Going Dancin'

[WVAPPeer]

Perspective. The current Senior Class were newborns the last time we went dancing in March.

You want perspective? I was 48....

Are you kidding??? - I would have had to call you "sonny"

[EastHallApp]

I read a good article about Alabama and their coach/philosophy, and it reminded me a lot of App. Strong defense and live-or-die by the three. It wasn’t apples to apples, but it’s a philosophy that can even the field some. Focus more on speed and the outside rather than feeding it up the middle to the big man.

Sounded a little like App football in the mid-2000s

I saw a shot chart graphic of the top 16 teams at one point this year, and Alabama was basically ALL threes and layups. That’s the overall trend in the sport anyway, but they really execute it.

[EastHallApp]

Still can't believe this team. I think we all knew they would be putting a solid roster on the court, but it was hard to imagine us making the tournament with it. Kerns and this team just starting to show the grit that defines App State sports.

Love the online comments about people hoping we get selected to play Michigan....funny

That is funny... I of course realized they were one potential opponent but hadn’t considered *that* connection.

[BeauFoster]

I read a good article about Alabama and their coach/philosophy, and it reminded me a lot of App. Strong defense and live-or-die by the three. It wasn’t apples to apples, but it’s a philosophy that can even the field some. Focus more on speed and the outside rather than feeding it up the middle to the big man.

Sounded a little like App football in the mid-2000s

I saw a shot chart graphic of the top 16 teams at one point this year, and Alabama was basically ALL threes and layups. That’s the overall trend in the sport anyway, but they really execute it.

That was the crux of the article-their coach abhors the mid-range jumper. He pushes his players to never shoot them, and the shot chart illustrates that. It works for them, it could work for a lot of teams. Just gotta have the shooters to make it successful.

Note to parents-if your kid isn’t 7 ft tall, have them shoot a million 3s a day until they can’t miss. Scholarship will follow.

[docjrh]

Fun fact: In 1979, 42 years ago, my wife and I, along with Bill Corriher of Mountaineer Mania, drove all night in a Mustang hatch-back to Indiana University to watch the first App State NCAA game against LSU and Shaquille O'Neal. What a trip! Go Mountaineers!

[AppfaninCAALand]

We have finally made an appearance in bracketology. We're a 16 vs A&T with the winner getting Gonzaga

On the bright side, good chance to win a game.

I think this team is good enough to deserve a bit higher seeding than basically the lowest in the whole tournament, but a Sun Belt team finishing the regular season in the middle of the pack with a losing conference record kind of screams lowest of the low.

[BUTCH1991]

We have finally made an appearance in bracketology. We're a 16 vs A&T with the winner getting Gonzaga

On the bright side, good chance to win a game.

I think this team is good enough to deserve a bit higher seeding than basically the lowest in the whole tournament, but a Sun Belt team finishing the regular season in the middle of the pack with a losing conference record kind of screams lowest of the low.

Agreed, gives us our best shot at our 1st NCAA Tournament win.

[EastHallApp]

Fun fact: In 1979, 42 years ago, my wife and I, along with Bill Corriher of Mountaineer Mania, drove all night in a Mustang hatch-back to Indiana University to watch the first App State NCAA game against LSU and Shaquille O'Neal. What a trip! Go Mountaineers!

Even at 7 years of age, I bet Shaq was a load in that game.

[CharlotteApp05]

Fun fact: In 1979, 42 years ago, my wife and I, along with Bill Corriher of Mountaineer Mania, drove all night in a Mustang hatch-back to Indiana University to watch the first App State NCAA game against LSU and Shaquille O'Neal. What a trip! Go Mountaineers!

Must have been high as hell during that trip to see Shaq!

Homie wasn't at LSU until 1991!

[CharlotteApp05]

One of the benefits of having the losses during our COVID drought is the fact that we most likely will be in the First 4 playing another 16. This is an ideal spot for us to get our first NCAA Tournament win.

Would be great to get the opening game of the tournament with all eyes and secure our first win. One can only hope!

ASU to the moon!

[EastHallApp]

Personally I'd much rather not have to play in the First Four. But I get where people would enjoy seeing us win a game, even if it's over a MEAC or SWAC opponent.

