Meanwhile, Cajuns have the best basketball team in LA

[Cajunsmike]

Warren Nolan is projecting us to be 16-3 in our remaining regular season games, 16-2 in conference. His algorithm has us tied with GaSo for the regular season championship, with road losses to UTA and GaSo the sole blemishes on our record. I hope he is right, but I seriously doubt that he is.

He has much more confidence than I in Marlin's ability to beat GaSt on the road and UTA in the Dome. I also do not expect us to sweep the rest of the conference, though we are clearly better than all Conference teams other than UTA and GaSo who are better than we are, and GaSt , who is close to the same as us. I expect us to lose 3 of our 4 games with UTA and the Georgia schools, and to lose at least 3 more conference games of the 7 we have against ULM, Troy, Coastal and South Alabama. I expect us to beat Appy here and to sweep Little Rock, stAte and TX St.

I am predicting 12-6 and tied for 4th in the regular season. That is consistant with the history of Marlin coached teams for the last 8 years.

12 and 6 would have been 2nd last year.

[VObserver]

So you are basing it solely on history, you can't watch the team right now and say they are better than last teams?

I have watched several games. I believe we have better talent than in the past, and that they play unselfishly, but we still have problems defending the rim, and our half court offense is still very suspect. Outside of Wyoming and Tech we have not played anyone good enough to challenge our players, so it is impossible to know if we are really good or just better than the sorry competition we have played.

Bottom line is Marlin gets out coached and it causes us to lose several games a year that we should not lose. Coaching accounts for the 4 game difference between winning the conference (which our talent says we should do) and finishing 4th.

[VObserver]

12 and 6 would have been 2nd last year.

The bottom of the conference was much better last year than this year. No way either Georgia school or UTA loses 6 this year, barring injury, of course.

[IberiaCajun]

I hope we don't lose more than 3 conference games. History says otherwise. This team is not playing history's schedule. I think they can do it. It will be fun to see.

[CajunEXPRESS]

Don't be surprised if McNeese sees a change in their basketball leadership at the end of the season.

Again Mike, McNees is a consistent cellar dwelle much like UNO whose sole assets are ancient history and geography. Both these teams need to be paid visator at most.

[RaginDave]

Why not? Our mean RPI over the last 10 years is well above 200.

Not true, year ending RPI below:

2016-17 115
2015-16 145
2014-15 124
2013-14 85
2012-13 225
2011-12 197
2010-11 215
2009-10 246
2008-09 266
2007-08 178

I will agree that between 07-08 and 12-13 our RPI was not very good, but over the last 5, we should be a team, based on your model, that other quality RPI teams (Top 150, would want to play).

[Policarp]

Not true, year ending RPI below:

2016-17 115
2015-16 145
2014-15 124
2013-14 85
2012-13 225
2011-12 197
2010-11 215
2009-10 246
2008-09 266
2007-08 178

I will agree that between 07-08 and 12-13 our RPI was not very good, but over the last 5, we should be a team, based on your model, that other quality RPI teams (Top 150, would want to play).

good post.......& true statement.

[Cajunfanatico]

Speaking of good basketball, what ever happened to the Bayou Classic? The Cajuns and 3 other teams, usually good ones with excellent name recognition, playing during the holidays iirc. I'd love to see it revived and become an event others would want to participate in every year.

[Turbine]

Not true, year ending RPI below:

2016-17 115
2015-16 145
2014-15 124
2013-14 85
2012-13 225
2011-12 197
2010-11 215
2009-10 246
2008-09 266
2007-08 178

I will agree that between 07-08 and 12-13 our RPI was not very good, but over the last 5, we should be a team, based on your model, that other quality RPI teams Top 150, would want to play).

Top 150 may not immediately jump off the page but it's equivalent in football would be almost every bowl eligible team including the upper half of the 6-6 crowd.

Top 150 is a desirable level of competition

[ZoomZoom]

Regarding the pay to play tournaments. I understand people not getting excited about them. However consider this scenario. Let's suppose this year's team goes 14 and 4 in conference but gets the 2nd seed because of a tiebreaker. They then go on to lose in the conference tournament finals. That likely gives them an overall record of 26 and 8. Do you know where they will go in the post-season. Book it that they would be in the CIT or an equivalent pay for play tournament. That is because NIT takes all conference champs that do not get into the NCAA tournament. Such a season would have the squad deserving of post season play, much more so than a 6 and 6 football team going to a bowl game. Unfortunate that their only option is pay to play. I think the scenario I described would have more fan support to play in the CIT than in the past. Of course, the easy solution is to win the regular season. I vote for that option.

When you get right down to it, unless a team makes one of the top tier bowls, they're all pay to play. Making money is up to how many tickets a program sells. They only thing that's going to save us in basketball when the big reshuffle happens with football are the Wtchita States, Butlers, and even Gonzangas of the world. Mid major programs with little or no football but all in for basketball.

[BeauCajun]

Not true, year ending RPI below:

2016-17 115
2015-16 145
2014-15 124
2013-14 85
2012-13 225
2011-12 197
2010-11 215
2009-10 246
2008-09 266
2007-08 178

I will agree that between 07-08 and 12-13 our RPI was not very good, but over the last 5, we should be a team, based on your model, that other quality RPI teams (Top 150, would want to play).

So actually an average RPI of 180. I consider that well below 200.

[RaginDave]

So actually an average RPI of 180. I consider that well below 200.

Correct and V is quoted as saying it was well above 200. And if you were looking at 2007/2008 - 2012/2013 he would have been correct, but from 2013/14 - 2017/18 our average RPI would have been 125, if you include this years 154 so far.