Re: Rotnei Clarke

[Bogus Smith]

Do you ever get the idea that the TU guys just like to come over to our Board to hear themselves talk?? 

[Mike Minyard]

Mike, I am talking about the regular season and at large bids. I think the regular season is VERY important for ORU in recruiting, etc. but in a one bid league, if all you are talking about is post season chances, the regular season doesnt matter in that regard.

And you're wrong.  The regular season matters very much to ORU.  ORU would not have made the NIT in 04-05 if they just waited for the three games in March.  That's the positive side of it.

The negative side happened in 06-07.  ORU did a poor job in the regular season at times, and it locked them into a 16 seed.

What you do in the regular season determines your situation in the post season.  Yes, the conference tournament is more important for ORU than for a maybe 30 or so teams in the country.  The conference tournament is important for almost all schools even if they are from a multi-bid league.

ORU can't drop games to bad opponents and think they have a shot at the NIT.  ORU can't drop those same games and expect a good seed in the NCAA Tournament.  The key to the regular season and good seeding in post season tournaments is beating the teams you should beat.  You don't need the Kansas wins (although they are nice).  You just can't lose to the bad teams on your schedule and that's why the regular season is important to ORU.

It's just stupid to think that the regular season isn't just as important to ORU as it is to anyone else in the country.  Now getting kids to believe it is a different story.  Trust me, the players realize their mistakes when they see No. 16 seed next to their school's name, get snubbed by the committee, no NIT bid, etc.

[ashVID]

You are splitting hairs here Mike. I started the position when it was said that being in a one bid league was good. I am not talking about the occasional NIT trip. What is the highest seed any MidCon team has ever gotten? 12? 13? Obviously the regular season matters for many reasons but in a 1 bid league, you still must win the post season tourny.

I surely realize the importance of each and every game and the achilles heel for ORU has been losing those games you talk about, to teams they are WAY better than.

ash  =o)

[Gold*]

OK, I buckle, I will get you passes to see Hanson on 10/3 at Cains

ash  =o)

No thanks.  Really.  I mean it.

Now, if you could get me a couple of passes when Ryan Adams comes to town, that would be somethin. Surprised the tickets didn't move faster on that one.

[Old Titan]

Came over to this backwater for the first time ever tonight, to post some nice things about TU's football team's effort against OU, and instead got tangled up in this mess.

What the heck does any of this cr@p have to do with Rotnei Clarke??

What a waste of time!

Can I please have the last 15 minutes of my life back?? 

[Gold*]

There isn't much good to say about TU vs. OU from TU's perspective.  Would have liked if they had kept Smith in to keep it close.  About the only positives are that none of our major players are injured, the surprising play of our o-line, and that we somehow kept Malcolm Kelly from scoring (OU's best weapon).  Oh, and that our lookalike thread was funnier than the OU thread...

[ORUJason]

Jeremie Poplin on AM 1430 always makes the same statement that the regular season means nothing to ORU, and it is very insulting.  Until Gonzaga made their run, they were toiling in a one-bid conference with little notoriety, but some upsets in the NCAA tournament which they parlayed into some strong non-conference wins translated into Top 25 success over the period of a few years.

Prior to Gonzaga's run, I'm sure people said the same thing about them, that their regular season didn't matter.  But to gain respect, successful programs are built over time.  A 25 win season will get you more attention than a 20 win season.  It will mean a better RPI, which will allow you to schedule some better teams.  Then if you beat those teams, and win your conference tournament, you get a better seed in the NCAA.  That better seed increases your chance of getting a win and making a run, which could change the profile of your program forever.

Texas, Texas A&M, OSU, etc., didn't want to play us last year because Caleb and Ken were seniors, and they felt it would be a trap game.  But they do want to play us this year, because our recent success gives them confidence that we will have a good RPI, they assume that it will be an easier win because Caleb and Ken are gone, and beating us will actually mean something since we have been to the NCAA the last 2 years.

If we upset a couple teams like OSU and Texas A&M, and then hold our own during the rest of the season, then if we make the NCAA, we will be looking at a 13/14 instead of a 15/16.  With our recent success, if we can keep it going, then the MVC would have to consider us if they decide to expand.  More success begets better recruiting, etc. 

Purely a hypothetical and unlikely example, but what if ORU lost only 1 or 2 games this year, including the final of the Mid-Con tourney.  Since we would have beaten A&M, OSU, Texas, Arkansas, gone to the preseason NIT finals, etc., I think we would get an NCAA at-large bid.  But if our wins included no high-profile teams due to poor scheduling, we wouldn't get an at-large bid.  Just my opinion, and we have no recent examples of this scenario to consider, the closest being a 5-loss Missouri State team with an RPI in the 30s that didn't get invited.  All that to say, the regular season is of enormous importance for the ORU program.