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Post by matersammich on Dec 3, 2014 10:11:52 GMT -5
Big East looking to go 3-0 tonight. No notable opponents though. Don't knock DePaul's win. NIU was 3-1. All teams play cupcakes in the OOC. Check Duke's schedule. Today's opponents are .500 or better. I agree it's a good win but I don't think anyone outside of the Big East will notice.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Dec 3, 2014 11:44:22 GMT -5
Don't knock DePaul's win. NIU was 3-1. All teams play cupcakes in the OOC. Check Duke's schedule. Today's opponents are .500 or better. I agree it's a good win but I don't think anyone outside of the Big East will notice. Every win is a good win! The only thing that's bad are the bad losses, and those have been precious few this year. This is a big weekend for the league. League members play Rutgers, St. Joe's, Northwestern, Syracuse, Alabama, and Nebraska, each of whom is likely to finish with no worse than a middling RPI but isn't so good as to make a win improbable. Just the sort of games where the league can do serious damage. (Marquette also plays Wisconsin, but that's harder obviously.) Also some good chances for decent wins tonight. We're getting somewhat late in the non-conference season, so the conference RPIs and perceptions will become increasingly harder to move. It's imperative that we have enough decent teams so that it's fairly easy for us to at least match last year's 4 bids and hopefully get more. Last year, there were 7 top 100 RPI teams, 3 top 50 teams, and 4 NCAA teams. So far this year, there are 8 top 100 teams and 4 top 50 teams. Those numbers will move as the non-conference schedule progresses, but we need to start the conference schedule with at least similar statistics. DePaul is not going to move into the top 100, but Creighton (the other team not there now) certainly could. And we could certainly have more than 4 top 50 RPI teams. We just need the league to keep winning.
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Post by hoyalove4ever on Dec 3, 2014 11:50:49 GMT -5
I am pumped up for Provy's trashing of Benedict Arnold University on Friday.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Dec 3, 2014 11:56:26 GMT -5
League success will largely be defined in March. That is where we need not only five or more to get in, but three or more to make the second weekend. That is when league strength gets noticed.
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Post by sleepyjackson21 on Dec 3, 2014 12:01:31 GMT -5
There is actually light at the end of the tunnel for DePaul. Their three best players have sophmore eligibility and construction on the new stadium is about to begin. 2016-2017 will bring DePaul back into the city and they should have a nice senior led team with Billy Garrett, Tommie Hamilton and Myke Henry.
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njhoya78
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Post by njhoya78 on Dec 3, 2014 12:29:42 GMT -5
There will only be light at the end of the tunnel for DePaul when there is a new head coach, and probably a new athletic director as well. New facilities don't always translate into wins (for further evidence, please see Seton Hall since moving into Prudential Center in downtown Newark), and talented teams don't always win (for further evidence on the football side, please see Gerry Faust at Notre Dame).
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prhoya
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Post by prhoya on Dec 3, 2014 12:31:05 GMT -5
League success will largely be defined in March. That is where we need not only five or more to get in, but three or more to make the second weekend. That is when league strength gets noticed. In the meantime, see Aleutian's post.
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TBird41
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Post by TBird41 on Dec 3, 2014 12:51:28 GMT -5
League success will largely be defined in March. That is where we need not only five or more to get in, but three or more to make the second weekend. That is when league strength gets noticed. In the meantime, see Aleutian's post. A lot easier to accomplish more in March if the league has more success in the non-conference (as Aleutian's post shows). The more teams do well in the non-conference portion, the more teams you are likely to get in, and the more teams you get in, the better your shot at having teams make a run in the tournament.
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hoyaboya
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Post by hoyaboya on Dec 3, 2014 13:15:57 GMT -5
There is actually light at the end of the tunnel for DePaul. Their three best players have sophmore eligibility and construction on the new stadium is about to begin. 2016-2017 will bring DePaul back into the city and they should have a nice senior led team with Billy Garrett, Tommie Hamilton and Myke Henry. Henry's a redshirt junior, only has one more year of eligibility after this one. Has been a great addition for DePaul, though, perfect fit for what Purnell runs.
