OCC predictions for MVC teams starting with BU and CU

[valleyclimber]

We are now officially 5 days away from the first Valley team (SIU) kicking off their season, so I thought I'd post predictions on 2 MVC OCC scheds a day. First up is the Braves and the Bluejays:

BRADLEY

N11 DePaul at home L The Blue Demons came on at the end of last season and return 4 double-figure scorers this season. A win by the Braves in this one would be a serious statement and make many wonder if they have picked BU way too low in their Valley predictions. o

N15 SIU-Edwardsville at home W

N19 Illinois-Chicago at home W UIC should be better this season and finish near the top of the Horizon League, so a win over the Flames would be a quality victory come season's end.

N21 Florida A@M at home W

N24 Rutgers at United Center-Chicago W Braves get their second Big East opponent and split with a victory over the Scarlett Knights. Rutgers should be just below the mid pack in the Big East, so this would be a very good win for BU.

N25 either Illinois or Miami O L if it's the Illini because they'll be more than decent this year and have played well at the United Center. W if it's Miami O even though the Redhawks will be one of the better MAC teams, I'm going with the Braves on a nuetral court.

N29 at Tennessee Tech W First true away game for the Braves, and it could be a major trap. Tech went 19-12 last season and returns many of their top players. A win will be challenging, and a loss would look bad at the end of the year even though the Eagles will be around the top of the OVC.

D3 at Michigan St. L MSU lost the majority of their scoring and rebounding from last year's team, so should finish a few notches lower in the Big 10. It'll still be quite early in the season, so the Braves should have a shot in this one. The Spartans will be markedly improved by season's end, so if BU could pull this one out, the victory would look pretty sweet later.

D5 Wright St. at home W

D16 at Iowa St. W Look for the Braves to beat the former UNI coach because the cupboard is pretty much bare this season in Cyclown land.

D19 Loyola-Chicago at home L The Ramblers are a hands down favorite to win the Horizon, and this in-state rival will want a feather in their cap by beating a MVC/Sweet 16 program. Should be a heck of a game that could go either way. If the Braves get the victory, it would be another quality win.

D23 S. Mississippi at home W

Also have the Bracket Buster game, and if the Braves go 8-4 OCC coupled with a strong SOS from Valley games, then BU should get a pretty decent BB opponent.

Say the Braves win their BB game, then I could see them going either 10-3 or 9-4 in OCC play. Which would be tremendous!


CREIGHTON

N13 Miss Valley St. at home W

N18 at Nebraska W Would be great to see the Jays completely crush their in-state "rival" Huskers. And hey, a win over even a low Big 12 team is still a victory over the BCS schools.

N25 George Mason at home W Beat GM badly at their place last year, and now get them at the Qwest. George Mason lost their guards and F Jai Lewis, but should still have a good team that could win the Colonial and go dancing again, so a convincing Jay victory would impress some b-ball national media.

N29 Ark-Pine Bluff at home W

D5 at Dayton W Think the Flyers could give CU a run for their money at Dayton. Trap game against a competitive A10 team.

D9 Xavier at home W Musketkeers are pretty much consensus to capture the A10 crown, so this will be a marquee victory for CU. A toss-up game.

D16 at Fresno St. L The Bulldogs should battle the Nevada Wolfpack for the top of this year's WAC. Know the Jays had all they could handle last season hosting FSU. Hope CU pulls this one out because it would be a huge road victory.

D21-23 at Rainbow Classic in Hawaii

D21 Valparaisio W

D22 either Charlotte or Houston W if playing Charlotte (could be the Jays 3rd A10 opponent). The 49ers should be near the top of the A10, so it will be a difficult game for CU. L if it's Houston. Think the Cougars will have their eyes on the prize against a top MVC team after MSU sent them packing in last season's NIT. Basically the number 2 team behind Memphis in C-USA, Houston will be tough with all their experience, but once again the Jays would have another opponent to prove themselves as a legit top 25 team.

D23 the other side of the Rainbow bracket....Wyoming, Nebraska, Hawaii and San Fransisco. Man, this is definitely the weak side. I'd say a BIG W over any of these teams.

