Preseason Poll Dead Last

[guest44]

Somehow Kingston did it, he made it worse than Louis Orr.

[mbenecke]

Nick Piotrowicz of the Toledo Blade mentioned to me (via Twitter) that he was fairly confident that if this team plays up to its ability, they definitely won't finish last.

I was surprised by the rankings. I'm usually a little too optimistic when it comes to BG sports in general, but I can't see why we're ranked last other than the fact that the media doesn't know half the names on our roster. We're inexperienced but we have a lot of talent that hasn't played yet, be it through transfers, adding freshmen, or redshirts.

This will be another interesting season, for sure.

[gmartin]

This team is last based on its play the last 10 years.
This team is last because all conference star Wiggins is too soft.
This team is last because we don't have a go to player in crunch time. Buffalo has THREE players you can count on in crunch time.
This team is last because it has no identity.
This team is last because we don't have an experienced PG and please don't say Frye is a qualified PG.
This team is last because they can't even go .500 time and time again in a weak non conference schedule.
This team is last because we don't have a quality coaching staff.

[jpfalcon09]

Bummer. I'm hardly a hoops fan but it's sad to see this program continue to fail to make the necessary progress to be relevant again.

[CrazyFan]

Bummer. I'm hardly a hoops fan but it's sad to see this program continue to fail to make the necessary progress to be relevant again.

And they continue to pay Huger $325,000 + a year to continue to run this program into the ground. Hell, I'll save the department some money. Pay me $100,000 a year, and I'll run the program into the ground like Huger is doing. We are right back where Orr left off...……...4 years ago. Just sad.

[hammb]

We finished in 2nd to last place last year.
We ended the season on a 5 or 6 game slide.
We had our starting PF transfer out
Our most of the season starting PG transferred out
Our depth guard and only reasonably efficient range shooter graduated
Had another depth PG transfer out

Our coaching staff has consistently done nothing to develop talent or win games. Sure it looks like they may have brought in some talented players this year, but if it goes like every other season we've seen for every talented newcomer that can come in and contribute we have a holdover take a step back.

Honestly would have been shocked to see us anything BUT picked last.

[gmartin]

We finished in 2nd to last place last year.
We ended the season on a 5 or 6 game slide.
We had our starting PF transfer out
Our most of the season starting PG transferred out
Our depth guard and only reasonably efficient range shooter graduated
Had another depth PG transfer out

Our coaching staff has consistently done nothing to develop talent or win games. Sure it looks like they may have brought in some talented players this year, but if it goes like every other season we've seen for every talented newcomer that can come in and contribute we have a holdover take a step back.

Honestly would have been shocked to see us anything BUT picked last.

I knew you would add to my list. So how bad we going to lose to Findlay. 8 point loss sounds about right to me.

[Antimob]

Sporting News has us 4th and Athlon has us 3rd.

[Antimob]

We finished in 2nd to last place last year.
We ended the season on a 5 or 6 game slide.
We had our starting PF transfer out
Our most of the season starting PG transferred out
Our depth guard and only reasonably efficient range shooter graduated
Had another depth PG transfer out

Our coaching staff has consistently done nothing to develop talent or win games. Sure it looks like they may have brought in some talented players this year, but if it goes like every other season we've seen for every talented newcomer that can come in and contribute we have a holdover take a step back.

Honestly would have been shocked to see us anything BUT picked last.

Haven't we established that the transfers aren't a big deal because they left for smaller schools (in one case a Division II school) and saw the writing on the wall about the diminished playing time they were heading toward?

[HoopsFan]

Thanks! Now there's the AZZ optimism we could all use. I missed the Orange/Brown game so I don't know how well the upperclassmen played and if the new guys are any good, but at least we can be pleasantly surprised if the team finishes off the bottom.

Not so much for the coaching staff, but that's another story. We don't need another lackluster season.

HoopsFan

[AyZiggy97]

Settle down. Someone has to be listed last. That doesn't necessarily differentiate between the teams. Plus, all human biases are included.

Ken Pom MAC pre-season

71. Buffalo
109. Ball St.
113. Eastern Michigan
119. Toledo
132. Ohio
181. Akron
182. Kent St.
183. Miami
185. Northern Illinois
188. BG
192. Central Michigan
214. Western Michigan

Every BG MAC home game against teams not named Buffalo is at least 44% chance of winning.

