Every year at the beginning of the season we speculate about what it would take to get an at large invite. The reality after today is that there is nothing we can do to get an at large invite. The regular season is meaningless. Several mid majors from much better leagues than cusa got left out among them were Monmoth and San Diego State. Wichita State is forced to play in a playin game. CUSA is a one bid 15 seed league. We will never get multiple bids. Maybe scheduling cupcakes is the way to go, because we non conference wins are irrelevant.
Our regular season resume is irrelevant
- Thread starter Minerforlife
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Yep -- looks like Floyd and Stull had that CUSA reality in mind when they put this season's schedule together.
Still, they should reward the fans with some better matchups since the potential losses won't matter either, and might better prepare the team for their one shot -- winning the CUSA tournament.
I don't think UTEP should play tougher teams to bolster their rpi necessarily, but rather to see what it takes to hang with the big boys. It's also, as already mentioned, more interesting for fans.
Unfortunately for teams in CUSA, a team probably has to have 4 or fewer losses on the season and at least 2-3 top 50 rpi wins or 6-7 top 100 rpi wins to get any serious at-large consideration.
Unfortunately for teams in CUSA, a team probably has to have 4 or fewer losses on the season and at least 2-3 top 50 rpi wins or 6-7 top 100 rpi wins to get any serious at-large consideration.
They needed to beat 2 of the 3 (Auburn, Illinois, Va Tech) in November to be seriously in the discussion. And they probably would have needed to make the CUSA championship game.
This post is a knee jerk reaction to this years results and our down year in conference. This is not the norm and your post is not at all accurate in most years. Every year that I can remember up until this year a conference USA team has had one or two teams on the bubble of an at large bid and utep was an at large bid in 2010. Do some research before making a statement based on one year of results, every year is different in college basketball yes non conference does matter!!!!
2010 Conference USA was a much different league. Now we are in the bottom third of d1 basketball conferences. Its not getting better. Since realignment look at the win totals of cusa teams. Some years teams have won 27 games and havent gotten in. This league is and will continue to be a one bid league. To think this league will get multi bids is delusional.
Im telling you, in today's CUSA, it's not as much about how many games a team wins as it is about how few a team loses. To an extent the two go hand in hand, but fewer losses > more wins because wins just aren't valued in a weak conference. Also, a team from CUSA better show up in ooc games. UAB's profile would have been much different with wins over Va Tech and illinois, which obviously would've been two less losses as well.
I think scheduling tough/competitive OOC can help with recruiting, too - top recruits want to be challenged by playing top teams instead of cupcakes.....see where they stack up.
Not just 2010 last year 2 ODU was first 4 out with 7 losses need I go on, cause I can and on n on n on..... CUSUA just sucked this year! Usually this conference is in top 12 RPI My point is this year was not the norm, look back and check for yourself! Your post is only specific to this year. Now your correct, CUSA has been receiving only one bid, but they have always had a team close to that last 4 out until this year! Scheduling non conference an then actually winning those non conference games is what's key! ODU did that last year, but fell short in conference, but still almost made it. Unfortunately it takes a lot for a team from Cusa to get an at large. IE..... 1 to 2 top 50, 4 to 6 top 100 no bad losses to 200+ and reg season title with conf record of at least 14-2! So yes difficult, but only impossible if you schedule a weak non conference or you schedule a strong non conference, but lose all the tough games!
That is correct nattybry. It was a down year for the conference. The key is to schedule tough non-conference teams, win those games, and hope those teams we scheduled (and hopefully defeated) don't have a down year. If that is accomplished there is a good chance we get an invitation to the Big Dance even if we don't win the CUSA tournament.
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