FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[Scots13]

JK...got a question worthy of your knowledge.

Say HSC wins the #7 ODAC and #8 Maryville holds on in the USAC. #1 UMHB,  #2 Johns Hopkins are in, #4 TLU and #3 Millsaps makes it too. What other South Region teams, if any, do you see making the playoffs and what are the match ups?

#5 Wesley and #6 W&J.

#1 UMHB vs #4 TLU in the Texas Sub-bracket
#2 JHU hosting #7 Hampden-Sydney
#3 Millsaps hosting #8 Murvul  (geographic proximity, the only other school close enough to Millsaps)
#5 Wesley hosting #6 W&J

Wesley slipped my mind. I was thinking of teams in conferences..thanks for the refreshing. And the PAC did too. I think of the PAC and I think East most of the time due to the Pennsylvania teams.

Jackson is a ways from Maryville, but in comparison to the other teams, they are much closer. A trip down there would be nice in mid November. Last time there was a Battle of the MC's was 2003 with Maryville winning 28-20. If it shakes out like that, I'd take it!

Piggy-backing on the "ways from Maryville"--just checked Google maps. From campus to campus is 501 miles. NCAA ponying up for a flight?

[jknezek]

NCAA travel site has Maryville less than 500 miles from Millsaps last I checked. On cell will look at question tomorrow

[Ralph Turner]

NCAA travel site has Maryville less than 500 miles from Millsaps last I checked. On cell will look at question tomorrow

495 miles from Murvul to Jackson per NCAA.

[narch]

interesting...fans that don't care if their team goes to the ncaa tournament...doesn't make sense to me, but then, the monarchs have never been - i would take mu getting frog-stomped by muc in a HEARTBEAT

[Scots13]

NCAA travel site has Maryville less than 500 miles from Millsaps last I checked. On cell will look at question tomorrow

495 miles from Murvul to Jackson per NCAA.

Of course they'd say that. Far reaches to far reaches of both campuses. Oh well, it's not like I'd be benefited from a flight. If a game in Jackson is in the cards, I'm driving and making a drive over to Louisiana. Never been.

interesting...fans that don't care if their team goes to the ncaa tournament...doesn't make sense to me, but then, the monarchs have never been - i would take mu getting frog-stomped by muc in a HEARTBEAT

We're in the same boat, narch. Maryville could go to UMHB first round and I sure as hell would be there to see it.  20 hours in a car or not.

[HSCTiger fan]

interesting...fans that don't care if their team goes to the ncaa tournament...doesn't make sense to me, but then, the monarchs have never been - i would take mu getting frog-stomped by muc in a HEARTBEAT

Wow we agree on something! If HSC plays the way they played on Saturday it won't matter who they play. If they play the way they played the previous Saturday I could say the same thing.

[tigerfanalso]

Hasa

Not sorry about the result but I'm sorry the game got out of hand. I was really looking forward to a hard fought, close game but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Good luck the remainder of the season. The way this one is going there is absolutely no way to know how this plays out.

My Tigers close the season against W&L and RMC. You've seen all three teams. How do you see HSc vs. W&L and HSC vs. RMC knowing the ODAC is a league where anything can happen ?   

[HSCTiger fan]

Yes the guilford game was a tough one to watch from the stands (guilfords side at least). HSC sure took advantage of opportunities. Guilford didnt look the same as the last 4 weeks.

What's the history between W&L and HSC? Can anyone comment if W&L can beat HSC. Or like most things in the ODAC, anything is possible?

Yes WL and RMC can both beat HSC  As can Catholic and EH beat Guilford.

[jknezek]

JK...got a question worthy of your knowledge.

Say HSC wins the ODAC and Maryville holds on in the USAC. UMHB, Johns Hopkins are in, TLU and Millsaps makes it too. What other South Region teams, if any, do you see making the playoffs and what are the match ups?

