Bracketology, ESPN

[RaginDave]

We could run the regular season table but stAte at 300+ NET and others in the 200 range doesn’t move the needle upward. One slight addition, McLeast limps in with a 338 NET, UNO 355 (367 total# of teams). Both have stunk it up, McLeast may not even make a tournament they blackmailed the SLC to host. Injuries allegedly.

Great analysis Dave, as always.

We have a classic trap game Thursday night then playing Marshall who has the best guard combo in the league Saturday night.

A lot on the plate just this week.

Thanks Zoom, appreciate the feedback. But you might not want to give me a lot of Kudo's you will be lumped into a group that is in the clique that BWK talks about.

[Turbine]

Cause nobody in the conference schedules anybody worth a ____ nonconference

That's a fact Jack!

So simple to remedy if the schedulers could just back away from protecting their overall record.

[RaginDave]

Found this in a MAC board, future playing dates.
2023-24
Nov. 8-Nov. 11 – MAC Women at Sun Belt Women
Nov. 8-Nov. 11 – Sun Belt Men at MAC Men
Feb. 10 – Sun Belt Women at MAC Women
Feb. 10 – MAC Men at Sun Belt Men

2024-25
Nov. 6-Nov. 9 – Sun Belt Women at MAC Women
Nov. 6-Nov. 9 – MAC Men at Sun Belt Men
Feb. 8 – MAC Women at Sun Belt Women
Feb. 8 – Sun Belt Men at MAC Men

This is important as the MAC only has 12 teams, meaning that you need to be in the top 12 to get these Home/Home deals. At least 2 SBC teams are going to be left out of these games depending on how they decide who matches up with whom. This gives us 2 games vs Peer conferences in a home and home series a year for both men and women. We need to make sure we are never the A-States of this conference in basketball.

If it is based on previous years performance. We could be looking at these types of matchups for the top 4 in each conference. Nice overall and I am only basing this on current 2023 NET/RPI rankings:

NET/RPI SBC
67/51 USM
72/84 Marshall
88/146 JMU
93/54 Louisiana

NET/RPI MAC
59/44 Kent State
103/115 Akron
106/98 Toledo
134/145 Ball State

Any of these would be one of our best NC matchups this year. Obviously Kent State would be the best, but immediately gives us a nice home game vs a quality opponent. Clearly it appears the top 4 in the SBC is a little stronger than the Top 4 in the MAC.

[VObserver]

If we play any two of the top four MAC teams and drop a non D1 from our schedule it will help us a lot. If we could schedule home and home with North Texas and La Tech and drop a couple of weak sister SWAC or Southland teams, along with the MAC challenge, then our OOC schedule and our home schedule starts looking 100% better.

[zephyr]

This matchup would be a bit more difficult...

Why do you say this?

[zephyr]

I have a question, or three for the basketball gurus out there. How many teams will get in from the belt? Is it possible UL could even be a higher seed? If something bad happens & UL falters in the conference tourney, can they still get a bid? TIA

1

[ZoomZoom]

If we play any two of the top four MAC teams and drop a non D1 from our schedule it will help us a lot. If we could schedule home and home with North Texas and La Tech and drop a couple of weak sister SWAC or Southland teams, along with the MAC challenge, then our OOC schedule and our home schedule starts looking 100% better.

Forgetting the entire MAC will be involved with this crossover. Yeah, I’d rather see a MAC team than a non D1, but no earth shattering NET impact is happening.

[Turbine]

Stay away from those Michigan teams.

[ZoomZoom]

Stay away from those Michigan teams.

Yeah it may look better, but overall it doesn’t change a thing since every game impacts every team. Actually the MAC may fair better if our two weakest teams don’t participate.

[raginbeef]

Don’t teams get matched up with their corresponding finishers in the MAC, like NFL scheduling? So if you win the sunbelt regular season, you get to play the MAC champion next year? Or is it random