And of course, the Jays will get a top opponent and a TV game for their BB matchup. Think it might be at the Qwest though, so I'm marking down a W.

Jays get the BB win, and I see them going either 10-1 or 9-2 OCC.
It's a tough schedule and should give CU plenty of opportunites to shine against quality competition. IMO if all goes well, the Jays could really climb up the top 25.



Okay, have it Valley fans....what do you see happening OCC with BU and CU?


GO VALLEY!! :braves: :jays: :original:

[BradleyBrave]

Bradley has never lost an opener in the Jim Les era. I am hoping this year is no different.

[CURx]

A fair assessment of Creighton. I think the Xavier game at home will be a real tough one; especially after Xavier lost here last year. At Fresno is another tough one as Creighton hasn't played well on the West Coast over the last 5 years. I don't see Creighton losing at the Rainbow Classic. We are too deep for a 3 games in 3 day tournament. Unless Houston has some incredible depth, I think we get them. So I see Creighton with losing either at Fresno or to Xavier at home but not both and wind up 10-1. 15-3 (losses at Wichita, one mystery home loss, and one mystery road loss) in the conference for a 25-4 record and a 4 seed (decent record plus Wichita's/Bradley's heroics make that a reasonable seed) come March.

[Cdizzle]

Wow. that would be awesome, except I might like my team to hand you another loss. Go :valley: in OCC

[C0|db|00ded]

A fair assessment of Creighton. I think the Xavier game at home will be a real tough one; especially after Xavier lost here last year. At Fresno is another tough one as Creighton hasn't played well on the West Coast over the last 5 years. I don't see Creighton losing at the Rainbow Classic. We are too deep for a 3 games in 3 day tournament. Unless Houston has some incredible depth, I think we get them. So I see Creighton with losing either at Fresno or to Xavier at home but not both and wind up 10-1. 15-3 (losses at Wichita, one mystery home loss, and one mystery road loss) in the conference for a 25-4 record and a 4 seed (decent record plus Wichita's/Bradley's heroics make that a reasonable seed) come March.

From NIT berth to an NCAA 4-seed... sounds reasonable enough. But why stop there? A 2-seed sounds even better!


T


...:cool:

[kds]

:braves: :valley: We are now officially 5 days away from the first Valley team (SIU) kicking off their season, so I thought I'd post predictions on 2 MVC OCC scheds a day. First up is the Braves and the Bluejays:

BRADLEY

N11 DePaul at home L The Blue Demons came on at the end of last season and return 4 double-figure scorers this season. A win by the Braves in this one would be a serious statement and make many wonder if they have picked BU way too low in their Valley predictions. o

N15 SIU-Edwardsville at home W

N19 Illinois-Chicago at home W UIC should be better this season and finish near the top of the Horizon League, so a win over the Flames would be a quality victory come season's end.

N21 Florida A@M at home W

N24 Rutgers at United Center-Chicago W Braves get their second Big East opponent and split with a victory over the Scarlett Knights. Rutgers should be just below the mid pack in the Big East, so this would be a very good win for BU.

N25 either Illinois or Miami O L if it's the Illini because they'll be more than decent this year and have played well at the United Center. W if it's Miami O even though the Redhawks will be one of the better MAC teams, I'm going with the Braves on a nuetral court.

N29 at Tennessee Tech W First true away game for the Braves, and it could be a major trap. Tech went 19-12 last season and returns many of their top players. A win will be challenging, and a loss would look bad at the end of the year even though the Eagles will be around the top of the OVC.

D3 at Michigan St. L MSU lost the majority of their scoring and rebounding from last year's team, so should finish a few notches lower in the Big 10. It'll still be quite early in the season, so the Braves should have a shot in this one. The Spartans will be markedly improved by season's end, so if BU could pull this one out, the victory would look pretty sweet later.

D5 Wright St. at home W

D16 at Iowa St. W Look for the Braves to beat the former UNI coach because the cupboard is pretty much bare this season in Cyclown land.