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njhoya78
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Post by njhoya78 on Dec 3, 2014 13:58:52 GMT -5
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Post by aleutianhoya on Dec 3, 2014 14:05:28 GMT -5
In the meantime, see Aleutian's post. A lot easier to accomplish more in March if the league has more success in the non-conference (as Aleutian's post shows). The more teams do well in the non-conference portion, the more teams you are likely to get in, and the more teams you get in, the better your shot at having teams make a run in the tournament. It's all a numbers game. The Missouri Valley made a ton of hay last decade by scheduling cleverly and, thus, entering conference play with virtually every team rated in the top 100 even though none was much higher than that and none was subjectively all that good. But it meant that come March, the top half of the league would necessarily have a ton of top 100 wins and, thus, have a good RPI and challenge for a bid. We want to work toward (and this year appear to so far be accomplishing) the same goal. Sure, it's even better if you can get a couple of true national title contenders (or at least highly rated teams in the polls) in the mix each year. That piece we actually had last year, but we didn't have enough overall "decent" teams going into conference play to make the math work to our overall favor and earn more bids. The ACC has had the opposite problem over the past decade -- they have excellent teams at the very top but then not enough decent teams filling out the league. So the rest of the league doesn't beat the excellent teams enough to earn top tier wins. It's possible we'll enter league play with 9 out of 10 top 100 RPI teams and it's very realistic that we'll have five top 50 teams. Having one or two of those top 50 teams be in the top 10 would be even better, but it would still be a terrific achievement regardless and would virtually guarantee us four bids with legitimate chances at more. I certainly agree that March ultimately defines a league (unfair as it is). But, at least to me, March is a crapshoot, and the more teams we can get in there, the better chance we have overall. Last year, Nova lost to the national champion, but did so at a point at which it was considered a huge upset so it looked bad for the league (somewhat similar to our loss to Davidson). At a minimum, we need to consistently earn more bids than the worst "power" conference in any given year. We did that last year. We need to do it again this year.
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Post by sleepyjackson21 on Dec 3, 2014 14:14:00 GMT -5
My mistake. Henry only has one more year. Still, at least they are starting to dig themselves out of hole. NJ, i think new facilities are a must for DePaul. Nobody wants to play in the AllState Arena and absolutely nobody wants to watch a game there. It's not going to solve all their problems but at least its a start.
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Post by hoyalove4ever on Dec 3, 2014 14:24:44 GMT -5
There will only be light at the end of the tunnel for DePaul when there is a new head coach, and probably a new athletic director as well. New facilities don't always translate into wins (for further evidence, please see Seton Hall since moving into Prudential Center in downtown Newark), and talented teams don't always win (for further evidence on the football side, please see Gerry Faust at Notre Dame). What problem do you perceive with DePaul's coaching situation? Just that they haven't won? Or do you think that the coaching has actually hindered the team? I haven't followed them closely enough to have a strong opinion. I have always thought Purnell was/is a solid coach, and that DePaul has a tough situation. I also always felt that it was at least a five year, and perhaps more like a eight year, rebuilding project. I guess we'll see.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2014 14:26:09 GMT -5
That trophy is actually much cooler than I thought it would be. Go shupirates.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2014 15:02:58 GMT -5
The AAC is looking like a one bid league fwiw
Uconn and… Even they might be in trouble if they don’t win some of their better ooc games coming up.
Memphis lost to Stephen A Austin last night at Home also.
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Post by sleepyjackson21 on Dec 3, 2014 15:20:05 GMT -5
I don't mind the coaching staff at DePaul. Purnell was solid at Clemson, at least in terms of turning that program around. I think the main problem with DePaul is AllState Arena. That place has destroyed any interest in Depaul basketball. It's just too far away from campus and located in the WORST traffic bottleneck in the city. Its such a pain to get out there that many refuse to go to games. It's ten times worse than the old Cap Centre. Move DePaul back into the city and attendence will skyrocket. DePaul used to own Chicago and there are still plenty of casual basketball fans who would come back if they gave them a reason to come back. The new arena is going to be located by Soldier Field and that's another plus because it's close to the southside of Chicago. They need to get back to recruiting and getting Chicago kids. Billy Garrett, Tommie Hamilton and Myke Henry are all pretty well known city kids so that'll help in building back interest.
