by turkeyman » Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:12 am
Seems to me that MJ got it right. The losses to Tulane and Toledo looked at the time like good losses. But after beating Maine, Toledo went 14-14, finished 17-14. Tulane lost its last five, eight of its last nine, and finished 14-17. Even though those were the first and fifth games of the season, they are still losses to teams that turned out not to be very good.
Also believe the two DIII games hurt Maine in seeding. I understand why they are scheduled. Without MMA and UMFK on the schedule, Maine would have had two more guarantee games and a 21-11 record, most likely. You want to play at home every month of the season, and December home games are always hard to come by. Most schools have finals during the second or third week of December and don't want to travel then.
Still, Maine has home-and-home relationships established with several New England teams, such as BC, Bryant, Harvard and Dartmouth. There are several others within a six-hour bus ride that could join that list, such as Sacred Heart, Yale, UMass, Brown, URI. Some Patriot League teams seem possibilities, too, such as BU and the Cross, maybe even Army or Lehigh, though they are farther than six hours. If Maine could get two or three more from those lists to add to BC, Bryant, Harvard and Dartmouth, it would at least have a DI schedule, which might not hurt at seeding time. I'm sure Coach Vachon has gone through all of this this a million times. Just wish Maine could get a few more mid-majors into the Cross Center. I have been told that coaches at places such as Marist and Siena say no way when asked about scheduling home and homes with Maine. Travel, etc.
This should be a great experience for the players and coaches, and an opportunity to spread the news about this Maine team. I'm sure the kids will give a fine account of themselves. And, it's the last couple of days of the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, too, so it's tempting to head out to Texas right now and take in a few shows before the roundballing starts on Saturday. I've got an idea I know SxSW does to hotel prices in Austin, though.
Bob Neal
New Sharon