D19 Loyola-Chicago at home L The Ramblers are a hands down favorite to win the Horizon, and this in-state rival will want a feather in their cap by beating a MVC/Sweet 16 program. Should be a heck of a game that could go either way. If the Braves get the victory, it would be another quality win.

D23 S. Mississippi at home W

Also have the Bracket Buster game, and if the Braves go 8-4 OCC coupled with a strong SOS from Valley games, then BU should get a pretty decent BB opponent.

Say the Braves win their BB game, then I could see them going either 10-3 or 9-4 in OCC play. Which would be tremendous!


CREIGHTON

N13 Miss Valley St. at home W

N18 at Nebraska W Would be great to see the Jays completely crush their in-state "rival" Huskers. And hey, a win over even a low Big 12 team is still a victory over the BCS schools.

N25 George Mason at home W Beat GM badly at their place last year, and now get them at the Qwest. George Mason lost their guards and F Jai Lewis, but should still have a good team that could win the Colonial and go dancing again, so a convincing Jay victory would impress some b-ball national media.

N29 Ark-Pine Bluff at home W

D5 at Dayton W Think the Flyers could give CU a run for their money at Dayton. Trap game against a competitive A10 team.

D9 Xavier at home W Musketkeers are pretty much consensus to capture the A10 crown, so this will be a marquee victory for CU. A toss-up game.

D16 at Fresno St. L The Bulldogs should battle the Nevada Wolfpack for the top of this year's WAC. Know the Jays had all they could handle last season hosting FSU. Hope CU pulls this one out because it would be a huge road victory.

D21-23 at Rainbow Classic in Hawaii

D21 Valparaisio W

D22 either Charlotte or Houston W if playing Charlotte (could be the Jays 3rd A10 opponent). The 49ers should be near the top of the A10, so it will be a difficult game for CU. L if it's Houston. Think the Cougars will have their eyes on the prize against a top MVC team after MSU sent them packing in last season's NIT. Basically the number 2 team behind Memphis in C-USA, Houston will be tough with all their experience, but once again the Jays would have another opponent to prove themselves as a legit top 25 team.

D23 the other side of the Rainbow bracket....Wyoming, Nebraska, Hawaii and San Fransisco. Man, this is definitely the weak side. I'd say a BIG W over any of these teams.

And of course, the Jays will get a top opponent and a TV game for their BB matchup. Think it might be at the Qwest though, so I'm marking down a W.

Jays get the BB win, and I see them going either 10-1 or 9-2 OCC.
It's a tough schedule and should give CU plenty of opportunites to shine against quality competition. IMO if all goes well, the Jays could really climb up the top 25.



Okay, have it Valley fans....what do you see happening OCC with BU and CU?


GO VALLEY!! :braves: :jays: :original:


Doesn't really matter how good the Illini play at the United Center as these games are at the new Sears Center in Hoffman Estates.

[CURx]

A 2 seed is probably too much; but if Coldblooded thinks Creighton deserves that than I guess I will take it as a Creighton fan. From my point of view, you gotta figure the winners of the 6 "major" conferences take up the first 6 seeds. Then you figure UNC/Duke/UCLA/etc. get some high seeds. So I think a 4 seed would be the most likely scenario if Creighton goes 25-4. I guess I don't want to get into a shouting match over what I think Creighton could earn as a NCCA seed. But let's not forget that Wichita went from the NIT to the Sweet 16 in one year, the same for Bradley. Wouldn't that mean WSU and Bradley should have been an approximate 4 seed? Wouldn't that mean the same thing that Creighton is trying to do this year? Just wondering?

[C0|db|00ded]

A 2 seed is probably too much; but if Coldblooded thinks Creighton deserves that than I guess I will take it as a Creighton fan. From my point of view, you gotta figure the winners of the 6 "major" conferences take up the first 6 seeds. Then you figure UNC/Duke/UCLA/etc. get some high seeds. So I think a 4 seed would be the most likely scenario if Creighton goes 25-4. I guess I don't want to get into a shouting match over what I think Creighton could earn as a NCCA seed. But let's not forget that Wichita went from the NIT to the Sweet 16 in one year, the same for Bradley. Wouldn't that mean WSU and Bradley should have been an approximate 4 seed? Wouldn't that mean the same thing that Creighton is trying to do this year? Just wondering?

