Mountain West again

[Sean Miller Fan]

New year. Same deal. 6 of their 11 teams are in the Top 55 in NET. Bracket Matrix has 5 safely in with Nevade the 3rd team out.

Bracket matrix has 4 ACC but Wake is the 2nd to last team in. Syr, Miami, UVa, VT are 8th, 9th, 11th, and 13th teams out.

 

[Pittnerski]

What are they doing that’s gaming the NET rankings so well?

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Well the ACC is scorching trash, so is there any chance it's just accurate?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Well the ACC is scorching trash, so is there any chance it's just accurate?

The ACC is trash but Pitt, BC, VT, Syr, etc could easily finish 2nd or 3rd in the MWC.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

What are they doing that’s gaming the NET rankings so well?

I haven't taken a deep dive but every year its the same thing and then they get run out of the gym in the NCAAT. San Diego State did make the title game but also got a favorable draw. I know they play D2s instead of Q4.

Look at Colorado State. 2 D2 games. 2 very winnable road games (@ Northern Coloardo, @ Loyola Marymount), 3 neutral site games. Road and neutral site wins are over-weighted. This is why I'd play @ RMU, @ St. Francis, @ Duquesne (but at PPG). Those wins are much better for you than beating NCAT at home.

 

[NCanton Panther]

I haven't taken a deep dive but every year its the same thing and then they get run out of the gym in the NCAAT. San Diego State did make the title game but also got a favorable draw. I know they play D2s instead of Q4.

Look at Colorado State. 2 D2 games. 2 very winnable road games (@ Northern Coloardo, @ Loyola Marymount), 3 neutral site games. Road and neutral site wins are over-weighted. This is why I'd play @ RMU, @ St. Francis, @ Duquesne (but at PPG). Those wins are much better for you than beating NCAT at home.

I would love the day Pitt got a favorable draw and actually capitalized and made it to a title game.

I’d say it’s a pretty big disservice to any team making it to a title game to throw a ‘but’ in there to discount it.

It’s like saying Brock Purdy is playing pretty darn good….but it’s the 9’ers and who wouldn’t be good.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I would love the day Pitt got a favorable draw and actually capitalized and made it to a title game.

I’d say it’s a pretty big disservice to any team making it to a title game to throw a ‘but’ in there to discount it.

It’s like saying Brock Purdy is playing pretty darn good….but it’s the 9’ers and who wouldn’t be good.

The Niners would have the exact same record if they had Kenny Pickett or 25 other QBs.

Credit to San Diego State but until that run, the MWC's recent NCAAT record has been dreadful

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

What are they doing that’s gaming the NET rankings so well?

I don’t really think they are gaming anything. The conference has some really good, legit teams in Colorado St, N Mexico, SD St, Boise St, Nevada and Utah St. these teams play good OOC schedules and win a lot of games against those teams. I think they may get 5 in this year.

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

The ACC is trash but Pitt, BC, VT, Syr, etc could easily finish 2nd or 3rd in the MWC.

Not likely.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Not likely.

Currently, San Diego State and New Mexico are tied for 3rd in the MWC. We'd probably be close to a touchdown underdog to both of them on a neutral court.

The thing with that league is that the top half are all pretty good, and the bottom half all pretty much stink.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I don’t really think they are gaming anything. The conference has some really good, legit teams in Colorado St, N Mexico, SD St, Boise St, Nevada and Utah St. these teams play good OOC schedules and win a lot of games against those teams. I think they may get 5 in this year.

And they will go like 1-6 in the NCAAT as usual

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

And they will go like 1-6 in the NCAAT as usual

Yes, they may. That wasn’t the discussion we were having though.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

The MWC is going to get 6 of their 11 teams in. The ACC and P12 combined may only get 6 of 27. The ACC needs to hire a consultant to analyze how the MWC games NET. Might as well be me and I'll do it pro bono.

