NCAA Conference Tourneys

mvblair · #1 March 5th, 2007, 02:51 PM

This is the best time of year for sports fans. Finally, Wright State fans can feel good too. And because of that, I don't even care about the Big East or Big 10 or ACC.

For all the Daytonians out there: we can be proud of the Wright State Raiders. On Tuesday night, we're going to face our new conference rivals, the Butler Bulldogs. Butler was ranked 11th in the nation when we beat them in February and the fans stormed the court. Now, on national TV (ESPN, 9:00 EST Tuesday), we're going to play at home for Horizon League Championship.

Butler has a bad inside game. As the season has gone by, teams have learned how to defend Butler: just pack the zone and trap the wings. If Wright State can do it Tuesday night, we're in the Tournament for the first time since the Potapenko years.

markwars · #2 March 5th, 2007, 04:34 PM

And a shout out to all the folks here in Mean Green Country!

The University of North Texas men's team will play this evening in the Sun Belt Conference Semi-Finals. North Texas has the best team they've probably ever had and should beat Middle Tennessee. UNT has never even sniffed the NCAA tourney and it would be cool to see it happen.

GO EAGLES!

(BTW, you have to have ESPN-U to see this game. :P )

markwars · #3 March 6th, 2007, 12:53 PM

UNT plays Arkansas St. tonight at 8pm CT on ESPN2. If they win they are in the Big Dance.

mvblair · #4 March 6th, 2007, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markwars

The University of North Texas men's team will play this evening in the Sun Belt Conference Semi-Finals. North Texas has the best team they've probably ever had and should beat Middle Tennessee. UNT has never even sniffed the NCAA tourney and it would be cool to see it happen.

UNT? They sound about as well-known as Wright State.

Quote:

(BTW, you have to have ESPN-U to see this game. :P )

Same with our semi-final game. I went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch it. I thought that place was a sports bar, but the waitress was totally mad at me for staying an hour and a half.

Quote:

UNT plays Arkansas St. tonight at 8pm CT on ESPN2. If they win they are in the Big Dance.

There's nothing better than watching your school work for the tourney when they actually have a chance. I'll be rootin' for ya.

KingArthur1976 · #5 March 6th, 2007, 05:09 PM

I like to watch the mid-major and smaller conferences batlle it out for a bid to the big dance.

However, try being in my shoes, when your alma mater is an SEC school and you've got to battle through some of the toughest teams in the nation to win your conference championship in order to go to the dance.

Come on Mississippi State.. Go DAWGS!!!

markwars · #6 March 6th, 2007, 06:21 PM

If UNT makes it to the dance they will almost certainly be one of the two "play in teams". That's fine with me though because as a play in team your school might actually get a tournament win. There are three other #16 seeds that just get led to slaughter. :P

KingArthur1976 · #7 March 6th, 2007, 11:56 PM

Im watching the UNT game on espn right now. I tell you what if they can somhow pull thi game out and be a 14 or 15 seed.... they could be dangerous. They've got some athletes...

markwars · #8 March 7th, 2007, 12:17 PM

Woohoo!

UNT is going to the big dance.

Too bad there weren't more than 20 people in the stands to see that game last night. That was sad.

mvblair · #9 March 7th, 2007, 12:32 PM

Wright State did it!! This is the first time we've been in the tournament since we had the "Ukraine Train," Vitaly Potapenko. (We should've gone throughout the '90s. Our coach at the time, Ralph Underhill, was ready to receive a letter of acceptance from Dirk Nowitzki before Underhill was fired for unproven accusations of stealing vitamins from a newly-built Meijer). Anyhow, this is great. I really wish I'd gone to the game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by markwars

Woohoo!

UNT is going to the big dance.

Too bad there weren't more than 20 people in the stands to see that game last night. That was sad.

Congratulations. Seriously, where was the game? Were either of those teams playing at home?

markwars · #10 March 7th, 2007, 12:48 PM

Neither team was at home. It was played in Lafayette, Louisiana in the Cajun Dome on a Tuesday night. :P There couldn't have been 200 people in attendance.

toddrew · #11 March 7th, 2007, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markwars

Neither team was at home. It was played in Lafayette, Louisiana in the Cajun Dome on a Tuesday night. :P There couldn't have been 200 people in attendance.

I've got a local team in the Sun Belt, the DU Pioneers (a hockey power, btw) and the league in general is down this year. Even when they are up it's not that high of a place they find themselves,

, but usually whoever is at the top is a fairly solid team. Lately that has been Western Kentucky, who regularly manages to knock off Kentucky during the season.

Pioneers had a huge setback year, winning maybe 4 games total and having their coach bail on them in December. Which is sad, as a couple of years ago the Pioneers had a shot at being the only team from Colorado in the tourney, but lost in the Sun-Belt finals.

Anyway, I can add UNT to my "root for" list this year

markwars · #12 March 7th, 2007, 01:02 PM

UNT had their best season in school history. They finished 23-10. This will be their second trip to the NCAA tourney. Their last trip in 1988 saw them lose in the first round to North Carolina.