While we're diminishing the accomplishments of others

[emmitt01]

I know, I know, it's tough to see your local paper the DMN (though I'll concede that Jean Jacque Taylor is a tool) pring stories about how far down the food chain you guys are in basketball...and then have to watch NT punch a ticket to the NCAA tournament on national TV. I know it makes you feel better to use the tired Baylor argument of "we play in a vastly better conference therefore we're cool by association." Sorry folks, it didn't work when you were in high school and it aint gonna work now. I know it's easy to say "North Texas (I'll even throw in the word "State" cuz it gets so much traction for comedy's sake around here) could never survive in the big bad CUSA and that the Sun Belt, minus Western Kentucky, is a horrendously poor league of wannabes. Still, just for the sake of my own sense of humor, let's do a little comparison shall we? This is how the current RPI rankings view things...thought I'd use their point of view since they don't have a dog in the fight (actually, let's be honest, it's been a loooong while since SMU basketball has had a dog in any fight).

UTEP- 39
UAB- 40
Memphis- 46
Marshall- 62
Tulsa- 71
North Texas- 99
Troy- 109
Southern Miss- 119
Western Kentucky- 133
Houston- 160
Denver- 164
Middle Tennessee- 183
TCU- 189
UCF- 190
Arkansas State- 202
SMU- 210
East Carolina- 227
Tulane- 280
Rice- 311

CUSA teams with a higher RPI than NT: 5
CUSA teams with a lower RPI than NT: 7
“Middle of the pack” might just be an accurate assessment.

Sunbelt teams with a higher RPI than SMU: 6
Basically, you’d have a harder time being in the “middle of the pack” in the belt than we would in your all-mighty CUSA. Ouch.

Wins by SMU in 2010 against teams with a higher RPI than NT: 0
Wins by NT in 2010 against teams with a higher RPI than SMU: 5


But let’s be honest, here’s the only stat that matters to metroplex fans (neither of us are exactly nationally relevant).
NCAA appearances in recent memory, NT: 2….SMU: 0




Hey, football season is just around the corner folks.

[RGV Pony]

yeah guess we'll just have to be content being a football school.

Did yall go ahead and re-up Dodge? I forget.

[emmitt01]

yeah guess we'll just have to be content being a football school.

Did yall go ahead and re-up Dodge? I forget.

We didn't re-up him...but we did keep him on for this season. We'll see how that goes...but I think we all know already.

[CalallenStang]

Hey emmitt - great post and that's what I was saying in the other thread...pretty much exactly. Some people on here think winning the Belt is equivalent to winning CUSA and it just isn't.

Of course RPIs are higher for teams that win more games so that could affect some of how it looks if the teams were to "swap conferences." But the real reason that SMU's RPI is so low is because we didn't take care of business OOC, and UNT did.

Good luck to y'all in the tournament.

[Alaric]

Good post Emmitt. We suck. How about Circle of Champions Part II. Let's hire a coach with WINNING mid major experience. I know PonyDoh doesn't think we could land anyone. Let's test the market by quadrupling someone's salary if the COC is paying for it. We've shown plenty of loyalty to Doherty and the program is arguably worse than we he received the reigns. Time to move on.

Even if Doherty has found a system and players to fit in it (next year), what the peak for him? Top 75? A tourney bid every 3rd year? Meanwhile, June Jones will have a legit Top 25 program in 2011, his fourth year.

[FriscoPMG]

Thanks for the RPI breakdown. The truth hurts but I think that shows just how pathetic SMU basketball has become. I know others on this board love to continually bash UNT without looking at the facts, but bottom line is that we are the inferior basketball program right now. The fact that Doh opts to schedule DII and NAIA schools instead of UNT is a clear sign that he is afraid of playing and losing to them and getting embarrassed in the Metroplex. I don't think anyone on this board would mind UNT having a good basketball team - it would make for a nice little rivalry - but of course our expectations is that we'd be better than you, not lose to you!

But congrats to UNT! I don't care which conference you're coming out of - those kids dream of getting to the tourney and the UNT kids get to make that dream come true while the SMU kids once again won't even have the opportunity to sniff it.

[Hoop Fan]

congrats UNT. I'd take Johnny Jones right now. we could do worse, and I know he has been minding his backyard in the Metroplex I've noticed that much. hmm...

[NickSMU17]

Emmitt,

Be nice or we will take your coach from you and move you into an even worse conference than the sun-belt.....

Now, go get your shine box...

[ontheedgeofmyseat]

Is there a printer or document specialist in town that can change my BBA / Mktg. from SMU Cox to NTSU? Thanks..only serious replies please.

[Nacho]

good luck against kansas.

[ALEX LIFESON]

Wow, we haven't heard from the nts guys in a long time.

[emmitt01]

A few things. First, we won't play Kansas. Kansas will be a 1 seed and NT won't be a 16. Also, I sure hope UTEP wins your conference tourney. I'd hate for the winner of the lil ol Sun Belt to have a better RPI than the winner of the big bad CUSA.

If you'll excuse me I gotta get back to my shine box. Airfare and tickets to whichever regional NT ends up in might not be cheap.

[sbsmith]

UNT will be playing in a subregional, Hell will have to freeze over for them to make it to a regional.

[Junior]

Can someone tell me how to pring a story?

[DickerJames]

A few things. First, we won't play Kansas. Kansas will be a 1 seed and NT won't be a 16. Also, I sure hope UTEP wins your conference tourney. I'd hate for the winner of the lil ol Sun Belt to have a better RPI than the winner of the big bad CUSA.

If you'll excuse me I gotta get back to my shine box. Airfare and tickets to whichever regional NT ends up in might not be cheap.

Looks like Nacho almost nailed it. 15 seed against 2 seed Kansas State instead of 16 against 1 seed Kansas.