San Diego State
2 D2 games
4 road games (BYU, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, UCSD, lost to BYU and GCU)
3 neutral games (3-0 vs Wash, Cal, SMC)
Only 4 D1 home games and 2 are good NET games vs Stanford and Big West leading UC Irvine

New Mexico
1 D2
2 road games (SMC, NM St)
4 neutral site games
6 D1 home games

Boise
2 D2
1 road game (loss at Clemson)
5 neutral site games (2-3)
4 D1 home games - good NET games San Fran, North Texas, Utah Valley

Nevada
1 D2
2 road games
4 neutral site (3-1)
7 home games which is too many and is reflected in their NET of 47

Colorado State
2 D2
2 road
3 neutral
5 D1 home games

Utah State
2 D2
3 road
4 neutral
4 D1 home games

Moral of the story: minimize your D1 OOC home games. I know people will say "we need those games to generate revenue." No you dont. Those extra couple games against really bad teams dont add value to the season ticket price, you sell no walk-ups, you pay a 100K appearance fee, and you need to staff the Pete and turn the lights on. Stop doing it. I dont why people cant figure out what the MWC is doing and replicate it.

From Pitt's standpoint, some of these very winnable road games could be fun like playing in Philly against a team projected to be ok but not great. @ RMU if they get better. @ YSU, @ St. Francis if they are projected to be at top of NEC. Maybe a game @ Iona or @ Fordham would be fun for NYC fans. You dont need to go play Kansas on the road. But you need to minimize your home games. One reason why Clemson's NET is so good is because they only played 6 home OOC games.

 

[TheSpecialSauce]

The MWC is going to get 6 of their 11 teams in. The ACC and P12 combined may only get 6 of 27. The ACC needs to hire a consultant to analyze how the MWC games NET. Might as well be me and I'll do it pro bono.

San Diego State
2 D2 games
4 road games (BYU, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, UCSD, lost to BYU and GCU)
3 neutral games (3-0 vs Wash, Cal, SMC)
Only 4 D1 home games and 2 are good NET games vs Stanford and Big West leading UC Irvine

New Mexico
1 D2
2 road games (SMC, NM St)
4 neutral site games
6 D1 home games

Boise
2 D2
1 road game (loss at Clemson)
5 neutral site games (2-3)
4 D1 home games - good NET games San Fran, North Texas, Utah Valley

Nevada
1 D2
2 road games
4 neutral site (3-1)
7 home games which is too many and is reflected in their NET of 47

Colorado State
2 D2
2 road
3 neutral
5 D1 home games

Utah State
2 D2
3 road
4 neutral
4 D1 home games

Moral of the story: minimize your D1 OOC home games. I know people will say "we need those games to generate revenue." No you dont. Those extra couple games against really bad teams dont add value to the season ticket price, you sell no walk-ups, you pay a 100K appearance fee, and you need to staff the Pete and turn the lights on. Stop doing it. I dont why people cant figure out what the MWC is doing and replicate it.

From Pitt's standpoint, some of these very winnable road games could be fun like playing in Philly against a team projected to be ok but not great. @ RMU if they get better. @ YSU, @ St. Francis if they are projected to be at top of NEC. Maybe a game @ Iona or @ Fordham would be fun for NYC fans. You dont need to go play Kansas on the road. But you need to minimize your home games. One reason why Clemson's NET is so good is because they only played 6 home OOC games.

You are right about the MWC gaming the system by playing more neutral site and road games. The conference deserves 4 bids at most.

Duquesne and Youngstown St have a NET ranking of 104 and 126 respectively. If we played them on the road, then that becomes a Quad 2 game. Pitt fans could travel to the game and we’d get a paycheck out of the deal.

We should not schedule any home games against schools that are obvious Quad 4 teams.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

You are right about the MWC gaming the system by playing more neutral site and road games. The conference deserves 4 bids at most.

Duquesne and Youngstown St have a NET ranking of 104 and 126 respectively. If we played them on the road, then that becomes a Quad 2 game. Pitt fans could travel to the game and we’d get a paycheck out of the deal.

We should not schedule any home games against schools that are obvious Quad 4 teams.

