One of the many problems with scouting this weekend's lineup of mid majors versus mid majors is that the schedule is based on television and not the best situation for folks like me needing to scout. For example I have seen Creighton and St. Marys play and do not need to see hem pitted against each other, although I will watch that game of course and learn from it. But I really needed to scout Akron but last night's game did not show me much thanks to a middling opponent (N. Dakota St.) being played at home. With the MAC not guaranteed a second team, despite Ohio's great run in last year's NCAA tournament, Akron really needed to impress last night but was not given the opportunity.
The other problem is he home-road scenario. There is not much you can do about this, of course, but the home teams do not get the needed boost that a big road win would give them. Stephen F. Austin did look good on the road last night but neither the Lumberjacks nor Long Beach were getting an at large. It was a nice win for Stephen F. but it is difficult to glean much from a match-up they will not get in March if they do get in.
The best part of this weekend for me is just the attention these schools get, even if it is way down in terms of ESPN respect in this the last year of Bracket Busters. While it may have been less important than once thought, it was crucial to getting programs on air that normally get ignored. So in addition to Creighton and St. Marys, enjoy Davidson, Detroit and the Nate Wolters versus Isiah Canaan match-up tonight.
No comments:
Post a Comment