SaltySeawolf

BU has played fairly well in OOC. We all know the situation with not playing in the AE Tourny and having no shot at NCAA's this year. Are the Terriers entering conference play with a real chip on their shoulders, looking to make an emphatic statement, and wanting to punish every team in the league to secure an NIT bid, or is the post season ban looked at as just the price of doing business? If the team is looking at the snub as a motivator can such incentive carry a team for a full 16 games or will the determining factor just be the talent level on the team? Are the other teams looking to send a message to Boston U that they don't like the thought of being spurned and will play BU harder each night? I know conference games are a battle each and every night anyway, but will BU games be amped up even a bit more every single night?

ccd494

Are we sure BU is eligible for the NIT autobid? If the conference can say they can't get the NCAA autobid, why do we think they can't tell the NIT the same? Or say the NIT autobid goes to the #1 seed in the conference tourney not regular season?

usslider

Having talked to Coach Jones and listened to him in several interviews, it sure sounds like he and the team want to use the ban as motivation and play with a chip on their shoulder. (Though that can only help elevate play so much.) I don't know for sure, but the BU radio crew mentioned last night about going into conference play and gunning for that NIT bid... So I'm assuming they're eligible for it I guess? If so, they're luckier than the women's soccer team, whose season ended after an undefeated conference season which was a real shame.

As for how good they'll actually be, I could see somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-6 or 12-4, which would be good for one of the lower level tourneys like CBI or CIT. But I'm rooting for NIT.
They would need a 9-7 record to finish above .500

__________________
~v^v~GO TERRIERS~v^v~
BU Hoops Blog

boxout

The Devil will be in the Details of what the schools voted on when NE et all left for the CAA, which included BU as a voter. I think the vote was a ban on representing the AE in the NCAA if one left early. Does not the NCAA own/run the NIT now??

BU_Hoops

BU can't get the NCAA autobid because they are not allowed to play in the AE conference tournament which determines the automatic qualifier. The NIT bid is based on the regular season champion that does not win the conference tournament. Fits BU's situation perfectly.

They will be playing hard for the regular season championship and the NIT bid.

TheSeawolf Roar

i dont see BU as a threat in conference play this year. maybe they can be a spoiler for someone in the tournament. but as they say it doesnt really matter what you do throughout the year for a league like ours. all that matters is that one weekend(and ship game)

Top 5 teams:

Albany
SBU
Hartford
Maine
Vermont

Redwyn

I don't disagree that BU isn't in the top 3, popularly held as Albany, SBU, and UVM. But I see NO reason why Maine is ranked above BU. They've done nothing this year to suggest a strong conference performance. Hartford, however, is much improved. I like them to make a powerful showing this year.

TheSeawolf Roar

Jan. 2 at around 930pm, please feel free to eat your words. No need to defend myself as i'll let you see for yourself why i have them rated higher.

Redwyn

So you don't really have a reason, but you're going to run the percentage chance that Maine wins at home (at 7 PM) vs. BU to make you look like a great prognosticator.

We're fans of the same team man - I've bled Seawolves Red for a very long time. But I won't let any fan make statements they can't substantiate, especially when what they're saying goes so strongly against the statistics.

Maine is no Binghamton, but they're very barely mediocre overall (with above average athleticism). BU seems to be better coached, more athletic, and has a more cohesive philosophy. Enlighten me if I'm mistaken, but I see nothing that indicates that BU is a worse program than Maine.

UVM Hoop Cat

BU,along with Albany, has the strongest back court in the conference- IMO but if teams like Stony Brook and Vermont don't utilize their respective depth in the front court against BU, then shame on them.


BU's going to win a bunch of games though. I haven't been very impressed by their results OOC though, and I do acknowledge they have played a tough schedule but only wins have been against Coastal Carolina x2, St. Peters, Howard, and Cornell.

__________________
"Let's win this game for all the small schools that never had a chance to get here"
- Hoosiers,
& UVM mens basketball NCAA's 2005

NotDeadYet

The original issue here was whether Bu would let their move to another conference and being blocked from the NCAA tourney have any effect on their in-conference play.

I don't think so.

UVM Hoop Cat

Me neither.

I think BU is going to try and win every game the same way they would if they were eligible. They may play with a chip on their shoulder but I don't know how that will carry over into game play.

__________________
"Let's win this game for all the small schools that never had a chance to get here"
- Hoosiers,
& UVM mens basketball NCAA's 2005

UVM Hoop Cat

This.

If BU wins the conference regular season they get the NIT invite- based on interpretation of the league bylaws and NIT selection criteria.

The only scenario that I can think of that is a bit cloudy- is what happens if BU is Co-Champions- and if BU get's the #1 seed tie-break. They aren't eligible for the 1 seed as they are not going to be participating in the tournament, so that wouldn't break the tie, and that's been what decides who goes to the NIT in event of a tie.

Unless someone can get clarification from the league, I think at the end of the day BU will need to win the regular season outright to get the NIT bid. If they tie, and win tie break but then can't get the #1 seed, I'm not sure they will be eligible.

(think it will end up being a moot point though- while it's still possible now I don't see BU winning the regular season conference title. If they do- certainly kudos to them)

__________________
"Let's win this game for all the small schools that never had a chance to get here"
- Hoosiers,
& UVM mens basketball NCAA's 2005

Nostrajimus

BU will send a message at UMO. In effect BU is playing an Ivy League conf schedule where all games are life or death because there is no second chance

TerrierNation

The thing to remember is the NIT does not really want an AE team in its field in the first place. I'm not sure the AE can just dictate to the NIT who its regular season champion is. If BU is tied with another team and holds the tie-breaker than they are the regular season champion. The tournament is a separate animal I would think. Plus that other team that tied them could win the conference tourney in such a scenario making it moot.

I get the AE denying BU access to the tourney because another team is guaranteed to rep the league. But there's no way the league and its schools are spiteful enough to deny BU a spot in the NIT if no one else from the league is eligible. And I can totally see the NIT committee telling the league to pound sand if they start to play games with it. I hope BU has clarification on this point before play starts, although I don't think BU will win the league anyway.

I also think we will be one of the best three teams by the end of the season. Still alot of growing to do. The league is very close if you look at OOC results against common opponents.