MBB: Centennial Conference

[Warren Thompson]

I understand ... F&M's coach ran the show in Division III more than a decade ago ....

In fact, because GRob "ran the show" in D3 in 1994, he had the task of presenting the national championship trophy to LVC.

[Pat Coleman]

I think Regional "seeding" becomes a joke when factoring in who hosts & who does not...especially considering the number of "high seeds" from the Middle Atlantic & Atlantic who are not even in the tournament.
What we can conclude from this is that many of these teams were given far too heavily weighted assignments right from the start.
By the way, money means everything to the NCAA...that's why they allow the station covering the Final IV to dictate the ludicrous starting times. Therefore, why not make a pot of gold along the way & place host sites at schools that cover all sections of the NCAA Bible except for "seeding" since that is by no means accurate or impartial anyway?

The so-called pot of gold (a few thousand dollars) isn't enough to dissuade the NCAA from giving a home game to the higher seed. This is what separates us from the NAIA.

[r.w. mcnickels]

I understand ... F&M's coach ran the show in Division III more than a decade ago ....

In fact, because GRob "ran the show" in D3 in 1994, he had the task of presenting the national championship trophy to LVC.

Warren, that was a great season by LVC. F&M beat them both times that year, so I'm sure it was a tough one for Coach Robinson. Did you make the trip to Buffalo, and if so, could you shed first-hand knowledge about the horn/backboard light controversy that surrounded the end of regulation?

[donho]

Well... Cabrini, Ramapo, SMC, and VWC have all proven they are viable sites for hosting when it comes to ticket sales... so essentially it isn't an issue with them.

Also... you can avoid the tunnels to VWC by heading south through Baltimore and around DC into Virginia - that is how I get to VWC and I never head through a tunnel as a result. In fact - I did take the tunnel/bridges back to Baltimore one year and it was FAR longer.

Finally... the ODAC/VWC will be providing video/audio of all the games in VWC... so you won't miss out.

Dave I live in Virginia Beach,and my home town is Lancaster Pa. please or please tell me how to avoid the tunnels other than going thru Petersburg which adds another 90 minutes. Leaving the oceanfront and driving directly to Lancaster is give or take 325 miles and 6 ish hours.

[diplomaniac1]

donho -

Thanks for the useful information. Is the "6ish" hours drive straight through without breaks for stretching and personal comfort? Some of us now take medicines that neccessitate more frequent stops! At what speed? I set the cruise control and observe the speed limit - how much extra will that add to the drive?

Eric

[diplomaniac1]

Whew! Let's all take a deep breath and turn down the heat just a little bit. It seems to me that it is getting very testy in here and borders on turning personal. I think we can all be reasonable people and disagree without being disagreable. That is an "old-timer" speaking for you.

Eric

[diplomaniac1]

Warren -

Geez, the tone of my previous post is starting to sound like you! Nice to see that you are still going strong and that you chose to stop by the Centennial board and contribute again. Will the Dutchmen get an invite to the ECAC? Regards,

Eric

[diplomaniac1]

Lusty and docmarc -

Not that I am happy about WHERE the Diplomats were sent, however, I think most reasonable folks expected them to be on the road given their two bad losses at home and the loss at McDaniel. Sometimes, we just have to smile and accept those things that we are handed down by the NCAA and really don't like!

Quite frankly, the best way for GRob and the Diplomats to put this whole thing to rest is just to go down south; take care of business; and show the Battling Bishops, the Marlins, and the Selection Committee what they are made of! Several road wins will make the argument moot. They won on the road last year and they can certainly do it again this year. I am confident that, although McNally is not 100%, the Diplomats are still a very good team that will compete favorable with their opponents. Tehy will miss the leadership, toughness, and heart that Brooks gave them last year. Somewhere along the line, they may even catch a break!

GO DIPS! Regards to all.

