2017-2018 Opponents

[quote=ā€œRun49er, post:58, topic:30852ā€][quote=ā€œ9erken, post:53, topic:30852ā€]I can’t believe we’re playing Methodist as a regular season game. All the crap we gave other teams’ fans about their teams playing ridiculous opponents and counting it can now be thrown back at us.

The conference should be pissed, unless they think we can’t win against even the worst D-1 opponents.

This has to be a make-or-break year for Price. I’d say he’s behind right now and needs a big leap forward to catch up to consider an extension, unless we really have given up on basketball.

Edit: just to add, aside from Methodist and no exempt tournament, this schedule is not bad. If they had just scheduled some D-1 school from the MEAC instead of a D-3 school, then I don’t think this gets as much criticism.[/quote]
The conference would have to care in order to be pissed.[/quote]
Last season ODU and WKU were the only C-USA schools that did not play any regular season games versus non-D-I teams. The Niners, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, UAB and UTEP each played one, while FAU, FIU, LA Tech, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss and UTSA each played two for a total of 19 such contests.

Former conference member East Carolina was probably the worst offender. During 13 seasons in C-USA, the Pirates played 36 non-D-I regular season games, including four each of the final three years before joining the AAC.

And their basketball is probably why ECU was invited to the AAC as a football-only member. We need to be better than that. ECU got once in a lifetime lucky that they were in the right place at the right time when teams started bailing out of the AAC.

I don’t think it was all luck. They realized the importance of a large fan base and a large stadium, not to mention they actively and vigorously persued moving to a better conference.

I don’t think it was all luck. They realized the importance of a large fan base and a large stadium, not to mention they actively and vigorously persued moving to a better conference.[/quote]Just b/c we didn’t drop to our knees publicly doesn’t mean we didn’t try.

I don’t think it was all luck. They realized the importance of a large fan base and a large stadium, not to mention they actively and vigorously persued moving to a better conference.[/quote]

They were willing to sell out their entire athletics program for football. The other sports would have ended up back in the CAA or worse. The got lucky that the Big East scattered and those left were willing to take the baggage from the other sports.

I don’t think it was all luck. They realized the importance of a large fan base and a large stadium, not to mention they actively and vigorously persued moving to a better conference.[/quote]

They were willing to sell out their entire athletics program for football. The other sports would have ended up back in the CAA or worse. The got lucky that the Big East scattered and those left were willing to take the baggage from the other sports.[/quote]

Bingo. ECU’s football was an attractive product and the AAC offered…for football only. Had their basketball not been a dumpster fire since forever the AAC would have offered full membership, but they didn’t. Only when Louisville and Rutgers bailed, and Cincy and UCONN publicly announced their desire to bail, did the AAC throw ECU a lifeline. Interestingly, in the 3 seasons since then the Pirate’s basketball has gotten worse–who knew that was possible, and their football has gotten worse. However, Greenville, NC has stayed the same, so there is that.

I don’t think it was all luck. They realized the importance of a large fan base and a large stadium, not to mention they actively and vigorously persued moving to a better conference.[/quote]

They were willing to sell out their entire athletics program for football. The other sports would have ended up back in the CAA or worse. The got lucky that the Big East scattered and those left were willing to take the baggage from the other sports.[/quote]

Bingo. ECU’s football was an attractive product and the AAC offered…for football only. Had their basketball not been a dumpster fire since forever the AAC would have offered full membership, but they didn’t. Only when Louisville and Rutgers bailed, and Cincy and UCONN publicly announced their desire to bail, did the AAC throw ECU a lifeline. Interestingly, in the 3 seasons since then the Pirate’s basketball has gotten worse–who knew that was possible, and their football has gotten worse. However, Greenville, NC has stayed the same, so there is that.[/quote]

I would have been happy if we had gone to the Big East/AAC for football only if we could have left basketball in the A10.

If ECU’s public attempts had failed, the general perception would have been that ECU was almost good enough to go to the Big East/AAC (they originally started their attempt to move up before the Big East split). Like it or not, that perception of almost being good enough is much better than the perception most of the public has of us.

[quote=ā€œitsbraille49, post:36, topic:30852ā€]Georgetown dropped out of the Phil Knight Invitational this week.

