MBBALL Rough day in the bsc

[EverettGriz]

The bsc went 0-5 tonight including 0-4 against mid-majors, and all the losses were by double digits with the exception of San Diego's 4 point win vs Idaho. Granted all were road games but until the middle of the pack in the bsc starts being competitive, we are staring down a 15 seed every year.

 

[rocklobster]

The bsc went 0-5 tonight including 0-4 against mid-majors, and all the losses were by double digits with the exception of San Diego's 4 point win vs Idaho. Granted all were road games but until the middle of the pack in the bsc starts being competitive, we are staring down a 15 seed every year.

The Griz represented the. BSC the day before by beating UNLV down there, after a 20 turnover night vs. Stanford. Hopefully the conference will turn it around. Go Griz!!!

 

[Griz til I die]

The bsc went 0-5 tonight including 0-4 against mid-majors, and all the losses were by double digits with the exception of San Diego's 4 point win vs Idaho. Granted all were road games but until the middle of the pack in the bsc starts being competitive, we are staring down a 15 seed every year.

If you’re Idaho you gotta win that game against San Diego. I watched most of the second half and despite it being close they just seemed out of sorts. They do have the win over Wazzu but eventually we need these teams to start breaking through.

Over the weekend, Eastern lost in OT to Colorado and Weber lost in OT to Utah. You gotta pull these games out.

 

[Griz til I die]

No games tonight in the Big Sky, but here's the weekend slate

Friday
Griz vs. Cal Poly
Sac State @ UC Davis

Saturday
Montana State @ Boise State
Idaho @ UC San Diego
Northern Colorado @ Pepperdine
Weber State @ UC Irvine
Idaho State @ Seattle U

Sunday
Sac State vs. Presbyterian

The Griz and Sac State both need to win on Friday. Head to head wins against the Big West would look great for the Big Sky. I'm confident the Griz will win at home but the Sac game feels like a coin flip. They're already 0-1 against the Big West losing to UCSB. As for Saturday, the cats don't have a shot against Boise, UNC needs to beat Pepperdine. The top BSC teams need to be able to beat bottom dweller WCC teams. Weber has looked good so far but UC Irvine is usually a pretty tough out at home. If Idaho can't beat San Diego then they're probably not gonna beat UCSD. Not sure what I think of ISU's chances against Seattle but that'd be great if they could get that one. And on Sunday Sac better roll.

 

[citygriz]

You can make the case that staying at the FCS level has been great for the football team, as we have become an "FCS Powerhouse," won two national championships and generally make the playoffs year after year, with some national television coverage thrown in. "Big Sky Power" has always sounded better than Conference Doormat, which is what we were in our two previous conferences, the old Pacific Coast Conference and the old Skyline Conference.

But not so for basketball. A move up to the Mountain West Conference would have been a bonanza for both our men's and women's basketball teams by bringing better teams to Missoula, improving our recruiting profile, and offering not only a much better shot at the Big Dance but also improved seeding opportunities.

Alas, we drove the basketball program into the ditch in so many ways, the while the football program prospered with a fabulous new stadium, a great coaching tree--Don Read, Joe Glenn, Bobby Hauck--and the ability to vie for "national championships" in a lower division while our men's team has to go up against the best in America in their tournament with the noose of a 15 or 16 Big Sky seeding hanging around their necks.

So: Great for football; not so much for basketball. It is what it is.

 

[captain jazz]

You can make the case that staying at the FCS level has been great for the football team, as we have become an "FCS Powerhouse," won two national championships and generally make the playoffs year after year, with some national television coverage thrown in. "Big Sky Power" has always sounded better than Conference Doormat, which is what we were in our two previous conferences, the old Pacific Coast Conference and the old Skyline Conference.

But not so for basketball. A move up to the Mountain West Conference would have been a bonanza for both our men's and women's basketball teams by bringing better teams to Missoula, improving our recruiting profile, and offering not only a much better shot at the Big Dance but also improved seeding opportunities.

Alas, we drove the basketball program into the ditch in so many ways, the while the football program prospered with a fabulous new stadium, a great coaching tree--Don Read, Joe Glenn, Bobby Hauck--and the ability to vie for "national championships" in a lower division while our men's team has to go up against the best in America in their tournament with the noose of a 15 or 16 Big Sky seeding hanging around their necks.

So: Great for football; not so much for basketball. It is what it is.

Your last sentence is all that matters: until something changes, it is what it is.

Don't get me wrong, I agree with all your points. But until we get that MWC invite (and accept), we've got to make the most of what we've got.

This year we've got a talented team coming off a great season last year and some positive momentum after the UNLV win. We need to control what we can control, and that means winning those Quadrant 2 games (and maybe even cause a shock Q1 win) and reduce any bad losses to Q3 and Q4.

