BMarkey from Troy is right on. Look the sports that get any traction in the media and its Football and Men's Basketball. A very distant 3rd is baseball and women's basketball.

The A-Sun was the old Trans America that was the home of most of the divison 2 schools that were moving up to division 1.

The Sun Belt used to be ranked much higher and when Troy joined they thought they were upgrading their basketball conference as well as finding a home for football.

As a WKU fan I of course will be pulling for UALR , but our conference as a whole has to improve. No way we should be at the bottom of 32 conferences in basketball or any other sport. As for our part this year we were a joke, our RPI of around 190 was the same as our coach's SAT score. But when we have a bad year we hope one of our conference mates would have a good enough year to draw a decent seed and make a little noise in the ncaa's.

Our conference Champ UALR was one of the 4 lowest rated teams in the Tourney.
The other 3 teams that make up the weakest links are: Alabama St, UNC Asheville
and UT San Antonio. These teams are playing for the right to be a 16 seed and
get drilled by either Ohio St. or Pitt.

Our Conference is now ranked around 30th in Division 1.

Based on UALR's seed in the Tourney, The Sun Belt is ranked the same as the southland. southwestern athletic and big south conferences. All of the conferences listed below are ranked higher than the Sun Belt. Take a look at some of
the Misfit Toy Conferences ranked ahead of us, the summit? the atlantic sun?

We need to make a poster size image of all of these conferences ranked ahead of the SBC, roll it up in a tube and mail a copy to everybody in the SBC office, every men's basketball coach, AD and President of every SBC school.


America East Conference
Atlantic 10 Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Sun Conference
Big 12 Conference
Big East Conference
Big Sky Conference
Big Ten Conference
Big West Conference
Colonial Athletic Association
Conference USA
Horizon League
Ivy League
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
M-i-d-American Conference
M-i-d-Eastern Athletic Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
Mountain West Conference
Northeast Conference
Ohio Valley Conference
Pacific 10 Conference
Patriot League
Southeastern Conference
Southern Conference
The Summit League
West Coast Conference
Western Athletic Conference

(03-14-2011 08:54 AM)Hilltop75 Wrote:  BMarkey from Troy is right on. Look the sports that get any traction in the media and its Football and Men's Basketball. A very distant 3rd is baseball and women's basketball.

The A-Sun was the old Trans America that was the home of most of the divison 2 schools that were moving up to division 1.

The Sun Belt used to be ranked much higher and when Troy joined they thought they were upgrading their basketball conference as well as finding a home for football.

As a WKU fan I of course will be pulling for UALR , but our conference as a whole has to improve. No way we should be at the bottom of 32 conferences in basketball or any other sport. As for our part this year we were a joke, our RPI of around 190 was the same as our coach's SAT score. But when we have a bad year we hope one of our conference mates would have a good enough year to draw a decent seed and make a little noise in the ncaa's.

Our conference Champ UALR was one of the 4 lowest rated teams in the Tourney.
The other 3 teams that make up the weakest links are: Alabama St, UNC Asheville
and UT San Antonio. These teams are playing for the right to be a 16 seed and
get drilled by either Ohio St. or Pitt.

Our Conference is now ranked around 30th in Division 1.

Based on UALR's seed in the Tourney, The Sun Belt is ranked the same as the southland. southwestern athletic and big south conferences. All of the conferences listed below are ranked higher than the Sun Belt. Take a look at some of
the Misfit Toy Conferences ranked ahead of us, the summit? the atlantic sun?

We need to make a poster size image of all of these conferences ranked ahead of the SBC, roll it up in a tube and mail a copy to everybody in the SBC office, every men's basketball coach, AD and President of every SBC school.


America East Conference
Atlantic 10 Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Sun Conference
Big 12 Conference
Big East Conference
Big Sky Conference
Big Ten Conference
Big West Conference
Colonial Athletic Association
Conference USA
Horizon League
Ivy League
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
M-i-d-American Conference
M-i-d-Eastern Athletic Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
Mountain West Conference
Northeast Conference
Ohio Valley Conference
Pacific 10 Conference
Patriot League
Southeastern Conference
Southern Conference
The Summit League
West Coast Conference
Western Athletic Conference

But when we have a bad year we hope one of our conference mates would have a good enough year to draw a decent seed and make a little noise in the ncaa's.
We were expecting the same thing. USA has a historically bad season and everyone else thinks they need to follow suit?

