How are you feeling right now about the team and program?

Mistachill · Feb 8, 2023

HBK said:
The bottom four in the NET from the A10 two years ago had an average NET ranking of 256; the low was 327. The bottom four this year have an average NET of 239, with a low of 265. Is that demonstrably better? No, but it is better.

If you go by conference winning percentage to determine the bottom four, then the improvement is even greater. In 2021, the bottom four in conference winning % had an average NET of 256. This season the bottom four in the standings have an average NET of 206. That is much better.

The top of the A10 is absolutely down. Don't need the NET rankings to see it. I am not suggesting otherwise. I can see it in the results and when I watch the games.

Again, reasonable people can disagree.

And what happens when you do that exercise with the entire conference? Look at it like a flight of stairs. If you're at the bottom of the steps and take two steps up and I'm at the top of the steps and take six steps down, who is most responsible for us meeting in the middle?

HBK · Feb 8, 2023

Mistachill said:
And what happens when you do that exercise with the entire conference? Look at it like a flight of stairs. If you're at the bottom of the steps and take two steps up and I'm at the top of the steps and take six steps down, who is most responsible for us meeting in the middle?

I never suggested the top wasn't weaker. Again, more than one thing can be true. The top is weaker, the bottom is better, and the result is more parity, which sucks. Does it really matter if it is 62% the top getting weaker and 38% the bottom getting better? Or, 68% the top getting weaker and 32% the bottom getting better. Who cares? The point is both things have happened this season.

Ramlove81 · Feb 8, 2023

Mr X said:
Honestly, I do not think Dayton is mediocre. I could easily see them getting on a roll as well. They just beat us.

Agreed. Dayton is certainly not mediocre. They have under performed some this year, but they are a very talented team who came to Richmond with their back against the wall desperate for a win. A few shot fall for us and we win that game. But we should not discount that Dayton had a good game plan for us, executed it well if not perfectly and played very hard. I can't say they did not deserve to win, nor would I have said we didn't deserve to win if we had won. My only real complaint about our play was shooting and sometimes the shots just don't fall.

Mistachill · Feb 8, 2023

HBK said:
I never suggested the top wasn't weaker. Again, more than one thing can be true. The top is weaker, the bottom is better, and the result is more parity, which sucks. Does it really matter if it is 62% the top getting weaker and 38% the bottom getting better? Or, 68% the top getting weaker and 32% the bottom getting better. Who cares? The point is both things have happened this season.

Yeah, it definitely matters. The minor bottom up improvement has minimal impact. The top down fall off is what's really causing the parity and is what's resulting in the conference now becoming a one bid league. Like Wolf mentioned, the focus of the conversation has been on the bottom feeder improvement. To me, that should garner the "who cares" comment.

HBK · Feb 8, 2023

Mistachill said:
Yeah, it definitely matters. The minor bottom up improvement has minimal impact. The top down fall off is what's really causing the parity and is what's resulting in the conference now becoming a one bid league. Like Wolf mentioned, the focus of the conversation has been on the bottom feeder improvement. To me, that should garner the "who cares" comment.

Fair enough. Reasonable people...well, you know.

Beirne · Feb 8, 2023

I'm not quite sure how I feel about our team today...
But I have to admit that here on the sideline, I appreciate your educated and civil debate.

RamJamFan · Feb 8, 2023

Ramlove81 said:
Agreed. Dayton is certainly not mediocre. They have under performed some this year, but they are a very talented team who came to Richmond with their back against the wall desperate for a win. A few shot fall for us and we win that game. But we should not discount that Dayton had a good game plan for us, executed it well if not perfectly and played very hard. I can't say they did not deserve to win, nor would I have said we didn't deserve to win if we had won. My only real complaint about our play was shooting and sometimes the shots just don't fall.

Agreed, they are good and continue playing short handed with numerous injuries. Regardless, If we would have just shot FTs like a decent HS team we could have won. I lost track of the number of front end 1 and 1s we missed. I recall four before mentally checking out. My wife insisted I stop mumbling every time they went to the line.

Ramball · Feb 8, 2023

How I feel. Wouldn't be surprised if we won out, lost every game, or finished .500 rest of the way.

VCU77 · Feb 8, 2023

Most “experts” say that the A10 is a one bid conference. Just learn from our mistakes and peak in March.

BaNgMyPrOgRaM · Feb 8, 2023

If we win and lose out in the conf semis, we'll be DANCIN'. But I'm more concerned about losing to a team with a stupid nickname.

-----------
GO RAMS!
Beat Rams!!<<<<<<<<<<<<GREAT NICKNAME!!

Celticguy · Feb 9, 2023

Mr X said:
Honestly, I do not think Dayton is mediocre. I could easily see them getting on a roll as well. They just beat us.

they are better than us (not by a lot). we did not win in Dayton, they lost it all by themselves.

80sRamBaseballRugby · Feb 9, 2023

How do I feel? Like three daggers to the heart. Jacksonville, St Bonny and last night.

Win those 3 winnable games and we are way ahead in the A10, a solid at large candidate and receiving plenty of votes in the AP poll. Whole different season.

Free throw shooting literally cost us two of those. I didn’t see the Jax game, so I can’t really comment on that one.

theghostofwiltchamberlain · Feb 9, 2023

The Jacksonville loss is still just a totally absurd head scratcher.

They only have one other win in the top 200 and that is against Lipscomb where they scored a whopping 51 points. They have the highest TO% in the country and sub 200 offense and defense, and this team beat us by double digits at home?!?!?!

No hyperbole but it might be the most staggeringly bad loss we have had in the past 20 years. I just can't understand that one.

Rams4Life · Feb 9, 2023

Wolfpack Ram said:
Here's my take on the rest of the season. Look out for St. Bonaventure. They are one game behind VCU in the loss column and have the tie breaker over VCU. And they probably have the easiest remaining schedule of the top four teams. St. Bonaventure's remaining schedule i:
@Duquesne
@ Fordham
GW
@Davidson
St. Joseph's
@umass

VCU still has to play fur and SLU. Dayton and SLU have to play each other twice. St. Bonaventure also owns the tie breaker over Dayton. St. Bonaventure could very well end up the #1 or #2 seed in the A-10 Tournament.

This is legit. The Bonnies are much better than their overall record shows; their A10 record is an accurate depiction of their talent. Mark Schmidt is a fantastic coach and it just took time for a team with 11 new players to gel. They look like a classic Schmidt coached SBU team at this point.

rambunctiousrowdyram · Feb 9, 2023

Rams4Life said:
This is legit. The Bonnies are much better than their overall record shows; their A10 record is an accurate depiction of their talent. Mark Schmidt is a fantastic coach and it just took time for a team with 11 new players to gel. They look like a classic Schmidt coached SBU team at this point.

They loss to LaSalle at home last night. They are as big of a WTF as most teams in this conference.