Final: Louisiana (94) vs La. Tech (86)

[Cajunsmike]

They were so good last year they failed to be an at large team.

Their own fan base acknowledges that they cannot play against good big people, and WKU will run them.

They are more likely a NIT team if that.

All I am saying is we lost to a very bad Brokeback team, and beat a pretty good LTU R team that is NOT GOOD. GOOD IS being at least an at large quality NCAA team. They will not be an at large team, and will not be better than a 12 seed if they win their tournament.

There are very few at large mid majors nowadays. Last year the no. may have only been 1 or 2That is because RPI is set up to favor the majors as they do not play mid majors on the road. An ACC team with a 7 and 9 conference record gets considered for the NCAA's because one of the 7 wins is a home win against a Top 25 school. By that standard, it is very difficult for any mid-major to be "GOOD".

I also think McNeese is not a very bad team. Not that they are anything special as we would handle them on a neutral court assuming we had Wright. However, there are plently of teams in the country not as talented as they are. I went to that game and thought a couple of their guys can play for most mid majors. We will see how they do in the SLC but they will compete well there, especially in Lake Charles.

[Zeebart21]

Because he was just countering a semi-dumb comment. There is nothing wrong with it and it has merit. We want to beat our chest about being the best in state outside of LSU, we have to beat the likes of McNeese. Its pretty simple. While some of you get ____ed when that game is mentioned and will likely do so for the future, it should at least concern you minimally that we are showing such inconsistency. Hopefully, that loss and this big win are the two things that start us off on that postseason journey but to ignore that bad loss is just as fruitless as ignoring the big win we just had.

We finally played like we are capable of playing and beat a team our equal. Hopefully Shawn is getting healthy again and it seems we are definitely settling into our starting PG for the season and utilizing Shepherd at a combo guard rather than strictly PG. Crap like the McNeese game happens in basketball but the thing that makes you a good team is improving from it and moving on. If we can do that, that loss could be one of the best things that happens to us. If we don't and we continue to play .500 ball, it would just prove that we are not really improving as a program.

TL, DR

Have joyous Christmas though.

z

[CajunEXPRESS]

No, I am saying that IMO you are a good team when you can with confidence be in the running for an at large bid. IMO LTU R will not be in that running, and we are already out of it.

Now that may be a high bar, and I admit it is, but this is Marlin's fifth season so is it really that high?

I certainly will not walk around with a puffed up chest for beating LTU R at home, yes I am pleased about beating them, but I am not making it more than it is. Both teams need to win their tournaments or do something else in March, neither team will finish a top 50 in the RPI. Most likely neither will finish in the top 75.

[VObserver]

No, I am saying that IMO you are a good team when you can with confidence be in the running for an at large bid. IMO LTU R will not be in that running, and we are already out of it.

Now that may be a high bar, and I admit it is, but this is Marlin's fifth season so is it really that high?

I certainly will not walk around with a puffed up chest for beating LTU R at home, yes I am pleased about beating them, but I am not making it more than it is. Both teams need to win their tournaments or do something else in March, neither team will finish a top 50 in the RPI. Most likely neither will finish in the top 75.

Express; the one thing that makes your standard unreasonable is that we have not had an at large bid to the NCAA tournament in the last 50 years, if ever. Every team we have ever had in the tournament won our conference. Some few of those may have been good enough to get an at large; but very few.

[CajunEXPRESS]

Maybe so, but we have indeed been good enough to get an at large bid, we just won the tournaments. I did not say we should get one, only that we be in serious consideration, and you can pretty much quit counting when your RPI is above 48.

[VObserver]

Maybe so, but we have indeed been good enough to get an at large bid, we just won the tournaments. I did not say we should get one, only that we be in serious consideration, and you can pretty much quit counting when your RPI is above 48.

I completely agree with this.

[BeauCajun]

Not at mcneese, it was in lake Charles but wasn't at mcneese

??? Mc Neese has no on campus facility to play basketball. It's either at the Civic Center or Burton. Neither are on campus.

[CrazyCajun]

??? Mc Neese has no on campus facility to play basketball. It's either at the Civic Center or Burton. Neither are on campus.

Where did we play last night? We haven't win there since 1999

[Cajunsmike]

No, I am saying that IMO you are a good team when you can with confidence be in the running for an at large bid. IMO LTU R will not be in that running, and we are already out of it.

Now that may be a high bar, and I admit it is, but this is Marlin's fifth season so is it really that high?

I certainly will not walk around with a puffed up chest for beating LTU R at home, yes I am pleased about beating them, but I am not making it more than it is. Both teams need to win their tournaments or do something else in March, neither team will finish a top 50 in the RPI. Most likely neither will finish in the top 75.

In today's world, competing for an at large bid is a very high bar for any mid major coach, whether it be his 1st season, 5th season, or 20th season. That being said, setting high bars is appropriate as that is the only way you reach your potential. Coach Marlin is a good enough X and O guy to reach that level. Can he get enough talent to do so is a question I can't answer. By the way, I think Tech was in the Top 50 last year, had a record of 26 and 7, and won 2 NIT games. They also beat Oklahoma on the road. There are 4 starters back from that team. I do expect them to do well in their league once again but I agree they will not be an at large team. Sports Illustrated predicted they will be a 12th seed. Their prediction for our league was Georgia State would be in the tourney as a 13. I will wait to see how we do at Northwestern State to gauge our chances in the SBC. We have to win on the road before I get too optimistic.

[Cajunsmike]

Express; the one thing that makes your standard unreasonable is that we have not had an at large bid to the NCAA tournament in the last 50 years, if ever. Every team we have ever had in the tournament won our conference. Some few of those may have been good enough to get an at large; but very few.

We received an at large bid in 1983. That was the junior year of Graylin Warner, Dion Brown, and Alonza Allen. Some of that may have been based on the victory we had over Georgetown the previous season. That is the only time however since the post probation era.