I don't know how the ACC hasn't figured this out. Instead of playing a MEAC or SWAC team, play a PSAC team. Way too much risk involved in playing Q4 home games. And Edinboro requires much less of an appearance fee than SC State. To be fair, Pitt beat the spread on these games this year but you cant count on that and not all ACC teams do so it messes up the conference NET. How does the conference not have a NET scheduling consultant. This is EVERY year that the "prestigious" ACC is getting beaten by the MWC for tourney bids. MWC teams arent better. But they know how to schedule.

As for Duquesne and RMU, we wouldn't get a check for going there because the games should be part of a 2 for 1 or 3 for 1 deal. So you get free home games and a good NET road game.

Pitt can also look to schedule these road games in old Big East areas where we have alumni and dont play anymore. Heck, there may be more Pitt fans at these road games than would attend if the game was in Pittsburgh.

Philly - Penn, Drexel, Temple, St. Joe's, LaSalle

Central PA - Bucknell, St. Francis

NW Ohio - YSU, Akron, Kent, Cleveland St

Allegheny County- Duq, RMU

Baltimore/Washington - Towson, American, GW, UMBC, GMU

NYC - Fordham, Iona

NJ - Princeton, Monmouth, Rider, SPC

I mostly left off teams from low major conferences which are obvious Q4s. A lot of these could be Q4s as well but you have to evaluate who they have coming back and how you think they'll be. St. Francis is a low major but if they are picked to win the NEC, its probably worth a trip out there for a possible Q3 win.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Well the ACC is scorching trash, so is there any chance it's just accurate?

Maybe. But the ACC’s OOC record vs B12 was great and the ACC vs SEC challenge record was good. So I’d disagree on calling the league trash. But using the measurement that counts, it doesn’t appear to be that good of a league. They need to figure it out.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Maybe. But the ACC’s OOC record vs B12 was great and the ACC vs SEC challenge record was good. So I’d disagree on calling the league trash. But using the measurement that counts, it doesn’t appear to be that good of a league. They need to figure it out.

And I already did. It doesn't take a Ph.D in Math. Nevada played the most "ACC-like" non-con and they also have the worst NET of the MWC NCAAT teams. Its possible that the NCAA is overweighting road games to encourage P6s to go on the road. That actually could help us this year if they really value our road wins even though all came in conference but one.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

And I already did. It doesn't take a Ph.D in Math. Nevada played the most "ACC-like" non-con and they also have the worst NET of the MWC NCAAT teams. Its possible that the NCAA is overweighting road games to encourage P6s to go on the road. That actually could help us this year if they really value our road wins even though all came in conference but one.

You have. I’ve enjoyed your contributions to the thread. You’ve brought value to the Lair. Well done. Now pat yourself on the back again. It doesn’t happen often.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

You have. I’ve enjoyed your contributions to the thread. You’ve brought value to the Lair. Well done. Now pat yourself on the back again. It doesn’t happen often.

I'll even create an NCAAT-guaranteed schedule for them next year at no additional cost to SMFN NET Consulting.

11 OOC games
WVU
@ SEC

3 game neutral-site tournament. This is important because the 2 gamers we usually play in NYC come with 2 Q4 home games which we dont control the scheduling in.

@ Duquesne at PPG. Part of a 2 for 1. Will be counted as a road game in the contract and count as a road game for NET even though there will be far more Pitt fans.

YSU - home this year then away, then home

Drexel, home, home, then away

@ Princeton - away, then home, home

Q4 home game that is part of exempt tournament

D2 Pitt-Johnstown

D2 Slippery Rock

You get 6 home games with only 4 being against D1 teams and possibly only 1 Q4.

You also have only paid appearance fees for UPJ and SRU. $25K each.

 

[joeydavid]

New year. Same deal. 6 of their 11 teams are in the Top 55 in NET. Bracket Matrix has 5 safely in with Nevade the 3rd team out.

Bracket matrix has 4 ACC but Wake is the 2nd to last team in. Syr, Miami, UVa, VT are 8th, 9th, 11th, and 13th teams out.

Meanwhile, back on planet earth...

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Moral of the story: minimize your D1 OOC home games.

That isn't the moral at all, but you continue to insist that it is because you clearly still do not understand the NET.

It is better for your NET to beat NC A&T at home by 48 than it would be to beat Robert Morris at Robert Morris by 14, like we did when we played them there a few years ago.

