Meanwhile, in Natchitoches

[cajunfan96]

We are in the sunbelt with a $20m budget and some of us want to act like we are Duke. All kidding aside. I can't defend losing to NwSt or even McNeese. A season is a body of work, though. Not single games here and there. I'd like to know exactly what you are looking for in a Cajuns basketball team. That may make it easier for some of us to put it in perspective. We went 23-12 last year. We won 3 games in the conference tournament to make the dance. We played a respectable game against Creighton. Would you trade an appearance in the NCAA tourney to get back an early season loss to McNeese? Would you trade a conference championship to get back this loss to NwSt? Both of those goals are still ahead of us. We could be 0-11 right now and those goals are still attainable. I want postseason appearances. That may change when conference realignment comes around, but baseball and softball are the only sunbelt teams that will be able to make realistic national championship runs. A sunbelt team will never make the NCAA football playoff. A sunbelt team would have to have only 1 or 2 losses to get better than a 13 seed in the NCAA basketball tournament.

As for your mighty SBC comment. Way to go. Downplay the conference we play in. It makes it easier for you to ____ on our accomplishments when we win the championship which is exactly the point duggie is trying to make.

Coach Hud took over a 500 team and turned it into 4 bowl championships. No rebuilding excuses, real season starts now, blah, etc.

[cajun4life]

I have only seen 2 games so I will defer to someone like BOP as far as how our talent level stacks up with others....I will say this.....We may be missing Payton's leadership and mental toughness as much as his ability

Was Ricky Bustle good enough? Did we keep him too long? That is what Bob Marlin is for basketball.

[duggie85]

Coach Hud took over a 500 team and turned it into 4 bowl championships. No rebuilding excuses, real season starts now, blah, etc.

If Hudspeth played by same postseason rules (only champion makes bowl), he may have zero postseason appearances.

[CajunRage]

If Hudspeth played by same postseason rules (only champion makes bowl), he may zero postseason appearances.

Beat me to it

[duggie85]

Was Ricky Bustle good enough? Did we keep him too long? That is what Bob Marlin is for basketball.

I'll agree with this comparison. Marlin may well in fact be our Bustle, but I guess where we differ is Im willing to give him the chance to build off of last years success.

[cajun4life]

If Hudspeth played by same postseason rules (only champion makes bowl), he may zero postseason appearances.

He would also have a winning percentage of 69% counting the Bowl games. Instead of a 48% winning percentage.

Hud is 36-16 in his 4 years here. If Marlin won at the same clip he would be 89-40. If you were to reverse it you would get Ricky Bustle results in football.

[cajunfan96]

If Hudspeth played by same postseason rules (only champion makes bowl), he may have zero postseason appearances.

Ok, whatever! Unlikely that would happen.

We need to go find the next Hud of basketball. This is clearly more of the same.

Is it time to tear the top half of schedule off and declare a new season yet?

[duggie85]

He would also have a winning percentage of 69% counting the Bowl games. Instead of a 48% winning percentage.

Hud is 36-16 in his 4 years here. If Marlin won at the same clip he would be 89-40. If you were to reverse it you would get Ricky Bustle results in football.

According to your own philosophy, are you gonna put an asterisk next to Hudspeth's record due to him inheriting a roster with multiple NFL talents (Green, Bentley, White, Anderson, Thompson, et al)?

After all, Marlin only made the NCAA's due to having NBA talent.

[duggie85]

Ok, whatever! Unlikely that would happen.

We need to go find the next Hud of basketball. This is clearly more of the same.

Is it time to tear the top half of schedule off and declare a new season yet?

Unlikely how? In Sun Belt basketball, only the champion makes postseason play. If football was set up the same way, being Hudspeth has never won an outright championship, he may very well have zero postseason bids.

Again, maybe we do need to find the Hud of baseketball to take us over the hump of mediocrity that exist now. But winning 20+ games and making the postseason last year, I think Marlin deserves more than 11 games to build off of that success.

[CrazyCajun]

Unlikely how? In Sun Belt basketball, only the champion makes postseason play. If football was set up the same way, being Hudspeth has never won an outright championship, he may very well have zero postseason bids.

Again, maybe we do need to find the Hud of baseketball to take us over the hump of mediocrity that exist now. But winning 20+ games and making the postseason last year, I think Marlin deserves more than 11 games to build off of that success.

Technically you are wrong, we could get an at large to the NCAA in basketball, it's tough but it's available to us, but you aren't gonna get one losing the head scratchers we lose.

[duggie85]

Technically you are wrong, we could get an at large to the NCAA in basketball, it's tough but it's available to us, but you aren't gonna get one losing the head scratchers we lose.

I stand corrected, thanks.

[CajunRage]

Technically you are wrong, we could get an at large to the NCAA in basketball, it's tough but it's available to us, but you aren't gonna get one losing the head scratchers we lose.

If GaState didn't get one last year, it is a slim and none chance that a sunbelt team will get an at-large any time soon.