Yep. There should be a little added juice for this one though which is always fun.
We won’t really have that with most A-10 teams this year since we haven’t had a chance to build history with them. Charlotte and Richmond have interesting subplots which should add a little pop and sizzle to the games.
It will be fun, and I’m expecting it will be a war and Charlotte will be a game opponent.
I’d love to continue playing VCU out of conference after next season. It would sure be better than some of the other teams we have this season. I understand the bad blood over what happened back in the day but I atleast hope we can get it done.
Eh, the bad blood was before my time so I don’t really care about it. In the here and now, VCU is legit and a good opponent. I’m looking forward to the game. Living in Richmond, I’ve talked to some VCU fans about the PH issue. They seem to be over it and wish him well from what I’ve heard. Having said that, I hope he has about 10 steals during that game. 
I’m not sure about how thrilled our older boosters and AD folks would be with that arrangement, but it does have some regional and historical appeal. Most of our newer fans couldn’t care less about the past issues between Charlotte and VCU/Virginia Tech. I’m sure a big part of that will also be whether Charlotte can get back to its’ winning ways or not.
If you guys have any overzealous fans that want to scout us in advance of the game, we’ll be 30 minutes drive down I-77 at Winthrop on November 17th at 2 p.m.
You guys have a game at Lamar at Halton Arena that day, but if it’s an evening game, you can scout an A-10 opponent 30 minutes away in the afternoon and cheer on your 49’ers in the evening.
Cheering for VCU at Rock Hill is completely optional and doing so for Winthrop is also completely understandable as well. :))
Added the official A-10 picks and Niners are pretty much landing in the #12 spot.
Major is in trouble if we have another losing season
As he should be… will be interesting to see how this all goes down since this is year #3 of a 4 year deal for Major and we are on the hook for Lutz for one more year. Lets just all hope we win and it doesn’t matter.
As he should be… will be interesting to see how this all goes down since this is year #3 of a 4 year deal for Major and we are on the hook for Lutz for one more year. Lets just all hope we win and it doesn’t matter.[/quote]
I like Major as a person, not very much as a coach. Its time for him to put up, or return to an assistant coach, and let some one else give it a whirl. Is Bruce Pearl still available?
I like the optimism from the new teams in the league, however don’t underestimate the league and think that past success in the CAA means future success in the A10. We’ve been down that road at Charlotte. I don’t think Charlotte would be picked at the bottom of the CAA if they were in that league. I think it will be very hard to replicate your past success and stats in 2012-2013. Also, Halton Arena is not the easiest places to come in expecting to win. Good luck.
Here are the Blue Ribbon picks:
VCU and Butler are way better than we were when we joined the A-10.
these predictions mean nothing. we deserve to be picked low but we do have a lot of talent(even more if we had lester this season). we were a few buckets away from 16 or 17 wins. no excuses, especially with this out of conference schedule, for 20 wins. no reason guys like henry, nickerson, thorne and williams have not improved. i think they all have talent. it is not like when i saw courtney williams play or david booker and said “this guy stinks, why did we recruit him”. i question some of the guys that we are recruiting for 2013 but i trust the staff’s evaluation of players much more than i ever trusted lutz.
VCU and Butler are way better than we were when we joined the A-10.[/quote]
When Charlotte came into the league they were 21-8 the season before with a first round NCAA loss. They were in a league with top 10 teams like Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, and Memphis was on the rise. I am not buying that these teams are WAY BETTER.
I’m just not drinking the kool-aid that these schools are NCAA powerhouses. VCU had a good record last year, however they played in the CAA with a conference rpi of 15. They had out-of-conference losses to an 11-20 team in Georgia Tech, a Seton Hall team that went 8 - 10 in the Big East, an Alabama team that went 9-7 in the SEC, and to Indiana who was 11-7 in the Big Ten. They beat Richmond and GW last year, but neither one of those teams finished with a winning record. For this team to be predicted to finish 2nd in the A10 is a reach. I’m not buying it. Also, VCU didn’t even win the regular season title in the CAA.
Butler finished in a 3 way tie for 3rd in the 14th RPI ranked Horizon League. They went to the CBI, but the only quality win that I saw in their schedule was maybe against Stanford. They lost to Xavier at home by 12.
I think a dose of reality is sure to hit come mid-January when conference play is in full swing.
VCU and Butler are way better than we were when we joined the A-10.[/quote]
I am with Dowless on this. I think VCU and Butler are solid programs, but way better than we were when we came in the league? I don’t buy that. We came from a league playing way better teams on a nightly basis. Now the advantage is we were stepping down with a coach who didn’t want to be there and who had already lost a step on recruiting. By all accounts Stephens and Smart are happy to be in the A10 and their recruiting will probably get better. Will be interesting to how how the change impacts them. I mean we went to the NIT finals in 76 and the NCAA final 4 out of the SunBelt in 77, but that did not make us a college basketball power house. We lost the coaches that established that success and poof it all went away. VCU and Butler could be one coach away from being nothing.
I am just happy to be getting the hell out.
I agree, not way better. Charlotte had a good team the first year in the A10, I really believe they pissed away an NCAA bid by some lackluster coaching and play, and having a weaker than usual A10. I also think we got a little bit of poor treatment from the refs as the new team in the league, even if the refs aren’t actually league affiliated (while I understand the rationale that these aren’t “A10 refs”, I also think refs are smart enough to know who is rehiring them in the future).
That said, Charlotte was picked 1st or 2nd in most pre-season prognostications, and that was only behind a really good GW team. Picking VCU 2nd in a year that doesn’t have a clear-cut favorite is not that much different. Most picks I’ve seen had Butler lower, but I wouldn’t underestimate the advantage they’ll get at home. I think they could finish high but not really be much better than the other top teams, because it’s such a bunching at the top (especially with Majerus out at SLU).
anybody who is happy to be leaving the a10 for basketball is insane. oooooh, we get a local rivalry with ecu. who cares? they suck. i love the a10 for basketball.
I can acknowledge that we are stepping down in basketball. I am super excited about getting out of a conference that has been an awful fit for us. Our move to CUSA hopefully signals the first step in our return to a conference where we truly fit. I basically see this as a step down in basketball now but a step forward for our future.
I can acknowledge that we are stepping down in basketball. I am super excited about getting out of a conference that has been an awful fit for us. Our move to CUSA hopefully signals the first step in our return to a conference where we truly fit. I basically see this as a step down in basketball now but a step forward for our future.[/quote]
Without BCS football you would see anarchy and unrest. Images of riot police come to mind. With BCS football it is what it is.
do not get me wrong. i know that this is the right move long term and short term for the athletic department but i just get frustrated at the lack of respect the a10 gets because they are predominately northeastern schools and there are no local rivals. i dont consider ecu a rival in basketball. i dont care if they are close. i dont consider schools like that a rival because they are never good. people who without facts trash the a10 is what bothers me.
Have you seen us play lately? Sadly we are much closer to ECU than we are to a Temple.
I know the A10 is a solid league, but it has been an awful league for us - blame it on what you want, coaching, recruiting, fan support, donation giving, etc - it just has not worked. I hope we perform well this year and finish in the top 3, but I will not shed a single tear about leaving a league we never should have been in in the first place.