But go ahead, parse 7 places in the national rankings before a game is played.

[BleedOrange]

The reality is that these sportswriters have only a cursory knowledge of the respective teams. Usually, their opinions are barely better than guesses. Same for the grocery store annuals by Avalon, SportingNews, and StreetAndSmith. What's depressing is NOT that these uninspired sportswriters have low opinions of BG basketball. It's that they DO NOT NEED have an any informed opinion AT ALL before they mail in their votes and articles about our program. This is because, generally speaking, nobody else cares about our program either. Other programs and conferences sell the publications, and the MAC and BG should be grateful just to appear there, especially given the emphasis the respective schools place on their own programs.

While we moan about the desperate mediocrity of our basketball program, remember that compete in an invisible league of equally forlorn, ignored, and meaningless programs that, from a national perspective, are only marginally better or worse than ours. So screw it. Go enjoy the games. Go out for beer and grub after those games. I hope to finally meet some of you this year.

[mbenecke]

Well put. Let's support this team through the good and bad that comes with any season.

Go Falcons!

[footballguy51]

The reality is that these sportswriters have only a cursory knowledge of the respective teams. Usually, their opinions are barely better than guesses. Same for the grocery store annuals by Avalon, SportingNews, and StreetAndSmith. What's depressing is NOT that these uninspired sportswriters have low opinions of BG basketball. It's that they DO NOT NEED have an any informed opinion AT ALL before they mail in their votes and articles about our program. This is because, generally speaking, nobody else cares about our program either. Other programs and conferences sell the publications, and the MAC and BG should be grateful just to appear there, especially given the emphasis the respective schools place on their own programs.

While we moan about the desperate mediocrity of our basketball program, remember that compete in an invisible league of equally forlorn, ignored, and meaningless programs that, from a national perspective, are only marginally better or worse than ours. So screw it. Go enjoy the games. Go out for beer and grub after those games. I hope to finally meet some of you this year.

My wife and I have season tickets this year, but they are in the general admission section. I have a hunch we'll probably sneak into the side seats without an issue on some nights, but I plan on staying in GA for the most part since that's where my tickets are located.

[hammb]

The reality is that these sportswriters have only a cursory knowledge of the respective teams. Usually, their opinions are barely better than guesses. Same for the grocery store annuals by Avalon, SportingNews, and StreetAndSmith. What's depressing is NOT that these uninspired sportswriters have low opinions of BG basketball. It's that they DO NOT NEED have an any informed opinion AT ALL before they mail in their votes and articles about our program. This is because, generally speaking, nobody else cares about our program either. Other programs and conferences sell the publications, and the MAC and BG should be grateful just to appear there, especially given the emphasis the respective schools place on their own programs.

While we moan about the desperate mediocrity of our basketball program, remember that compete in an invisible league of equally forlorn, ignored, and meaningless programs that, from a national perspective, are only marginally better or worse than ours. So screw it. Go enjoy the games. Go out for beer and grub after those games. I hope to finally meet some of you this year.

My wife and I have season tickets this year, but they are in the general admission section. I have a hunch we'll probably sneak into the side seats without an issue on some nights, but I plan on staying in GA for the most part since that's where my tickets are located.

Good luck with that. They generally check tickets at the entrances to most sections. Oftentimes even into the second half. Last year had a friend in GA try to come over and chat with us during halftime and they wouldn't even let him into our section to say hello. I'm all for making people sit in their seats but they take it too far given the attendance woes, Imo.

As to supporting the team through good and bad? I've missed less than 3 games a year on average for the past 20 years. The last 15 years have been mostly awful. If that's not support I don't know what is. But I'm not gonna sit here and be all super optimistic when they have provided no reason for optimism.

And yeah the MAC as a whole is irrelevant, and BG even moreso. But that still peeves me off to no end. We've sat back and ruined a very good basketball conference. And with our facility combined with Mr. Frack's generosity there is zero excuse for BG to not be perennially among the best in this league...yet they're at the bottom.

I hope like hell we finally see development from Frye and Turner. I hope like hell we can get some good contributions from some of the newcomers. I hope like hell I'm wrong about this season. I'll be there to see it every night either way. But if we continue to suck ass? I'll be on here bitching about it, because it is inexcusable.