NIT

[basinbear]

If our guys are healthy we can win this game

[Turbine]

If our guys are healthy we can win this game

What is your experience for players healing times with high ankle sprains?

[VObserver]

Agree we should be hosting. We had a special season. A season that came to an end by 3 points with 2 of our best players not contributing at all. Our RPI is better.. the pundits beat that RPI drum when its in their favor, but don't mention it otherwise. Why is it they don't want any "Mid Major" to succeed... except for when its good for commercials. How did we get screwed by the NCAA and the NIT?

Hopefully our guys are healthy and motivated. We need to win by double digits... but man I have some concerns... Whats the odds we get out coached on the road? UGH.

I agree with Bear that if we are healthy we can win this game.

That being said, during Marlin's tenure the Cajuns are 2-21 in road games vs top 100 RPI teams, 0-7 in such games over the last three years, so history is not on our side. Like the stock market, past performance does not guarantee future results, so there is hope.

Were this game in Lafayette, the odds would be much better. The Cajuns under Marlin are 7-5 at home vs top 100 RPI teams, 2-2 in the last 3 years.

[zephyr]

If our guys are healthy we can win this game

We are not healthy. Neither Gant nor Stove will be anywhere close to 100% by gametime.

[CajunT]

Get where you are coming from. No doubt the system does not work in our favor. However, some people just want to support their team regardless of the difficult circumstances. You would do the same for the baseball team.

Absolutely! There is no reason for Cajun fans not to go support their team if they can make it. If we want the NIT to consider the UL program in the future, attendance in Baton Rouge is important regardless of what I think of their decision.

[Cajunsmike]

Mike, with all due respect, not a single baseball fan would be excited to play LSU (especially on the road) or anyone in a second tier post season tournament if we fell short of our goal of the NCAAs.

Two totally different scenarios.

You would still support your team. I also don't think many basketball fans are excited that it is LSU we are playing. We just want to support our guys.

[ManAboutTown]

So what then are you and MAT's solutions to the Cajuns being sentenced to a post season NIT game in BR?

1 shame and berate Cajun fans that still want to support their team on Wednesday?

2. No show, team and all because BR might get some benefit from it?

3. File suit for TRO cause the Cajuns have been wronged?

. . . ???????

Let us all know?

Yesterday was not a time for solutions. Yesterday was a time for truth, and the truth is, the system is a farce. It will always be a farce. The truth is, the reason we can’t put 6-7k in the Cajundome (top 3 venue in the south for basketball) is because people figured out a long time ago, that NCAAB is a total sham.

It’s not an indictment on our fan base. My god, we put nearly 50k in the super dome and 12k in our park for a baseball super regional.

Our fan base, all things considered, is too freaking notch. G5, held down for 40 years and toiling in a terrible conference.. and we still show up in droves.

We deserved to host an NIT, and we damn sure shouldn’t have to be doing to butt ____ LA to play those mouth breathers in their dump of an arena.

Unfortunately, there is no solution. Deck will always be stacked against us. Especially in basketball. If you guys wanna chop up some solutions today, I’m not going to sit here and tell you how to be a fan. I’m also not going to sit here and pretend like we didn’t get totally let down in the SBC tourney and screwed over by the NCAA, again.

[Duggie35]

Absolutely! There is no reason for Cajun fans not to go support their team if they can make it. If we want the NIT to consider the UL program in the future, attendance in Baton Rouge is important regardless of what I think of their decision.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to leave Lafayette early enough to make a 6:00 PM game, so I'll have to watch on TV. Remember that if you are driving in to Baton Rouge from the west you will need to cross the river. That means you will need to leave about noon to make it for 6:00!!!!!

[MetryCajun]

I was trying to bait Metry 😂

No seriously, I didn’t know they beat Michigan. I don’t consider those other teams great wins.

Sorry I didn’t take the bait. I don’t follow college basketball outside of the Cajuns so I couldn’t have answered. From the reply’s here It looks like they had a couple of good wins. Too bad we are banged up. It would have been a good barometer for our program.

[IberiaCajun]

Unfortunately, I will not be able to leave Lafayette early enough to make a 6:00 PM game, so I'll have to watch on TV. Remember that if you are driving in to Baton Rouge from the west you will need to cross the river. That means you will need to leave about noon to make it for 6:00!!!!!

