So, guys it all comes down to this in as simple a way as I can state it. Our Apps are dangerously near elimination from the post season; and it has nothing to do with APR this time. There are a number of ways the last three weeks of the men's basketball season can go, but here is one of the most likely--IMHO.

Our Apps are 4-10 in conference play and in tenth place; two positions out of the eighth and last tourney seed. The enemy that we have to catch is the current eighth place team--South Alabama--who checks in today at 6-8 in conference play. Both teams have six games remaining in the regular season.

It appears that the Apps have to go 5-1 in those last six games to finish 9-11. We need help from our conference mates to send So 'Bama stumbling to a 2-4 finish and a record of 8-12. That should give us the eighth seed and avoid a tie.

If we win five of six and So 'Bama goes 3-3; the result is a tie for eighth. I'm not at all confident we'd survive the Sun Belt tie-breaking policy unless we can stun the world and beat UALR in HCC on Thursday, March 4th. Wins against the league's top teams are used in the tie-breaker.

Now, it's too early to write anyone off, but App and Troy are on the edge of the cliff. Troy, BTW, plays at So 'Bama tomorrow night. We'd better be hoping for a Troy win. Then, we'd better take both of them down this weekend on the home court to keep our chances alive.

Jim Fox and his players have their hands full.

Honestly, at this point, I'm not sure it makes much difference. No reason to think this team will last very long even if they somehow did make it to NOLA. Guess it would be nice experience to have for the future, but that's about it.

The good news is we have a coach who understands what or will take to get better....next year. A new point guard and more Shabazz's. What a mess he was left with.

EastHallApp wrote:Honestly, at this point, I'm not sure it makes much difference. No reason to think this team will last very long even if they somehow did make it to NOLA. Guess it would be nice experience to have for the future, but that's about it.

I think it matters in a couple of ways. (1) Our players have never had the experience of playing in the Sun Belt tourney. Just to experience the pre-tourney activities and hoopla would give them a tiny taste of what it might be like to stay the entire week and make it to the semis or finals. It would, at least, make them want to return. Playing as the eighth seed, they'd face the fifth seed. Right now, that would be either GaSouth or A-State. They just might have a fighting chance to advance against either of those teams. (2) Recruits are watching everything, everywhere. Most of them would notice that our team had some fight at the end of a tough season. That would be a step up from last season...a show of progress...benefiting all of our players who will return and maybe a couple of classes of recruits.

Now do I think our team is going to win five of its last six games and get some tourney exposure? I'm not goin' there...not gonna say it... Would be a healthy shot in the arm for the team to pull it off.

"Most of them would notice that our team had some fight at the end of a tough season. That would be a step up from last season...a show of progress

A show of progress was exactly what our team accomplished at the end of last season (won the last 3 or 4 games) but it didn't matter since we weren't eligible for the post-season. I've never been concerned with a lack of grit or fight in Fox's teams. We just need to translate that to wins. As a side note, Kinney has shown some progress in the post this season. Maybe he can become similar to Spagnolo in the future with consistent double-doubles. After watching Kinney's highlights from high school last year, I thought he would be more of a stretch 4 or big 3 man.....shows what I know.

Please ban this RogerDodger clown.

RogerDodger wrote:Why is your basketball team so bad?

Why is your school listed as Appalachian State?

proasu89 wrote:

RogerDodger wrote:Why is your basketball team so bad?

Why is your school listed as Appalachian State?

He is a lost soul. The purple streamers have gone to his head.

proasu89 wrote:

RogerDodger wrote:Why is your basketball team so bad?

Why is your school listed as Appalachian State?

Because, assuming he is who he implies, he's an App State grad who now holds a position at a newspaper, where he theoretically should be a credit to his alma mater. But instead, he's a grown-ass man who spends his time trolling message boards because some people here made fun of him for writing a lazy, bitter hot take about JMU losing their coach.

He's done. I've deleted several of his posts over the last few days. He's just become the first person ever banned from the MMB.

Here you go:

http://www.newsleader.com/staff/20679/roger-watson/

BTW Roger, since one of your six posts here was a spell check, your bio misspells "Publisher" and "men's." But of course we can't expect you to hold yourself to the same standard as you hold an anonymous 14-year-old kid.

In somewhat good news, Troy beat South Alabama, making the bottom of the Sun Belt that much muddier.

With two wins this weekend, the Apps could finish the week in 8th place. Texas State hosts ULL and ULM this weekend and Georgia State and Southern hosts Little Rock and Arkansas State

5. Georgia Southern 7-7
5. Arkansas State 7-7
7. Georgia State 6-8
8. South Alabama 6-9
9. Texas State 4-9
10. Appalachian State 4-10
11. Troy 4-11

You all know my passion for the official Look Alike Threads in the Fall. I thought I'd use it for our pal Roger Watson:

appst89 wrote:He's done. I've deleted several of his posts over the last few days. He's just become the first person ever banned from the MMB.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.