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December 11, 2007
Games To Watch - 12/11/07
Last night turned out pretty much as expected. VMI was able to take out the Builders from the Apprentice School. It took them scoring over 100 to do it, since they let Newport get 96, but they got it done.
And then there is the sad little story of NJIT who fell to 0-12 in Division 1 games with their loss last night against Stony Brook. I still have no idea why NJIT decided to try their hand in Division 1, but here they are, although only as an independent at this point, and without the ability to qualify for any post season tournaments. Not that they would be in line with a record like this. They are just another school with dreams of making it big in the top league which probably should have checked themselves in the mirror first.
Their location is probably the biggest issue. Here they are, firmly in the Northeast part of the country, yet they are surrounded by a number of conferences which are already bloated or full without hope of a easy expansion. What team would want to step into that, risking being on their own for so long? There is nowhere for them to hope to latch on to, when they might be finally eligible to do so. Instead they have to sit and wait it out, playing on the road more often than not, and scrapping away with the other unaffiliated teams.
That is not the way to live in Division 1, a decision that right now, probably doesn't look so good.
On to tonight. In honor of NJIT, let's start with another game that features two teams ranked in the 300+ range in the MRI.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Louisiana Tech: How do you bounce back from a crushing defeat like Louisiana Tech had against Texas Tech (42 -1 runs are not good for your health)? You play a team from the SWAC, of course. Can the Bulldogs turn it around to night? Well, playing at home can often cure many ills. And this is Arkansas-Pine Bluff after all.
MRI Predicts: Louisiana Tech Confidence Factor: 52.25%
Bradley at Wright State: Bradley is making their case as potentially the second bast team in the Missouri Valley after Creighton. They put up a 58 minute fight against Michigan State which almost turned into a major upset for the Braves. Tonight they take their game to Wright State, who scored maybe their largest victory of the season, taking out a ranked Butler team. If the Raiders had also taken down Valpo earlier in the week, when they had them at home, then maybe I would see reason for Wright State to potentially take the conference crown. Unfortunately, they were unable to do that. The MRI likes their chances tonight, although Bradley has a better than average shot on the road.
MRI Predicts: Wright State Confidence Factor: 51.03%
St. Mary's at Southern Illinois: Now here is the tale of two teams going in opposite directions. St. Mary's was supposed to be second best to Gonzaga this year, but it was hard to predict that the Gaels would have gotten this far without a loss. They hold in their back pocket the only losses of Drake and Oregon. Until this weekend, they were also the only team to have taken down Seton Hall. St. Mary's finds itself in the Top 25 in the national polls for the first time since the 1988 - 1989 season. And then there is Southern Illinois, who began the season ranked themselves. A 3-0 start seemed to indicate that this was foretold in that little number next to their name. And then the wheels fell off. USC brought the first hit and smashed the Salukis by 25 points. Then two more losses, to Indiana, and to the less than stellar team from Charlotte. Southern Illinois is a shadow of the team that was expected to sweep through the Missouri Valley conference and make yet another NCAA tournament appearance. Tonight is a chance to get it all back on track, especially with the Gaels coming all the way into Carbondale. Look for a close fight tonight, with MRI's pick St. Mary's coming out on top.
MRI Predicts: St. Mary's Confidence Factor: 52.25%
MRI Stats:
Yesterday: 4 - 1
This Season: 403 - 160, 71.58%
All Time: 12090 - 4762, 71.74%
The MRI is a computer basketball ranking system. It has been picking games since 2003. Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com
Posted by bmiraski at December 11, 2007 1:00 PM
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Comments
NJIT's Men's basketball team fell to 0-13 but they lost only by 10 points to a Big-East giant - Rutgers. This is certain sign of good wins to come in the near future...
The Women's basketball team won one game against last season's America East Champion. The rest of the games that they lost were pretty close....so they are almost on par with established D1 teams already...
Both volleyball teams did pretty well with the Men's team capturing the EIVA Hay Division and getting a promotion to EIVA Tait Division.
Both Tennis teams did extremely well to register a combine effort of 6wins and only 1 loss against D1 opponents this season.
The Baseball team finished RPI 266 above 27 established D1 colleges in its 1st season...I am sure they would improve further...
The Ice Hockey Team only won 2 of its 7 matches...I am sure they would improve further.
The 2 soccer teams unfortunately finished in the bottom 10 in their respective leagues ... they are lacking behind the rest of the sports teams considering the fact that they turned D1 2-3 years before the rest...
Looking at the performance of the Highlanders' teams, it seems like they made the correct decision switching to Division 1.... they really belong in this class and should be fully ready when the transition is fully-completed in 2009-2010 season. Rome wasn't built in one day...
Posted by: NJIT Fan at December 15, 2007 5:49 AM