Much, much better, in fact.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

That isn't the moral at all, but you continue to insist that it is because you clearly still do not understand the NET.

It is better for your NET to beat NC A&T at home by 48 than it would be to beat Robert Morris at Robert Morris by 14, like we did when we played them there a few years ago.

Much, much better, in fact.

I know that. But you cant count on ACC teams to win Q4 games by 30-40. Its a hard thing to consistently do. So minimize them. Play winnable road games. I said 10 times the Q4 games helped Pitt this year because they beat the spread. But you cannot contine to rely on all 18 ACC teams beating the spread. If you look at what the MWC does, they go on the road and to neutral sites and go .500 there. Then they win all their home games against teams ranked in the 100s.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I know that. But you cant count on ACC teams to win Q4 games by 30-40. Its a hard thing to consistently do. So minimize them. Play winnable road games. I said 10 times the Q4 games helped Pitt this year because they beat the spread. But you cannot contine to rely on all 18 ACC teams beating the spread. If you look at what the MWC does, they go on the road and to neutral sites and go .500 there. Then they win all their home games against teams ranked in the 100s.

Your argument literally makes no sense at all. If you can't count on beating really bad teams by a lot of points at home, then why on earth would you expect to beat really bad teams on the road by a lot of points?

Louisville's ranking is bad because they lost to teams like DePaul, Chattanooga (at home) and Arkansas State (at home). Those are exactly the kinds of games you think they should be scheduling to game the system. The problem is, they weren't good enough to win them.

Notre Dame's ranking is bad because they lost to teams like Western Carolina (at home), Georgetown (at home) and the Citadel (at home). Those are exactly the kinds of games you think they should be scheduling to game the system. The problem is, they weren't good enough to win them.

The way to game the system is to play better. That's it. That's the secret. If you stink it doesn't matter if you play DePaul on the road or Georgetown at home, you can, and you will, lose to teams like that. And then your ranking will suck.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Your argument literally makes no sense at all. If you can't count on beating really bad teams by a lot of points at home, then why on earth would you expect to beat really bad teams on the road by a lot of points?

Louisville's ranking is bad because they lost to teams like DePaul, Chattanooga (at home) and Arkansas State (at home). Those are exactly the kinds of games you think they should be scheduling to game the system. The problem is, they weren't good enough to win them.

Notre Dame's ranking is bad because they lost to teams like Western Carolina (at home), Georgetown (at home) and the Citadel (at home). Those are exactly the kinds of games you think they should be scheduling to game the system. The problem is, they weren't good enough to win them.

The way to game the system is to play better. That's it. That's the secret. If you stink it doesn't matter if you play DePaul on the road or Georgetown at home, you can, and you will, lose to teams like that. And then your ranking will suck.

Do you honestly believe that the MWC playing very few D1 home games is for reasons other than gaming the NET? Or do you think they are trying to game the NET but they aren't accomplishing it and they just always get half their league in because its a better league than the ACC?

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Do you honestly believe that the MWC playing very few D1 home games is for reasons other than gaming the NET? Or do you think they are trying to game the NET but they aren't accomplishing it and they just always get half their league in because its a better league than the ACC?

I have no idea what they are trying to do. Because all the teams don't do the same thing.

I wonder if you understand that part of the reason that schools like Boise and Wyoming and Utah State have trouble scheduling D1 home games is because there are lots of MWC teams that are in the middle of nowhere, with very few nearby D1 schools that they could schedule game with, and in places that most other schools would have no interest in going to play.

Do you think that there is any chance at all most teams will agree to play a road game at Wyoming? The last time they had a P6 at home was in November of 2019, when Oregon State played there as the last game of a 2-1. Before that it was in December of 2015, when Cal played there as the middle game of a 2-1. Colorado played there in November of 2014 and December of 2012 as part of a series of games. Four P6 home games in the last 16 seasons.

Or how about Boise State? They had a home game with Washington State last year. And for some reason they played a home and home in December of 2018 against Oregon. And then a home game against Oregon in December of 2015. And then a random home game against LSU in December of 2012. And a home game with Utah in November of 2011. That's a total of five of them in the last 19 seasons.