I looked at Ralph's response and generally agree with it. The only thing I can point out is that the last few years regions have not meant much, so trying to limit the South to 8 South Region teams is probably a useless endevour. I'm assuming the "B" teams are primarily going to be from the South and East, while the "C" teams will be North and West. I find it highly unlikely that their will be a "South" bracket.

As things stand, I do see a Texas sub-bracket and an SAA/USASC sub-bracket in the first round. That gives you 4 South region teams in a South bracket, requiring no flights in the first round (regardless of Maryville/Huntingdon provided Millsaps pulls a "B"). As for the mid-Atlantic ODAC/PAC/Wesley? combination, any of them can be sent to the East, as W&L went 455 or so miles on the NCAA calculator to Hobart last year. However, since I think the North looks stronger than the East, I expect the PAC and ODAC champs to be sent to face home teams in the North, several of the East teams get sent as far to the North without flights as possible, and UMU to be sitting on top the "East" bracket.

It's too hard to dream up matchups now that they have divorced the brackets from the regions, but I will go on record as saying the only "South" teams that will have home matches in the first round, provided they go undefeated, are UMHB, JHU, and Millsaps. A shame for TLU if they go undefeated, but I'm thinking ducking UMHB isn't going to get them far.

[jknezek]

interesting...fans that don't care if their team goes to the ncaa tournament...doesn't make sense to me, but then, the monarchs have never been - i would take mu getting frog-stomped by muc in a HEARTBEAT

Narch the first time W&L made the playoffs I flew from South FL to Newark NJ, got picked up by my dad, and he drove us to Wilkes. W&L was an 8, Wilkes a 1 that year. Got to the field and my dad looked at me and asked if W&L's seniors were on the field. Just looking at the teams you could see a huge mismatch was about to happen, and it did. Neat that W&L made the playoffs, but getting blown out in that game wasn't entertaining. The fact that Wilkes got beat the next week was the first indication of HOW BIG a gap it was in D3 between the real competitors, and the other AQ teams.

A couple years ago when W&L went to TMC I thought it would be interesting. Didn't get a chance to go since my daughter was born 2 weeks before the game, but I watched it over the computer. TMC destroyed a good W&L team without even blinking, and then got blown out themselves the next week. It reinforced what I learned at Wilkes. Last year I thought the Generals were ever-so-slightly shafted by having to go to Hobart. Thought the Generals were the best seven seed and maybe deserved a six with a slightly shorter bus ride, but the game was a bit better. They stayed in it through the first half, then couldn't keep up in the second. Hobart went on to win a few more before St. Thomas put paid to their hopes pretty easily.

What I've learned is the best couple W&L teams just aren't going to compete with the top 10 teams in the country. It's not going to be much fun, and since this team isn't as good, in my mind, as any of those teams (except maybe the team that went to Wilkes), I've got a real good idea of what would happen at, say, UMU.

It's not that making the playoffs isn't fun. It is. But when you are going to be a clod of dirt under a steam roller's wheels, it's hard to get excited about it. Conference title? Love it. Great achievement for W&L this year if they can get a share. Playoff bid? Eh. Not really interested in watching it happen this year.

[HSCTiger fan]

interesting...fans that don't care if their team goes to the ncaa tournament...doesn't make sense to me, but then, the monarchs have never been - i would take mu getting frog-stomped by muc in a HEARTBEAT

Narch the first time W&L made the playoffs I flew from South FL to Newark NJ, got picked up by my dad, and he drove us to Wilkes. W&L was an 8, Wilkes a 1 that year. Got to the field and my dad looked at me and asked if W&L's seniors were on the field. Just looking at the teams you could see a huge mismatch was about to happen, and it did. Neat that W&L made the playoffs, but getting blown out in that game wasn't entertaining. The fact that Wilkes got beat the next week was the first indication of HOW BIG a gap it was in D3 between the real competitors, and the other AQ teams.