Problem is, there's no guarantee we'd win...

[CharlotteApp05]

Yeah - You definitely have to swallow the pride and accept that we are one of the last teams in (Which admittedly is tough for me)

But if you can get there, instead of watching us one game in the tournament, we get an opportunity to double up and keep the magic alive for a little longer.

[goapps93]

I have 2 brothers- I’m the oldest. Middle brother graduated from UNCG and youngest from NCSU. I seriously doubt that 21 years ago all 3 danced. Middle brother and I texted during the games last night. We both agree that several tournaments were somewhat unfair this year with seeding- Va Tech got a double bye yet cancelled 6 conference games. A few mid majors who won the regular season knocked out in tournaments that in reality didn’t really need to be played especially inside empty gyms. Obviously it worked for App and I’ll take it. We absolutely earned this ticket. Even though we probably get the play-in (so to speak) and with a win a matchup with possibly Gonzaga I don’t care. Really can’t argue after an 11 loss season. I’m ecstatic to be in and the most exciting part might just be on selection Sunday hearing our name and seeing us on brackets. I still remember seeing that ‘79 banner in varsity gym. Really crazy to think that this is just our 3rd trip. Fantastic!

I think this year's conference tournament was especially needed, at least in the Sun Belt, since there were no cross-divisional games. Heck, we didn't even play Coastal, from our own division, until the tournament. I would have hated for Texas State to have gotten the bid and not even played a team from the East.

[BambooRdApp]

I am actually okay if we have to go "play in" game so to speak. If there are any 1st game nerves, you can get them out of the way with a lesser opponent. Then for game 2 against 1 seed, let the 3s fly and we see what happens. My only request is to be in bracket where it is not Gonzaga or Baylor. Just personal choice on match ups

[agentpaul001]

Lunardi seems to just be slotting in the weakest net ratings at the bottom and unfortunately App's couple losses to Troy just hammered the team in the ratings. Looking at higher Quad wins App should probably not be in the play-in game, but it's t.b.d. Thankfully there should be some more automatic qualifiers that sneak in and have even more lowly rankings then App, so fingers crossed that occurs and on Selection Sunday App moves up a bit. As funny as the Michigan jokes are, that's probably a more favorable matchup then Gonzaga or Baylor.

[appdaze]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-baske ... berth-2000

https://www.wataugademocrat.com/watauga ... e9fbc.html

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/20 ... urney-bids

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sport ... 92853.html



Hyped.......is putting it lightly.

[Stonewall]

1979.Bloomington looked like I imagined Siberia to be when we rolled into town to face LSU.Iowa and T-O-L-E-D-O ,were the other side of the bracket.We were like midgets compared to the other three.Made a run or two but had an off night shooting ...regardless it was , and is , hard to put into words what it was like and what it meant to be a part of it. 2000.Nashville .Ohio State.They blew us out.We just never got it going.I remember as bittersweet...Rufus Leach's final game.I still have the letter his mother wrote to me after the funeral.His untimely passing haunts me to this day.

[T-Dog]

You actually make more money from the NCAA winning a First Four game than just making the Round of 64 and being one and done. Every time your school's name appears on a bracket, that's another tournament unit paid out over the next six years.

Of course this money is distributed equally amount conference members in most leagues, including the Sun Belt. And the brand exposure is worth millions.

[bigdaddyg]

I know that our overall record and resume isn’t stellar but man there are some bad teams winning conference tournament championships. Hard to believe that we are in that bottom 4.

[agentpaul001]

Our Net Rating got absolutely hammered buy the pair of Troy losses at home. Absent those we'd be significantly higher. As-is we'd have better wins then most the play-in teams (most of them have better Quad 4 records, but not really much to show in Quad 3).

If UMass Lowell beats Hartford they'd likely be in a playin game. Upset in the SWAC might help. An upset in the MAAC would be very helpful. There are still some opportunities for App. Not to mention I doubt the committee just straight up uses the ratings to slot in the final teams especially with some conferences have some big outliers (like Colgate).

Oh and any wins by Tennessee, Auburn, and Charlotte would help.