OK, let's do New Mexico. Their last P6 home game was in December of 2018 against Colorado. They had a home game against Arizona in December of 2017. And then a home game against USC in November of 2014 and again in December of 2012. And Arizona State in November of 2010. Five of them in the last 14 years.

Do we need to do some more? Mountain West teams, for the most part, can't get home and homes with P6s. They have to go on the road or to a neutral site to play them. They have relatively few nearby D1s to play at all. They play home games against non-D1s because that's who will agree to play them in their arenas. And I know you don't get this, but schools like to play home games.

If the schools in the Mountain West think that playing non-D1s at home is gaming the NET rankings then they understand the NET rankings as little as you understand them.

 

[PITTstorm]

I have no idea what they are trying to do. Because all the teams don't do the same thing.

I wonder if you understand that part of the reason that schools like Boise and Wyoming and Utah State have trouble scheduling D1 home games is because there are lots of MWC teams that are in the middle of nowhere, with very few nearby D1 schools that they could schedule game with, and in places that most other schools would have no interest in going to play.

Do you think that there is any chance at all most teams will agree to play a road game at Wyoming? The last time they had a P6 at home was in November of 2019, when Oregon State played there as the last game of a 2-1. Before that it was in December of 2015, when Cal played there as the middle game of a 2-1. Colorado played there in November of 2014 and December of 2012 as part of a series of games. Four P6 home games in the last 16 seasons.

Or how about Boise State? They had a home game with Washington State last year. And for some reason they played a home and home in December of 2018 against Oregon. And then a home game against Oregon in December of 2015. And then a random home game against LSU in December of 2012. And a home game with Utah in November of 2011. That's a total of five of them in the last 19 seasons.

OK, let's do New Mexico. Their last P6 home game was in December of 2018 against Colorado. They had a home game against Arizona in December of 2017. And then a home game against USC in November of 2014 and again in December of 2012. And Arizona State in November of 2010. Five of them in the last 14 years.

Do we need to do some more? Mountain West teams, for the most part, can't get home and homes with P6s. They have to go on the road or to a neutral site to play them. They have relatively few nearby D1s to play at all. They play home games against non-D1s because that's who will agree to play them in their arenas. And I know you don't get this, but schools like to play home games.

If the schools in the Mountain West think that playing non-D1s at home is gaming the NET rankings then they understand the NET rankings as little as you understand them.

Well, that oughta shut him up.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Well, that oughta shut him up.

He's someone who doesn't think that schools should want to play home games, so it boggles his mind that MWC teams would rather play a home game against a non-D1 than a road game against a D1.

 

[FireballZ]

Well, that oughta shut him up.

New here?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I have no idea what they are trying to do. Because all the teams don't do the same thing.

I wonder if you understand that part of the reason that schools like Boise and Wyoming and Utah State have trouble scheduling D1 home games is because there are lots of MWC teams that are in the middle of nowhere, with very few nearby D1 schools that they could schedule game with, and in places that most other schools would have no interest in going to play.

Do you think that there is any chance at all most teams will agree to play a road game at Wyoming? The last time they had a P6 at home was in November of 2019, when Oregon State played there as the last game of a 2-1. Before that it was in December of 2015, when Cal played there as the middle game of a 2-1. Colorado played there in November of 2014 and December of 2012 as part of a series of games. Four P6 home games in the last 16 seasons.

Or how about Boise State? They had a home game with Washington State last year. And for some reason they played a home and home in December of 2018 against Oregon. And then a home game against Oregon in December of 2015. And then a random home game against LSU in December of 2012. And a home game with Utah in November of 2011. That's a total of five of them in the last 19 seasons.

OK, let's do New Mexico. Their last P6 home game was in December of 2018 against Colorado. They had a home game against Arizona in December of 2017. And then a home game against USC in November of 2014 and again in December of 2012. And Arizona State in November of 2010. Five of them in the last 14 years.

Do we need to do some more? Mountain West teams, for the most part, can't get home and homes with P6s. They have to go on the road or to a neutral site to play them. They have relatively few nearby D1s to play at all. They play home games against non-D1s because that's who will agree to play them in their arenas. And I know you don't get this, but schools like to play home games.

