KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

With the opening of the 2014-15 season about a month away, the between seasons boredom will end and the board will light up with commentary on actual performances.

While an improvement over the Dan Hurley’s first season, last year was a disappointment considering the preseason expectations as URI recorded its third straight losing season and extended its NCAA drought to 15 years.

But that was last year and Ram fans again have high expectations given the loss of only one key player, the seasoning of a strong returning cast, and a great roster of newcomers. Other college BB savants are also optimistic about URI prospects and here is a summary of some pre-season predictions:

• Blue Ribbon picks URI to finish 6th in the A-10
• A-10 Coaches predict a 6th place finish for URI
• Athlon picks URI 3rd
• RealGM Sports picks URI 5th
• A-10Talk picks URI 5th
• Sporting News picks URI #6
• CoxHub picks URI 5th
• College Basketball Madness Top 144 teams places URI in #57 spot.

Board members will soon take their shots at how the URI Rams will fare this season through the annual prediction contest. The contest format will be the same as last year with the prediction based on five components – overall record, conference record, team scoring average, top scorer & average, and average home attendance. The main prize will be based on the overall record, but a second prize will be awarded on one of the other components.

As always, I welcome any suggestions on the contest format.

Look for the official contest opening thread in early November.

Thanks, Obadiah!!!

Obie, you've done such a great job I wouldn't dare make any suggestions.

Thank God Obie. I think I lost my mind this off season. So looking forward to talking about hoops. Thanks for doing the contest as always. Pheww.

Always fun to see (and make) the predictions every season. Thanks as always for doing this.

I suggest that anytime the roster loses three players after guesses are submitted all submissions be immediately rendered null and void and a new contest created.

Not really.

Thanks for doing this!

100% of the contestants overshot the win loss total last year, correct?

You are correct, GONZO, and you came close to winning the prize with your 15-16 prediction. The Rams went 14-17 in the regular season.

As a refresher, here are the results of each of the components in last year’s contest.

Is Pat Riley participating?

seanmc94 wrote:Is Pat Riley participating?

I don't know, but I certainly hope PC fans aren't allowed to participate.

You do a great job Obie. I think the contest is always fun. I have a suggestion for this year's contest. since others have discussed the fact that there is no exhibition game this season to give us any live indication on the team's readiness, why not make the pace game a free win for all and let everyone submit their predictions after the Pace game. we could treat it like an exhibition game which in essence it is. So we would count the Pace game as a win in the totals and go from there.

Great idea, Luke!

Thanks, luke, I had thought of that same idea, but the problem is that the Pace game is followed two days later by the UMass-Lowell game and that gives only a window of about 41 hours for all posters to get in their predictions. In the interest of fairness, one other option is to open the contest on November 15, the day after the Pace game and take predictions up to Saturday, Noon of the Nebraska game, November 22 which gives everyone two games and seven days time. Thoughts???

Obadiah wrote:Thanks, luke, I had thought of that same idea, but the problem is that the Pace game is followed two days later by the UMass-Lowell game and that gives only a window of about 41 hours for all posters to get in their predictions. In the interest of fairness, one other option is to open the contest on November 15, the day after the Pace game and take predictions up to Saturday, Noon of the Nebraska game, November 22 which gives everyone two games and seven days time. Thoughts???

I think we should do it before the first game. We are all at the same disadvantage of not having seen them play together before that game. And anyway, I don't think the Pace game is going to tell us a lot about the team. We'll probably see about ten minutes apiece from Youncofski and Plunkett, so...... just my opinion.

I pray that this November will be the November when the fun begins rather than ends!

Nice idea, Luke! At least people can make an educated guess,
instead of throwing darts in the dark.
Charlie Brown has shown up.

Billyboy78 wrote:

Obadiah wrote:Thanks, luke, I had thought of that same idea, but the problem is that the Pace game is followed two days later by the UMass-Lowell game and that gives only a window of about 41 hours for all posters to get in their predictions. In the interest of fairness, one other option is to open the contest on November 15, the day after the Pace game and take predictions up to Saturday, Noon of the Nebraska game, November 22 which gives everyone two games and seven days time. Thoughts???

