Is this the best team we've had in the A-10?

Didn’t Bobby’s final team finish 5th in regular season? It’s looking like we may not finish that high this year. Like you mentioned our 1st season in the A10 was good too. Did we finish 2nd? We lost a good portion of our OOC games and then won most of our conference games. I’m sure the conference loved us bringing down everyone’s rpi that year.[/quote]Right on both, tied for 5th that last year, and second behind undefeated GW that first year. The conference is much better this year than it was either of those years (and really any year since we’ve been in the A10), and much much deeper. Ten teams top 100 rpi currently this year (with Dayton, GW, and SBU all 100-125). In Lutz’ last year, the conference had 7 top 100 and 1 team 100-125.

I think the odds are that we finish 8-8 this year. The easiest remaining games are at Duquesne, then Dayton and St. Joes at home. Winning those gives the Niners 8 wins in conference. Beating Temple at home would be 9 wins, so very doable. The Niners might steal a road win at the Bonnies, but I wouldn’t count on it. If they did, that’s 10 wins, and a very exciting end of the season.

Incidentally, if the team plays to expectations and goes 8-8, we’d still likely have a road game to start the conference tournament and try to make Brooklyn, as I don’t think a .500 record would be top 8 in the conference.

No, but that is unlikely.[/quote]

No but this is Niner basketball.[/quote] I actually agree that a sub .500 finish is definitely possible, because the remaining games are still tougher than the bulk of our schedule thus far. But if there’s one thing this Niners team has proven so far this season, it’s that they tend to win the ones they are expected to and they tend to win at home against similar teams. I don’t think the team has lost a game they’ve been favored in all year, though I can’t remember the spread on the FSU game, so that might be one. After the home Temple game, I think the Niners will be favored in their last two home games (b/c I’m guessing they beat Temple at home).

Didn’t Bobby’s final team finish 5th in regular season? It’s looking like we may not finish that high this year. Like you mentioned our 1st season in the A10 was good too. Did we finish 2nd? We lost a good portion of our OOC games and then won most of our conference games. I’m sure the conference loved us bringing down everyone’s rpi that year.[/quote]Right on both, tied for 5th that last year, and second behind undefeated GW that first year. The conference is much better this year than it was either of those years (and really any year since we’ve been in the A10), and much much deeper. Ten teams top 100 rpi currently this year (with Dayton, GW, and SBU all 100-125). In Lutz’ last year, the conference had 7 top 100 and 1 team 100-125.

I think the odds are that we finish 8-8 this year. The easiest remaining games are at Duquesne, then Dayton and St. Joes at home. Winning those gives the Niners 8 wins in conference. Beating Temple at home would be 9 wins, so very doable. The Niners might steal a road win at the Bonnies, but I wouldn’t count on it. If they did, that’s 10 wins, and a very exciting end of the season.

Incidentally, if the team plays to expectations and goes 8-8, we’d still likely have a road game to start the conference tournament and try to make Brooklyn, as I don’t think a .500 record would be top 8 in the conference.[/quote]

To my knowledge, all A-10 Tournament games are in Brooklyn.

[quote=“wild-Bill49, post:23, topic:27479”]To my knowledge, all A-10 Tournament games are in Brooklyn.[/quote]Really? I totally missed that change for this year. If so, that makes a first round win more likely.

All that said- I can see 9-7. Just need to win some on the road

This is a link to the schedule for those interested.

I think this team finishes 9-7 in conference. Last year, that was good to be tied for 5th. Keep in mind, we own the tiebreaker over La Salle, Xavier, and Umass. Interesting to see where 9-7 would put us come Brooklyn.

[quote=“wild-Bill49, post:26, topic:27479”]http://www.atlantic10.com/championships/m-baskbl-2013.html

This is a link to the schedule for those interested.[/quote] Well that settles it. I think the Niners have a very good shot at a first round win even if they end up as a lower seed. It will depend greatly on the matchup we get, but this team should do pretty well in tournament play on a neutral court.

[quote=“9erken, post:28, topic:27479”][quote=“wild-Bill49, post:26, topic:27479”]http://www.atlantic10.com/championships/m-baskbl-2013.html

This is a link to the schedule for those interested.[/quote] Well that settles it. I think the Niners have a very good shot at a first round win even if they end up as a lower seed. It will depend greatly on the matchup we get, but this team should do pretty well in tournament play on a neutral court.[/quote]

Depending on match-ups, I could see this team making the semifinals. That would definitely put us in NIT territory. I really feel that’s where this team belongs this year. We’re not quite a tournament team, but we should be going forward.

Can I give you my answer at the end of the season? We still have over a month of basketball and too much stuff can happen, both good and bad.

[quote=“wild-Bill49, post:29, topic:27479”][quote=“9erken, post:28, topic:27479”][quote=“wild-Bill49, post:26, topic:27479”]http://www.atlantic10.com/championships/m-baskbl-2013.html

This is a link to the schedule for those interested.[/quote] Well that settles it. I think the Niners have a very good shot at a first round win even if they end up as a lower seed. It will depend greatly on the matchup we get, but this team should do pretty well in tournament play on a neutral court.[/quote]

Depending on match-ups, I could see this team making the semifinals. That would definitely put us in NIT territory. I really feel that’s where this team belongs this year. We’re not quite a tournament team, but we should be going forward.[/quote]

If we have to do that much just to make the NIT, then that will mean an epic collapse down the stretch. I think we will make the NIT whether we get that far in the A10 or not. 20-21 wins and we’re in the NIT.

time to start drinking the Green Kool-aid. We win the next 3 and we are bubble dancing baby! That would make us the best A10 team we have fielded. I think we were better Braswell’s freshman year, but we underachieved. This year we are overachieving.

OVERACHIEVING??? Tell me about all our great wins?..Davidson on the road…Lasalle and UMASS at home?

We’re slightly above mediocre.

[quote=“lucky57, post:33, topic:27479”]OVERACHIEVING??? Tell me about all our great wins?..Davidson on the road…Lasalle and UMASS at home?

We’re slightly above mediocre.[/quote]

It’s not about great wins…OOC we beat who we should beat and lose to who we should lose to. In conference we have beaten good teams and have gotten beat by teams we were better than. That’s conference. This conference is one of the best in the country. We are right in the middle of it and to me…that is awesome.

[quote=“sportsman1417, post:34, topic:27479”][quote=“lucky57, post:33, topic:27479”]OVERACHIEVING??? Tell me about all our great wins?..Davidson on the road…Lasalle and UMASS at home?

We’re slightly above mediocre.[/quote]

It’s not about great wins…OOC we beat who we should beat and lose to who we should lose to. In conference we have beaten good teams and have gotten beat by teams we were better than. That’s conference. This conference is one of the best in the country. We are right in the middle of it and to me…that is awesome.[/quote]

I think we would have much more to hang our hat on if we had beaten FSU and either Temple or VCU. IMO Lucky does have a point. I’m withholding judgement until the end of the season. Hopefully we can win 1 of the next 2 (gonna be tough) and 2 of the next 3 (gonna be even tougher).

I would probably still rank the 05-06 team slightly ahead of this one. One thing both those teams have in common (so far atleast) is that neither has been able to get the big win to move them into serious NCAA discussion. This years team doesn’t have some of the bad losses the 05/06 team did though.