State of the A10

[laker119]

10 minutes ago, GMan Alum said:

Is it time for the NCAA to have two separate tournaments...one for Power 5 (or 7) and a different one for the "Mid-Majors"?  The NCAA does it in football with FBS and FCS.  It seems that it is becoming more and more difficult for the non-power conferences to get more than one team into the NCAA Tournament.  The selection committee is more than happy to award 8 or 9 teams from the Big !0 or Big 12.  If I'm watching the tournament I'd much rather see the first or second place team from the MVC or OVC, or the A-10 than the 9th place team from some power conference.  Why can't the NIT become the national tournament for the non-power conferences?

No.  Just no

[Lord Elrond]

30 minutes ago, GMan Alum said:

Is it time for the NCAA to have two separate tournaments...one for Power 5 (or 7) and a different one for the "Mid-Majors"?  The NCAA does it in football with FBS and FCS.  It seems that it is becoming more and more difficult for the non-power conferences to get more than one team into the NCAA Tournament.  The selection committee is more than happy to award 8 or 9 teams from the Big !0 or Big 12.  If I'm watching the tournament I'd much rather see the first or second place team from the MVC or OVC, or the A-10 than the 9th place team from some power conference.  Why can't the NIT become the national tournament for the non-power conferences?

The best argument I can make for expanding the NCAA Tournament to 96 teams or so and killing the NIT is to prevent this from happening. Keep the NCAA tournament at its current size, and this will be the inevitable result. The cost will be money, because the money the teams in the second tier get will be about 1/10th the amount a team in the upper tier playoff gets. Doubt me? What’s the revenue difference between FBS and FCS teams?

[Compton]

24 minutes ago, GMan Alum said:

Is it time for the NCAA to have two separate tournaments...one for Power 5 (or 7) and a different one for the "Mid-Majors"?  The NCAA does it in football with FBS and FCS.  It seems that it is becoming more and more difficult for the non-power conferences to get more than one team into the NCAA Tournament.  The selection committee is more than happy to award 8 or 9 teams from the Big !0 or Big 12.  If I'm watching the tournament I'd much rather see the first or second place team from the MVC or OVC, or the A-10 than the 9th place team from some power conference.  Why can't the NIT become the national tournament for the non-power conferences?

There are teams from the non-P6 conferences that are consistently competitive - Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Memphis, Dayton, Nevada, San Diego State, VCU, UNLV, among others. Houston and Cincy until next season. There are also one-bid conference teams that compete come tournament time - see Saint Peter's last season.

[Bills By 40]

15 hours ago, billiken_roy said:

They have a better point guard than us

I would like to meet you, shake your hand, and then punch you square in the face. Then get a beer and ~talk~ about this scorching hot take. 

[Taj79]

Collins is a great pass-first PG.  Collins is a below average shooting guard.  When Collins is running and dishing, we are at our best, jumping out to huge leads.  When Collins is playing hero ball and trying to score, we slow down, have no other offense, and lose.  Seems pretty obvious to me.  H and Kwamain were more complete point guards.  Playing hero ball seems to be more by Ford's design and Collins has to execute it.  However, this is not his strength ergo blown late game leads and collapses.  

[billiken_roy]

3 hours ago, GMan Alum said:

Is it time for the NCAA to have two separate tournaments...one for Power 5 (or 7) and a different one for the "Mid-Majors"?  The NCAA does it in football with FBS and FCS.  It seems that it is becoming more and more difficult for the non-power conferences to get more than one team into the NCAA Tournament.  The selection committee is more than happy to award 8 or 9 teams from the Big !0 or Big 12.  If I'm watching the tournament I'd much rather see the first or second place team from the MVC or OVC, or the A-10 than the 9th place team from some power conference.  Why can't the NIT become the national tournament for the non-power conferences?

that's kind of defeatist and insulting.   it's exactly what the big elites want.   and puts us totally out of the spotlight and as insignificant as D2 and D3.   

that said, i'd be lying if i didnt admit i believe that is exactly what the elites want with the change to the NET, the way this NiL b.s. is going, the change in how transferring is working.   it is all heading to all the real big money is going to the power conferences and we get crumbs.  sigh.

[Bay Area Billiken]

2 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

that's kind of defeatist and insulting.   it's exactly what the big elites want.   and puts us totally out of the spotlight and as insignificant as D2 and D3.   

that said, i'd be lying if i didnt admit i believe that is exactly what the elites want with the change to the NET, the way this NiL b.s. is going, the change in how transferring is working.   it is all heading to all the real big money is going to the power conferences and we get crumbs.  sigh.

Roy’s 2nd paragraph is precisely what’s happening. First the RPI was tweaked, then scrapped entirely for the mysterious NET, which itself has been tweaked. The comparison between the NCAA fields per RPI vs. per NET shows as of earlier this week, in stark terms the transfer of 4 NCAA bids from mid-majors to the Power 5, and more specifically to the Big 12 and Big 10. Major mullah is involved considering the value of those at large bids. 
 

