"Expert" predictions

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gmujim92

Hall of Famer
GIVING DAY 2023
Here is where the various media outlets have predicted Mason to finish in the A-10 standings in 2016-17:

Sporting News: 13th
Athlon: 14th
Lindy's: 13th
USA Today: 12th
Blue Ribbon: T-8th
NBC Sports: 9th

I bought the digital download of the Blue Ribbon yearbook for $17. It is worth every penny ... and not just because Brian Mull thinks more of Mason than just about everybody else :D
 
Vurbel

Vurbel

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It's all about winning the play in game. Or better yet, not being in it to begin with. I'm confident as the season goes on we're going to do well defensively. It's just compared to other schools we'll have a tough time down low. But I still maintain we have the best point guard in the A10 and the 2017 A10 rookie of the year is on our team.
 
gmutom

gmutom

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GIVING DAY 2023
Vurbel said:
It's all about winning the play in game.
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I'm all for setting goals, but I really wish people would stop saying this. It makes it sound like we could go 0-28 in the regular season but all is well if we win the play-in game; or that we could finish above .500 in the regular season but it's for naught if we lose in the A10 tourney.

As with last year, the goal this year shouldn't be measured by wins and losses as much as it is about gradually improving and building the program back up one brick at a time. If that happens and we win a game in the A10 tournament, that's great; but it's not like the program is going to take a setback or giant step forward due to one game in March.
 
Vurbel

Vurbel

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gmutom said:
I'm all for setting goals, but I really wish people would stop saying this. It makes it sound like we could go 0-28 in the regular season but all is well if we win the play-in game; or that we could finish above .500 in the regular season but it's for naught if we lose in the A10 tourney.

As with last year, the goal this year shouldn't be measured by wins and losses as much as it is about gradually improving and building the program back up one brick at a time. If that happens and we win a game in the A10 tournament, that's great; but it's not like the program is going to take a setback or giant step forward due to one game in March.
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I know it's not all about that. I didn't think I had to be so literal. There are multiple things a team on the rise uses to judge how they are doing. Getting out of the play-in game is just one of them. I thought last season was more successful than any Hewitt season we had.
 
gmutom

gmutom

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Vurbel said:
I know it's not all about that. I didn't think I had to be so literal. There are multiple things a team on the rise uses to judge how they are doing. Getting out of the play-in game is just one of them. I thought last season was more successful than any Hewitt season we had.
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I hear you, man, and my post wasn't aimed at just you. Several people here have set winning the play in game as the goal, and I just don't see it all boiling down to a single game or two — especially since that's the time of year when most freshmen end up hitting a wall.
 
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gmujim92

Hall of Famer
GIVING DAY 2023
When I first heard Blue Ribbon picked us to finish tied for 8th with Richmond, I thought that was crazy.

Now I think they might be on to something -- if only because several A-10 teams lost a bunch of talent from last season:

* Saint Joe's lost the conference POY in DeAndre Bembry, another all-conference pick in Isaiah Miles and a third starter in Aaron Brown. Sophomore F Pierfrancesco Oliva also will miss this season with a knee injury.

* Duquesne lost two of the A-10's best guards in Derrick Colter and Micah Mason, plus swingman L.G. Gill transferred to Maryland.

* UMass lost its starting backcourt of Jabarie Hinds and Trey Davis, and is counting on a highly touted freshman class to play major minutes.

* Fordham lost one of the league's best bigs in Ryan Rhoomes and starting SG Mandell Thomas.

* Saint Louis had nothing to lose, so it fired its coach. Travis Ford has brought in several transfers, but his best players will be in street clothes this season.

If we finish ahead of those 5 teams, we're in 9th. And we swept Richmond last season with a bunch of freshmen; for some reason, we seem to have their number these days.

We're still insanely young, obviously, and I think we'll have some really rough nights, but the bottom of this league looks pretty beatable right now.
 
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gmujim92

Hall of Famer
GIVING DAY 2023
It's also not beyond the realm of possibility that we could finish ahead of GW, which lost three 4-year starters and its head coach and is now under the leadership of a guy who has never been a head coach on any level.

Can't believe I forgot to poke fun at the Colonials. My bad.
 
The Great PATSby

The Great PATSby

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gmujim92 said:
It's also not beyond the realm of possibility that we could finish ahead of GW, which lost three 4-year starters and its head coach and is now under the leadership of a guy who has never been a head coach on any level.

Can't believe I forgot to poke fun at the Colonials. My bad.
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Interesting fact, GW's interim Coach Maurice Joseph was a freshman on the Mich St team that we spanked during the final four run. He's only 31.
 
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