(10-27-2023 06:53 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  

(10-27-2023 06:25 PM)emu steve Wrote:  https://x.com/BigSkyCommish/status/17180...34732?s=20

Steve, you probably won't believe this, but I truly suspect this is all about the money. LOL! Who hosts NIT games anyhow? The team that has the highest potential of gate receipts, rather than the one with the most accomplishments. Thus, the MAC regular season champ, Toledo plays a 'bottom half B1G team" U-M in Ann Arbor.

The MAC, quite frankly, plays substandard basketball when compared to the P6. As impressive as Nate Oats' Buffalo team was, they failed to match Ben Braun's EMU and Stan Heath's Kent St. prior accomplishments. The MBB world has changed, and the transfer portal and NIL will only accentuate that divide.

last year two of the final four teams were from mid majors (a third used to be valley). and all four of the final NIT teams were from mid major leagues. the national champ was UConn who is barely D1 in football and not a big sports money school. FAU was a buzzer beater away from the final last year. UT beat the NIT runner-up.

the game has changed in that big money schools can literally buy transfer players and not risk being sanctioned. covid era kids have bounced around and had an extra year to flood the transfer market.

balance of power is not shifting up. to me the worst change is P6 schools play far less true road games in non-conf. sometimes, you can get em on a neutral court. MAC schools used to host some Big 10 teams. If I pick some random schedules from Toledo history I find Dayton, Mich, OSU, Cincy, Depaul, Illinois, Wash, Butler, NW, Alabama on the home slate until about 2010. Since then, no big name schools. however, well run consistent mid major basketball programs are doing fine from a competitive standpoint, even if MAC schools have more recruiting competition for those talented guys the BIg10 passes on for whatever reason.

(10-28-2023 02:23 PM)pono Wrote:  

(10-27-2023 06:53 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  

(10-27-2023 06:25 PM)emu steve Wrote:  https://x.com/BigSkyCommish/status/17180...34732?s=20

Steve, you probably won't believe this, but I truly suspect this is all about the money. LOL! Who hosts NIT games anyhow? The team that has the highest potential of gate receipts, rather than the one with the most accomplishments. Thus, the MAC regular season champ, Toledo plays a 'bottom half B1G team" U-M in Ann Arbor.

The MAC, quite frankly, plays substandard basketball when compared to the P6. As impressive as Nate Oats' Buffalo team was, they failed to match Ben Braun's EMU and Stan Heath's Kent St. prior accomplishments. The MBB world has changed, and the transfer portal and NIL will only accentuate that divide.

last year two of the final four teams were from mid majors (a third used to be valley). and all four of the final NIT teams were from mid major leagues. the national champ was UConn who is barely D1 in football and not a big sports money school. FAU was a buzzer beater away from the final last year. UT beat the NIT runner-up.

the game has changed in that big money schools can literally buy transfer players and not risk being sanctioned. covid era kids have bounced around and had an extra year to flood the transfer market.

balance of power is not shifting up. to me the worst change is P6 schools play far less true road games in non-conf. sometimes, you can get em on a neutral court. MAC schools used to host some Big 10 teams. If I pick some random schedules from Toledo history I find Dayton, Mich, OSU, Cincy, Depaul, Illinois, Wash, Butler, NW, Alabama on the home slate until about 2010. Since then, no big name schools. however, well run consistent mid major basketball programs are doing fine from a competitive standpoint, even if MAC schools have more recruiting competition for those talented guys the BIg10 passes on for whatever reason.

Very, very insightful post, Pono! Thank you!

Another newbie
https://twitter.com/EMU_MBB/status/1718452095962001637

In 2021, Luckeyone attended a preseason practice/scrimmage and introduced us all to Noah Farrakhan.

In 2023, KPJ attended a preseason scrimmage and introduced us all to Arne Osojnik. If he is half as good as Noah turned out to be, we should be very happy… we’ll see.

Something kind of humorous, he starts the interview with, “i don’t know, um, I think I am from Slovenia”. He was well spoken through the rest of the interview. But the start was humorously teenagerish- goes to show just how young some of these guys are… so going to be patient if he isn’t an instant hit as a freshman.