We won the 7th best conference title in the nation by 2 games and only received a 7 seed.


T


...:cool:

[CURx]

I know that. I think the selection comittee understands that quite well now too. In the end, WSU and Bradley's post-season run makes a 24 or a 25 win team from the MVC a legitimate 4 seed. Creighton or whoever that 24/25 win team from the MVC this year (Wichita could make a strong case as well if they can pull at least one W from those huge road trips) is likely to be a strong consideration for a 4 or a 5 seed. I'm not crazy for thinking that. Lunardi and some other website I can't remember has the same outlook for Creighton as well.

[C0|db|00ded]

I know that. I think the selection comittee understands that quite well now too. In the end, WSU and Bradley's post-season run makes a 24 or a 25 win team from the MVC a legitimate 4 seed. Creighton or whoever that 24/25 win team from the MVC this year (Wichita could make a strong case as well if they can pull at least one W from those huge road trips) is likely to be a strong consideration for a 4 or a 5 seed. I'm not crazy for thinking that. Lunardi and some other website I can't remember has the same outlook for Creighton as well.

A 4-seed would be a very strong sign of changing attitudes if it did indeed come true.


T


...:cool:

[DoubleJayAlum]

A fair assessment of Creighton. I think the Xavier game at home will be a real tough one; especially after Xavier lost here last year. At Fresno is another tough one as Creighton hasn't played well on the West Coast over the last 5 years. I don't see Creighton losing at the Rainbow Classic. We are too deep for a 3 games in 3 day tournament. Unless Houston has some incredible depth, I think we get them. So I see Creighton with losing either at Fresno or to Xavier at home but not both and wind up 10-1. 15-3 (losses at Wichita, one mystery home loss, and one mystery road loss) in the conference for a 25-4 record and a 4 seed (decent record plus Wichita's/Bradley's heroics make that a reasonable seed) come March.
Unless we are playing some absolutely incredible ball, I wouldn't at all be surprised with a loss in Carbondale as well. We haven't exactly been all that successful there :chair:

[CURx]

That would be my #1 choice for the mystery loss. However, I think the game in Carbondale is becomming a real thorn in Dana's side and he really wants to win there and if this year's team can't win there than who knows. Carbondale is a TOUGH place to play and for once I hope we can get them there. The funny part is if we were to pull off the upset in Carbondale, I see the Jays tripping up at Bradley or at Missouri State to take its place. They may find a way to lose there anyways. I tell you what. This conference is really turning into a tough league, but of course we all know that.

[Aargh]

Less than a year ago the first post suggesting the Valley could get 4 Tourney bids appeared. It was generally thought the first poster mentioning 4 bids was drinking WAY too much Kool-Aid.

It's no longer just optimism that allows Valley teams to be mentioned as considerations for good seeds. 15-3 in the Valley this year with no OOC bad losses and a few OOC good wins should get a Valley team mentioned as a possible 4-seed. 13-5 in the Valley with the previously mentioned OOC resume should be consideration for an upper-half Tourney seed.

I don't have any problem with CU fans speculating about a 4-seed. On paper, CU has a team that is a strong candidate for that type of a seed.

I don't have any problem with WSU being picked 3rd in pre-season Valley polls or CU being picked 1st. I'd like to think that if this year's WSU team is 3rd in the Valley that the 1st-place team in the Valley is a solid pick for a 4-seed. If WSU finishes 3rd in the Valley and the 1st-place team in the Valley is something like a 7-seed, then neither WSU nor the Valley is at a position nationally we'd like to think we've achieved.

[MetDrakeFan]

Ok, I know this is gonan sound stupid, but what does OCC stand for exactly? lol I have never known that for some odd reason.

[MoValley John]

Did you mean OOC? That would be out of conference, as in games outside of your conference. OCC would mean Orange County Corrections Center.

