If this conference could be a top-10 RPI conference that would be excellent, huge improvement.

It is possible for a team to finish low in conference but high in their ranking, right? I mean you could do very well OOC with a challenging schedule but then lose some conference games and fall back in conference. CUSA's conference RPI would preclude this happening, at least if similar to last year, but other conference could very well have someone finish 6th in conference but still be ranked in their top 144, maybe even higher than a 3rd or 4th place finisher.

For instance, Marshall finished like 3rd seed last year but our RPI was substantially lower than some schools we were ahead of. We sucked OOC, but did well in conference. I could see the opposite happening. Point is a league doesn't necessarily have to be complete just because their top conference finishings have shown up. Probably are done but it isn't out of the realm of possibility.

(08-04-2016 07:48 AM)MUther Wrote:  It is possible for a team to finish low in conference but high in their ranking, right? I mean you could do very well OOC with a challenging schedule but then lose some conference games and fall back in conference. CUSA's conference RPI would preclude this happening, at least if similar to last year, but other conference could very well have someone finish 6th in conference but still be ranked in their top 144, maybe even higher than a 3rd or 4th place finisher.

For instance, Marshall finished like 3rd seed last year but our RPI was substantially lower than some schools we were ahead of. We sucked OOC, but did well in conference. I could see the opposite happening. Point is a league doesn't necessarily have to be complete just because their top conference finishings have shown up. Probably are done but it isn't out of the realm of possibility.

That's correct. ODU from two seasons ago is an example of your first paragraph. We were more like your second paragraph last season.

But I'd sure like for all of us this season not to have to do things the hard way -- and emerge as an entire conference, top to bottom, with better-than-forecast OOC records.

(08-04-2016 05:08 AM)ODU Oldtimer Wrote:  College Basketball 2016-17 Men's Basketball Top 144 -1 / Teams predicted rank in Conference

On the Bracketolgy side of the countdown, simply filling in the 8 conference Champs from the bottom 8 leagues, obviously eliminates 8 of the 68 spots available.

All three CUSA teams that remain will be in the top 99, It is still a coin toss who those three will be.
Only 3 of the below teams will be selected, who will be the three on the outside looking in!

1 Middle Tennessee
2 Old Dominion
3 UAB
4 Western Kentucky
5 La Tech
6 Charlotte

The fact is three (3) will be in the Top 99, the other three (3) will not even be considered a team in the top 144....Ouch.
CUSA is receiving very little respect. IMO the 6 listed above could and should have all been in the top 144. There is no way all of those schools should be ranked below many of the teams listed so far on the Madness Top 144 Poll.

I dunno ... if all three of the jilted teams were included, that'd be eight teams in the top 144, and that seems unlikely -- at least, unlikely enough that nobody should be predicting it.

I think (hope?) CUSA will be better pillar to post this season, but it's going to take a while to see substantive change. And unless there's multiple teams in the NCAAs, it'd be hard to imagine a top-10 conference RPI because there's always going to be programs on the other side of the cultural tracks.

(08-04-2016 09:56 AM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(08-04-2016 05:08 AM)ODU Oldtimer Wrote:  College Basketball 2016-17 Men's Basketball Top 144 -1 / Teams predicted rank in Conference

On the Bracketolgy side of the countdown, simply filling in the 8 conference Champs from the bottom 8 leagues, obviously eliminates 8 of the 68 spots available.

All three CUSA teams that remain will be in the top 99, It is still a coin toss who those three will be.
Only 3 of the below teams will be selected, who will be the three on the outside looking in!

1 Middle Tennessee
2 Old Dominion
3 UAB
4 Western Kentucky
5 La Tech
6 Charlotte

The fact is three (3) will be in the Top 99, the other three (3) will not even be considered a team in the top 144....Ouch.
CUSA is receiving very little respect. IMO the 6 listed above could and should have all been in the top 144. There is no way all of those schools should be ranked below many of the teams listed so far on the Madness Top 144 Poll.

I dunno ... if all three of the jilted teams were included, that'd be eight teams in the top 144, and that seems unlikely -- at least, unlikely enough that nobody should be predicting it.

I think (hope?) CUSA will be better pillar to post this season, but it's going to take a while to see substantive change. And unless there's multiple teams in the NCAAs, it'd be hard to imagine a top-10 conference RPI because there's always going to be programs on the other side of the cultural tracks.

