Game Thread - Gardner-Webb @RC - Sat Nov 22, 7pm - ESPN+

We won 8 games against D1 opponents last season. As far as I’m concerned every game we play this season is meaningful. I’m not taking anything for granted right now.
Agreed - was thinking the same - clearly which our schedule was better but I'm very convinced at best we would have been 3-1 last year and more likely 2-2 at this point with the current schedule.
 
We won 8 games against D1 opponents last season. As far as I’m concerned every game we play this season is meaningful. I’m not taking anything for granted right now.
Meaningful in what regard? To make Mooney look good and the players feel like they have a better team than they do. If its not helping build an NCAA caliber resume or impress the rankings, its not meaningful. Are you going to feel good about a 19-11 record against this garbage schedule just because its a better record than last year?
 
Meaningful in what regard? To make Mooney look good and the players feel like they have a better team than they do. If its not helping build an NCAA caliber resume or impress the rankings, its not meaningful. Are you going to feel good about a 19-11 record against this garbage schedule just because its a better record than last year?
I’m with Ply — I’ve been at all the home games so far plus the JMU scrimmage. This team is actually fun to watch, roots hard for each out, and it’s a such a big change from last year, when for the first time I can remember I couldn’t even get myself motivated a few nights to make the 7-minute drive to the RC on cold, rainy nights.

So yeah I’m looking forward to Saturday and even considering a trip to Nashville for the Belmont game on 12/3. I really hope one of the meaningful reasons to watch this game is that I'm virtually sure Aiden A is our best freshman since TB/Gilly, and that we keep seeing green shoots from Robinson, Harper, and the rest.

Hope we are better than 19-11 but if we can retain our young players a 19-11 finish will make me feel pretty good headed into next year.
 
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we won 8 D1 games last year and Father's worried about building an at-large resume. barring something miraculous, we're not a tournament team. we were picked 11th in a conference that BEST CASE sends 2 teams now. there are still some glaring holes ... like our 3 point percentage is somehow even lower than last season even playing these weak teams.

but maybe we are heading in the right direction. we'll see come conference play. hard schedule or not, this team needs to be playing it's best ball in March. if this weak schedule helps us build to that, then great. we are able to develop some young guys more than we would in more competitive games. our somewhat realistic goal should be the double bye to give us our best chance.
 
Meaningful in what regard? To make Mooney look good and the players feel like they have a better team than they do. If its not helping build an NCAA caliber resume or impress the rankings, its not meaningful. Are you going to feel good about a 19-11 record against this garbage schedule just because it’s a better record than last year?
You’re totally losing what college sports is about if the only way you derive meaning is by impressing an algorithm.

You’re forgetting that we went 8-22 last season! 8-22!! On this date last year, 11/20, we won our first D1 game and had already lost to Marist, Charlotte, and Bucknell. We didn’t get our 2nd D1 win until after Thanksgiving! After a 8-22 season every game has meaning.

We’ve already matched last year’s OOC wins against D1 teams. And against equally mediocre opponents. Remember that last year’s OOC schedule also included losses to Louisiana Tech, Belmont, W&M, and Florida Gulf Coast. We didn’t have a bad year and then schedule light to trick fans with easy wins. We scheduled light last year and were still bad. 20% of our total wins were against D2 teams!

I don’t think one person was going into this season before our OOC schedule thinking about earning an at-large bid. If you’re watching the games then you’ll see why we’re excited. This team looks nothing like the team we were forced to endure last year.
 
I do enjoy this team much more already than last season. Just more fun players. Aiden so far looks like the real thing. He all in the same moment, hunts his shot, looks for the next open man, and drives with a purpose. We did not have anyone like that last year. And we have a lot of guys coming off the bench ready to contribute.

But, have to also agree with Father, it's just stupid how Mooney can lie about not being able to schedule anyone (when we see multiple A10 teams with better schedule's), and Hardt does nothing, and we have a dead Robins Center. It's just no way to run a program. You have to schedule well every year, and then coach em up, pay em up, recruit em up and live up to that schedule. Just dumb to have a terrible schedule two years in a row. If this model is going to work then start now and get some competition - at least 3 or 4 decent games. What if we smack Belmont?? Then we will be saying, oh shoot we missed an opportunity.
 
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