If the schools in the Mountain West think that playing non-D1s at home is gaming the NET rankings then they understand the NET rankings as little as you understand them.

Why are you talking about P6 home games? I'm not asking that they schedule Kentucky or Kansas in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. I said they dont schedule many D1 home games overall, as in they don't schedule many buy games. My contention is that its deliberate to game the NET. Yours is that its for financial reasons and there is no attempt at all to game the NET and the MWC is just better than the ACC.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Why are you talking about P6 home games? I'm not asking that they schedule Kentucky or Kansas in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. I said they dont schedule many D1 home games overall, as in they don't schedule many buy games. My contention is that its deliberate to game the NET. Yours is that its for financial reasons and there is no attempt at all to game the NET and the MWC is just better than the ACC.

I'll type this slower so that maybe you can understand. They can't get P6s to come play at their arenas, and there simple are not many D1s in places like Idaho and Wyoming, so the pool of possible D1s that might come in for a game is much smaller than it is for someone like a Pitt or a Clemson, or a Michigan, or a Texas. So sometimes they schedule non-D1s, because those teams will play them at home, and those teams will not require a return game. Because even though you can't figure it out, everyone likes to play home games.

Your contention that what they are doing is to game the NET is simply showing, once again, that you have no idea what the NET is really measuring. There is one, and only one, way to game the NET. And that's to play better. That's it. That's the secret. Play better. That makes your efficiency go up. Which makes your NET get better. You can play better, more efficient, against a crappy D1 team or against a really good one. You can play worse, less efficient, against a crappy D1 or against a really good one.

This isn't the RPI where you could schedule the 150th team in the country but they would have a record of 15-5, so the RPI would think that they must have been good even when they weren't. The NET literally does not look at the opponent's record, it looks at the opponent's efficiently. Or in other words, how good they are.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I'll type this slower so that maybe you can understand. They can't get P6s to come play at their arenas, and there simple are not many D1s in places like Idaho and Wyoming, so the pool of possible D1s that might come in for a game is much smaller than it is for someone like a Pitt or a Clemson, or a Michigan, or a Texas. So sometimes they schedule non-D1s, because those teams will play them at home, and those teams will not require a return game. Because even though you can't figure it out, everyone likes to play home games.

Your contention that what they are doing is to game the NET is simply showing, once again, that you have no idea what the NET is really measuring. There is one, and only one, way to game the NET. And that's to play better. That's it. That's the secret. Play better. That makes your efficiency go up. Which makes your NET get better. You can play better, more efficient, against a crappy D1 team or against a really good one. You can play worse, less efficient, against a crappy D1 or against a really good one.

This isn't the RPI where you could schedule the 150th team in the country but they would have a record of 15-5, so the RPI would think that they must have been good even when they weren't. The NET literally does not look at the opponent's record, it looks at the opponent's efficiently. Or in other words, how good they are.

It comes down to money. For the right price, RMU or Long Island or Bryant will go play at Boise State. In fact, RMU did make a West Coast road trip a few years ago. The number of D1 schools within a 6 hour or so radius of MWC schools matters very little. For the right price, they can get any school to take a flight out there. As I have said, its your belief that they schedule the way they do for financial reasons. I believe its for gaming the NET. No one believes you. Because you are wrong.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

It comes down to money. For the right price, RMU or Long Island or Bryant will go play at Boise State. In fact, RMU did make a West Coast road trip a few years ago. The number of D1 schools within a 6 hour or so radius of MWC schools matters very little. For the right price, they can get any school to take a flight out there. As I have said, its your belief that they schedule the way they do for financial reasons. I believe its for gaming the NET. No one believes you. Because you are wrong.

Yeah, but why on earth is Idaho going to pay Robert Morris a big pile of money to come play them at their place, when they can schedule a closer by D2 for half as much and keep the difference? It would be completely and utterly moronic for them to do something like that. Which, I suppose, is why you think they should.

You can believe it's for gaming the NET all you want. You still haven't actually said HOW it games the NET. For two simple reasons. You obviously still don't understand the NET. And there actually is no way that playing a D2 games the NET, so even if you did understand it you still wouldn't be able to explain it.