Over the next 2 seasons, assuming all the current coaches remain at their jobs, I'm expecting the following:

Top 100:

UAB
La Tech
MTSU
WKU
ODU
Marshall

Top 150:

Charlotte
Rice (Evans sticking around is the big catalyst here)

It's crazy to think we could have 6 top 100 teams but with the way these teams are currently assembled and how well they are currently recruiting it shouldn't be so far fetched to imagine.

The teams I have on the outside looking in are UTEP and Southern Miss.

There's no reason UTEP shouldn't be a top 100 team every year. The sooner TF is out the better, IMO. I will say he and his staff seem to be out recruiting more vigorously than in years past this off season.

I think Doc will bring Southern Miss back to a CUSA title contending team within the next 2-3 seasons. It's not fair to compare what he can build to what Tyndall had his last 2 seasons so I won't sit here and say he can build it to that level. Those teams were really really good and we all know why. Doc is paying for it now.

(08-04-2016 10:38 AM)BlazerGold09 Wrote:  There's no reason UTEP shouldn't be a top 100 team every year. The sooner TF is out the better, IMO. I will say he and his staff seem to be out recruiting more vigorously than in years past this off season.

The optimist in me hopes we can compete this year. The realist in me is sort of hoping for about a 5 win season. There's one reason that we're not a top 100 team, and that reason probably is not going away unless something like a disaster of a season happens. Given our less than impressive scheduling over the last couple of seasons, I think the reason understands that full well.

As for where the rest of CUSA ends up, my guess:

3. UAB in the high 80s-low 90s.
2. MT in the 70s.
1. ODU in the high 50s.

(08-04-2016 10:38 AM)BlazerGold09 Wrote:  

(08-04-2016 09:56 AM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(08-04-2016 05:08 AM)ODU Oldtimer Wrote:  College Basketball 2016-17 Men's Basketball Top 144 -1 / Teams predicted rank in Conference

On the Bracketolgy side of the countdown, simply filling in the 8 conference Champs from the bottom 8 leagues, obviously eliminates 8 of the 68 spots available.

All three CUSA teams that remain will be in the top 99, It is still a coin toss who those three will be.
Only 3 of the below teams will be selected, who will be the three on the outside looking in!

1 Middle Tennessee
2 Old Dominion
3 UAB
4 Western Kentucky
5 La Tech
6 Charlotte

The fact is three (3) will be in the Top 99, the other three (3) will not even be considered a team in the top 144....Ouch.
CUSA is receiving very little respect. IMO the 6 listed above could and should have all been in the top 144. There is no way all of those schools should be ranked below many of the teams listed so far on the Madness Top 144 Poll.

I dunno ... if all three of the jilted teams were included, that'd be eight teams in the top 144, and that seems unlikely -- at least, unlikely enough that nobody should be predicting it.

I think (hope?) CUSA will be better pillar to post this season, but it's going to take a while to see substantive change. And unless there's multiple teams in the NCAAs, it'd be hard to imagine a top-10 conference RPI because there's always going to be programs on the other side of the cultural tracks.

Over the next 2 seasons, assuming all the current coaches remain at their jobs, I'm expecting the following:

Top 100:

UAB
La Tech
MTSU
WKU
ODU
Marshall

Top 150:

Charlotte
Rice (Evans sticking around is the big catalyst here)

It's crazy to think we could have 6 top 100 teams but with the way these teams are currently assembled and how well they are currently recruiting it shouldn't be so far fetched to imagine.

The teams I have on the outside looking in are UTEP and Southern Miss.

There's no reason UTEP shouldn't be a top 100 team every year. The sooner TF is out the better, IMO. I will say he and his staff seem to be out recruiting more vigorously than in years past this off season.

I think Doc will bring Southern Miss back to a CUSA title contending team within the next 2-3 seasons. It's not fair to compare what he can build to what Tyndall had his last 2 seasons so I won't sit here and say he can build it to that level. Those teams were really really good and we all know why. Doc is paying for it now.

BaaaHaha.......

(07-22-2016 10:04 PM)moss2k Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 02:21 PM)PSCNiner Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 05:56 AM)itsbraille49 Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 07:16 PM)ODU Oldtimer Wrote:  What teams that remain for your conference and what order do you think they will appear on this "Madness Basketball list".

IMO, the following should be on the list, however there are only 3 spots that remain for CUSA teams. There will be two on my predicted listed that will not be on this "MBL".