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njhoya78
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Post by njhoya78 on Dec 3, 2014 15:21:17 GMT -5
There will only be light at the end of the tunnel for DePaul when there is a new head coach, and probably a new athletic director as well. New facilities don't always translate into wins (for further evidence, please see Seton Hall since moving into Prudential Center in downtown Newark), and talented teams don't always win (for further evidence on the football side, please see Gerry Faust at Notre Dame). What problem do you perceive with DePaul's coaching situation? Just that they haven't won? Or do you think that the coaching has actually hindered the team? I haven't followed them closely enough to have a strong opinion. I have always thought Purnell was/is a solid coach, and that DePaul has a tough situation. I also always felt that it was at least a five year, and perhaps more like a eight year, rebuilding project. I guess we'll see. My perception is that Oliver Purnell did not, and does not, have sufficient contacts in the Chicago area to recruit local athletes successfully, and get them to stay in Chicago as compared to going to other schools such as Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, and the like who recruit heavily in Chicago. DePaul doesn't provide the same type of campus experience as other schools, and the depths to which the program had sunk after Dave Leitao left for the UVa job are a very big hole out of which to dig. As a result, Purnell is not likely to get "big-time" recruits from outside of Chicagoland because of the campus "experience" available to students at DePaul as compared to other schools. I may be harsh in my judgment of Purnell, who had success at Radford, Old Dominion, Dayton and Clemson before taking the Blue Demons job. However, this job is unlike those at his prior positions: he went from mid-majors, where recruiting targets were at a lower level and competition on the court was less fierce, to Clemson, where the basketball program is an afterthought behind the football program. Now, he is at a school where basketball comes ahead of the other sports, and we've seen four seasons of poor results. I haven't seen any real improvement from season to season since he's been there. What's worse, the disconnect between DePaul's program and its fans and former players, which was exacerbated by the manner in which the school treated the Meyers, has apparently moved from anger to ambivalence. Very few fans want to make the trip to Rosemont to see this team play; hopefully, that issue will be resolved by the move to the new building at McCormick Place, but to paraphrase Yogi Berrra, "You can't stop them if they don't want to come." DePaul has to win the fans back. DePaul also has to repair those burned bridges between themselves and the players who brought the program to impressive heights in the seventies and eighties. Soapbox time: If I were running things there, I'd get the former players involved with the program on a more visible basis. I'd reach out for Joey Meyer and bring him back as a goodwill ambassador. Yes, these two moves are window dressing to a degree, but the public perception of DePaul has to change. I'd then get a head coach, with assistants, all of whom are connected to Chicago, and recruit the hell out of Chi-town; dare I say it, but there is an assistant coach on the Georgetown bench who fits that bill to a tee. You are right in that this is not a short-term project, but this is year five now. The win over Stanford is a promising sign, but let's see them do this in the regular season.
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Post by sleepyjackson21 on Dec 3, 2014 16:30:18 GMT -5
You are right that Oliver Purnell does not have sufficient contacts in Chicago. He is in the process of building relationships but it takes time. Billy Garrett Sr. is the guy who needs to get things done on the recruiting front. Having the three city kids leading this team is a good sign. AAU coaches are watching.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Dec 3, 2014 17:15:52 GMT -5
One reason Fred Hill (Jr.) was "the world's only over-emotionally-invested Rutgers baseball fan" is because his father, Fred Hill Sr., was the head baseball coach of the Rutgers nine for the past thirty years; he just retired this past spring. There is little doubt that Fred Hill Sr.'s influence had a great deal to do with his son's being hired as head basketball coach in the first place, and likewise delayed any prompt removal from that position thereafter. That... is also in the article. You should read it - it's surprisingly good! I don't mind the coaching staff at DePaul. Purnell was solid at Clemson, at least in terms of turning that program around. I think the main problem with DePaul is AllState Arena. That place has destroyed any interest in Depaul basketball. It's just too far away from campus and located in the WORST traffic bottleneck in the city. Its such a pain to get out there that many refuse to go to games. It's ten times worse than the old Cap Centre. Move DePaul back into the city and attendence will skyrocket. DePaul used to own Chicago and there are still plenty of casual basketball fans who would come back if they gave them a reason to come back. The new arena is going to be located by Soldier Field and that's another plus because it's close to the southside of Chicago. Yea, there's just such a massive disconnect between DePaul and AllState Arena that it negates practically any advantage the team has in being located in Chicago. If they were getting top-notch national players and a perennial top 25 team, it might not matter, but it's very poor soil from which to try to raise up a program in today's context. I'm hopeful that the arena will help, even if the way it was pushed through by Rahmbo was... sketchy at best. And the cost keeps going up... ( www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20141122/ISSUE07/311229983/that-new-depaul-arena-is-a-real-dog)
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Post by HeartAttackHoya on Dec 3, 2014 17:21:35 GMT -5
Tulsa will give Creighton a tough matchup tonight. Otherwise impressed with the lower tier of big east school's performances to date.
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