule. When a few games here and a few games there can ultimately make or break the final decision made on a coach, every win counts. Also helps to build confidence for your team, particularly if you are relatively young (as basically the entire Big South was this season.)

3) The season is long. Yes, these kids are 18-22 and should have plenty of energy and stamina, but the two "easy" wins over the D2 schools gives coaches an opportunity to rest some starters and give reserves a chance to make their case before the start of the conference season. And if you are coming back from exam week or Thanksgiving break, you might not want to jump right back into action with George Mason or Davidson.

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.

5) Helps out the smaller teams. The ACC and SEC fans of the world are probably saying things similar to us. "Why are we playing Liberty or UNCA when we can be playing another team from Conf USA or the Big Ten?" It gives the smaller school a chance to make a little bit of money and to play against the big boys, the same opportunity that South Carolina, Virginia, UNC, and Wake Forest give to us when we go and play there.

[ATrain]

I think as far as scheduling, Coach McKay did a great job. 2 CAAs: Mason and W&M (eventually 3 with ODU, but that was Bracketbusters), ACC: Virginia and Clemson, Big East: DePaul. Also got to play games against the A-10 (St. Louis) and other mid-major conferences. If we had won the tourney instead of Radford, I think we'd be a 15 or even 14 seed.

Anyway, in order for the Big South to boost the schedule, I agree that many of the non-DIs have got to go, even if it means two games against Longwood and/or Campbell (home and away) like many Big South teams did last season.

[SuperJon]

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.

[ToTheLeft]

Seriously, it's not a rivalry to beat a DII team every year. Make new rivals. Play real games. We need to do that, too. No more Coker games, please.

[UNCA Alum]

Rivalry probably wasn't a good term to use. Obviously we are no longer rivals with Mars Hill, but we used to be and we have been playing them for a long, long time. If we want to play them one game out of however many we schedule (we actually probably won't play them as long as our ex-associate coach is still there) I don't think that the Big South should step in and say that we can't do that. I really don't think that a UNCA win over Elon instead of Catawba would have catapulted Radford to the 15 seed.


If yall don't want to play D2 schools.... go for it.

[UNCA Alum]

Also, it will be cheaper for their fans..... but I'm pretty sure the NCAA picks up all the expenses for the teams.

When you sign a deal with CBS for 18 trillion dollars.... you can afford to buy a few plane tickets/chartered buses.

[coolhandluke]

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.

It shouldn't be hard to pack out the Justice Center man. You don't have to play Div II schools to do that...

[UNCA Alum]

The bottom line is that, in our case, UNC Asheville vs. Mars Hill is going to draw a lot more excitement.. and ticket sales.. than a game against Campbell or Lipscomb. It is what it is.

As the Winthrop fan put it better than me... the NCAA cares more about the individual team than it does the conference when it decides who gets what seed. Whether or not we play Brevard isn't going to impact your seed in the tournament next year.

If yall want to stay up on your high horse and look down on the teams that play against D2 teams... fine. Most people really could care less. Get your coach to stop scheduling them if it's such a big deal and then maybe the rest of the league will follow suit.

I simply pointed out that, in some cases, there are benefits of playing a D2 school and I think that Big South teams should have that option if they so choose. There shouldn't be a league wide mandate against non-D1 teams.

[olldflame]

It's interesting that we are talking about UNCA scheduling patsies. They may have some D2 teams on their schedule, but they also schedule more money games against power teams (and take more butt-whoopins) than any other program in the BSC.

[Ed Dantes]

As the Winthrop fan put it better than me... the NCAA cares more about the individual team than it does the conference when it decides who gets what seed. Whether or not we play Brevard isn't going to impact your seed in the tournament next year.

I disagree. A few years ago, the Lady Flames were the #25 team in the nation. If you were to distribute the seeds fairly, that'd put us at a seven seed. Maybe an eight. Instead, we got a #13. Why? Because the conference was weak. We got no respect because we play conference games against Helen Keller College.

[UNCA Alum]

Well changing three games on the schedule from D2 to other low D1s isn't going to make us magically jump from the 28th ranked conference to the 10th. I just don't see it having that big of an impact on our seeding in the grand scheme of things. Winthrop got an 11 seed one time when our conference was terrible.

My main point is that the decision to schedule, or not schedule, non-Division 1 games should be made by the individual schools, not the Big South.

[horrez]

I disagree. A few years ago, the Lady Flames were the #25 team in the nation. If you were to distribute the seeds fairly, that'd put us at a seven seed. Maybe an eight. Instead, we got a #13. Why? Because the conference was weak. We got no respect because we play conference games against Helen Keller College.

Maybe it is different for WBB and MBB? Really for either one, how much does rank matter? Sure #1 will probably be a 1 seed, but as a whole how much does it matter? The people voting in the polls aren't the same people seeding teams. At least I don't think they are.

I'm all for the Big South getting better. The Big South being better might have helped Radford with seeding... but really they could have done a better job of helping themselves (like beating an out of conference D-I foe). Now, had they had a great season and only lost about 4 games and then gotten a 16 seed... then I'd feel bad for them and say the conference let them down. But as it stands now, they should be happy with the 16 seed. (I'd take it this year. )

It's all about baby steps. Eliminate the sub Division I games first. Yes, that means playing MEAC games, playing A-Sun games, and trying to play SoCon and CAA games. You might have to travel to an A-Sun or MEAC school but in the eyes of everyone, that's better than playing a good DII school.

Do that for a couple of years. As the teams get better, you can start going for the higher mid-majors on the road (MVC, maybe a West Coast trip) while still playing a few of those lower games. Tournaments like the one we played this year (Depaul, St. Louis, Northern Colorado, and USC Upstate) are great because you play teams from the power conferences and teams that aren't that great but are Division I.

I agree. For it to work (at least long term) it would be a process. That starts with playing (and winning, of course) games against other 'small' conferences like ours.

[g-webb1994]

According to my sources, G-W has already lined up road 'money' games at Texas and at UNC-Charlotte next season, and are looking to add a couple of more.

I like that y'all get Clemson at your place next year. Attendance record should be set for that one. I say your most impressive part of your season was playing a tough home game against us on that Saturday, then taking the long trip to Clemson and nearly pulling the shocker in Littlejohn.

When we moved up to D-1 and were an independent, we got a three game contract with Colorado State when Dale Layer was there. He brought them into Boiling Springs, then we made two trips out west in return. We beat them here. Since then, it has been hard to get anyone to think of playing here, not to mention the small capacity.

[jcmanson]

I like that y'all get Clemson at your place next year. Attendance record should be set for that one.

I doubt it. We used to get Va Tech in the Vines regularly, and that's where all the records are from- games against Tech and the championship game in 2004.