MBB: Great South Athletic Conference

[Spencer Beaty]

Bo Mason is probably the most underated player in the conference.  By the end of the year he will be averaging 15+ points per.  Murvul has so much depth this year that it isnt even funny.

[Ralph Turner]

Congratulations to Murvul, "#27" in the week 2 poll.  You are only 12 votes out of 25th.  I expect you to rise into the Top 25 after the next 1-2 weeks of losses by higher ranked teams.

There are 3 dynamics that work on the Top 25.  You get your initial ranking based on the previous year's outcome plus anticipated new players.  After that 1st ranking, then you float upwards as higher ranked teams lose and fall their 8-10 spots with the loss.  In the uncommon case of a major upset of a highly ranked team by a team of unanticipated quality, the "newbie" may gain traction on the way up.

Murvul is on the "float" up!

[wilburt]

Coach Beaty

What in the world are you talking about now?  Your incoherent ramblings are difficult to follow, much less understand, as it is!  Do you know what a complete sentence is? It is what you use to convey a complete thought .   

Go listen to Matt Grubb and Doug, I admire those guys opinions and they are a couple of Murvul fans with some common sense and perspective.  So keep on with your little insults and digs about FISK if they make you feel better about Maryville.  It just shows your petty mindedness and latent insecurities to the rest of the people who post on the board!

[scottiedoug]

William:  I mostly agree w/ your post #177.  The lack of national respect for the Scots is an old issue.  It will not be "fixed" until MC beats some respected teams, even if they beat everybody else.  Fisk's schedule does have some real challenges (the likes of which I would schedule too if I had all those guys returning!).

You still have to beat the Scots some, though, to climb into national respectability.  Looks like this year is a good opportunity (but don't count on it!).

I am not sure playing and even beating DI, DII and NAIA schools helps much with the national ranking stuff within DIII. For southern schools that cannot easily schedule the usual DIII powerhouses, it creates a dilemma.  Beating the scholarship schools does not help much and losing to them just messes up the won-lost stats that people who do not know much else rely on.

[mattgrubb]

I agree with Wilburt, but here are some differences
A loss is a loss, no matter who it is against
Playing scholarship schools is a different game, it can look impressive, but if a D3 school is beating a scholarship school they obviously don't have a good "system" that they run effectively, which is what the power D3 teams do very well
Also, Fisk has got to beat the Mississippi Colleges and Randy Macs, so whoever wins the MC/Fisk matchup can have national respect, even if the teams split, if both teams have strong nonconference wins then it makes both teams look better
And remember i cheer for Maryville first and the entire GSAC second, so make it hot

[wilburt]

1. Grubb can you explain what you meant by the following:

"Playing scholarship schools is a different game, it can look impressive, but if a D3 school is beating a scholarship school they obviously don't have a good "system" that they run effectively, which is what the power D3 teams do very well"   

I don't understand what you mean by not having a "good system" if you beat a scholarship school.  Do you mean that the scholarship school doesn't have a "good system" and that's why they were beaten by a D3 school?  In your opinion what is "GOOD SYSTEM" anyway?

2. Doug, I agree playing scholarship schools does not help you with the national rankings.   But please further explain your following quote to me:

"Beating the scholarship schools does not help much and losing to them just messes up the won-lost stats that people who do not know much else rely on."

Why do you say that beating scholarship schools does not help much?  Help much with what? I agree it doesn't mean a difference when it comes to South Region games, but IMHO there are other benefits to beating/playing those scholarship schools.

[mattgrubb]

I mean the scholarship school does not run a good system b/c they do usually have bigger, stronger, quicker and faster athletes and at the pinnacle of d3 bball is usually the same programs, so one would be lead to believe they have a very strong system they run and execute very well,  there is not going to be one player that leads his team to the D3 title by himself
Horace Jenkins and Devean George proved that, so you better put your stock in running a precise offense and a great team defense

[Spencer Beaty]

Sorry Wilburt,
im a new man no more bashing fisk its time to be a new man

[wilburt]

Thank you Coach Beaty.  You are a gentleman.

I'll have some more thoughts for Grubb and Doug later today regarding the wisdom of playing D1, D2 & NAIA schools...

[scottiedoug]

William:  I think there are a few good things that can come from beating scholarship programs, including in recruiting and team confidence.  But when you lose, which is usually what happens, then for purposes of getting DIII respect and rankings and tournamnet bids, it seems to me that, as Matt said, a loss is a loss.

[wilburt]

Grubb and Doug

Before I get into my comments about the wisdom of playing D1, D2 and NAIA schools, let me say that both of you bring up some good points.  I basically agree with you both.  But I happen to see a deeper benefit to playing those type of schools, particularly for those D3 schools who are likely to receive a NCAA tourney bid.

Regardless of what system you run, I am of the opinion that you generally need D2 level talent on your team (2-3 players) to compete successfully for a NCAA D3 basketball championship. I think the domino effect of my theory applies as well to all levels of basketball.  For example, IMHO in order to win a State High School basketball championship (at the largest state bracket, like AAA in Tennessee for example) you generally need 2-3 players who are capable of playing at the college level and one of those has to be a legitimate D1 player. 

You would generally need mid-major D1 level talent to win a NCAA D2 national title; you would generally need a couple of NBA draft picks to win a NCAA D1 national title, and you would need a couple (or at least one) Hall of Fame player(s) to win a NBA title.  That is a rough working theory I have about winning basketball championships at the highest levels in high school, college and the NBA.   I am sure that there are exceptions to this rule, but it is a general rule that I go by.

If you agree with my premise, then IMHO it would benefit D3 schools, who are capable of possibly competing for a D3 national title, to play D2 schools.  Once you progress deeper and deeper into the NCAA tourney, the talent level of the teams you meet in the later round gets better and better (ie more like D2).  If you have little to no experience playing against those type of teams during the regular season, you may not be as prepared as you should be to compete at the "highest level" in the NCAA tourney.

If you are used to playing a relatively "cup cake" schedule you are IMHO particularly vulnerable to teams one would face in the Sweet 16 round or higher.  I am not saying that Maryville's schedule is a "cup cake" schedule. It is in fact reasonably challenging one as noted by Ralph Turner, and I agree with him on that point.   But IMHO, it looks like Lambert prepares a schedule just to get into the NCAA tourney, rather than to prepare his team to win it all (D3 national title)!  I see a BIG difference between the 2 strategies.         

Sorry I'm a little long winded

[mattgrubb]

But IMHO, it looks like Lambert prepares a schedule just to get into the NCAA tourney, rather than to prepare his team to win it all (D3 national title)!  I see a BIG difference between the 2 strategies.  -Wilburt

Well william, if you don't get into the tourney, you don't have a chance to win a title, and without an automatic bid, if your record is not impressive enough to get you in i.e. 20 wins, then you have no chance of playing for a title

And what about having NBA talent at the d3 level, that does not give you a title,       

[Spencer Beaty]

Big game tonight.  King College brings their scholarships we bring our ability to be better than them.  They go us last year but we got em this year.  Prediction:

                               MC:70                         KC:65

                                   

[Ralph Turner]

Coach Beaty, I have a question about King's College TN.

I thought that there were no athletic scholarships in NAIA D2.

King's is listed as a member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference.

http://naia.collegesports.com/member-services/championships/Qualifcation_Plans/DIIMensBBQP.htm

Thanks in advance for your clarification.

(We don't have any NAIA-2 schools in the area of the ASC.)

[Where is Hern]

Boys...theres a new sherrif in town

Once again another great win by the fighting scots of maryville. Just moving on up those rankings, just the way i like it