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Greendylan

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Everything posted by Greendylan

  1. I believe Ousmane played in the first NIT game last year.
  2. I don't know that the new NIT rules will make much of a difference one way or the other for NT this season. It might come out to almost a wash when you compare the auto-bids to power conference teams vs. the auto-bids to regular season champions (since that wouldn't have benefitted us this year). I believe 11 teams earned auto bids last season, and most of those wouldn't have gotten in without the AQ. Of the 12 power conference teams that would have received the AQ bids last year, had the rule been in place then, many of them made it anyway.
  3. Maybe I'm being selfish, but I really want to see more NT basketball from these guys. The NIT is no longer realistic, but I'd be happy to learn that we're playing in the CBI. Might be an opportunity to work on closing out close games--along with being an opportunity for a 20-win season.
  4. Not getting any favors from the refs thus far...
  5. As unlikely as winning the AAC tournament and getting into the NCAA tournament as an AQ would be, that might actually be more plausible than an NIT bid at this point, since there is no way to qualify automatically.
  6. Do we ever win these Sunday road games?
  7. I picked "ASAP," but that's assuming he's fully medically cleared and feeling pretty close to 100%. He's that important to this team, and even if an at-large NCAA tournament bid is no longer in play, these upcoming regular season games down the stretch are still monumentally important. Now, if the question is implying that "ASAP" would be playing him at like 80% and with a medical staff unconvinced, then absolutely not.
  8. Finally one post to unite all the forums...
  9. I think we're really beating a dead horse at this point with continuing this same tortured conversation, but sure, it's nice to see that someone out there thinks North Texas "might end up getting in after going on a splashy run in the conference tournament." I mean, yeah, it's possible, and we're more likely to do it than several other teams in the AAC, but we're also still less likely to do so than the top teams in the conference. And, yes, I know (and agree with you) that injuries is in large part the reason that we've dropped a few games recently (and thus correspondingly dropped in the standings). I still wouldn't say that the team we currently see (factoring in the missing players due to injury) has looked like a contender. Now, if we find a way to adapt in ways we haven't yet seen or get some guys back sooner than expected, then we absolutely could become contenders once again. Believe me, I REALLY hope that happens! I'll be there for the Memphis game, so maybe that will be the first step toward getting some mojo back with or without our injured starters...
  10. Repeating the words "terrible take" doesn't actually change the substance of the discussion. Again, seeding matters. Getting guys back (who may not even be 100% when they get back) just in time for the conference tournament may be too late. Having key guys out at a bad time can take you out of contention. If you want to say that hypothetically we would currently be contenders if we hadn't had these injuries, then I would agree with you. But, this current team does not seem headed for a high enough seed to have a realistic shot in the AAC tournament. Who knows? Maybe we'll get guys back way earlier than expected, and that could change everything.
  11. 1. I don't think there's anything inherently illogical about the sentiment that seeding in conference tournaments matters. When you don't get the advantage of a double bye and thus have to play more games, while also not having the chance of upsets allowing you to avoid the best teams, that's a huge disadvantage. Look, when healthy, I think we have as good of a chance as anyone to win the AAC. We have a great roster and a great coach, and they have a tough style of play that has almost let them sneak out some big wins despite the absence of multiple starters. But, I just don't think that any team in the AAC is good enough to win the conference tournament from the 7 seed or lower, which is where our current trajectory suggests we will be at the end of the regular season. I should have more clearly emphasized from the start that my frustration is with the really unfortunate luck of the injuries during a critical stretch--not an indictment of the program as a whole or something like that. 2. I'm not disagreeing with the point that "injuries make a huge difference." In fact, that's exactly my point, which is why I also said the following:
  12. Oh, I completely agree, but this seems to be the roster we have to work with for the foreseeable future. The odds of any team winning the tournament from the 7-9 seed (or somewhere around there) is extremely low, even if we do get guys back then. It's no one's fault...just the present reality.
  13. We've played 6 games against the top 5 teams in the conference and have won 1 of those games. 6 games is statistically significant to say we are not among those top teams. Could be a different story with a healthier roster, but at this point it is what it is, sadly.
  14. Sadly, this is not going to be a "wait until the conference tournament" kind of year. I think it's safe to say at this point that we are no longer contenders. Injuries may have a lot to do with that, but that's just where we are one way or another, which is middle of the pack.
