The Book: Lady Cajuns 2006-07 basketball

[Kal]

Not a chance. RPI is too low, only 1 quality win (top 50 RPI) and way too many higher profile teams ahead of us. We either win or go NITing.

Man. Even with us receiving votes for the top 25 poll? That really sucks.

[CajunCherokee]

I watched the game today online and we played a really good game. There was a stretch where I think we turned the ball over 8 straight times and 9 out of 10. I believe it went from 19-18 to 31-18 in that stretch. Too early to be a turning point but I don't believe we got it back closer than 4.

I'm very proud of the Ladies. A 25-8 record is awesome and hopefully we will at least get a look from the NCAA commitee. If not, I'll be cheering along in the NIT.

GEAUX CAJUNS!

[Membertou]

I watched the game today online and we played a really good game. There was a stretch where I think we turned the ball over 8 straight times and 9 out of 10. I believe it went from 19-18 to 31-18 in that stretch. Too early to be a turning point but I don't believe we got it back closer than 4.

I'm very proud of the Ladies. A 25-8 record is awesome and hopefully we will at least get a look from the NCAA commitee. If not, I'll be cheering along in the NIT.

GEAUX CAJUNS!

I was able to get out to the game for the 1st half before having to run back to work. There was a decent but not great crowd--maybe 800? Middle brought a couple hundred it looked like. It was a very good year for the Cajuns and for them not to make the WNIT would be a rip-off.

[IHateLaState]

I was able to get out to the game for the 1st half before having to run back to work. There was a decent but not great crowd--maybe 800? Middle brought a couple hundred it looked like. It was a very good year for the Cajuns and for them not to make the WNIT would be a rip-off.

I did the same thing left with about 15 minutes to go in the game The crowd was decent The ladies softball team provided some spirit.

The ladies gave it a great shot. MT is very athletic and we had to work so hard just to get the ball up court. Almost seemed unfair to watch MT just walk the ball up aftter our ladies had worked so hard. Congrats MT. you deserve to be in the Top Ten. represent us well!!!

Final thoughtI know all about the TV thing but it is a shame they could not have the game at night. Im sure a few thousand would have shown. Now dont go quoting this past weekend. There were a bunch of us in Hattiesburg this weekend that would have been in the Cajundome Cant be in two places

[CajunAmos]

As Steve said during the broadcase, and Coach Meridith seemed to validate after the game, they are guaranteed a birth in the NIT tournament, but they are still hoping for a NCAA at large selection. She mentioned that the commish is still saying we may get two into the NCAA's.

[Kal]

Very good season Lady Cajuns. Here's hoping you make the big dance anyway.

And to MTSU- good season, good wins, good job in the tourney, now go and represent for the SBC and make some noise for us in the NCAA tourney.

[NewsCopy]

UL's women's basketball team did what it had to do, and it still wasn't enough Tuesday afternoon. Chrissy Givens saw to that. Middle Tennessee's standout senior guard drove, shot and defended her way to 33 points in leading the 16th-ranked Blue Raiders to a tougher-than-expected 77-67 win over the host Ragin' Cajuns in the championship game of the Sun Belt Tournament at the Cajundome. The Raiders (29-3) won for the 26th straight time, the nation's longest such streak, and did that by holding off every run the Cajun squad made in the game's final 30 minutes. The runs were frequent, but always too short against an MT squad that managed to score in bunches every time UL threatened. "They're a very experienced team," said Cajun coach J. Kelley Hall. "The girls that they have back, they didn't panic when we made our runs. Give them a lot of credit, because you have to play the game at a high rate of speed against them." The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

Middle Tennessee will likely be no worse than a number four seed when the brackets are announced for the NCAA women's basketball tournament on Sunday. UL would be thrilled just to see its name pop up, but the chances are probably slim for a Cajun team that fell 77-67 to the 16th-ranked Blue Raiders in Tuesday's Sun Belt Conference Tournament title game. J. Kelley Hall thinks his Ragin' Cajuns deserve a shot, especially after its showing at the Cajundome Tuesday. "We played a 10-point game against a team that's going to be a four seed," he said Tuesday evening. "We're a division champion and the second-place team in a league that's been ranked eighth or ninth all year. I think that should translate into a bid. "I think it's a shame if we're not in." The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[gsibille]

What a great effort by the women in the Sunbelt finals. The photo that accompanies the article in the Advertiser gives a poor impression of a team who fought hard all year and finished with a 25-8 record. While there is understandable dejection in a loss, great satisfaction must be taken of a truly special team. I can't remember a team of any gender being better coached or play with such heart. Congratulations all involved on a memorable year. Here's looking forward to the post season.

[CajunAmos]

As a followup, we're guaranteed getting into the WNIT if we don't make the NCAA field. I've copied the criteria from the Delphi board regarding the WNIT selections.

POSTSEASON WNIT
PREPARES FOR EXPANSION

As women’s college basketball teams move into conference play across the nation, thoughts also look ahead to the postseason. The Women’s National Invitation Tournament will expand its field to 48 teams this spring for the first time in event history.

The eight-team expansion will allow for an automatic bid from every conference. The WNIT is guaranteeing that each of the nation’s 31 conferences will automatically have at least one spot guaranteed for one of their teams in the Postseason WNIT.

The selection of the 48 teams for the Postseason WNIT will be according to the following:
1. Thirty-one (31) spots will be filled with one team per conference. That team will be the highest-finishing team in the conference’s regular-season standings, that does not advance to the NCAA Tournament. As in the past, the teams’ record must be at or above .500.

