we had a couple folks post a prediction in the LBSU thread. let's put all of the predictions in one place. how do you all think EMU will do this year?

like a lot of you, i think our team has significant flaws. however, the MAC also looks busted, so that will help. i'm going with 10-8.

"Sunshine Steve" (my alias) goes 12 - 6.

Home: (7 -2). Away: (5 - 4).

10-8 with Murphy's coaching

11-7.

The lack of offensive strategy will be our downfall against teams that don't let us get up and down the floor in transitions. Any team that is hot from 3 has a chance to beat us. We should put up points and have much more depth than last year. Nobles will be our breakout player of the year.

As posted elsewhere 10-8

I'm going to say 9-9 again. I don't think we are good enough defensively, and having two games against both Akron and Ohio is a killer.

(12-30-2016 01:33 PM)emu steve Wrote:  "Sunshine Steve" (my alias) goes 12 - 6.

Home: (7 -2). Away: (5 - 4).

This is why I prefer this season to last.

Last year we started our first two conference games on the road and split them.

http://www.emueagles.com/schedule.aspx?s...ath=mbball

This year we start with two home games...

Capable of 16- 2 but will likely be 10- 8.

12-6 conference record.

Sagarin Ratings have EMU with a narrow lead for the 3rd ranking in MAC based on OOC record (following Akron and Ohio). I feel these rankings have been good predictors of conference performance in the past. Anyway, 12-6 seems like a typical 3rd place finish in the conference. The bad news is there are 3 teams just behind them and that are essentially the same caliber team (Kent St, Toledo, and Buffalo). So a 6th place finish is just as likely, which might be a 10-8 or 9-9 finish.

But I am sticking with 12-6 3rd place, as most of us feel EMU underperformed in their non-conference.

91 Akron
117 Ohio
139 EMU
142 Kent St
145 Toledo
151 Buffalo
173 CMU
175 Northern Illinois
183 Ball St
225 WMU
229 Bowling Green
260 Miami

One more thing, according to the Sagarin ratings, the MAC is not down this year as some have suggested. Rather they are similarly rated to the past several years at 71.3 (I average East and west divisions, where Sagarin's separates them)

It's the Big 7 (including the American Athletic spin off of the Big East)

Followed by 4 of the traditionally REALLY GOOD mid-major conferences: Atlantic 10, Mountain West, Missouri Valley, and West Coast/Gonzaga.

MAC is a smidge behind the Colonial at 13th place. Interestingly, Colonial is not usually this high and conversely the Horizon and Conference USA are a bit down this year.

team rankings has us going 11-7 in conf

(12-30-2016 07:10 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  I'm going to say 9-9 again. I don't think we are good enough defensively, and having two games against both Akron and Ohio is a killer.

Sam, you're hurting me...

BTW, do folks realize that Friday, our MAC season will be 1/3 over?

I expect we'll be 4 - 2 and will have played our two toughest games: @Ohio and @Akron.

Sunny days ahead... :)

(01-18-2017 05:15 AM)emu steve Wrote:  BTW, do folks realize that Friday, our MAC season will be 1/3 over?

I expect we'll be 4 - 2 and will have played our two toughest games: @Ohio and @Akron.

Sunny days ahead... :)

I'm still tempering my optimism. The February schedule looks tougher overall than January. Though with how JT IV looked almost automatic with his hook shot last night he'll be a handful for the rest of the MAC.

After the non conference we looked like 10-8 to me. Now I would say 12-6. Hopefully we keep building steam to peak at the right time.

(01-18-2017 05:56 AM)EMU03 Wrote:  

(01-18-2017 05:15 AM)emu steve Wrote:  BTW, do folks realize that Friday, our MAC season will be 1/3 over?

I expect we'll be 4 - 2 and will have played our two toughest games: @Ohio and @Akron.

Sunny days ahead... :)

I'm still tempering my optimism. The February schedule looks tougher overall than January. Though with how JT IV looked almost automatic with his hook shot last night he'll be a handful for the rest of the MAC.

After the non conference we looked like 10-8 to me. Now I would say 12-6. Hopefully we keep building steam to peak at the right time.

Good point about JT4. I thought he had been hurting the team by holding onto the ball as he was double or triple teams. Kick it out and we will live or die by the open shot behind the arc.

If opponents think that we can't make 30% of open shots behind the arc, they could be in for some long nights... We're not great behind the arc, but Mangum, Toney, Lee, etc. should be able to make 33% when wide open.

Or move the ball around and let Steele or Nobles take their mid-range shots.

(01-18-2017 05:11 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-30-2016 07:10 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  I'm going to say 9-9 again. I don't think we are good enough defensively, and having two games against both Akron and Ohio is a killer.

Sam, you're hurting me...

Hey I'll be thrilled if I'm wrong by as much as it looks right now. This team is playing worlds better than it did during the Cuse game. I think it helps that the MAC is clearly down this year, especially with Campbell being hurt at Ohio. Outside of Akron and us, who is good in this conference? I'm not buying NIU at all, and still think Ball State is a dangerous team with a good run in them. But this is a perfect year for us to make some noise and win the MAC. I hope we capitalize.

(01-18-2017 08:23 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  

(01-18-2017 05:11 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-30-2016 07:10 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  I'm going to say 9-9 again. I don't think we are good enough defensively, and having two games against both Akron and Ohio is a killer.

Sam, you're hurting me...

Hey I'll be thrilled if I'm wrong by as much as it looks right now. This team is playing worlds better than it did during the Cuse game. I think it helps that the MAC is clearly down this year, especially with Campbell being hurt at Ohio. Outside of Akron and us, who is good in this conference? I'm not buying NIU at all, and still think Ball State is a dangerous team with a good run in them. But this is a perfect year for us to make some noise and win the MAC. I hope we capitalize.

i haven't watched NIU so i don't know if they're a MAC juggernaut or not, but Maric can defend Thompson 1-on-1, which isn't true about most MAC centers. that alone gives them an advantage. plus i think they have Armstead and Hightower who are as seasoned as any MAC players.

i think my favorite memory of last year's team is the home game against NIU and watching Maric & Thompson battle all game. they're both big, strong and stubborn, which makes for great basketball.

(01-18-2017 05:15 AM)emu steve Wrote:  BTW, do folks realize that Friday, our MAC season will be 1/3 over?

I expect we'll be 4 - 2 and will have played our two toughest games: @Ohio and @Akron.

Sunny days ahead... :)

Sunshine Steve is predicting a loss? Tsk, tsk, tsk, very disappointing in you, very disappointed indeed lol.

I hope that I'm dead wrong, but I'm sticking to 10-8. This team has the talent to win 16 games in this conference. BTW I feel our conference is not as good as it was in the late 80s and 90s.

Yep - I'm old lol

I'll play the Sunshine role....
14-4.
Final Answer