1 Middle Tennessee
2 Old Dominion
3 UAB
4 Western Kentucky
5 La Tech

Already listed
6 Marshall (4) on the list
7 Rice (5) on the list

I don't see how WKU is top four this year. Also, not really sure why you don't see Charlotte improving from 7th last year. ODU and La Tech should both fall off some losing Freeman and Hamilton, both Top 70 players in usage %, and Marshall losing Kelly to a lesser extent. Rice leapfrogging a team that went 3-0 against them and also brings in one of C-USA's top recruit makes zero sense. If Charlottes left out of the top 144 for Rice that's a huge mistake based on the evidence we have.

Agreed. Charlotte is EASILY a top 144. If we don't end up top 75 I will be surprised.

I like what Price is doing, but wat?

wat? wat?.........Charlotte will be at least in the NIT hunt this season. That would put us in the Top 75 "range".

(08-04-2016 12:23 PM)STexMiner Wrote:  

(08-04-2016 10:38 AM)BlazerGold09 Wrote:  There's no reason UTEP shouldn't be a top 100 team every year. The sooner TF is out the better, IMO. I will say he and his staff seem to be out recruiting more vigorously than in years past this off season.

The optimist in me hopes we can compete this year. The realist in me is sort of hoping for about a 5 win season. There's one reason that we're not a top 100 team, and that reason probably is not going away unless something like a disaster of a season happens. Given our less than impressive scheduling over the last couple of seasons, I think the reason understands that full well.

As for where the rest of CUSA ends up, my guess:

3. UAB in the high 80s-low 90s.
2. MT in the 70s.
1. ODU in the high 50s.

This is probably based on returning players as much as anything so I don't thing ODU will be one of the 3 CUSA teams in the top 100.

When you lose your all everything player. The one player that was probably responsible for 50% of your wins (yes I know its a team game) it gets noticed.

But even if ODU is one of the 3 there is no logical reason they would be higher than UAB or Middle

(08-04-2016 12:23 PM)STexMiner Wrote:  

(08-04-2016 10:38 AM)BlazerGold09 Wrote:  There's no reason UTEP shouldn't be a top 100 team every year. The sooner TF is out the better, IMO. I will say he and his staff seem to be out recruiting more vigorously than in years past this off season.

The optimist in me hopes we can compete this year. The realist in me is sort of hoping for about a 5 win season. There's one reason that we're not a top 100 team, and that reason probably is not going away unless something like a disaster of a season happens. Given our less than impressive scheduling over the last couple of seasons, I think the reason understands that full well.

As for where the rest of CUSA ends up, my guess:

3. UAB in the high 80s-low 90s.
2. MT in the 70s.
1. ODU in the high 50s.

Just an honest question, and not just concerning your post, but i have seen others, how does UAB finish atop the league in 2015-16 and is projected to finish 3rd after only losing 1 player? Understandably the upset in the tournament, just asking, though.

(08-04-2016 12:37 PM)PSCNiner Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 10:04 PM)moss2k Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 02:21 PM)PSCNiner Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 05:56 AM)itsbraille49 Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 07:16 PM)ODU Oldtimer Wrote:  What teams that remain for your conference and what order do you think they will appear on this "Madness Basketball list".

IMO, the following should be on the list, however there are only 3 spots that remain for CUSA teams. There will be two on my predicted listed that will not be on this "MBL".

1 Middle Tennessee
2 Old Dominion
3 UAB
4 Western Kentucky
5 La Tech

Already listed
6 Marshall (4) on the list
7 Rice (5) on the list

I don't see how WKU is top four this year. Also, not really sure why you don't see Charlotte improving from 7th last year. ODU and La Tech should both fall off some losing Freeman and Hamilton, both Top 70 players in usage %, and Marshall losing Kelly to a lesser extent. Rice leapfrogging a team that went 3-0 against them and also brings in one of C-USA's top recruit makes zero sense. If Charlottes left out of the top 144 for Rice that's a huge mistake based on the evidence we have.

Agreed. Charlotte is EASILY a top 144. If we don't end up top 75 I will be surprised.

I like what Price is doing, but wat?

wat? wat?.........Charlotte will be at least in the NIT hunt this season. That would put us in the Top 75 "range".

Total oversight. Despite losing Big Joe and Scott Charlotte will be a top 5 or 6 team in CUSA this season. You have to admit they'll be some set back with Joe graduating. Top 100 would be the ceiling. Top 150 is more realistic. Love what Mike's doing.

With that being said...

I should have mentioned I wasn't ranking the teams in those two tiers.

