Topic: Trickier answer than you think

[banker]

Would you rather be the 2, 3 or 4 seed in the tournament?

Not a lot of difference between the two and three except perhaps a slightly easier second game, but not materially different.

Most would say they don't want to be the 4 because you get UAB in the semis. I feel a little different about it.  I think it would be better to play UAB in our second game rather than playing them in our third in three days. They have a lot more quality depth than us and our starters are going to have to have the freshest legs possible to beat them.

Whether we lose in the finals or semis is immaterial.  Our only shot at post season play is to win the tournament and the best chance to do that is to play someone other than UAB in the final when we are most worn down.

[THECHAMPISHERE]

Would you rather be the 2, 3 or 4 seed in the tournament?

Not a lot of difference between the two and three except perhaps a slightly easier second game, but not materially different.

Most would say they don't want to be the 4 because you get UAB in the semis. I feel a little different about it.  I think it would be better to play UAB in our second game rather than playing them in our third in three days. They have a lot more quality depth than us and our starters are going to have to have the freshest legs possible to beat them.

Whether we lose in the finals or semis is immaterial.  Our only shot at post season play is to win the tournament and the best chance to do that is to play someone other than UAB in the final when we are most worn down.

I have thought differently all year, but that is an excellent point. UAB has tons of depth, we have little. Do we really want to play them in game 3? Major advantage them. May be easier to knock them out while we're fresh. One good thing about a 2 or 3 seed is maybe someone else will knock UAB off, but with that said...as we're all focusing on UAB... anyone could knock us out in game 1 or 2. Anything can happen tourney time.

Really good post.

[svherd]

Good point but I would like the 2 seed. We could pick up two wins and play them in the Final. I think DD throws some wrinkles in and the kids respond big.

Barring a total collapse, we will play in a pay season tournament. Yeah, the CBi and CIT aren't great but it's good progress for this program and a nice reward for these kids. Jmo

[banker]

I would rather have a legit chance to beat them and I don't think we would playing our third in three days.  We would need a couple of blowouts in the earlier rounds to be able to rest guys.

[whf]

I think we win three more and were in the NIT

[banker]

With an RPI over 100, a SOS over 100, and playing in the 22nd ranked conference I don't think we are going to the NIT.

[SuperAnjario]

100% 2 seed.  Big reward in the quarters.  We'd draw Charlotte/Rice/NT instead of ODU/UTEP.  There is no guarantee UAB even makes it to the championship.  Depth is overrated if fouls aren't a problem.  Each team in the championship will be coming off multiple games. 

Frankly, with our conditioning, playing B2B may be an advantage. 

[Buffalo Bop]

It starts by beating Middle whose playing today without Giddy Potts!

Go Herd!

[DC01HERD]

2 seed and its really not close. That means we will have won at least 2/3 to close the season. Want to be playing well going into the CUSA tourney. Also if we played UAB in the semis how much gas would we have left for the championship? I don't think it matters. With tv timeouts and and our schedule has been Thursday/Saturday and a chance to play for the NCAA. I think our guys will be ready to go.

[SuperAnjario]

2 seed and its really not close. That means we will have won at least 2/3 to close the season. Want to be playing well going into the CUSA tourney. Also if we played UAB in the semis how much gas would we have left for the championship? I don't think it matters. With tv timeouts and and our schedule has been Thursday/Saturday and a chance to play for the NCAA. I think our guys will be ready to go.

Yep.  It's not even debatable. 

[banker]

Yep.  It's not even debatable. 

So it's not debatable?  Let's say we meet UAB in the final and, after two close losses to them this year, they run us out of the gym by 20, pulling away in the second half.  Would it be debatable then?

Think back to our tournament run a few years ago when we had nothing left in the tank for the final against Memphis.   For those that say our conditioning makes it a moot point, go look at NBA performance when those teams play back to back.  I seriously doubt we are better conditioned than NBA players.

When someone says something is not debatable it's generally because they are close minded to considering that they may occasionally be wrong.

[Penn2moss]

Best case IMO would be to finish UAB 1, Marshall 2, MTSU 3, and La Tech 4.

That would force UAB to play La tech and give us an easy shot to the finals.

To finish 4th it looks like we would have to lose 2 more games and then we would have the tie breaker over ODU.  Idk about you guys but that doesn't sound fun.

Put this tourny in any other city in the country and I think we win it.  Being in Birmingham make me wonder if Bankers plan may be a decent idea however.

[Herdfan2005]

Just get hot and take care of business.

[DC01HERD]

So it's not debatable?  Let's say we meet UAB in the final and, after two close losses to them this year, they run us out of the gym by 20, pulling away in the second half.  Would it be debatable then?

Think back to our tournament run a few years ago when we had nothing left in the tank for the final against Memphis.   For those that say our conditioning makes it a moot point, go look at NBA performance when those teams play back to back.  I seriously doubt we are better conditioned than NBA players.

When someone says something is not debatable it's generally because they are close minded to considering that they may occasionally be wrong.

Not really apples to apples. That was 4 and 4 with a triple OT game.

[banker]

Yeah, and that team was more than 7 deep and there's no guarantee that we won't have an overtime game in this tournament either.

After watching tonight, probably not a discussion worth having anyway.

[DC01HERD]

Win next week and then we can talk scenarios for the cusa tourney.

[Big City]

I'll gladly take the 3rd seed. Even with back to back losses I'm very happy to see our Herd in the position they are in. Several people on this board said things like 5 or 6 wins max. We are... in a good spot.

[Herdmeister]

I think we win three more and were in the NIT

Too many losses to make the NIT in my opinion. Not sure if Danny would want to play in a pay to play tournament.

[SuperAnjario]

Yeah, and that team was more than 7 deep and there's no guarantee that we won't have an overtime game in this tournament either.

After watching tonight, probably not a discussion worth having anyway.

By far the worst game we've played in months.  Not fair to judge this team off of last night. 

[herdfifteen]

Too many losses to make the NIT in my opinion. Not sure if Danny would want to play in a pay to play tournament.

I hope that is DD's philosophy, the pay to play tourneys are like participation trophys, I agree with you I think he would say no.

[FlyHawk98]

We should definitely play in one of those tournaments. Its extra practice time for next season if nothing else.

Plus, before the season started and even at the beginning of the season, most people would have been pumped to get invited to the pay tournaments. I don't even know what their called, but I think it would be smart to play in them.

[Herdmeister]

We should definitely play in one of those tournaments. Its extra practice time for next season if nothing else.

Plus, before the season started and even at the beginning of the season, most people would have been pumped to get invited to the pay tournaments. I don't even know what their called, but I think it would be smart to play in them.

The practice time is not nearly as valuable in basketball as it is in football. The rules have been made so lax now that teams can practice a lot more than previously. Also, you can go to Gullickson Hall about anytime in the off season and see the guys scrimmaging together.

[DC01HERD]

Getting the 2nd seed also allows a possible UAB vs WKU semi-final and WKU has played them really tough.

[svherd]

Too many losses to make the NIT in my opinion. Not sure if Danny would want to play in a pay to play tournament.

Why the hell not? That's progress. The last two years have been atrocious. Give the team and the fans a chance to see them and play again. Hell, I never thought we would be on this position currently.
If you would have told me we would have 15 wins at this point, a legit chance to win the league tourney and go to a post season tourney, I'd take it in a damn heartbeat.

[goherd24]

Whichever seed doesn't play UAB til the title game, or UTEP early is the one to be in. Ig UTEP finishes 6th, i believe the 3rd seed plays them, not a situation we want to be in.