NCAAs: Charlotte makes it, Dayton doesnt

[Chris R]

As I indicated a day or two ago, the selection committee does hardly any research and goes almost exclusively off of the RPI. Thats why Charlotte got an at large bid despite finishing fifth in the league and losing to fourth place in the A10 quarterfinals. Dayton finished first in the league (outright), and beat Charlotte 3-0 and did not get a bid.

If you are looking for a reason why, it all came down to Charlotte's 3-1 win on the road at Top-5 Wake Forest early in the year and Dayton's cupcake non-conference schedule. The Flyers went 0-3-1 to start the year against suspect teams, and would have probably made the NCAAs had they gone 0-3-1 against Ohio State, UCLA, Notre Dame, and St. John's. The losses themselves did not kill us. We missed out on the RPI points in playing fat RPI squads. Those who follow hoops know the dynamic I'm speaking of.

Did Charlotte deserve to go? No way. Dayton was a borderline case, but if Dayton is out, Charlotte must also be out. You cant include a team in the NCAAs based on a single signature win all season. Its almost like the last two and a half months of soccer were excused because of one 90-minute evening of brilliance. I will be sending off a letter to the NCAA asking for clarity on how they weight performance over the entire season. Obviously there seems to be some discrepancies in how they apply the standard.

But in the end, we needed to beef up the schedule. Looking back, we haven't really had a solid non-conference home schedule in 8-10 seasons. It's not an issue with the current staff -- it goes back much longer. Schureck's home schedule was never too great either -- though he did manage to get Michigan and Wisconsin in here. The last few seasons have been slim pickings however. On the women's side, Tucker has cajoled the likes of Virginia, Duke, San Diego, Cal-Poly, Michigan State, Marquette, and several other profile soccer programs.

We need to do the same on the men's side. Get Penn State or Creighton or Indiana or Akron in here. Go there if needed, but work the phones to get top flight non-con teams in there the fans enjoy. It's not easy though. UD may be in a spot where we're too strong to schedule away, but not good enough to have the rep to be a "quality" loss on the road.

Solid season however. League title was special after the slow start. We got better as the season progressed and thats ecxactly what you want to see.

	Charlotte CHARLOTTE UNC Charlotte is one of a generation of universities founded in metropolitan areas of the United States immediately after World War II in response to rising education demands generated by the war and its technology. Now a research intensive university, UNC Charlotte is the fourth largest of the 16 institutions within the University of North Carolina system and the largest institution in the Charlotte region. The university comprises seven professional colleges and currently offers 18 doctoral programs, 62 master’s degree programs and 90 bachelor’s degrees. More than 900 full-time faculty comprise the university’s academic departments and the 2007 fall enrollment exceeded 22,300 students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the 49ers.

[ClevelandFlyer05]

Very frustrating to see Charlotte get the nod over UD. But a good season for the Flyers, at least they got their hands on some conference hardware.

	Charlotte CHARLOTTE UNC Charlotte is one of a generation of universities founded in metropolitan areas of the United States immediately after World War II in response to rising education demands generated by the war and its technology. Now a research intensive university, UNC Charlotte is the fourth largest of the 16 institutions within the University of North Carolina system and the largest institution in the Charlotte region. The university comprises seven professional colleges and currently offers 18 doctoral programs, 62 master’s degree programs and 90 bachelor’s degrees. More than 900 full-time faculty comprise the university’s academic departments and the 2007 fall enrollment exceeded 22,300 students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the 49ers.

[San Diego Flyer]

Unfortunate, but predictable. Just like our volleyball team finally ranked 24 but still not ahead of St Louis, who we beat twice and does not have near the W/L record. Dayton has to be very good for several years in any sport to get respect nationally.

Congratulations to the soccer team for a tremendous year.

Go Flyers.

	Saint Louis SAINT LOUIS Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.