(03-14-2011 10:30 AM)AtlantaJag Wrote:  But when we have a bad year we hope one of our conference mates would have a good enough year to draw a decent seed and make a little noise in the ncaa's.
We were expecting the same thing. USA has a historically bad season and everyone else thinks they need to follow suit?

That's the crap of a 1-seed conference... the tournament winner moves on. Despite FAU winning the regular season which declares them to be the better team more so than the result of a few game tournament. FAU also would have gotten a better seed... but it is what it is... until the whole conference starts playing better to earn the second seed.

(03-14-2011 10:43 AM)NCowl Wrote:  

(03-14-2011 10:30 AM)AtlantaJag Wrote:  But when we have a bad year we hope one of our conference mates would have a good enough year to draw a decent seed and make a little noise in the ncaa's.
We were expecting the same thing. USA has a historically bad season and everyone else thinks they need to follow suit?

That's the crap of a 1-seed conference... the tournament winner moves on. Despite FAU winning the regular season which declares them to be the better team more so than the result of a few game tournament. FAU also would have gotten a better seed... but it is what it is... until the whole conference starts playing better to earn the second seed.

FAU had a season to be proud of. I was just pointing out that WKU isn't the only team used to doing well that was blindsided by an unexpectedly poor season.

Good thing is... the Sun Belt teams appear to be getting better coaches and better recruits.. not to mention these big transfers that are finding their way to our schools. I would guess that in two years or so when these recruits develop, we will see a much stronger Sun Belt, just like the old days.

(03-13-2011 09:13 PM)BMarkey Wrote:  You still don't get it. I am not bitching, only stating the fact that Troy gained little or nothing by moving "up" in conference. One bid, more difficult to win.

Low hanging fruit, indeed.

And as far as I can tell, Troy got numerous bowl appearances out of the deal.

Go Trojans!

(03-15-2011 10:24 AM)WestEndRaider Wrote:  




Go Trojans!

I usually pull for the SBC at this time, but I also have to route for the local team, and since I live in Asheville, got to wish the bulldogs best of luck!

I guess it's a win-win for me either way, until they face Pitt, then the only WIN will be Pittsburgh.

Let's go UALR!

Holy crap! Not only is the Sun Belt rep in a play in game, but UALR is shown as a 4 point underdog. Come on UALR!

Oddsmaker.com (UNC-Asheville 4 point favorites)
5Dimes.com (UNC-Asheville 4 point favorites)
bodog.com (UNC-Asheville 4 point favorites)
SBGLOBAL.com (UNC-Asheville 4 point favorites)
Sportsbook.com (UNC-Asheville 4 point favorites)

Jeff Sagarin computer averages show UNC Asheville as a 3.45 point favorite
CBS predicts UNC-Asheville will win 74-66

(03-15-2011 04:04 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  Holy crap! Not only is the Sun Belt rep in a play in game, but UALR is shown as a 4 point underdog. Come on UALR!

They're the 5th seed out of the (wrt recent history) worse division of SBC basketball. They were sub .500 in conference play and have an RPI over 170. I'm not surprised.

Go UALR.

Nice first half for the Trojans!

Up at the half but the bench played some poor defense.

Quote:Um...you did gain something.

1)A spot for your football team to compete in an FBS conference, ya know, the conference that fawns over you and you've been lucky enough to receive multiple bowl bids since joining.

2)VERY strong Womens Basketball conference, one that has had top tier teams in the past few seasons.

3) a top 5-6 level baseball conference, one that has sent more than 1 team to the postseason every year for the last millennium it seems like.

Yea, our Mens basketball is down, but seriously, don't act like you got NOTHING out of the deal, and yes all of that deal comes as a package, not just basketball, and THAT is the reason you joined the SBC.

Good points, but I was speaking of basketball, which we though was a major step up in opportunity (multiple bids) and prestige (not).

As for "low-hanging fruit," the belt should be happy to have Troy, at least, in football, baseball and softball.

And, yes, Troy won the regular season title in basketball last year.

(03-15-2011 07:12 PM)BMarkey Wrote:  And, yes, Troy won the regular season title in basketball last year.

But not really.

Overtime, after leading pretty much the entire way

Reminiscent of how they won the SBC Tourney over NT.

UALR has no shot without Bozeman

(03-15-2011 08:05 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  UALR has no shot without Bozeman

Maybe Mendez-Valdez, Jr. can take over

LR needs Dickeysnutz to foul out.