Is it worse coming from the east? How about taking Hwy 70 from Morgan City and crossing at the Sunshine Bridge?

[CajunT]

Is it worse coming from the east? How about taking Hwy 70 from Morgan City and crossing at the Sunshine Bridge?

No, I would go that way if I lived south of Lafayette. You certain avoid the afternoon pile up in the construction areas on I-10 if not another daily accident.

[CajunT]

Unfortunately, I will not be able to leave Lafayette early enough to make a 6:00 PM game, so I'll have to watch on TV. Remember that if you are driving in to Baton Rouge from the west you will need to cross the river. That means you will need to leave about noon to make it for 6:00!!!!!

I'm working on my schedule this week, but if I can't leave Lafayette by a certain time in the afternoon, I won't be in Baton Rouge either.

[HoustonCajun]

Cajuns fans will show up in droves, and the NIT will praise LSU for their sellout (and reward them in the future for it).

Nothing about this is good for us.

Look, we have the best basketball team in the state this year. But, we also lost 2 of our last 3 games and failed to win our conference championship. We lost to the last place team in our conference and to Ole Miss who finished last in the SEC and had a 12-20 record. This game is all about perception for UL within the state of Louisiana. We have a chance to beat LSU on their court. We can say we don't need LSU, but we play in one of the worse conferences in the country, a conference with the worse perception in the country. And, in Louisiana, we are second to LSU. This is a great opportunity to go into their den and claim basketball superiority. We already beat them in baseball. Beat them in basketball, too, and we are 2 out of 3 in the big sports. Let's change the perception of LOUISIANA to the rest of the state.

The NIT is calling us Louisiana. ESPN is calling us Louisiana. LSU is not, but might be forced to by the NIT. They know what is at stake. Beat us and they continue with their superiority name game. Lose to us in basketball, at home, and Louisiana has some bragging rights and statewide recognition. Nationally, it will be a LOUISIANA win. Let's take advantage of the opportunity given to us. Wear Louisiana uniforms instead of the candy striper Ragin Cajun unis we have been wearing, like we did in our baseball game vs. LSU. We lost 2 of our last 3 in them, so they aren't bringing us any luck. This game will be viewed all over the state. We need to make a name statement Wednesday night, both statewide and nationally as LOUISIANA. Ragin Cajuns just doesn't do it. This is yet another opportunity on a national stage in a national tournament. If we want to make a name for ourselves, we have to play games like this. We got thrown a lemon. So what? Let's embrace the opportunity.

[VObserver]

Yesterday was not a time for solutions. Yesterday was a time for truth, and the truth is, the system is a farce. It will always be a farce. The truth is, the reason we can't put 6-7k in the Cajundome (top 3 venue in the south for basketball) is because people figured out a long time ago, that NCAAB is a total sham.

It's not an indictment on our fan base. My god, we put nearly 50k in the super dome and 12k in our park for a baseball super regional.

Our fan base, all things considered, is too freaking notch. G5, held down for 40 years and toiling in a terrible conference.. and we still show up in droves.

We deserved to host an NIT, and we damn sure shouldn't have to be doing to butt ____ LA to play those mouth breathers in their dump of an arena.

Unfortunately, there is no solution. Deck will always be stacked against us. Especially in basketball. If you guys wanna chop up some solutions today, I'm not going to sit here and tell you how to be a fan. I'm also not going to sit here and pretend like we didn't get totally let down in the SBC tourney and screwed over by the NCAA, again.

All that is true, MAT, but UL having a poor recent history against even mediocre competition gave the committee lots of ammunition to support their decision. We had a really good year this year, but no top 100 wins and only 10 top 200 wins. That won't get you an at large, and it will be used against you in seeding.

To our credit, we were 6-1 in our non-conference games vs RPI 101-200.

[Cajunsmike]

Sorry I didn’t take the bait. I don’t follow college basketball outside of the Cajuns so I couldn’t have answered. From the reply’s here It looks like they had a couple of good wins. Too bad we are banged up. It would have been a good barometer for our program.

LSU beat Michigan in an early season tournament in Hawaii. They also beat Houston at home. Those were the best non conference wins. As I said earlier, they were very impressive in several home SEC wins late in the year. They generally were beating people out easily in BR while struggling on the road. Even if we were healthy it would have been a challenge playing in their place.