Which would have been better for Pitt's NET, playing and pummeling NC A&T and Binghamton and Jacksonville and South Carolina State, or instead playing IUP and Cal and Edinboro and UPJ? Answer that question correctly and maybe, just maybe, the way that this actually works will start to dawn on you.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Yeah, but why on earth is Idaho going to pay Robert Morris a big pile of money to come play them at their place, when they can schedule a closer by D2 for half as much and keep the difference? It would be completely and utterly moronic for them to do something like that. Which, I suppose, is why you think they should.

You can believe it's for gaming the NET all you want. You still haven't actually said HOW it games the NET. For two simple reasons. You obviously still don't understand the NET. And there actually is no way that playing a D2 games the NET, so even if you did understand it you still wouldn't be able to explain it.

Which would have been better for Pitt's NET, playing and pummeling NC A&T and Binghamton and Jacksonville and South Carolina State, or instead playing IUP and Cal and Edinboro and UPJ? Answer that question correctly and maybe, just maybe, the way that this actually works will start to dawn on you.

I have said a million times that Q4 helped Pitt this year because they beat the spread. Last year, it didnt. So if you aren't going to beat the spread, its better to play Clarion than Alabama State. And I know you are going to say that if you are NCAAT worthy team, you should blow out every Q4 but this is the real world and it doesn't always work like that. Its a long season. There's injuries. There's flukey games. And most teams are "new" as in every year you have almost a completely new team so sometimes you beat a Q4 by 8 instead of 35 and you still can be pretty good. I am telling you that the entire MWC isnt scheduling D2 games for financial reasons.

Also, your reasoning that the MWC cant afford buy games is faulty. WAC, Big Sky, Summit League, Big West schools have to pay the bills too. They need buy games. There's not a lot of P6s in the Mountain or Western times zones as it is. They cant ALL play Pac 12 schools. And crossing time zones to play Big Ten or Big 12 schools cuts into their paycheck.

Bottom line is that you are wrong. They know that NET overweights road/neutral games and they dont play risky Q4 games which could hurt your NET if you dont win by 30. That's it. That's how they do it. But you feel that the Mountain West is simply better than the ACC. Its not. And nobody agrees with you.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I have said a million times that Q4 helped Pitt this year because they beat the spread. Last year, it didnt. So if you aren't going to beat the spread, its better to play Clarion than Alabama State. And I know you are going to say that if you are NCAAT worthy team, you should blow out every Q4 but this is the real world and it doesn't always work like that. Its a long season. There's injuries. There's flukey games. And most teams are "new" as in every year you have almost a completely new team so sometimes you beat a Q4 by 8 instead of 35 and you still can be pretty good. I am telling you that the entire MWC isnt scheduling D2 games for financial reasons.

Also, your reasoning that the MWC cant afford buy games is faulty. WAC, Big Sky, Summit League, Big West schools have to pay the bills too. They need buy games. There's not a lot of P6s in the Mountain or Western times zones as it is. They cant ALL play Pac 12 schools. And crossing time zones to play Big Ten or Big 12 schools cuts into their paycheck.

Bottom line is that you are wrong. They know that NET overweights road/neutral games and they dont play risky Q4 games which could hurt your NET if you dont win by 30. That's it. That's how they do it. But you feel that the Mountain West is simply better than the ACC. Its not. And nobody agrees with you.

This is another one of those posts where you tell me that I am right without understanding what you are saying and insisting that I am wrong.

Teams that "beat the spread" are teams that are playing better. Teams that don't beat the spread are teams that are playing worse. Play better. It's that simple.

Pitt's NET is much higher this year because they played NC A&T, Binghamton, Jacksonville and South Carolina State instead of playing IUP, Cal, Edinboro and UPJ. That is an indisputable fact. Even you admit that. And yet those are exactly the kinds of game that you think that teams should avoid to game the system. If Pitt had followed your scheduling advice this year it is entirely possible that Pitt would have gamed it's way right out of a possible tournament berth. Because you literally have no idea what you are talking about.