Greendylan

Wow, didn't know that... If he can defend like his brother, we might be in trouble.

It doesn't feel like anything has changed since disastrously playing them last season.

It's the first day of the season, which is a time for optimism, so I'll lean toward positivity and say 7-6.

Thanks, that's good to know! Seems like a great new venue.

Wow, how did I not already know about this place? It looks spectacular, and we'll definitely try to make it out there tonight!

Interesting . . . Can we safely assume that they will stay open later than their usual closing time of 10:00?

I guess it's nice that Tarrant County is represented in some form, but it's still surprising that with the abundance of great venues in Fort Worth--nothing. There isn't even much else to compete with in the world of sports at that time.

Is this really your impression of him? I'm legitimately wondering where this opinion is coming from (not asking rhetorically to be snarky). I've only interacted with him briefly on a couple occasions at Coaches' Caravans, but he came across to me as warm and friendly.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/lsu-to-hire-matt-mcmahon-tigers-program-turns-to-murray-state-coach-after-firing-will-wade/

I think the season just ended with that last series.

Interesting. Overall, I'm going to interpret this as a slight advantage for a team like ours without a deep rotation. However, it could also encourage more fouling in the post by opposing teams trying to test the shaky FT shooting of Bell et al.

Folks, since we joined CUSA the number one seed has only won the tournament twice (in seven tries) prior to this year. One of those teams was a 31-win MTSU team that was an overwhelming favorite. Our offense, which was already not particularly good, didn't show up today against another good defensive team. These things happen, and we are now officially a bubble team. Realistically, we are probably headed for the NIT as one of the highest seeds. That's actually a really awesome opportunity!

Yeah . . . it doesn't matter how good the defense is. When you score 13 points in the first half, you aren't going to win.

I'm not trying to split hairs here. Style points certainly do have their benefit in a sport that has a committee determine a team's worthiness of the postseason and/or position. But, I do have to say that teams rise and fall in the NET all the time while idle--based upon how their opponents perform.

I'm pretty sure we won by double digits. And, I think the slight NET drop had more to do with other games than our margin of victory.

Road wins in conference play are rarely blowouts, and that is especially true when you play a slow, plodding style. For the sake of comparison, let's look at #22 Murray State's last two road games: 2-point victory over UT-Martin (8-22), 2-point victory over SE Missouri State (14-17). Also, I feel like we are sort of burying the lead here. With only one game left, we are the only team in the nation that is undefeated in true road games!

I'm probably more bullish than most, but I tend to think North Texas is in if we win out, regardless of what happens in the CUSA tournament. I'll go out on a limb and say we could even lose one of the remaining games and still have a shot, but that would very much depend on how the chips fall across other conferences. Just a couple points to consider: Last season no team with a 41 or better NET ranking was left out. We are sitting at 38 at the moment, and were at 41 even before the UAB game. Also, the committee is always vocal about valuing teams that can win on the road--and we have the best road record in the nation. We also have statistically the best defense in the nation. I think North Texas is an intriguing team to a lot of people around the country. But, as CBL pointed out, there are certainly events beyond our control (such as upsets in conference tournaments or big wins by other bubble teams) that could throw a monkey wrench into all of this. Still, if the field were to be announced today, I think we'd be in.

We are now receiving votes in both polls. Not as many as I was expecting, but it's a start.

Wichita State has an opportunity for a Quad 1 win today.

You don't want me to be honest. TP would probably get a little creeped out.

There's just no consistency to this officiating.

It's early, but so far UAB is replicating their rebounding dominance from the last matchup, and we look lost on offense.

We're playing against teams that are a combined 27-4 at home. Most CUSA teams would go 0-2 against them. On the flip side of that, North Texas has the best true road record in the nation (6-0), so I don't want to imply that we have no chance of winning both. Overall, though, the good news is that I could see a scenario where both our NET ranking and position in the CUSA standings remain largely the same or better if we go 1-1.

It has been awhile for CUSA, but keep in mind that in 2013 both MTSU and Western Kentucky received bids (Blue Raiders as the at large) as members of the Sun Belt. Don't get me wrong...it's an uphill climb. If the past is any indication, though, a team from a midmajor conference such as ours probably needs to be receiving some top-25 votes to really be in good shape. Also, while technically not a factor, our results last year help.