bull_trojan

We jumped LSU in NET to go to #16, but LSU beat Tennessee so that won't last.

In the 16 seasons of competitive UB Men's Basketball (since 2003-2004) Our MAC and Big 4 Opponents are a combined 45-111 (28.85%) at Alumni Arena. Only Bona has a winning record at Alumni over that period, and Ohio is the only other team with a non-losing record. Bona 3-1 (.750). Last win: Dec. 2, 2017 (448 days ago) Ohio 8-8 (.500). Last win: Jan. 10, 2017 (774 days ago) WMU 4-6 (.400). Last win: Feb. 1, 2010 (3,309 days ago) Akron 5-10 (.333). Last win: Feb. 24, 2017 (729 days ago) Kent 5-11 (.313). Last win: Feb. 21, 2017 (732 days ago) Miami 5-11 (.313). Last win: Mar. 1, 2016 (1,089 days ago) Ball State 3-7 (.300). Last win: Jan. 14, 2017 (770 days ago) Toledo 3-7 (.300). Last win: Feb. 9, 2016 (1,110 days ago) Canisius 2-5 (.286). Last win: Nov. 24, 2009 (3,378 days ago) CMU 3-9 (.250). Last win: Feb. 14, 2015 (1,470 days ago) Niagara 1-5 (.167). Last win: Nov. 25, 2008 (3,742 days ago) Bowling Green 2-12 (.143). Last win: Jan. 8, 2011 (2,968 days ago) EMU 1-8 (.111). Last win: Feb. 4, 2004 (5,498 days ago) NIU 0-11 (.000). Last win: Feb. 6, 2003 (5,861 days ago)

I think for some this is a start of potentially big things, but for me I think often to the past. 2002-03 MBK and football won 6 combined games. SIX. And me an avid sports (but at the time not really college sports) fan decided to enroll starting 2003. It didn't get much better outside of the spark of the '04-'05 teams and the hiring of Gill. I was optimistic that we could get there, but I never dreamed of a season like this, near ranked football, fully ranked basketball what a world.

We're gonna have to start coordinating some chants for Cleveland, I'm old but I don't want to sit on my hands and golf clap.

I think our Bench lineup needs a name: I propose the BFD line: Brock-Fagan-Dom (ft Segu and Williams).

So from charting the lineups, for the most part our starters do well, we go up like 5 points, then we cycle in segu, williams, perk, caruthers, in and out, kinda playing with our food, seeing if someone gets hot and forcing the other team to use their fouls and energy, usually we just maintain the 5 point lead. Then we put in our #1 lineup (starters but w/Perk) and make an end of half run up 10. Then we start the 2nd with our #1 lineup, go +5 again, now we're quickly up 15. Then we cycle in our depth again, this time their fresh while the other teams starting 5 starts to wear down, we get another 5 points, were up 20, then we usually coast to the finish and the bench squad lets in some buckets and we win by 15.

Looking at the Merch timeline, UB hired an architect a year before they publicized renderings/approval to build. That seems backwards to me, but maybe SUNY rules, but at least gives me some hope that we've already started to move on this, and Nate knows, and once money and approval hits, they'll announce it publicly.

But like the last good UB teams just couldn't get past DJ Cooper, I don't think we matchup well against CMU. I keep seeing us play defense like a hockey PK, we let you pass it low, collapse low, and either your force up a shot in the trees, or you have to kick it out, with our guards waiting in the passing lanes. Well CMU can play catch between Hudson and Frost all day, they wont turn it over, they'll hit the hard shots, and are lights out with an open shot. In alumni they doubled Dillard all day...if Hall can be that solid shooting 3rd option and stick to Hudson without fouling, we'd have a chance but thats a tough assignment.

I think he'll want to win 30 games no matter where he is. If I was in the situation, I'd want the practice facility and a big bump in the guarantees budget so I can buy games. You can't punish a guy who never loses at home and sells out the building with this kinda schedule every year.

/bold strategy cotton

So I think cmu will get the 1 seed because it’s all Division play now and the west stinks. So i think it’s vital we get the 3 seed. If Ohio beats Miami and we beat Miami Ohio’s the 2 we’re the 3 (via h2h) Miami’s the 4. if Miami beats Ohio then we have to beat Ohio and Miami....Miami is the 2 and we’re the 3 (via division record) moral of the story is I think we have to win every game from here on to avoid cmu in the semis.

Nevada like us tried to play a tough regional schedule but then the PAC 12 ended up garbage and the MTN has underperformed. UB played a tough regional schedule with cuse and WVU and the great and powerful st bonaventure underperforming but the MAC has over performed. But by the time you get to conference play poll inertia takes hold....we’d be #8 right now without our MAC losses (whether deserved or not we’d be there)

So it's nice the MAC Champ game is on SATURDAY It stink that the MAC continues to schedule 4 teams on the final Tuesday and the other 8 teams on Friday, providing 4 teams with the potential of 3 extra rest days before the MACCG, (certainly didnt hurt NIU last year) Thanksgiving week games are a problem, but it's the last game for our seniors, and they deserve to play it at home. I wanted to do a series with Stony to play on Thanksgiving weekend, so every other year we're either playing downstate or upstate, but FCS playoffs get in the way, maybe future Army series could be set up that way, although i'm sure no UB coach wants to get beat up by Army before a potential Conference Championship Game, so back to no good solution than just playing BG.