For example, if the second-place team during the regular season does not win its conference tournament, and the top-seeded team does (and earns the NCAA berth), then the second-place team automatically will be invited to the WNIT.

If the top-seeded team after the regular season does not win its conference tournament and is not invited to the NCAA Tournament, then it will have a guaranteed spot in the WNIT.

No matter which team from a conference wins its conference tournament, the WNIT will take the next best team available. That team is determined by conference tournament seeding based on regular-season standings.

2. The remaining seventeen (17) berths will be filled by the top teams available based on the selection criteria used in the past.

The 2007 Postseason WNIT will feature 16 first-round games, followed by 16 second-round games, eight third-round games, four quarterfinal games, two semifinal games and the championship. All games in the single-elimination format are played at the home facilities of participating schools.
Here are the possible dates for each round:
Round 1 March 14-16
Round 2 March 16-18
Round 3 March 19-21
Quarterfinals March 23-25
Semifinals March 26-28
Championship March 31

The WNIT field will be announced Monday, March 12, following the NCAA Tournament selections.
For more information, contact Renee Carlson in the WNIT office at 970-223-6644 ext. 157

[Turbine]

Post Season RPI

RPI Rank: 51
SOS Rank: 119

[lcitsh]

Post Season RPI

RPI Rank: 51
SOS Rank: 119

The season is not over until all the other conference tournaments are done so the rpi will change daily. Besides, the preferred rpi of the selection committee is more closely reflected by the Palm rpi www.collegerpi.com.

[headragincajun]

The season is not over until all the other conference tournaments are done so the rpi will change daily. Besides, the preferred rpi of the selection committee is more closely reflected by the Palm rpi www.collegerpi.com.

Icitsh:
You are right about which one they closely look at (keeping in mind ofcourse that the one they use is a secret). Also, they really don't look at just RPI (unless they need to), It's also based on how you are playing your last 10 games (Ladies were 15-3 last 18) with 2 of those losses coming to the #16 ranked team in the country who also has won like 27 in a row (once on the road and once on a neutral court according to the NCAA rules for homecourt). Also, they don't count how you did in your conference tourney (unless you won it) As you know we made the Championship Game.

They only use strength of schedule (if they need to). They look at top 50 wins (which we have one over Western). They look at road wins which we have 13 (8th most in the country) which are also supposed to count more. We played @ Texas; @ L.S.U.; @ UTEP; @ South Carolina in a string to open up 11 straight on the road (which by the way nobody else in the country did and still won 25 games). Lady Cajuns won 25 games playing this schedule of 11 HOME Games and 19 ROAD games plus Sun Belt Tourney. Hopefully we can get some consideration for the total package and not just a one sentence fly by that seems to be going around ''OH STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE''. Everything is not equal and never will be. You have BCS schools spending over 2 million dollars a year on just women's basketball. No wonder they are ''LETTING THESE PEOPLE RESIGN'' when they don't make the NCAA Tourney. Ever wonder what would happen if they let Robert and I together split up 2 million for our programs? Let me answer that for you. Would make the Tourney (EVERY YEAR). Hopes this helps, it was not meant to be sarcastic in any way
Headragincajun1

[lcitsh]

Lcitsh:
You are right about which one they closely look at (keeping in mind ofcourse that the one they use is a secret). Also, they really don't look at just RPI (unless they need to), It's also based on how you are playing your last 10 games (Ladies were 15-3 last 18) with 2 of those losses coming to the #16 ranked team in the country who also has won like 27 in a row (once on the road and once on a neutral court according to the NCAA rules for homecourt). Also, they don't count how you did in your conference tourney (unless you won it) As you know we made the Championship Game.

They only use strength of schedule (if they need to). They look at top 50 wins (which we have one over Western). They look at road wins which we have 13 (8th most in the country) which are also supposed to count more. We played @ Texas; @ L.S.U.; @ UTEP; @ South Carolina in a string to open up 11 straight on the road (which by the way nobody else in the country did and still won 25 games). Lady Cajuns won 25 games playing this schedule of 11 HOME Games and 19 ROAD games plus Sun Belt Tourney. Hopefully we can get some consideration for the total package and not just a one sentence fly by that seems to be going around ''OH STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE''. Everything is not equal and never will be. You have BCS schools spending over 2 million dollars a year on just women's basketball. No wonder they are ''LETTING THESE PEOPLE RESIGN'' when they don't make the NCAA Tourney. Ever wonder what would happen if they let Robert and I together split up 2 million for our programs? Let me answer that for you. Would make the Tourney (EVERY YEAR). Hopes this helps, it was not meant to be sarcastic in any way
Headragincajun1

Thanks for the input, Coach. I agree with most of what you say, let me just make a few qualifications, based on conversations I have had with Jerry Palm. NCAA does actually publish their rpi, while they don't go out of their way to explain the formula, it is explained by Palm on his website. The true road record is 10-6, they counted 3 games as neutral court. All the things you mentioned do work in your favor, plus there are two people on the committee that you played during the year that can give first hand testimony as to your qualifications, so I'm hoping they will speak up for you.
Palm has a spreadsheet that he calls Gory Details that lists those things that you mentioned. If you are not a College RPI member, you won't be able to access it, and I can't make it public, but I'll be glad to e-mail or fax you a copy of it if you want. It's updated daily so it changes, but I'll be glad to get it to you if you want.

[Turbine]

Are their thoughts conspicuous by our absence?

Perhaps the W-NIT thinks UL has a shot at the field of 64 LINK