Are Johnny's Big Wins In The Regular Season

[Harry]

As excited as I am about the wins over WKU, Tulsa and NCC I still think the conference tourney will be the ultimate yardstick that Johnny is measured by this year. Let me say this for the record, I am impressed with the talent that Johnny has put together especially when you consider that Flemings and Dennis are set to play next year.

I think Johnny has realized the importance of landing transfers that want to get closer to home and get playing time. The Michael Sturns signing is starting to look huge.

I am starting to feel very optimistic about the basketball program at UNT and I just hope that it will continue throughout the year and into the Sun Belt tourney. By beating WKU on their floor I think it is realistic to think we could land a spot in the big dance and just think of what excitement that would provide us!

GMG!

[marc_moffitt]

By all standards of measure, the only one that counts is ultimately the Conference Tournament in our situation.

We have to be able to prove ourselves in conference first at this point.

I would rather be a conference champion, and in the NCAA Tournament, than have upsets against mid-majors.

A trophy always looks better than memories

I know that we always say "well you have to be able to wim OOC games or the conference doesn't matter"

But if you are winning OOC games, and can't win in the Conference against lesser teams, then what good is the OOC games?

This is the same struggle that the football program has had over the past few years. We won the conference 4 times, and still didn't get any respect because we couldn't beat OOC teams. The mean green nation was excited, but nobody (press) cared.

[UNTSIG]

i think that they are of equal importance. i think that if JJ can finish this season with 5 losses or less, we will get invited to either the NIT of NCAA (between 6-8 we are a "bubble team, more than that we should just pray). JJ has to get invited to one or the other in order for this season to be considered successful. we have to win a bunch of regular season games to serve as an "insurance policy" against not winning the sun belt tournament. the ideal situation would be for us to win the conference tournament but basketball is a different sport. it's about who is hot at the time. teams don't stay consistent the whole year in basketball. we could easily go into the conference tourney as the best team and lose one game. it happens every year to someone. i think we have to continue to win in the regular season and then hope that we are hot going into the confernce tourney

[mwynn05]

i think that they are of equal importance. i think that if JJ can finish this season with 5 losses or less, we will get invited to either the NIT of NCAA (between 6-8 we are a "bubble team, more than that we should just pray). JJ has to get invited to one or the other in order for this season to be considered successful. we have to win a bunch of regular season games to serve as an "insurance policy" against not winning the sun belt tournament. the ideal situation would be for us to win the conference tournament but basketball is a different sport. it's about who is hot at the time. teams don't stay consistent the whole year in basketball. we could easily go into the conference tourney as the best team and lose one game. it happens every year to someone. i think we have to continue to win in the regular season and then hope that we are hot going into the confernce tourney

We lost to New Orleans and we have only played one major team and got KILLED all at large chance to the NCAA's are done

[CMJ]

Agreed, no way do we get an at large bid to the NCAA. I can see us getting into the NIT if we roll up a high enough win total...and say lose in the SBC final.

[mwynn05]

Agreed, no way do we get an at large bid to the NCAA. I can see us getting into the NIT if we roll up a high enough win total...and say lose in the SBC final.

Regular season champ gets an automatic bid to the NIT now im not sure if that goes for each division

[CMJ]

Regular season champ gets an automatic bid to the NIT now im not sure if that goes for each division

Yeah, I knew about the NIT rule - but I doubt division winners do? Granted not alot of leagues have divisons, so I figure the NIT hadn't even really thought about it.

Edited December 20, 2006 by CMJ

[UNTSIG]

i agree. i think that if we have 5 losses or less we will get into the NIT. the ncaa?? what was I thinking?

[foutsrouts]

i agree. i think that if we have 5 losses or less we will get into the NIT. the ncaa?? what was I thinking?

Five losses means we only lose once before the conference tournament. Less than five losses means we win out in the regular season. I like this team but either case would surprise me. Two more regular season losses + the tournament loss would give us six losses and almost certainly an NIT berth. Any more than that gets questionable. Let's just win the SBC tournament and make it simple. If this team continues to come together (with KD), I wouldn't completely rule out an upset in the NCAA's. We've got talent, depth, and experience inside and out.

[mwynn05]

Five losses means we only lose once before the conference tournament. Less than five losses means we win out in the regular season. I like this team but either case would surprise me. Two more regular season losses + the tournament loss would give us six losses and almost certainly an NIT berth. Any more than that gets questionable. Let's just win the SBC tournament and make it simple. If this team continues to come together (with KD), I wouldn't completely rule out an upset in the NCAA's. We've got talent, depth, and experience inside and out.

We cant count on an at large even if we win out and lose in the conference tourney championship at the buzzer....I would actually be surprised if we did get an at large, the reason, not so much the Sun Belt as the fact that we aren't an established team