Albany in Bracketology

[alexfamous]

I just checked the updated USA Today bracketology predictions and they have us a 14 seed against Iowa State. Still waiting for ESPN and CBS Sports.

[DanesRGood]

I hate these. WIN THE TOURNEY FIRST!!!!

[UA'08]

I hate them too, but not gonna lie...they're fun to look at.

[alexfamous]

I hate them too, but not gonna lie...they're fun to look at.

I know we have to win the AE tourney first. It is interesting to look at how all these sources view mid majors. I am not getting ahead of myself here.

[UA'08]

Espn is updated with 15 UA v 2 Wisconsin in Omaha.

[UA'08]

Espn still has Albany as a 15 in Omaha, except against #2 Kansas

[UAalum72]

ESPN comments: Mid-majors ready to make some noise

 

True Cinderellas that could make madness happen

 

These teams may be seeded 13 through 15, but don't let the number fool you.

 

Albany (19-8, 13-1 America East

What's to like: With a wildly improved record, the Great Danes might merit more than the 16-seed they were relegated to last year. Regardless, that exposure last season -- not to mention the win against Mount St. Mary's in the First Four -- could pay confidence dividends for a team that returns four players from that NCAA squad. Albany has won 17 of its past 19, relying on a stingy defense that limits opponents to just 60 points per game.

 

Jerry Palm was on Wyland today, said he has UA at #15 vs. Duke, but that upsets in other lower conference tournaments gives us an outside shot at #14.

[justdrastik1]

Let's get there first...lol.. don't want to jinx this

 

what makes me nervous about the tournament is that most of our appearances (perhaps with the exception of the win at Patricky Gym back in 07) were all unexpected/playing with house money in my opinion.

 

In '06 we had a very solid team, but had never made the tournament and we were going up against a solid VT team with a history of making the tournament and success in it...

 

The last 2 appearances over the last two years were not "expected"/etched in stone.. last year we were 4th in the conference, and the year before that we were 5th...

 

With veteran leadership etc., we were able to "play up", and play with house money. Obviously, with CB's history in the AE tournament we were a credible threat, but it wasn't a shoe-in.

 

I get nervous with all of the talk lol, especially as we have seen how we can sometimes play down to the opposition..

[alum73]

I feel the same way. We haven't even locked up the regular season title yet. I'll care about bracketology if and when we're in the tournament. Way too many eggs to hatch before the chicken counting begins.

Edited February 24, 2015 by alum73

[DanesRGood]

I feel the saame way. We haven't even locked up the regular season title yet. I'll care about bracketology if and when we're in the tournament. Way too many eggs to hatch before the chicken counting begins.

Agree. Very much agree!

[uofalbany]

Yep, one game at a time fellas

[Dane Pound]

In '06 we had a very solid team, but had never made the tournament and we were going up against a solid VT team with a history of making the tournament and success in it...

 

I'm not sure I agree with this. There were a ton of expectations and pressure that year. We were picked #1 in the preseason with a team and coaching staff that hadn't had success yet. We got off to a rocky start in the OOC that year and things were tense.

 

 

I agree with the rest, there is a long ways to go with this. I'm not thinking about pressure, just enjoying this ride so far.

[UAalum72]

Let's get there first...lol.. don't want to jinx this

But if we wait until after the championship game, there will only be about 28 hours to speculate.

 

I suppose we could ponder on a generic America East champion and not name names.

[UA'08]

Let's get there first...lol.. don't want to jinx this

 

what makes me nervous about the tournament is that most of our appearances (perhaps with the exception of the win at Patricky Gym back in 07) were all unexpected/playing with house money in my opinion.

 

In '06 we had a very solid team, but had never made the tournament and we were going up against a solid VT team with a history of making the tournament and success in it...

 

The last 2 appearances over the last two years were not "expected"/etched in stone.. last year we were 4th in the conference, and the year before that we were 5th...

 

With veteran leadership etc., we were able to "play up", and play with house money. Obviously, with CB's history in the AE tournament we were a credible threat, but it wasn't a shoe-in.

 

I get nervous with all of the talk lol, especially as we have seen how we can sometimes play down to the opposition..

UA was supposed to win in 06. Picked number 1 preseason. Expectations were high.

[justdrastik1]

We've seen how reliable preseason rankings have been. Look at this year. In conferences like the AE, where i think there is more parity (except for say a team or two), I would take it with a grain of salt. Same with the last 2 years, where we finished 4th/5th, and most certainly weren't expected to win the AE tourney either time. Also, I bet if you went back 10 years, the preseason #1 from the AE rarely wins the conference tournament.

 

In 06' expectations may have been high, but expecting the team to play well in conference and ALSO win the AE tournament are two different things. In a one-bid conference, winning the conference regular season title is nice for a banner, but outside of that, pales in comparison to making the big dance.

 

I think we can look back and say we expected them to win in 06', but as someone who was at a lot of the games, the promise was there, but the jump to D1 wasn't that far removed, and we were coming off a season where we were 13-15.

 

I think we were "hopeful" more than we were "expecting" a win... just my .02.

 

Either way, the growth of the program has been amazing. Just don't want to count my eggs before they hatch...