MU basketball discussion
Oops..sorry. Forgot to enable comments on first post!
Ok, by semi popular demand, here's a non-MAAC question for you...
We know MU doesn't have a MAAC (yet) and a relatively small football stadium though both are at least adequate by NEC standards.
But..all that considered..should MU right now (if it can do it) seek to bolt the NEC within a few years in, at least men's and women's basketball and sports perhaps other than football? At the moment the NEC is ranked 32nd and last in college basketball by collegerpi.com.
If somehow MU manages to win the NEC again this year it is almost a lock to be in the NCAA play-in... er "first round" game again .
One reason, in my opinion, MU does so poorly in non-conference games is because, with the occasional exception, it has mostly NEC players. Join a better conference and, presumably, you get better players which in turn may help close the gap vs. non-league competition.
Following are leagues it might be feasible for MU to attempt to align in basketball and most other sports with the # referring to the current men's hoop ranking by collegerpi.com.
I have been in a number of gyms of these schools and some are no better or not much anyway than Boylan (heck, I'd take Boylan over the Broncs Zoo!) ..though others certainly are...
True there would be some travel issues but, if you're going to travel "up," you may have to travel....
But look before you leap! Since Rider and Marist left the NEC for the MAAC about 10 years ago neither has been to the NCAAs..and Drexel, I believe, has not made it since leaving as the dominant team in the A East for the Colonial Ath. Assoc.....
America East #23
Albany
Binghamton
Boston University
Hartford
Maine
Maryland-Baltimore County
New Hampshire
Stony Brook
Vermont
Colonial Athletic #15
Delaware
Drexel
George Mason
Georgia State
Hofstra
James Madison
NC-Wilmington
Northeastern
Old Dominion
Towson
Virginia Commonwealth
William & Mary
MAAC #25
Canisius
Fairfield
Iona
Loyola-Maryland
Manhattan
Marist
Niagara
Rider
Siena
St. Peter's
PATRIOT #13
American
Army
Bucknell
Colgate
Holy Cross
Lafayette
Lehigh
Navy
If you're thinking A-10 or a conference in that range..well ..you have to have a MAAC up and running (or about to) I would think.
e-mail tonygsports@aol.com
Ok, by semi popular demand, here's a non-MAAC question for you...
We know MU doesn't have a MAAC (yet) and a relatively small football stadium though both are at least adequate by NEC standards.
But..all that considered..should MU right now (if it can do it) seek to bolt the NEC within a few years in, at least men's and women's basketball and sports perhaps other than football? At the moment the NEC is ranked 32nd and last in college basketball by collegerpi.com.
If somehow MU manages to win the NEC again this year it is almost a lock to be in the NCAA play-in... er "first round" game again .
One reason, in my opinion, MU does so poorly in non-conference games is because, with the occasional exception, it has mostly NEC players. Join a better conference and, presumably, you get better players which in turn may help close the gap vs. non-league competition.
Following are leagues it might be feasible for MU to attempt to align in basketball and most other sports with the # referring to the current men's hoop ranking by collegerpi.com.
I have been in a number of gyms of these schools and some are no better or not much anyway than Boylan (heck, I'd take Boylan over the Broncs Zoo!) ..though others certainly are...
True there would be some travel issues but, if you're going to travel "up," you may have to travel....
But look before you leap! Since Rider and Marist left the NEC for the MAAC about 10 years ago neither has been to the NCAAs..and Drexel, I believe, has not made it since leaving as the dominant team in the A East for the Colonial Ath. Assoc.....
America East #23
Albany
Binghamton
Boston University
Hartford
Maine
Maryland-Baltimore County
New Hampshire
Stony Brook
Vermont
Colonial Athletic #15
Delaware
Drexel
George Mason
Georgia State
Hofstra
James Madison
NC-Wilmington
Northeastern
Old Dominion
Towson
Virginia Commonwealth
William & Mary
MAAC #25
Canisius
Fairfield
Iona
Loyola-Maryland
Manhattan
Marist
Niagara
Rider
Siena
St. Peter's
PATRIOT #13
American
Army
Bucknell
Colgate
Holy Cross
Lafayette
Lehigh
Navy
If you're thinking A-10 or a conference in that range..well ..you have to have a MAAC up and running (or about to) I would think.
e-mail tonygsports@aol.com
posted by Tony Graham at 8:27 PM
8 Comments:
MU, if they win, or get to the championship game this year, need to seriously consider changing conferences for mens bball....MU admin people are going to get all nuts about the other sports, but DEAL WITH IT...I think other teams are jealous of the hoops team, but you know what? DEAL WITH IT! They win, they bring in money, how about doing something for them. Show them you care, and allow them to go to the MAAC or even the CAA. Fork out some money, cause they bring in money for you. I would love some jealous coach of another team or admin person to refute the truth of this.
Dont bother with the American East Conference. MU would be 1 or 2 every year there too and get no respect. That conference blows honestly.
My thoughts are you're a little off base with this.....
1) It's not a matter of MU administrators allowing its men's hoops team to head for another conference. In my opinion they would love it. It's a matter of the program (programs actually) being accepted to another league.
2)I do not believe coaches of other MU teams are jealous of men's hoops. When successful it brings a great deal of focus to the school and thus indirectly to all of its sports.
It would help if the University had a president that knew anything about sports, correct?
I am only running that last comment because.....it's so beyond ridiculous.
A reasonable place for MU to be for mens' hoops is the MAAC. It would be much tougher to get an NCAA appearance but you could draw bigger crowds to Boylan based on the quality of the opponent. The Patriot league sees themselves as a little Ivy League and I doubt they are going to let MU in. MU has quite a ways to go before it can be considered in the class of the Colonial (facilities, recruiting, etc) and the American is mostly larger universities.
The MAAC is mostly Catholic colleges (except Rider)so that may be a stumbling block but more important it would be a step down in football so MU will have to consider that. What's more important going forward?
Tony, thank you for telling the last guy who posted the comment about the president he was ridiculous. Just so he knows, the president ran NCAA track and is an avid supporter of all of our sports.
The other comments about moving conferences has been brought up several times and I think it goes back and forth. The teams that have left the NEC disappear in to the great beyond never to be seen again. They only time I hear about UMBC is when ESPN scolls the scores on the bottom of the screen. As much as we all would love to be in a conference that gets a bit more respect, the honest truth is that we would find ourselves with losing seasons, declining attendance and still no respect. We need to start winning our non-conference games for a few more years before we jump ship or get invited to another conference. I don't know about you but love winning and going to the NCAA's. When was the last time Rider, UMBC, or Marist made it to their conference finals or even the big dance? Be careful what you wish for!
This comment bears repeating and I have also menetioned it in the past - "The (basketball) teams that have left the NEC disappear in to the great beyond never to be seen again. They only time I hear about UMBC is when ESPN scrolls the scores on the bottom of the screen."
At the same time..the MAAC would be a mild up grade in hoops..no question. But, as was stated, what about football?
MU would have to be become an associate member of the NEC or another football league..MU is serious about football and it is not stepping backwards there.
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