If we were savvy we’d have Coach Price on the phone with Coach Ewing (both coached on Hornets) trying to put together round-robin event. Two teams on our schedule are also not yet attached to an exempt event (James Madison, High Point), a MEAC team could be tied in and we’d get another home game paid for by the guarantee we’d get from Georgetown.

If we were savvy.[/quote]
Ewing has been catching all kind of flack for the Hoyas 2017-18 OOC schedule, which includes seven opponents who were in the 320-351 RPI range last season.

11/12 vs Jacksonville
11/15 vs Mount St. Mary’s
11/18 vs Maryland-Eastern Shore
11/25 @ Richmond
11/18 vs Maine
12/3 vs Coppin State
12/7 vs Howard
12/9 vs North Carolina A&T
12/16 vs Syracuse
12/20 vs North Texas
12/23 vs Alabama A&M

[quote=ā€œRun49er, post:68, topic:30852ā€][quote=ā€œitsbraille49, post:36, topic:30852ā€]Georgetown dropped out of the Phil Knight Invitational this week.

If we were savvy we’d have Coach Price on the phone with Coach Ewing (both coached on Hornets) trying to put together round-robin event. Two teams on our schedule are also not yet attached to an exempt event (James Madison, High Point), a MEAC team could be tied in and we’d get another home game paid for by the guarantee we’d get from Georgetown.

If we were savvy.[/quote]
Ewing has been catching all kind of flack for the Hoyas 2017-18 OOC schedule, which includes seven opponents who were in the 320-351 RPI range last season.

11/12 vs Jacksonville
11/15 vs Mount St. Mary’s
11/18 vs Maryland-Eastern Shore
11/25 @ Richmond
11/18 vs Maine
12/3 vs Coppin State
12/7 vs Howard
12/9 vs North Carolina A&T
12/16 vs Syracuse
12/20 vs North Texas
12/23 vs Alabama A&M[/quote]wow, that’s ugly. We have a better ooc than that.

Jon Rothstein includes the College of Charleston among a list of mid-majors to watch during the upcoming season.

[Quote]Charleston: With Kevin Keatts now at NC State and North Carolina-Wilmington no longer expected to sit atop the Colonial Athletic Association, the door is wide open for the Cougars to take advantage.

Earl Grant quietly directed Charleston to a 25-win season a year ago, including an appearance in the Postseason NIT and a hard-fought loss in the CAA title game.

The Cougars return three All-CAA players — guards Joe Chealey and Grant Riller and big man Jarrell Brantley.

The 6-7, 245-pound Brantley had 20 points and 11 rebounds in March’s CAA title game loss against UNC-Wilmington and could flirt with averaging a double-double next season.

Charleston will travel to face two league favorites — Wichita State and Rhode Island — before beginning conference play in the CAA next season.[/quote]
Fanragsports.com: Rothstein | 5 mid-majors to watch during 17-18 CBB season

Deacs and Cowboys make Matt Norlander’s list of 2017 NCAA Tournament participants most likely to miss Big Dance in 2018. He does list Niners as a key OOC opponent for Wake, but not for OK State. Hmm…

CBSSports.com: Eight NCAA Tournament teams from last season that won’t make it back in 2018

Middle Tennessee, CofC, LA Tech, and WKU make this top 20 list, with ODU and UAB receiving consideration.

NBCSports.com: 2017-18 Mid-Major Preseason Power Rankings

[quote=ā€œRun49er, post:70, topic:30852ā€]Jon Rothstein includes the College of Charleston among a list of mid-majors to watch during the upcoming season.

[Quote]Charleston: With Kevin Keatts now at NC State and North Carolina-Wilmington no longer expected to sit atop the Colonial Athletic Association, the door is wide open for the Cougars to take advantage.

Earl Grant quietly directed Charleston to a 25-win season a year ago, including an appearance in the Postseason NIT and a hard-fought loss in the CAA title game.

The Cougars return three All-CAA players — guards Joe Chealey and Grant Riller and big man Jarrell Brantley.

The 6-7, 245-pound Brantley had 20 points and 11 rebounds in March’s CAA title game loss against UNC-Wilmington and could flirt with averaging a double-double next season.