Can be a tough ask when it is a long conference season against mostly q3 and q4 teams - but other mid/low majors have done it before - why not us?

 

[mousegriz1]

The men's basketball "coaching tree" is better than the football one.

 

[grizzlyjournal]

I think it's positive that a debate/ thread about a Montana membership in the MWC Conference remain active since... as I keep hearing, there'll be more conference shuffling after the demise of the Pac 12. I've always agreed with Everett re: the Big Sky... Izzat still so, Everett?

Frankly put here: I strongly believe ALL current Montana sports are capable of competing in the MWC within a short adjustment time frame. Two years ago I did a "fan base" comparison of Montana & MSU football attendance numbers vs. the MWC, the results of which placed both schools just above the middle in averages. Other sports didn't fare as well, but I'd be willing to bet a move to the MWC would have an instant positive effect on both basketball program's attendance numnbers... and likely also, volleyball soccer and softball. A no-brainer to me. There are problems, of course, MSU would struggle to move to olympic sports (compared to Montana, which is already very close). Travel would be easier for both Montana schools... a bit tougher for some MWC schools... but Missoula is no longer as difficult to "get into and out of" as it was, even 10 years ago. Yes, the initial $$$ outlay would be huge, but the benefits would far outstrip the negatives. Lastly: the Acadaemic standings of BOTH Montana schools would be a far better fit in the MWC than it is currently in the Big Sky: easy stuff to prove. I sometimes think this is like "spitting into the wind," but any careful examination regarding the possibilities of moving to the MWC would yield positive results. Just think: moving to a conference minus EWU, UNC, NAU, PSU and into a conference (the mountain division) that would actually make travel much easier for both Montana schools. And why do I include MSU? Because political/cultural opposition to splitting the schools into different conferences has a zero chance of happening. Now I know there are other alignment possibilities... cool. But just think what the Big Sky would look like if PSU and Weber State make a hasty exit? Yikes. And so.... to those skeptics who say "don't think about it because it ain't going to happen," well... I would not be surprised to see the Montana schools dealing with a conference of Eastern, ISU, Idaho, UNC, NAU and ??? Ugly.

 

[WyomingGrizFan]

Interestingly, both Cal Poly and UC Davis having their basketball teams in the Big West Conference while their football teams are part of the FCS Big Sky.

Can't figure out why discussion wouldn't be somewhat similar for both Montana universities. Griz and the putty-tats stay FCS while their basketball teams other than the Big Sky Conference; like in the West Coast Conference that contains Gonzaga along with Washington State and Oregon State while the Big West has both Cal Poly and UC Davis at least for basketball. Granted, the Big West has eleven while the West Coast has twelve, already. Why talk about the MWC alone while there are the Big West and the West Coast Conferences; at least for basketball programs?
Just a consideration.

 

[EverettGriz]

I think it's positive that a debate/ thread about a Montana membership in the MWC Conference remain active since... as I keep hearing, there'll be more conference shuffling after the demise of the Pac 12. I've always agreed with Everett re: the Big Sky... Izzat still so, Everett?

Frankly put here: I strongly believe ALL current Montana sports are capable of competing in the MWC within a short adjustment time frame. Two years ago I did a "fan base" comparison of Montana & MSU football attendance numbers vs. the MWC, the results of which placed both schools just above the middle in averages. Other sports didn't fare as well, but I'd be willing to bet a move to the MWC would have an instant positive effect on both basketball program's attendance numnbers... and likely also, volleyball soccer and softball. A no-brainer to me. There are problems, of course, MSU would struggle to move to olympic sports (compared to Montana, which is already very close). Travel would be easier for both Montana schools... a bit tougher for some MWC schools... but Missoula is no longer as difficult to "get into and out of" as it was, even 10 years ago. Yes, the initial $$$ outlay would be huge, but the benefits would far outstrip the negatives. Lastly: the Acadaemic standings of BOTH Montana schools would be a far better fit in the MWC than it is currently in the Big Sky: easy stuff to prove. I sometimes think this is like "spitting into the wind," but any careful examination regarding the possibilities of moving to the MWC would yield positive results. Just think: moving to a conference minus EWU, UNC, NAU, PSU and into a conference (the mountain division) that would actually make travel much easier for both Montana schools. And why do I include MSU? Because political/cultural opposition to splitting the schools into different conferences has a zero chance of happening. Now I know there are other alignment possibilities... cool. But just think what the Big Sky would look like if PSU and Weber State make a hasty exit? Yikes. And so.... to those skeptics who say "don't think about it because it ain't going to happen," well... I would not be surprised to see the Montana schools dealing with a conference of Eastern, ISU, Idaho, UNC, NAU and ??? Ugly.

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