A couple years ago when W&L went to TMC I thought it would be interesting. Didn't get a chance to go since my daughter was born 2 weeks before the game, but I watched it over the computer. TMC destroyed a good W&L team without even blinking, and then got blown out themselves the next week. It reinforced what I learned at Wilkes. Last year I thought the Generals were ever-so-slightly shafted by having to go to Hobart. Thought the Generals were the best seven seed and maybe deserved a six with a slightly shorter bus ride, but the game was a bit better. They stayed in it through the first half, then couldn't keep up in the second. Hobart went on to win a few more before St. Thomas put paid to their hopes pretty easily.

What I've learned is the best couple W&L teams just aren't going to compete with the top 10 teams in the country. It's not going to be much fun, and since this team isn't as good, in my mind, as any of those teams (except maybe the team that went to Wilkes), I've got a real good idea of what would happen at, say, UMU.

It's not that making the playoffs isn't fun. It is. But when you are going to be a clod of dirt under a steam roller's wheels, it's hard to get excited about it. Conference title? Love it. Great achievement for W&L this year if they can get a share. Playoff bid? Eh. Not really interested in watching it happen this year.

I hear what your saying. I'm just not buying it. While WL has been blown out twice and HSC was blown out in 2007. HSC's and WL's last 4 playoff loses were respectable scores.

I was in the Big House in September of 2007 and watched live as App State beat the 5th ranked Michigan Wolverines.  Further I watch SU beat HSC this year. Sometimes special things happen. Why not for an ODAC team in the NCAA tournament?

You always talk about OOC games and playing a tough schedule as a measuring stick. Well what better way to measure up than by playing the best? 

[jknezek]

I hear what your saying. I'm just not buying it. While WL has been blown out twice and HSC was blown out in 2007. HSC's and WL's last 4 playoff loses were respectable scores.

I was in the Big House in September of 2007 and watched live as App State beat the 5th ranked Michigan Wolverines.  Further I watch SU beat HSC this year. Sometimes special things happen. Why not for an ODAC team in the NCAA tournament?

You always talk about OOC games and playing a tough schedule as a measuring stick. Well what better way to measure up than by playing the best?

Not exactly what I'm saying HSCTiger. This year, I don't have much interest. I don't need to see this team measured. I'm pretty sure I know what W&L has. Last year I was very curious. With a slightly better seed I think W&L could have won a game last year. This year? No. The Generals are an 8 seed if they get in, and looking at the perspective 1 seeds I don't need them measured that way.

Would I be happy for the players? Of course. They work hard, crazy hard, to earn every game. But as a fan? No, this year I don't see it. Can a miracle happen? Yeah, but the gulf in D3 is so big, 8 seeds don't win unless they are set up for money matchups (Linfield comes to mind the year they went to the Stagg).

I think H-SC, RMC or even Guilford are better teams to send to the tournament this year. W&L's option is going to need special players, like last year and 2010, to make any kind of noise in the tourney. I don't see it this year.

[HSCTiger fan]

Ok. That makes more sense to me. Are you coming over to the game this weekend?  If so try to find our tailgate. It's by the lake and its the only tailgate trailer down there. You cannot miss it.

[jknezek]

Ok. That makes more sense to me. Are you coming over to the game this weekend?  If so try to find our tailgate. It's by the lake and its the only tailgate trailer down there. You cannot miss it.

Much too long of a drive for me. Every fall I wish I lived closer to ODAC territory, but I do love my short winters! I'll get to the Sewanee game next year, and the year after that I'll probably make it up for a game for my 15th reunion. But it's pretty rare for me to make games in person.

[tigerfanalso]

TigerFan

Sorry I missed you on Saturday. I don't know what you did to fire the team up, but keep doing it. First time all year they played to potential on both sides of the ball. Don't know what that means for W&L and RMC games but it sure gives me hope.
I didn't get to the field until 12:45 (having pregame fun at a friends house) so wasn't able to get to "The Tailgate" but I heard it was a blast. I'll have a few prospective student-athletes with me on Saturday and I'll try to get them your way after the game.