ESPN Bubble Watch 2022

[ur2K]

Finals?! We’ve only been to the a10 SEMIFINALS once since 2011. And of course we lost to VCU. (Updated to reflect that it’s even worse than I thought)

Look, we may have lost that day in Pittsburg on a badly managed OT, but we really won because Jesse Pistocache (a player on the active roster, but sick for that game) did win the Simon Says competition at halftime. So depending on how you define “compete” I think we won that day.

 

[GKiller]

Look, we may have lost that day in Pittsburg on a badly managed OT, but we really won because Jesse Pistocache (a player on the active roster, but sick for that game) did win the Simon Says competition at halftime. So depending on how you define “compete” I think we won that day.

Possibly the low point amongst many in the Mooney era. Tho it still doesn't stop being funny. & I think he won it with pink eye! That's elite.

 

[97spiderfan]

What is not to like about extending college life? Acknowledge things change over time but hanging out with friends and frat brothers "back in the day" was tremendous fun. Besides in those days there were student deferments from the military draft which ended when your left the cocoon of college life.

I think we can all agree that if we had it to over again, that we too would have chosen the 6 year college plan. Grant is wise beyond his years.

 

[Gospiders06]

Let's not forget the quarterfinal lose to Duquesne. Still haven't gotten over that.

 

[spider23]

Look, we may have lost that day in Pittsburg on a badly managed OT, but we really won because Jesse Pistocache (a player on the active roster, but sick for that game) did win the Simon Says competition at halftime. So depending on how you define “compete” I think we won that day.

OH wow, that was a recruiting miss big time. Jesse P. The Simon Says game.

 

[Wood Hall]

We’re not getting an at-large even if we win out. There are so many at-large bids for non P6 schools, the A10 is in a down year, and we haven’t beaten anyone. The mid-major top 25 doesn’t even list us:

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If we win out (winning out means winning all of our remaining games) we get the automatic bid.

 

[GKiller]

We're right where we want to be

 

[SpiderK]

I really thought this team could beat anybody and lose to anybody. I was only half right.

 

[Spiders4ever]

Picking up steam.

 

[8legs1dream]

so assuming we make the NIT does Mooney go with the greatest team ever routine or does he actually give the underclassmen some run?

 

[SpiderK]

so assuming we make the NIT does Mooney go with the greatest team ever routine or does he actually give the underclassmen some run?

Mooney will play his stars to capture the 69th best team trophy and banner.

 

[fatherspider]

so assuming we make the NIT does Mooney go with the greatest team ever routine or does he actually give the underclassmen some run?

No way he gives the young guys a run. He would be playing for an extension. A few NIT wins is equivalent to an NCAA berth in Hardt’s world.

 

[8legs1dream]

No way he gives the young guys a run. He would be playing for an extension. A few NIT wins is equivalent to an NCAA berth in Hardt’s world.

Sad but true. This is what happens when your coach's decisions are motivated to save his own ass rather than the betterment of the program.

 

[SpiderTrap]

Does the Ukrops food hall even advertise in the Robins Center during games?

 

[I-M-UR]

No way he gives the young guys a run. He would be playing for an extension. A few NIT wins is equivalent to an NCAA berth in Hardt’s world.

Here we are again no bench strength. Mooney does nothing to build bench during the season, by giving them meaningful minutes, because we struggle with everyone. How many minutes will we have coming back next year? Will Burton stay? If not very little. Wilson’s probably second but his game has deteriorated. After that not much game experience. We’re rebuilding from a team with 6 seniors who finished in the middle of a one (at best 2) bid league.
please let us rebuild with a new coach….give us som hope

 

[spider23]

lease let us rebuild with a new coach….give us som hope

No Hope for You! Or me. or spidernation.

 

[fatherspider]

Here we are again no bench strength. Mooney does nothing to build bench during the season, by giving them meaningful minutes, because we struggle with everyone. How many minutes will we have coming back next year? Will Burton stay? If not very little. Wilson’s probably second but his game has deteriorated. After that not much game experience. We’re rebuilding from a team with 6 seniors who finished in the middle of a one (at best 2) bid league.
please let us rebuild with a new coach….give us som hope

There is a reason only a handful of 5/6 year seniors returned in all of Cbb this year… the coaches probably encouraged them not to, so they could build toward the future and get back on track. Not The Moondog!!! “Come back guys, save my ass. A chance at NCAA to give me 5 more years. Who cares if we set the program back a decade? I’ll be banking checks.”

 

[8legs1dream]

There is a reason only a handful of 5/6 year seniors returned in all of Cbb this year… the coaches probably encouraged them not to, so they could build toward the future and get back on track. Not The Moondog!!! “Come back guys, save my ass. A chance at NCAA to give me 5 more years. Who cares if we set the program back a decade? I’ll be banking checks.”

if you guys come back there will be 100k in it for each of you once you are officially no longer students

 

[GKiller]

Guys you're not going to believe this, but we're not a couple games way from being bubble, we're just a couple away from being ranked and solidly IN.

"We’re a couple of plays away from being potentially a ranked team" - Jacob Gilyard

https://richmond.com/sports/college...al&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

Also Mooney is still on the great schedule train. Our OOC SOS is 106. You might have thought it would be better. But 106 is not great, stop overselling that bs. It's 106. Stop at good u can get away with that but not more.

 

[wr70beh]

Guys you're not going to believe this, but we're not a couple games way from being bubble, we're just a couple away from being ranked and solidly IN.