This will make more sense

Top 100 at the end of the 16-17 season

UAB (26 wins last year, returning 5/6 top players)
Middle (Giddy, Upshaw, Arky transfer)
WKU (Johnson, Grad transfers)
ODU (Stith bros, Taylor, Defense)
La Tech (McCree, Jean, Tech is always good)

Top 150 at the end of the 16-17 season

Marshall (Taylor, Browning, Elmore)
Rice (Evans, Jackson, Letcher-Ellis, Egor)
Charlotte (Braxton, White, 4* recruit)

Not necessarily arguing the Rice v. Charlotte issue, but ...

* We return our top scorer from 2014-15 (all-conference Marcus Jackson) who missed all of last year with a knee injury

* We were already a very young team, including freshman Marcus Evans (20+ ppg)

* By many accounts we had the top recruiting class in the conference

http://247sports.com/Season/2016-Basketb...ence=C-USA

Again, not weighing in vs. anyone else - just the logic for the momentum around our program.

Chillax. I said it was my guess.

(08-04-2016 12:41 PM)ICB Wrote:  

(08-04-2016 12:23 PM)STexMiner Wrote:  

(08-04-2016 10:38 AM)BlazerGold09 Wrote:  There's no reason UTEP shouldn't be a top 100 team every year. The sooner TF is out the better, IMO. I will say he and his staff seem to be out recruiting more vigorously than in years past this off season.

The optimist in me hopes we can compete this year. The realist in me is sort of hoping for about a 5 win season. There's one reason that we're not a top 100 team, and that reason probably is not going away unless something like a disaster of a season happens. Given our less than impressive scheduling over the last couple of seasons, I think the reason understands that full well.

As for where the rest of CUSA ends up, my guess:

3. UAB in the high 80s-low 90s.
2. MT in the 70s.
1. ODU in the high 50s.

Just an honest question, and not just concerning your post, but i have seen others, how does UAB finish atop the league in 2015-16 and is projected to finish 3rd after only losing 1 player? Understandably the upset in the tournament, just asking, though.

A player like Brown will be difficult to replace. He was the only one on your team who could really create his own shot and get the big buckets when needed. He is the reason for alot of those W's last season.

College Basketball 2016-17 Men's Basketball Top 144 -1 / Teams predicted rank in Conference

On the Bracketolgy side of the countdown, simply filling in the 8 conference Champs from the bottom 8 leagues, obviously eliminates 8 of the 68 spots available.

All three CUSA teams that remain will be in the top 99, It is still a coin toss who those three will be.
Only 3 of the below teams will be selected, who will be the three on the outside looking in!

1 Middle Tennessee
2 Old Dominion
3 UAB
4 Western Kentucky
5 La Tech
6 Charlotte

The fact is three (3) will be in the Top 99, the other three (3) will not even be considered a team in the top 144....Ouch.
CUSA is receiving very little respect. IMO the 6 listed above could and should have all been in the top 144. There is no way all of those schools should be ranked below many of the teams listed so far on the Madness Top 144 Poll.

UPDATED 8/5/2016
#99 Ohio Men's #3 MAC
#100 Charleston #3 CAA
#101 Weber State #1 Big Sky
#102 South Dakota State #2 Summit
#103 Nebraska #10 Big 10
#104 Siena #3 MAAC
#105 William & Mary #4 CAA
#106 UC Santa Barbara #3 Big West
#107 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns: #2 Sun Belt
#108 Arkansas Rank: #10 SEC
#109 Fresno State #5 Mountain West
#110 Georgia Tech #13 ACC
#111 Southern Illinois #4 Missouri Valley
#112 Richmond Men's Basketball #7 Atlantic 10
#113 Florida Gulf Coast Men's Basketball Rank: #1 Atlantic Sun
#114 Sam Houston State Men's Basketball #1 Southland
#115 Tulsa Men's Basketball 2016-2017 #5 American
#116 UNC Asheville Men's Basketball #1 Big South
#117 Stanford Men's Basketball #11 Pac-12
#118 Boise State Men's Basketball #6 Mountain West
#119 Lehigh Men's Basketball #1 Patriot
#120 Stony Brook Men's Basketball #2 America East
#121 Northwestern State Men's Basketball #2 Southland
#122 LSU Men's Basketball #11 SEC
#123 Arkansas-Little Rock Men's Basketball #3 Sun Belt
#124 Pepperdine Men's Basketball #4 West Coast
#125 Hofstra Men's Basketball #5 CAA
#126 Kent State Men's Basketball #4 Mid-American
#127 Temple Men's Basketball #6 American
#128 Stephen F. Austin Men's Basketball #3 Southland
#129 Wagner Men's Basketball #1 NEC
#130 Marshall Men's Basketball #4 Conference USA
#131 North Dakota Men's Basketball #2 Big Sky
#132 Penn State Men's Basketball #11 Big Ten
#133 Green Bay Men's Basketball #2 Horizon
#134 Fordham Men's Basketball #8 Atlantic 10
#135 Texas Southern Men's Basketball #1 SWAC
#136 Morehead State Men's Basketball #2 Ohio Valley
#137 Yale Men's Basketball #3 Ivy League
#138 East Tennessee State Men's Basketball #2 SoCon
#139 Rice Men's Basketball #5 Conference USA
#140 Indiana State Men's Basketball #5 Missouri Valley
#141 Howard Men's Basketball #1 MEAC
#142 Toledo Men's Basketball #5 MAC
#143 Cal State Northridge Men's Basketball #4 Big West
#144 Illinois Men's Basketball #12 Big Ten