 

[HoosierPal]

VCU will end the regular year + tourney with possibly 27 wins, and with probably 7 or 8 losses.  Typically a 27-7 or 26-8 team would be a shoe in for an At Large bid.  With the status of the A10 this year, VCU has only 1 Q1 win, that being Dayton.  If Dayton picks up an L tonight, that Q1 win disappears. 

The A10 also self destructed with their attempt to boost the schedules of the top tier teams by selecting double game partners.  We got Dayton and VCU, great, and Loyola and Davidson, not great.  VCU got Dayton and SLU, great, and Davidson and Richmond, not great.  I'm not sure I want to see this process duplicated next season.

[Cowboy II]

5 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:

VCU will end the regular year + tourney with possibly 27 wins, and with probably 7 or 8 losses.  Typically a 27-7 or 26-8 team would be a shoe in for an At Large bid.  With the status of the A10 this year, VCU has only 1 Q1 win, that being Dayton.  If Dayton picks up an L tonight, that Q1 win disappears. 

The A10 also self destructed with their attempt to boost the schedules of the top tier teams by selecting double game partners.  We got Dayton and VCU, great, and Loyola and Davidson, not great.  VCU got Dayton and SLU, great, and Davidson and Richmond, not great.  I'm not sure I want to see this process duplicated next season.

-I would like to keep SVU, VCU and Loyola as home and home, preference in that order

[Schasz]

5 hours ago, GMan Alum said:

Is it time for the NCAA to have two separate tournaments...one for Power 5 (or 7) and a different one for the "Mid-Majors"?  The NCAA does it in football with FBS and FCS.  It seems that it is becoming more and more difficult for the non-power conferences to get more than one team into the NCAA Tournament.  The selection committee is more than happy to award 8 or 9 teams from the Big !0 or Big 12.  If I'm watching the tournament I'd much rather see the first or second place team from the MVC or OVC, or the A-10 than the 9th place team from some power conference.  Why can't the NIT become the national tournament for the non-power conferences?

Possible with the Power 5 conference mergers which are definitely not finished by any stretch there could be a hoops Tourney for the Power 5 conferences and then one for the other conferences. I think as many others the NCAA will continue to become less and less of an authoritarian organization. 

[wgstl]

17 minutes ago, Cowboy II said:

-I would like to keep SVU, VCU and Loyola as home and home, preference in that order

After the outcome this year, I doubt the A10 want all the best to keep playing each other twice. I bet we continue home and home with UD and Loychi but I doubt we see VCU thrown in there.  The A10 tried to have the best teams play each other as many times as possible, and even though that wasn't the reason for Juan Bid, it didn't help the case. 

[HoosierPal]

15 minutes ago, wgstl said:

After the outcome this year, I doubt the A10 want all the best to keep playing each other twice. I bet we continue home and home with UD and Loyola but I doubt we see VCU thrown in there.  The A10 tried to have the best teams play each other as many times as possible, and even though that wasn't the reason for Juan Bid, it didn't help the case. 

I could live with Dayton and Loyola permanent.  With the portal now wide open, it is all but impossible to judge how good any team will be in the next season.  Duquesne is the prime example.  Picked dead last preseason, and now still in the running for a double bye.

[HoosierPal]

Visited UDPride forum.  They are saying Holmes and Camera are all but gone after this season.  Camera has his diploma and would go home to Europe if that is his best option.  Holmes shows up on several second round NBA mock drafts.  Anyway, Dayton could have a major rebuild next season just like the Bills. 

[wgstl]

39 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:

Visited UDPride forum.  They are saying Holmes and Camera are all but gone after this season.  Camera has his diploma and would go home to Europe if that is his best option.  Holmes shows up on several second round NBA mock drafts.  Anyway, Dayton could have a major rebuild next season just like the Bills. 

Mongolian Mike was too earlier, I doubt it now or that he'll leave. 

[ARon]

I'll worry about the State of the A10 if/when our program gets to a place where we are a lock for top 3 finish in it nearly every year and winning it more often than not.

Until that day, the A10 is not the source of our problems.

[Big C 1991]

I support that comments that, while the A-10 is down, this is not really our issue.  We have to go back 10 years to when Majerus was coaching, and his recruits played a year under Crews to find a space in our program where we played really well.  Under Ford, we do not have a finish above 4th in the A-10.  We have only 1 NCAA game played.  

This year, I support the guys playing.  They are working hard.  To me, the issue is the coaching.  I struggle to see SLU make meaningful progress in getting better as the year goes on.  I struggle to see "in-game" adjustments and matchups.  I see "slowing the game down" which has resulted in "letting our opponent" back in the ball game (SIU-E anyone?).  