"We’re a couple of plays away from being potentially a ranked team" - Jacob Gilyard

https://richmond.com/sports/college...al&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

Also Mooney is still on the great schedule train. Our OOC SOS is 106. You might have thought it would be better. But 106 is not great, stop overselling that bs. It's 106. Stop at good u can get away with that but not more.

Brainwashed?

 

[whampas]

Brainwashed?

Delusional.

 

[SpiderK]

Guys you're not going to believe this, but we're not a couple games way from being bubble, we're just a couple away from being ranked and solidly IN.

"We’re a couple of plays away from being potentially a ranked team" - Jacob Gilyard

https://richmond.com/sports/college...al&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

Also Mooney is still on the great schedule train. Our OOC SOS is 106. You might have thought it would be better. But 106 is not great, stop overselling that bs. It's 106. Stop at good u can get away with that but not more.

LMAO, Duke couldn’t get ranked with 9 loses 2/3’s of the way through the season. Love the confidence anyway.

 

[SpiderTrap]

Everyone is a couple of plays away from being a ranked team. Depends on your definition of "couple" but a lot of teams feel the same way.

Fact of the matter - and article makes the point clearly- did not get the necessary work done OOC to allow for a buffer in the conference if we lost some games. They reference the 03-04 team which is a good example. You look back at that schedule - and they didn't win every game out there, but the schedule was so tough - they didn't need to. BUT - they needed to win some and they did. Here is a quick snapshot.

San Francisco - Win (neutral site)
South Caroline - Loss (neutral site)
@ UAB - Loss
VCU - win
@ South Florida - Win
Manhatta (neutral site) - Loss
Providence - Loss
@ Colorado - win

People always remember the Kansas win. But people forget - Richmond entered that 3 game stretch of @ Temple, @ Kansas, @ Xavier with a 8-8 Overall record. Can you imagine us today entering our 4th-5th game of the A10 and being 8-8 overall and thinking, we still got a shot? But what happened the rest of the way is what made that team - 10-3 to finish out. And having the tough OOC schedule with the wins of Kansas, Colorado, South Florida, etc.

Mooney teams lately (outside of the NCAA team) basically just beat the teams below, but rarely upset teams above them - especially in OOC.

 

[urmite]

Everyone is a couple of plays away from being a ranked team. Depends on your definition of "couple" but a lot of teams feel the same way.

Fact of the matter - and article makes the point clearly- did not get the necessary work done OOC to allow for a buffer in the conference if we lost some games. They reference the 03-04 team which is a good example. You look back at that schedule - and they didn't win every game out there, but the schedule was so tough - they didn't need to. BUT - they needed to win some and they did. Here is a quick snapshot.

San Francisco - Win (neutral site)
South Caroline - Loss (neutral site)
@ UAB - Loss
VCU - win
@ South Florida - Win
Manhatta (neutral site) - Loss
Providence - Loss
@ Colorado - win

People always remember the Kansas win. But people forget - Richmond entered that 3 game stretch of @ Temple, @ Kansas, @ Xavier with a 8-8 Overall record. Can you imagine us today entering our 4th-5th game of the A10 and being 8-8 overall and thinking, we still got a shot? But what happened the rest of the way is what made that team - 10-3 to finish out. And having the tough OOC schedule with the wins of Kansas, Colorado, South Florida, etc.

Mooney teams lately (outside of the NCAA team) basically just beat the teams below, but rarely upset teams above them - especially in OOC.

The good wins at 8-8 were VCU at home and Colorado away. South Florida was not a good team. The only bad loss at 8-8 was at LaSalle.

And I count the 8 day stretch as changing our fate @ Temple, @ Kansas, @ Xavier and home vs GW (5-2 in A-10 Wins over Temple & X, OOC win over WVU) [the same 5 players that went 27-3 two seasons later]

 

[ur2K]

The people inside our basketball program are delusional with their perception of what our program actually is. Its insanity.

 

[SpiderTrap]

The good wins at 8-8 were VCU at home and Colorado away. South Florida was not a good team. The only bad loss at 8-8 was at LaSalle.

And I count the 8 day stretch as changing our fate @ Temple, @ Kansas, @ Xavier and home vs GW (5-2 in A-10 Wins over Temple & X, OOC win over WVU) [the same 5 players that went 27-3 two seasons later]

There were good wins - but don't forget the losses. Sometimes that helps your numbers as well.

South Carolina - 23-10 - Made NCAA tourney
UAB - 20-9 - Made Sweet 16 of NCAA
Wake - 19-9 - Made Sweet 16 of NCAA
Manhattan - 22-5 - Made 2nd Round of NCAA
Providence - 20-7 - Made NCAA Tourney


Of course - scheduling is an artform and there is a science to it. But I think Mooney's approach and his staff has always been - play lower level leagues, and hope the teams you beat go on to have good seasons. Maybe get 1 good OOC game on our own, and then rely on these OOC tourney's to produce 2 big games for us. Problem with that approach is it doesn't leave much room, if any, for error or losses. You must win all lower level games and with 1-2 of those big games - if you get them because as we have seen, in down years, you don't get good invites for the OOC tourney's.

And if there is one thing you can't put on coaching staff - it is scheduling. Players have nothing to do with that. Players can miss shots, make turnovers, fouls, etc during a game - but they have no hand in scheduling the game.

 

[SpiderGuy]

The people inside our basketball program are delusional with their perception of what our program actually is. Its insanity.

It's obvious the insiders are correct, and the dedicated fans on a forum have it all wrong. We are just missing all things good and our successes through the years capped off with NCAA appearance this year as expected. Did I get that correct?