  15. You do have a point. Spelling rarely overshadows the quality of one's content. Having said that, it does, in some cases, affect credibility--makes it seem like there wasn't a lot of thought/fact checking involved (whether that's the case or not) before spewing forth a post. Also (and I'll acknowledge here that this is probably an exaggerated concern), I sometimes wonder if our players question how serious our fanbase really is when they peruse this site and see that even the most dedicated fans aren't sure of our star players' names. Not trying to call anyone out...typos happen to all of us on occasion. Just some random thoughts here...
  16. Or . . . maybe trying to help the man land an NIL sponsorship?
  17. It's also worth mentioning that out of the 59 D1 men's basketball games played last night (including a PAC-12 game featuring a top-10 team), North Texas had the highest attendance.
  18. I'll just add to this that the rapid development of Edwards (since he's been brought up quite a lot in this thread) has been one of the biggest reasons NT is near the top of the AAC standings right now. He was forced into the starting lineup due to injury (unlike TP who spent his whole first season out of JC as the 6th man), and he's responded well to that pressure.
  19. Interesting... I tend to think that an AQ emerging from the AAC would have necessarily earned a couple impressive wins in the conference tournament and would end up as at least a 12-seed. Of course upsets could derail that. And, I'm assuming that a contender wins it all--not some surprise from the bottom half of the conference.
  20. I would hardly call either of them lemons. We were fortunate to get Rogers, and I will be ecstatic if we land Morris.
  21. I have no idea how the season will turn out in the end with months to go, but as of right now, this does not feel like a team that is progressing.
  22. Sure, there were questions about how well Harris would bounce back from his injuries, but he was the CUSA MVP last year and led his team to a conference championship. He got a six figure NIL deal to stay in San Antonio, and he finished this season as a 1st team AAC all-conference QB. He was and is a star college QB and could have made good money somewhere else, even if that amount would have been somewhat reduced due to injury history. Rogers may very well have a higher market value this off-season than Harris did last year, but I think it still stands as an apt example of a local NIL collective deciding that it's really important to keep their QB for one more year.
  23. I don't know if it's fair to call this a generation-specific issue. There are a lot of reasons for players to enter the portal, so without citing data, should we assume that leaving "because things don't go their way" is the dominant factor? If you were to use North Texas as an example, it seems that the vast majority of our players transferring out (according to sources with inside knowledge) were asked/encouraged to do so by the coaching staff. Sure, they could just defy the urging of their own coaches and try to work harder or something, but those same coaches hold the power to pull their scholarships, if they so choose. It would be risky/foolish not to take their suggestion. In the case of star players choosing to leave of their own volition, they are usually being offered massive NIL increases. I hate to lose those guys, but some of them have family obligations or other reasons why they can't in good conscience turn down . . .oh, let's say $150,000 to play football for a year elsewhere vs. maybe just a few thousand to stay. I highly doubt that previous generations would be any more likely to choose having their family live in poverty with that kind of money on the table. Are there exceptions to my examples, where someone bolts for little or no significant pay raise or leaves for money despite having plenty already? Sure, of course. But, I still believe those exceptions could be found in any generation. Also, one could further make the case that coaches of ALL generations are just as likely to take off for a money grab despite having committed to whatever length contract.
  24. Yes, exactly. Or, to put it another way, there is no such thing as a rebuilding year anymore. Every season is a one-off, and if you end up 5-7 (or worse) then the coaching staff just simply lost that year. They aren't ever "building" toward anything in the future. The good news is that you get to try again the next season with a new roll of the dice and an almost entirely new roster. Having a good system (on both sides of the ball) is important--in some ways that's the ONLY thing coaches are paid for nowadays, as developing "culture" is no longer relevant, and recruiting is based on the strength of NIL collectives). But, having said that, there is zero benefit in developing a system that cannot be effectively and fully implemented between spring practice and the following August. (I'm looking at you, 3-3-5!) If it takes players you don't have on your roster to run it, then why are you wasting everyone's time teaching it to a group of players who can't do it effectively, won't be able to have a successful season with it, and won't be around next season to continue it? I do think the various NT NIL collectives should marshall their resources and at least make a play at countering the massive offers coming at Rogers. I know they probably can't afford to pay him market value without blowing all the money needed to pay a whole host of other players. But, let's at least try to make him a fair offer--like UTSA did to keep Harris after last season. QB is so important to this offense that I shudder to think of how badly this season could have gone if we hadn't found the right guy. Letting him walk without a fight is very risky...
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