[DUBulldog]

Yeah, I think the original poster meant "OOC" or "out of conference". OCC was the local community college where I grew up (Oakton Community College).

[Aargh]

Somehow maybe 1/3 or 1/2 of posts this year are using OCC to mean out-of-conference. OCC just appeared this year.

When I first found VT it took a while to figure out OOC meant out-of-conference. I'd always heard of and referred to those games as "non-conference".

[MoValley John]

Somehow maybe 1/3 or 1/2 of posts this year are using OCC to mean out-of-conference. OCC just appeared this year.

When I first found VT it took a while to figure out OOC meant out-of-conference. I'd always heard of and referred to those games as "non-conference".

OOC is pretty common just about everywhere. OCC is pretty well known by gangstas on the WC.

[cuhoops]

From NIT berth to an NCAA 4-seed... sounds reasonable enough. But why stop there? A 2-seed sounds even better!


T


...:cool:

an NIT berth and a loss of key seniors to a Sweet 16...sounds reasonable enough.


:jays:

[Hein72]

So I think a 4 seed would be the most likely scenario if Creighton goes 25-4.

If CU goes 25-4 and doesnt get at least a 4 seed this year I have to say I will be screaming at the TV come selection Sunday. I think if CU goes 25-4 they have a serious shot at a 3 or 4 seed. Same goes for SIU and WSU if they only lose 4 games. Any other team in the Valley that only loses 4 games this year in the regular season will get no worse then a 10 seed.

For WSU I think 6 loses should be expected and 7-8 is probable. At SIU, at CU, at LSU, at Syracuse; if WSU only loses those they have a serious shot at a 2 or 3 seed.

Last year there wasnt a 2 seed that had only 4 regular season loses. The 4 seeds had at least 5 loses and 3 of them had 7. I know they are in the BCS confrences but the Valley should be at least the 7th best confrence this year. So having only 4 regular season loses while being in the 7th hardest confrence in the country should get you at least a 4 seed.

[shockerfan13]

Ok, I know this is gonan sound stupid, but what does OCC stand for exactly? lol I have never known that for some odd reason.


Orange County Choppers. I thought maybe they were gonna make a "Valley" bike and unveil it at the MVC championship. :clap:

[valleyclimber]

By using the letters OCC ....I meant Out of Conference Competition...OCC

You could use OOC, but I prefer OCC....sorry for any misunderstandings.
Just looking at the next 2 teams (DU and UE), so I'll post my predictions for their OCC games soon.

Still haven't seen anyone with their own OCC predictions for BU :braves: and CU :jays: ...what do think?

GO VALLEY...keep on rockin'!!! :valley:

[NoPlaceLikeDome]

UNI's is REALLY hard to figure out.

These team could be great and it could be not so great. And every where in between.

I can see us winning every game, and I can see us losing quite a few.

So I will need to see how we start off. :yes:

[MikeKennedyRulz]

an NIT berth and a loss of key seniors to a Sweet 16...sounds reasonable enough.


:jays:

And what key Seniors would those be?

[Cdizzle]

:original: :valley:

[Cdizzle]

And what key Seniors would those be?
oops. I believe he is refencing the loss of Howard, Kampman, and Burns.
He makes a very valid point.:valley: :valley: :valley:

[MikeKennedyRulz]

oops. I believe he is refencing the loss of Howard, Kampman, and Burns.
He makes a very valid point.:valley: :valley: :valley:

Ahh, if that is what he meant, that is a good point. The caliber of players at CU that are replacing the players they lost is definately better.

[cuhoops]

Ahh, if that is what he meant, that is a good point. The caliber of players at CU that are replacing the players they lost is definately better.
yeah, we lost mathies, fill his position with nate, we lost jeff day, not a starter, give his minutes to manny, and we lost motz...we gain an all-american, experience, and a good recruiting class with mainly 2 guys I expect to REALLY contribute, isacc miles and ty morrison. We'll have to see...

[DoubleJayAlum]

Might be time to re-evaluate the Bradley predictions :lol: :lol: :lol: