MBB G13 Final: Louisiana 73, SLU 72

[Cajunsmike]

Let me begin by saying that I never vilified Marlin when he mentioned the three games in March. Because he’s right. As a mid-major, three games in March is what makes it or breaks it for many (not all) teams trying to make the dance.

But here is where you lose me. You said that Lannister and I would be a lot more quiet if we wouldn’t have lost that “one freaking game in March.” Well yeah! That “one freaking game” ended our NCAA tournament dreams. So of course I was upset. Who wouldn’t be?

I’m going to take this a step further. Athletics is the # 1 marketing tool for a university. Outside of the Ivy League, most universities almost need athletics to promote their brand. No one would know who Butler, Cal State Fullerton, or Boise State would be if it weren’t for their respective success in certain sports. So here is the reality of making the NCAA Tournament. For four to five days, millions of people fill out brackets. It’s free publicity when those millions of people see your name on the bracket let alone choose you for an upset. Then, you’re on national tv playing in front of millions representing the name on your chest. It’s kind of a big deal, right?

But on here, I get the privilege of reading and literally seeing people justify why we come up short of this opportunity. Here’s the thing. I’m also a numbers guy. I know that investing into something demands a return on what is being put in. Honestly, in 9 years, are we REALLY getting a return on our investment? And no, I don’t want Marlin fired. I just want accountability. For too many years, our administration has basically left us in the dark when it came to transparency. Basically, it was a “don’t ask questions; just donate” mindset.” Fortunately, Dr. Maggard has a different vision that I still do trust even with this Marlin contract extension. But with that comes demand for results. So far, in 9 years, we have had 1 tournament and 1 NIT appearance. You can spin the “2 championships in 5 years” in every direction to Sunday. But the fact is this: 1 NIT and 1 NCAA appearance in 9 years. If we are going to invest into this program like we have, don’t get upset that fans raise their eyebrows if they feel like we come up short of our goals. And that is to make the postseason. That’s it. Whether it’s three games or thirty, the goal at the beginning of every year is to make the postseason whether it is the NIT or NCAA. I’m not even going to give thought to the CIT because any tournament that requires a school to pay their way in is laughable to me and a waste of money.

I’m not asking to make the tournament every year. But to say that we can’t be a consistent top 3/4 program with the money we have in the chicken ____ Sun Belt Conference is unacceptable. That’s not me “being a millenial,” that’s me just asking for a return on what we put into the program.

We have been a top 4 team most seasons. Need to take another step to make it a consistent Top 3.

[zephyr]

Absolutely they do, they cost a lot more also and get more help from the university that’s all im saying. We are fortunate here in that our baseball and softball programs are a lot less of a drag on the budget than majority of universities.

You are right about that. If you look at that NCAA report I posted on page 26, you will see that the median net losses for baseball and softball are drastically higher than here at UL where we are much closer to breaking even. At least that's what the audit says but all of our line items even out meaning revenue and expenses end up being equal so not sure how accurate it is but we all know those sports do better here.

[ULvictory]

We have been a top 4 team most seasons. Need to take another step to make it a consistent Top 3.

Now, that is something I can get behind.

[zephyr]

It is apparent that you have no clue what I have been saying and I definitely have no clue what you have been saying or the point which you are trying to make. I tried, you tried and we are getting nowhere. As this has no bearing on the impending govt shut down, I say we leave it at that. Have a nice evening.

This is the most we've ever agreed upon. Later

[Cajunsmike]

1 NIT and 1 NCAA appearance in 8 years. There. Corrected.

As for the MINIMUM demand of finishing in the top 3/4 of the Sun Belt, I’m glad we have done that. But it should be expected with our program, especially with the crummy teams we face.

But big picture here........postseason........millions of people seeing our name on a bracket when they fill it out.........

That should be our goal. And I shouldn’t constantly have to hear spin when we fail to accomplish that. As a donor, it’s insulting.

It is the primary goal. Coaches and players say that often and they have been more disappointed than anyone at not reaching it more often. Only "spin" I have offered is that not having 2 of your Top 6 players at tourney time was a major factor in falling short. Previous years they were just not good enough to win it. Need to recruit better players to make it more consistently.

[ULvictory]

Don't know about everyone else here, but this doesn't impress me. Is it supposed to?

HAHA!

It was an attempted “gotcha” by Willis when I stated that we should be consistently competing as a top 3/4 program in the conference. And it was also an attempt to basically say that I’m getting what I’m asking for, even though it was my minimal demand.

[ULvictory]

It is the primary goal. Coaches and players say that often and they have been more disappointed than anyone at not reaching it more often. Only "spin" I have offered is that not having 2 of your Top 6 players at tourney time was a major factor in falling short. Previous years they were just not good enough to win it. Need to recruit better players to make it more consistently.

Come on, Mike. It’s not that we aren’t good enough. I was told that the modern landscape of college basketball doesn’t allow for it. LOL

[zephyr]

That was my exact thought as well.

Also, how the athletic department reports allocated income and expenses may not always reflect the exact situation. I'm sure there's some leeway there. For instance, in this very thread, someone showed the basketball revenue and expenses balancing out to the penny. What's that tell ya?

How many season tickets does softball sell?

While I'm sure it's more expensive for a baseball or softball team to travel than it for a basketball team just due to the numbers, there are so many other factors involving each team's playing conditions, it'd be really interesting, at least to me, to see an actual breakdown of revenue and expenses by sport. The numbers might be surprising.

Did you see the audit posted? Did you see my report by the NCAA? How do you know what money it generates in profit if you don't know the expenses?

http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/fi...l_20180123.pdf

[Cajunsmike]

I spoke to him about last year in Houston. It's not something he is found of after listening to his comments.

OK. Thanks for response. Still wonder if he would be OK with it if donors picked up cost. He may feel it is time to focus on the diamond sports if you can't qualify for one of the two main tournaments. Still that means you have to win a championship to play in post season. 2nd place in either the regular season or tournament is not good enough. This is a minor deal in comparison to all the other decisions he has to make. I am good with whatever he says in that regard.

[Cajunsmike]

Don't know about everyone else here, but this doesn't impress me. Is it supposed to?

Not sure if it was meant to impress or not. Don't think so. I think the post of top quartile four times in five years was just given as a fact. The one year we missed was when a Bryce Washington layup at the buzzer that spun in and out at Georgia State put us in the opening round instead of 3rd. Note there are 12 teams in the league.

[CajunT]

OK. Thanks for response. Still wonder if he would be OK with it if donors picked up cost. He may feel it is time to focus on the diamond sports if you can't qualify for one of the two main tournaments. Still that means you have to win a championship to play in post season. 2nd place in either the regular season or tournament is not good enough. This is a minor deal in comparison to all the other decisions he has to make. I am good with whatever he says in that regard.

I won't discuss the details of the discussion, but we did not discuss the subject of donors picking up the cost. He did state that the funds are better spent in other areas when discussing minor tournaments.

[Cajunsmike]

Come on, Mike. It’s not that we aren’t good enough. I was told that the modern landscape of college basketball doesn’t allow for it. LOL

One team in the league wins it every year. Winning three straight games is a crap shoot. That is why so many different teams win it. I tend to agree with Zephyr in that winning the regular season championship or being in the Top 3 consistently is more reflective of a healthy program. What has changed is the abiltiy to get to the NIT or NCAA without the league title is virtually impossible.