MVC Media Day...

[tornado]

I said it last year...that JL did a fine job of coaching to take his team without their BEST returning player and with all those completely new players....and finish one measley game behind the 24-win, co-favorite in the league...and go on to finish with their 4th consecutive 21+ game season...


and I am not the only person who thought so...
Coach Les did get some votes...enough to finish 4th in COY voting,
ahead of the guy who coached that 24-win team!!

http://www.mvc-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=36371&SPID=2901&DB_OEM_ID=7600&ATCLID=3684497

[TheAsianSensation]

I dunno, if I were a neutral observer, looking at the league like I would, say, the CAA....Bradley at 6th isn't that bad. You're not putting them above UNI, Creighton, or ISU. WSU is the trendy pick and I can see that. SIU is the one I can't, but even so, that's 5th, and I think that's fine.

Especially look at the voting breakdown. We're 6th in a 6 horse race. We'll be above .500 in conference - they predict it. They're not saying we're a bad team by picking us 6th.

If I had to make a bet for my life on cinference finish, I'd put BU 5th myself. They definitely have the potential to be top-3 good, easily, but these other teams are good too.

[Da Coach]

So if BU and Les finish better than 6th does that mean Les did a fine job of coaching his team of misfits? And, if Les can SOMEHOW find a way to will this team to a top 3 finish does that make him Coach of the Year?

I think this 6th place pick is more of an indictment of the league's hatred and jealousy of BU and Jim Les, IMO. They've always had a thing about Les from the first day he came into the league.

Oh, and for the record, I think a 6th place pick for BU is pure BS!

I sense your question is a bit tongue-in-cheek.
I am not sure about the league having prejudice toward JL. IT's more that the teams all appear to be improved, and Bradley needs to prove something before the other coaches and/or media members give them any credit.

[real fan]

We all knew that BU was going to get no respect on any of the voting , the best thing we can do is go out and prove it on the court , P"allen Stinnet is the most overated player that I can remember in a long time(Korver and
Funk could literally take over a game ) he was a 4 star recruit that is not a great shooter and acts like a 2 star player. UNI was not picked to do anything last season so it shows what most prognosticators really know.
Let the games begin.

[shaunguth]

I sense your question is a bit tongue-in-cheek.
I am not sure about the league having prejudice toward JL. IT's more that the teams all appear to be improved, and Bradley needs to prove something before the other coaches and/or media members give them any credit.

Yes.....but will JL get credit if this team finishes in 3rd or even 4th for getting that much out of his predicted 6th-place, bottom-half of the league team? I seriously doubt it. Most of the "experts" will simply say it was because our returning players were indeed healthy, and probably give very little credit to JL.

[SFP]

Let the games begin. If this team is not motivated now, they'll never be. RESPECT is given by winning. Let's earn it.

[squirrelgotdead]

I mean we've won 21 games 4 years in a row. I don't see how that is not winning that demands respect definitively!

[SFP]

I mean we've won 21 games 4 years in a row. I don't see how that is not winning that demands respect definitively!

In reality we have not won a title in years. I'd like to see this team take the bull by the horns and show the rest of the league what we all know. It's time for JL to take the program to the next level! This team has the talent to do it. The questions is how bad do they want it and are willing to sacrifice? This is a long season where they will need to be consistent and mentally tough. The leadership is in place so I have to believe in them. Since the Sweet 16 team this is our best overall team in terms of depth and talent. I have to believe that they can start off stronger then that team.

[patrick_o'brian]

Hopefully this will make AW play with a chip on his shoulder. Arguably one of the best players in the conference gets shut out of the preseason all-conference honors. I think that it is great to have low expectations from the "pundits". AW will be 1st team All-Valley and may win POY. It seems that these people have short memories. Wareen will tear this league apart this year. I'm still sticking with my 2 All-Valley picks as C-Rob and AW. I just sense it. We'll see if I'm right. Just gotta BEAT STATE 3 times this year! 'nuff said!

GO BU!

[Da Coach]

One other small bit of news from yesterday's media day that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere- Commissioner Doug Elgin announced there is a small change in the BracketBusters setup. The return games from this year's BracketBusters games will not be played next year, but 2 years into the future. Because teams alternate home and away in the BB, it means each year they have either 2 home games or 2 away games, which can complicate scheduling. With the new setup, teams would have one home game and one road game each season in the BracketBuster.

[jeffsu]

One other small bit of news from yesterday's media day that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere- Commissioner Doug Elgin announced there is a small change in the BracketBusters setup. The return games from this year's BracketBusters games will not be played next year, but 2 years into the future. Because teams alternate home and away in the BB, it means each year they have either 2 home games or 2 away games, which can complicate scheduling. With the new setup, teams would have one home game and one road game each season in the BracketBuster.

Won't that leave a gap with only one Bracketbuster game next year and no "return" game being played (until the year after)?

[ph]

Won't that leave a gap with only one Bracketbuster game next year and no "return" game being played (until the year after)?

... and how bad would that make ISU's non-con schedule next year

[DoubleJayAlum]

Because teams alternate home and away in the BB, it means each year they have either 2 home games or 2 away games, which can complicate scheduling. With the new setup, teams would have one home game and one road game each season in the BracketBuster.

I'm not sure where you are getting that teams alternate home and away in the BB, but it isn't accurate. Creighton played at home last year (vs. George Mason) and plays at home again this year. In fact, in the whole history of the bracket buster I can only remember a couple of Creighton road games (Oral Roberts two years ago and Kent St a long time ago).

[Da Coach]

ESPN has said they try to schedule teams so that they alternate home and away games every alternate year. It isn't always possible to accomodate that goal, since there are different teams participating each year, though I think it has worked that way for the majority of teams.
But in every case, the teams agree that when they play a team at home in the BB, they will schedule them on the road the next year, and vice versa.

[TheAsianSensation]

One other small bit of news from yesterday's media day that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere- Commissioner Doug Elgin announced there is a small change in the BracketBusters setup. The return games from this year's BracketBusters games will not be played next year, but 2 years into the future. Because teams alternate home and away in the BB, it means each year they have either 2 home games or 2 away games, which can complicate scheduling. With the new setup, teams would have one home game and one road game each season in the BracketBuster.

Makes complete sense from a scheduling standpoint, but I'm leery of the idea of having to potentially commit to an opponent 2 seasons in advance. I sure wouldn't want to earn a top home game last year with, say, Davidson, and then have to travel there 2 years later when they're worse.

I suppose this helps those in the lower echelons of D-1, but I almost think it's better for the Valley's take if there was no return game to begin with.