(10-29-2023 09:53 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  Another newbie
https://twitter.com/EMU_MBB/status/1718452095962001637

In 2021, Luckeyone attended a preseason practice/scrimmage and introduced us all to Noah Farrakhan.

In 2023, KPJ attended a preseason scrimmage and introduced us all to Arne Osojnik. If he is half as good as Noah turned out to be, we should be very happy… we’ll see.

Something kind of humorous, he starts the interview with, “i don’t know, um, I think I am from Slovenia”. He was well spoken through the rest of the interview. But the start was humorously teenagerish- goes to show just how young some of these guys are… so going to be patient if he isn’t an instant hit as a freshman.

What you heard as I don’t know is actually the way he pronounced his name.

(10-29-2023 10:30 PM)KPJ Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 09:53 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  Another newbie
https://twitter.com/EMU_MBB/status/1718452095962001637

In 2021, Luckeyone attended a preseason practice/scrimmage and introduced us all to Noah Farrakhan.

In 2023, KPJ attended a preseason scrimmage and introduced us all to Arne Osojnik. If he is half as good as Noah turned out to be, we should be very happy… we’ll see.

Something kind of humorous, he starts the interview with, “i don’t know, um, I think I am from Slovenia”. He was well spoken through the rest of the interview. But the start was humorously teenagerish- goes to show just how young some of these guys are… so going to be patient if he isn’t an instant hit as a freshman.

What you heard as I don’t know is actually the way he pronounced his name.

Oh my goodness, you are right!!! My bad. He says it so fast.

Got my season tickets yesterday

Best wishes to TyCuff!! Hope he achieves this.
https://twitter.com/thevannzee/status/17...6243001496

https://www.hustlebelt.com/platform/amp/...l-revealed

Eastern is NOT picked last in basketball!!!!!!!

(11-01-2023 02:54 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  https://www.hustlebelt.com/platform/amp/...l-revealed

Eastern is NOT picked last in basketball!!!!!!!

Yes I picked us or CMU to finish last. Your post confirms my prediction. Blue Ribbon has us there was well number 11 or 12.

(11-01-2023 02:54 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  https://www.hustlebelt.com/platform/amp/...l-revealed

Eastern is NOT picked last in basketball!!!!!!!

Directional Michigan rounding out the bottom of the MAC is depressing.

(11-01-2023 04:39 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(11-01-2023 02:54 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  https://www.hustlebelt.com/platform/amp/...l-revealed

Eastern is NOT picked last in basketball!!!!!!!

Yes I picked us or CMU to finish last. Your post confirms my prediction. Blue Ribbon has us there was well number 11 or 12.

I am pretty confident your prediction will not hold true. I am sensing more like somewhere in the middle of the MAC.

(10-28-2023 02:23 PM)pono Wrote:  

(10-27-2023 06:53 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  

(10-27-2023 06:25 PM)emu steve Wrote:  https://x.com/BigSkyCommish/status/17180...34732?s=20

Steve, you probably won't believe this, but I truly suspect this is all about the money. LOL! Who hosts NIT games anyhow? The team that has the highest potential of gate receipts, rather than the one with the most accomplishments. Thus, the MAC regular season champ, Toledo plays a 'bottom half B1G team" U-M in Ann Arbor.

The MAC, quite frankly, plays substandard basketball when compared to the P6. As impressive as Nate Oats' Buffalo team was, they failed to match Ben Braun's EMU and Stan Heath's Kent St. prior accomplishments. The MBB world has changed, and the transfer portal and NIL will only accentuate that divide.

last year two of the final four teams were from mid majors (a third used to be valley). and all four of the final NIT teams were from mid major leagues. the national champ was UConn who is barely D1 in football and not a big sports money school. FAU was a buzzer beater away from the final last year. UT beat the NIT runner-up.

the game has changed in that big money schools can literally buy transfer players and not risk being sanctioned. covid era kids have bounced around and had an extra year to flood the transfer market.

balance of power is not shifting up. to me the worst change is P6 schools play far less true road games in non-conf. sometimes, you can get em on a neutral court. MAC schools used to host some Big 10 teams. If I pick some random schedules from Toledo history I find Dayton, Mich, OSU, Cincy, Depaul, Illinois, Wash, Butler, NW, Alabama on the home slate until about 2010. Since then, no big name schools. however, well run consistent mid major basketball programs are doing fine from a competitive standpoint, even if MAC schools have more recruiting competition for those talented guys the BIg10 passes on for whatever reason.