Been a season ticket holder for over 30 years.  Time for change in coaching....

[Schasz]

37 minutes ago, Big C 1991 said:

I support that comments that, while the A-10 is down, this is not really our issue.  We have to go back 10 years to when Majerus was coaching, and his recruits played a year under Crews to find a space in our program where we played really well.  Under Ford, we do not have a finish above 4th in the A-10.  We have only 1 NCAA game played.  

This year, I support the guys playing.  They are working hard.  To me, the issue is the coaching.  I struggle to see SLU make meaningful progress in getting better as the year goes on.  I struggle to see "in-game" adjustments and matchups.  I see "slowing the game down" which has resulted in "letting our opponent" back in the ball game (SIU-E anyone?).  

Been a season ticket holder for over 30 years.  Time for change in coaching....

A true Blue Billiken Fan speaking the Truth! Wow! 30 years as a season ticket holder. Believe I was a season ticket holder for about half that many years when a career took us first to Seattle then to Florida where we have lived for the last 23 years. I have continue to follow the team and have been to a few games at Chaifetz. I like many Bills fans feel your pain in the current HC. It is time for him to move on!

[Lando Griffin]

The A-10 needs to step in and approve schedules and assist in getting the profile of the school up higher.

[An A-10 fan]

On 3/3/2023 at 8:38 AM, GMan Alum said:

Is it time for the NCAA to have two separate tournaments...one for Power 5 (or 7) and a different one for the "Mid-Majors"?  The NCAA does it in football with FBS and FCS.  It seems that it is becoming more and more difficult for the non-power conferences to get more than one team into the NCAA Tournament.  The selection committee is more than happy to award 8 or 9 teams from the Big !0 or Big 12.  If I'm watching the tournament I'd much rather see the first or second place team from the MVC or OVC, or the A-10 than the 9th place team from some power conference.  Why can't the NIT become the national tournament for the non-power conferences?

I suggested on a message board (The Athletic) that the Power 5 teams need their own tournament and got crucified for it.  But the way things stand now, that seems to be the only solution to having the mid-majors have any type of legitimate post-season incentive.  The NET Quad 1, Quad 2 system has ruined basketball for the  non-Power 5 schools, save the Big East that seems to know how to play the rigged system.  If you take the W-L records of the 11 Big East schools (there are only 11) and compare them to the W-L records of the top 11 A-10 schools, you will see that the A-10's top 11 have better overall records.  And yet, the top 6 or 7 Big East teams have better computer rankings than any A-10 team.  This makes no sense.  I even looked at the Big East teams and their non-conference schedule, it's no more challenging than any of the A-10 schools.   I  don't understand how the contrived method to determine who is the best team, isn't deliberately skewed to favor the more high-profile schools.  Many people claim Duquesne played a very soft schedule, but if you look at it, six of their OCC games were against opponents who won at least 20 regular season games - Kentucky, Colgate, Indiana State, Ball State, UC Santa Barbara and Marshall.  How is that a weak schedule?  Why didn't their 10-3 OCC record get them a top-50 NET when they played a half dozen teams who collectively won about 70 to 75 percent of their games?  BTW, Duquesne was 4-2 in those games.  

[Bay Area Billiken]

The NET system is Power 5 + 1 skewed, aka rigged. The Power 5 covets those NCAA at large bid$ and finally concocted a fail proof method to extract them from the mid-majors. 
 

I have absolutely no interest in seeing an 8th Place Big Ten also ran lose again in the first round. 

 

[Soderball]

The creation of a second tournament means SLU is division 2. How many of you to to UMSL games? Good grief. That is the death knell of this program. We haven't been able to get into the big east.

[Bay Area Billiken]

SLU and the A10, but especially SLU, must be positioned to make the cut, stay above the line. 
 

Splitting into 2 tournaments might draw Congress and/or state legislatures into the matter. That could keep the split from occurring. 

[Lord Elrond]

How about the conf trying to get involved with scheduling non-conf games? Some conferences have done this, trying to get their best teams matched up with each other to help them.

[willie]

1 hour ago, Lord Elrond said:

How about the conf trying to get involved with scheduling non-conf games? Some conferences have done this, trying to get their best teams matched up with each other to help them.

I think they did this a few years ago urging teams to upgrade their non- conference schedules. Where did that get you?

[Taj79]

The A10 can urge their teams to upgrade their schedules but they have almost no say in doing such.  That is usually between the schools scheduled and that is a two-way street.  Most Power schools are not coming to an A10 arena near you ---- they might play at a neutral site ala Kentucky and Duquesne or as a buy game ala Davidson at Purdue.  Urgo and Dambrot and Gates, for that matter, scheduled light to build confidence.  That seemed to work well for all concerned in those programs.