Charleston will travel to face two league favorites — Wichita State and Rhode Island — before beginning conference play in the CAA next season.[/quote]
Fanragsports.com: Rothstein | 5 mid-majors to watch during 17-18 CBB season
[/quote]

Living in Charleston, the plan is to go to more CofC games than Charlotte, since my need for competitive basketball will likely be met more by my local team. I’m expecting marginal improvement in our Niners this season.

:blank:

[quote=ā€œ919R, post:74, topic:30852ā€][quote=ā€œdmastinsc, post:73, topic:30852ā€][quote=ā€œRun49er, post:70, topic:30852ā€]Jon Rothstein includes the College of Charleston among a list of mid-majors to watch during the upcoming season.

[Quote]Charleston: With Kevin Keatts now at NC State and North Carolina-Wilmington no longer expected to sit atop the Colonial Athletic Association, the door is wide open for the Cougars to take advantage.

Earl Grant quietly directed Charleston to a 25-win season a year ago, including an appearance in the Postseason NIT and a hard-fought loss in the CAA title game.

The Cougars return three All-CAA players — guards Joe Chealey and Grant Riller and big man Jarrell Brantley.

The 6-7, 245-pound Brantley had 20 points and 11 rebounds in March’s CAA title game loss against UNC-Wilmington and could flirt with averaging a double-double next season.

Charleston will travel to face two league favorites — Wichita State and Rhode Island — before beginning conference play in the CAA next season.[/quote]
Fanragsports.com: Rothstein | 5 mid-majors to watch during 17-18 CBB season[/quote]

Living in Charleston, the plan is to go to more CofC games than Charlotte, since my need for competitive basketball will likely be met more by my local team. I’m expecting marginal improvement in our Niners this season.[/quote]

You are under-estimating Charlotte this year.

From Jeff Eisenberg:

[Quote]Also a potential scary draw in March is Charleston, a experienced, defensive-oriented team that returns all five starters from a 25-win season and is expected to dominate the traditionally balanced Colonial Athletic Association this season. Guards Joe Chealey and Grant Riller form one of the nation’s premier mid-major backcourts and versatile forward Jarrell Brantley is a three-level scorer who can also defend multiple positions.

Besides Charleston and Vermont, Middle Tennessee could once again be dangerous. Conference USA has produced first-round upsets in each of the past three NCAA tournaments, and the Blue Raiders have been responsible for two of those, toppling Michigan State and Baylor the past two seasons. Middle Tennessee graduated its pair of standout forwards, but the Blue Raiders return Conference USA’s best guard tandem in Tyrik Dixon and Giddy Potts, giving them a chance to once again (w)in the league and do some damage in March.[/quote]
Yahoo.com: Eight storylines to watch as the college basketball season gets underway

Some info on Methodist:

MUMonarchs.com:
Men’s Basketball Tops USA South Preseason Poll

Fayettevilleobserver.com: Senior Ayabarreno ready to lead Methodist to title

[quote=ā€œRun49er, post:77, topic:30852ā€]Some info on Methodist:

MUMonarchs.com:
Men’s Basketball Tops USA South Preseason Poll

Fayettevilleobserver.com: Senior Ayabarreno ready to lead Methodist to title[/quote]

Hard pass on reading this. What’s everyone up to tomorrow night?

[quote=ā€œitsbraille49, post:78, topic:30852ā€][quote=ā€œRun49er, post:77, topic:30852ā€]Some info on Methodist:

MUMonarchs.com:
Men’s Basketball Tops USA South Preseason Poll

Fayettevilleobserver.com: Senior Ayabarreno ready to lead Methodist to title[/quote]

Hard pass on reading this. What’s everyone up to tomorrow night?[/quote]

Our opponent is D3 Non Scholarship, correct? Why are we playing an exhibition game on opening night? I’m a little surprised the game does not start at 4.

[quote=ā€œitsbraille49, post:78, topic:30852ā€][quote=ā€œRun49er, post:77, topic:30852ā€]Some info on Methodist:

MUMonarchs.com:
Men’s Basketball Tops USA South Preseason Poll

Fayettevilleobserver.com: Senior Ayabarreno ready to lead Methodist to title[/quote]

Hard pass on reading this. What’s everyone up to tomorrow night?[/quote]

clt will be reading.