This is an excellent post, Pono! I always had a sense that mid-major basketball success exploded in the 2 decades or so following the MAC’s decline after the peak success of the 80s and 90s. I don’t have the data to back that sense. In any case, I would be surprised if that trend continues in the era of the transfer portal and NIL, as Jerry suggests. But as you point out, it seems to have continued at least in these early years of the new era.

Another newbie… Cyril Martynov
https://twitter.com/EMU_MBB/status/1719898223723069812

(10-31-2023 01:40 PM)emussuperfan Wrote:  Got my season tickets yesterday

Me too. Supposedly there is a season ticket holder event tomorrow/Thursday Nov 2. Talk by coaches and a tour or something.

(11-01-2023 08:52 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  

(11-01-2023 04:39 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(11-01-2023 02:54 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  https://www.hustlebelt.com/platform/amp/...l-revealed

Eastern is NOT picked last in basketball!!!!!!!

Yes I picked us or CMU to finish last. Your post confirms my prediction. Blue Ribbon has us there was well number 11 or 12.

I am pretty confident your prediction will not hold true. I am sensing more like somewhere in the middle of the MAC.

But its not just MY prediction. Its others who do this for a living.

(11-02-2023 03:52 AM)emu79 Wrote:  

(11-01-2023 08:52 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  

(11-01-2023 04:39 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(11-01-2023 02:54 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  https://www.hustlebelt.com/platform/amp/...l-revealed

Eastern is NOT picked last in basketball!!!!!!!

Yes I picked us or CMU to finish last. Your post confirms my prediction. Blue Ribbon has us there was well number 11 or 12.

I am pretty confident your prediction will not hold true. I am sensing more like somewhere in the middle of the MAC.

But its not just MY prediction. Its others who do this for a living.

I did not mean to question your rationale- or the professionals for that matter. I just have a sense this team is going to outperform expectations.

(11-02-2023 06:58 AM)RamyEMU Wrote:  

(11-02-2023 03:52 AM)emu79 Wrote:  

(11-01-2023 08:52 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  

(11-01-2023 04:39 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(11-01-2023 02:54 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  https://www.hustlebelt.com/platform/amp/...l-revealed

Eastern is NOT picked last in basketball!!!!!!!

Yes I picked us or CMU to finish last. Your post confirms my prediction. Blue Ribbon has us there was well number 11 or 12.

I am pretty confident your prediction will not hold true. I am sensing more like somewhere in the middle of the MAC.

But its not just MY prediction. Its others who do this for a living.

I did not mean to question your rationale- or the professionals for that matter. I just have a sense this team is going to outperform expectations.

That wouldn't be hard exceptions are pretty low after last year's farse. :

Not sure where this belongs if anywhere, but Wayne St beat UD in exhibition. And Colin Gilson had some good stats.
https://twitter.com/thevannzee/status/17...1516855572

Looks like Golson is a starter, although fouls may have limited his playing time. Glad he found a good situation for himself! Best wishes to him for continued success…
https://wsuathletics.com/mens-basketball.../10177/pdf

(11-03-2023 08:26 AM)RamyEMU Wrote:  Not sure where this belongs if anywhere, but Wayne St beat UD in exhibition. And Colin Gilson had some good stats.
https://twitter.com/thevannzee/status/17...1516855572

Looks like Golson is a starter, although fouls may have limited his playing time. Glad he found a good situation for himself! Best wishes to him for continued success…
https://wsuathletics.com/mens-basketball.../10177/pdf

The guy blew me away in his freshman season, he is very strong in the paint. He, however, inexplicably missed some games last year that did not appear to be related to injury, reminding me of Ray Lee's senior year. Discipline? Who knows?

In any case, I predicted he would be All-Mac by his senior year. I certainly missed on that one!

Trying to put $20 on EMU making the final four. But Gun Lake online is not taking my bet (I think not open until the 7th). Does any one know if any other sites taking such bets yet?