Eric

[Gabriel]

Some of us old folks say----"Just lace up your sneakers and play the game".  Griping about it is just distraction.

[LustyLarryintheToilet]

hi eric

i'm glad you commented.  my comments should not be viewed as griping or complaining.  I'm trying to have a friendly discussion and bring facts and ncaa guidelines to the table.  various landmark fans have even come here to discuss the mid atlantic region in a thought provoking way.  but then you get various trolls on here who do nothing but bash F&M without actually bringing any facts to the table or answering the arguments i put forward (one was even bringing up stuff that happened in the 90s, as if that has any relevance to today).  i find it amusing, but i'd rather enjoy a sports discussion

youre absolutely right, i never really expected F&M to host.  my disappointment comes not in their draw or their road, but rather the fact that any fan who wants to see them play live must make a hellish trip.  The committee most certainly couldve done a better job for the reasons i outlined in various posts. 

[donho]

 diplomaniac1, the 6ish is with one 15 minute comfort stop. However the other thing you MUST account for on a friday is TRAFFIC. My daugthers travel from Baltimore using what we call the backway. The backway being Baltimore beltway(695) south to 97 south (towards the bay bridge). From there you follow the signs towards Bowie MD. and route 301. 301 will take you across potomac river where you will soon get to route 17. take that south into Hampton Roads (from that intersection you will have about 115 miles to VWC.
  Check it out on Google .At 301 and 17 there is a eating place called Horne's that we use because it is about the halfway point. !7 is a nice road and almost never has traffic. (you will see traffic at the tunnel near Norfolk.
On a friday afternoon you could spend somewhere near 71/2 hours on the road.
There are several hotels within 10 minutes of the campus.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

donho - that is one option for sure to avoid traffic - if you are early enough you can also take either I-459 around Washington... or Rt 295 (which becomes I-295) down the Potomac and back onto I-495 near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and then back towards I-95 - but against traffic could be a bear.

Again... I don't run into any tunnels on this trip - the only tunnels I have ever run into are the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel system and that means you are on the Eastern Shore of Maryland... and to be honest that is a much longer trip to begin with.

The trip from I-83 north of Baltimore (about 20 miles from PA line) takes me 4:30 to 5:00.

[Warren Thompson]

Warren -

Geez, the tone of my previous post is starting to sound like you! Nice to see that you are still going strong and that you chose to stop by the Centennial board and contribute again. Will the Dutchmen get an invite to the ECAC? Regards,

Eric

I'm still going, but I don't know how strongly.  LVC men are hosting the ECAC South playoffs; they go against Marywood this evening.

[Warren Thompson]

I understand ... F&M's coach ran the show in Division III more than a decade ago ....

In fact, because GRob "ran the show" in D3 in 1994, he had the task of presenting the national championship trophy to LVC.

Warren, that was a great season by LVC. F&M beat them both times that year, so I'm sure it was a tough one for Coach Robinson. Did you make the trip to Buffalo, and if so, could you shed first-hand knowledge about the horn/backboard light controversy that surrounded the end of regulation?

I was in Buffalo (and drove through a snowstorm to get there).  Strangely enough, I wasn't aware of the controversy till I was back home and saw the replays on TV. They showed fairly clearly that something was amiss.

[LustyLarryintheToilet]

Theres a great song by Cee lo which sums up what the NCAA committee is saying to the greatest coach in division 3 history, and top ten in the history of college basketball at any level, and his Diplomats with this draw.  its the third straight time the committee has sung that song to F&M (twice last year and now 2011).  But i give a lot of credit to Coach, James, Milligan and the team for ultimate perseverance, twice winning in hostile, rinky-dink high school level gyms.  Now, they have to win a neutral site game in said-type gym in order to play a third. 

Either F&M will go out with a whimper, or theyll sing Cee-los song back to the committee, as F&M is one of the few teams that can not only play the us against the world card, but has the recent string of success to back it up.  cant wait til the weekend