Conference/Schools rank in Conference/Total teams in Conf - Schools Remaining in Conf

BIG XII []
Big East []
ACC [Georgia Tech] (15 -13)
Big Ten [#12 Illinois, #11 Penn St (14 - 12), Nebraska, #10]
SEC [#11 LSU (14 - 10)]
PAC 12 [@11 Stanford (12 - 11)]
Atlantic 10 [#8 Fordham, #7 Atlantic 10 (14 - 6)]
American [#6 Temple, #5 Tulsa (12 -4)]
MWC [#6 Boise State (12 -5), Fresno State #5]
CUSA [#5 Rice, #4 Marshall (14 -3)]
MAC [#5 Toledo, #4 Kent State (12 -2),#3 Ohio Men's]
Missouri Valley [#5 Indiana State, #4 Southern Illinois (10 - 3)]
CAA [#5 Hofstra #5, W&M #4, Charleston #3 CAA]
West Coast [#4 Pepperdine (9 -3) ]
Big West [#4 Cal State Northridge), UC Santa Barbara #3 ]
Ivy League [#3 Yale) (8 -2)]
SBC [#3 Arkansas-Little Rock (11 -2), #2 Sun Belt]
MAAC [Siena #3 ]
Horizon [#2 Green Bay (10 - 1)]
SoCon [#2 East Tennessee State (10 -1)]
America East [#2 Stony Brook (9 -1)]
Ohio Valley [#2 Morehead State (12 -1)]
Big South[#2 UNC Asheville (10 -1)Summit [(9 - 1)
Summit [(9 - 1) South Dakota State
Big Sky [#2 North Dak (15 -0) Weber St #1 Big Sky] COMPLETED
Southland [#3 Stephen F. Austin #2 Northwestern St, #1 Sam Houston St (13 - 0) COMPLETED]
Atlantic Sun[#1 Florida Gulf Coast (8 -0) COMPLETED]
Patriot [#1 Lehigh (9 -0) COMPLETED]
NEC [#1 Wagner (10 -0 ) COMPLETED]
MEAC [#1 Howard (13 - 0) COMPLETED]
SWAC [#1 Texas Southern COMPLETED) (10 - 0]
[b][color=#0000CD]WAC [(9 - ) MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE A TEAM IN THE TOP 144]

Link.... http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/mens...4-previews

32 Conferences link... http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketba...conference

The consensus at practices last year was that Deion Lavender could fill Brown's shoes for UAB. We'll see.

Charlotte will be playing Canadian teams in Vancouver the 11th-15th.

Doubt we learn much from those games, but we get 10 extra practices as a result. We have a lot of new pieces, so this will be valuable for us.

(08-05-2016 08:05 AM)UABslant Wrote:  The consensus at practices last year was that Deion Lavender could fill Brown's shoes for UAB. We'll see.

Not to mention C-USA 6th Man of Year, Dirk Williams, was/is the best pure athlete on the team.

Just so I'm clear....this poll says that Pepperdine, Howard, Toledo, Hofstra, etc. are better than MTSU, Charlotte (UNCC...heheh), and La Tech (the three I assume will not be included)?????? Really?????

I stopped reading after a couple pages but UAB is pretty damn loaded. I can say with confidence the Blazers are the team to beat. This team will be better than our last two. ;-)