It's gotta be nice, to be a P5 team. Florida is 14-11 (6-6) they'll get a "big win" over #13 on the road, despite LSU being really over-rated. Now Florida goes from bubble to solidly in. at 15-11 (7-6) and probably a 9 seed.

Everything looking great for us right now... I'm rooting: Rutgers over Michigan state (ranked ahead of us) Not looking great anymore Ruthers up 7 at the half, now down 12 with 6 remaining. Georgetown over Nova (ranked ahead of us) Gtown up 13 with 8 to go. Florida over LSU (ranked ahead of us) Florida up 2 with 16 to go Cuse (quality win) over L'ville (ranked ahead of us) Cuse up 8 with 18 to go Duke (transitive q-win) over UNC (ranked ahead of us) Marquette (quality loss) over Butler SDSU over Nevada (ranked ahead of us)

I am!!!

I think there is an agency issue. An AD can do what's best for him, what's best for someone else, or what's best for the department. The closer you align what is best for the AD to what is best for the department the better. But there are certain points where the agency issue may have reared up, "comprehensive master plan" vs "attainable master plan" feels like one. ADDW was a basketball guy with a plan to build a basketball powerhouse, and you'd assume a plan to ramp up facilities and coach pay to maintain his powerhouse for the long haul. But then he didn't unveil or execute said plan. Because why would he? If his Hurley hire worked, he wouldn't be here much longer, so why bother, plus he was still working on his PhD at Ole Miss at the time, only so much time in the day. Right now, another such issue exists, Nate Oats. If perchance (and this is just me thought exercising, not judging any current AD) our AD wants to be the AD at Missouri, and Missouri says, bring Oats and the job is yours, it would be in our AD's best interest to not sign Oats, not lock him down and not update facilities. If our AD wants to be a P5 AD, and feels like keeping Oats would be a gold star on his resume, then we'd be pretty well aligned. If our AD, puts the program into massive debt to do so, and then leaves before that debt has to be paid, that would be a little less-well aligned.

I was charged up for Gill Bowl I, but now if I can make a trip, I'll try to do Penn State which I missed the previous couple of times.

True to form I didn't catch a UB mention on the "late" sportscenter. I did get a Bowling Green highlight. I can't say I was completely locked in for the full episode so I may be wrong, but I don't think I am.

I can't be mad at him for what he did. ADDW was speeding towards his goals, and we got better as we swam in his wake. I think he miscalculated on NYBI, but he accurately estimated that the UB base craved a plan. We knew we needed a fieldhouse for 20 years, he created a plan and 5 years later we have one. We have known we need a stadium solution for 20 years (track is fine truthers excluded), 20 years, no plan, no results. Even with Alumni, we KNEW we'd be good this year, even if we don't beat Arizona, last year at this time we had won 2 of 3 MACs, we were molly-whopping the MAC, and everyone was coming back minus Wes. We should have had a "keep Oats & optimize the money from Alumni" plan unveiled last March.

Being thousands of miles away, I noticed a big shift between being sub 15 ranked, sub 20 ranked and now 21-25. Sub 15 - Even the local guys were talking about Buffalo in their shows, we'd be in the highlight package with the top few games of the day. So it's Duke wins, Michigan wins, UB wins.... 16-20 - We'd get our score on the ESPN radio rundown, still get a short highlight and score on ESPN 21-25 - No mention on the radio or on ESPN highlights. BUT Still flashing on that bottom line! 26+ No mention ever.

If you blow out the south side and put a "200" level club over the baseline seats which would be non-ticketed social/SRO space that can be used to pack the building when demand calls for it, or can just be nice social space when demand is low, without making the arena feel empty. Then blow out the East side and add a sideline club for the money'd. Then you can free up some sideline seats for True blue, to hopefully up the energy level. Give those seats to students based on their loyalty points via the student marketing app. I think that solves all the problems.

BECAUSE THIS IS AN INTERCONNECTED-LACK OF A COHESIVE MASTER PLAN PROBLEM! White's plan was a) Uninspiring b) now 5 years old, and already primarily completed or abandoned so we are currently operating without a plan. Ultimately I think White plan was more about getting the master plan on the resume of the AD than it was about making UB better. Saying donate, without a plan is basically taxation without representation. Send your money, but we wont give you any information on how we'll spend it. No thanks. We need a real master plan.

Opportunities #24 Maryland goes to #21 Iowa #21 Iowa also hosts 'why aren't they better' Indiana #20 Virginia Tech hosts #3 Virginia #19 Iowa State hosts Baylor and goes to TCU #18 Louisville goest to Syracuse and hosts #3 Virginia #17 Villanova goes to Georgetown and Xavier #16 FSU goes to Clemson and #8 UNC #15 Purdue at 'why aren't they better' Indiana #14 Texas Tech vs #12 Kansas #13 LSU vs Florida and #5 Tennessee Cuse just got destroyed by NC State but is still strongly a 8-10 seed. I assume if they beat Louisville and Duke this week they'll be #25 next week. I hate it, but it's good for us. WVU could do us a solid by beating #23 K State today.

I felt like our best recruits during the Hurley era were Oats' guys. That's why we were so high on Oats replacing Hurley, had no idea how he'd do X's and O's, but felt he'd keep the team together and be able to restock the cupboard... My worry was how good would his recruiting be once he was 4-5 years out of the HS game, turns out he just went ahead and got ranked so he wont have to worry too much about that.