I think we should do it before the first game. We are all at the same disadvantage of not having seen them play together before that game. And anyway, I don't think the Pace game is going to tell us a lot about the team. We'll probably see about ten minutes apiece from Youncofski and Plunkett, so...... just my opinion.

I agree. Keep the rules the same. All predictions sue before the first game - pace. All posters are in the same situation.

Obadiah wrote:Thanks, luke, I had thought of that same idea, but the problem is that the Pace game is followed two days later by the UMass-Lowell game and that gives only a window of about 41 hours for all posters to get in their predictions. In the interest of fairness, one other option is to open the contest on November 15, the day after the Pace game and take predictions up to Saturday, Noon of the Nebraska game, November 22 which gives everyone two games and seven days time. Thoughts???

Why not open it at the usual date but close it before the UMass-Lowell game if people want to see the Pace game? Anyone worried they won't get a bid in between the Pace and UMass-Lowell games can make their entry earlier. Like someone else mentioned, I don't think the Pace game should have too much impact on expectations (maybe it could matter if god forbid someone got injured). I don't think picking before or after the Pace game will really give anyone much of an advantage or disadvantage.

I like truepoint's idea of allowing contestants to pick before or after the game. as for me, i think seeing players like Terrell, Watson and Garrett and a fresh look at Hare would give me a better idea of what to expect especially early in the season. Otherwise I have no real idea what these players are capable of based on personal experience. i might as well pick the 2017 super bowl champion right now. Part of the fun is to see how well you can scout the new players and quickly determine how they willfit with the established players. Making a prediction pretty much based on nothing except what I saw last year kind of takes away from this aspect of fun. Sure, it is fair to everyone because we are all in the same boat, but I don't think it's as much fun when you are making a blind guess.

TruePoint wrote:

Obadiah wrote:Thanks, luke, I had thought of that same idea, but the problem is that the Pace game is followed two days later by the UMass-Lowell game and that gives only a window of about 41 hours for all posters to get in their predictions. In the interest of fairness, one other option is to open the contest on November 15, the day after the Pace game and take predictions up to Saturday, Noon of the Nebraska game, November 22 which gives everyone two games and seven days time. Thoughts???

Why not open it at the usual date but close it before the UMass-Lowell game if people want to see the Pace game? Anyone worried they won't get a bid in between the Pace and UMass-Lowell games can make their entry earlier. Like someone else mentioned, I don't think the Pace game should have too much impact on expectations (maybe it could matter if god forbid someone got injured). I don't think picking before or after the Pace game will really give anyone much of an advantage or disadvantage.

If you don't think it matters then why change it?

I say make no changes, do it and close it before pace. Pace and UML will tell us literally nothing. Onyekaba went for 21 and 10 against Maine.

Agree with Blue Man.

Agree with blue man.

Ramster, if it were up to me I wouldn't change it. Just offering a solution to what Obadiah said. Personally I don't think it matters but I've heard a few people worry about making their guess without a preseason game to base it on.

Blue Man wrote:I say make no changes, do it and close it before pace. Pace and UML will tell us literally nothing. Onyekaba went for 21 and 10 against Maine.

I was going to make the same point about Maine. If we picked after that game the predictions might have been even more crazy last year. Would have thought Iffy and Jarelle would have been superstars.

In spite of all the optimism for this season, I think people are going to hedge a little on their predictions, at least until we actually start winning. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised, than the other way around. [See last year]

Conservatism will rule the day.

If all goes well this year, shoot for the moon for 2015-16!

I do agree with Blue Man and others who's think it makes no difference, but I will take a compromise position as suggested by TruePoint.

In the past I have opened the contest about 7 days before the regular season and closed it after the exhibition contest. In my opinion the Pace game is a quasi "exhibition" game, so this year I will open the contest at the usual time and will close it to new submits after the Pace game. Dictum Factum.

I say keep it the same. Also, (somewhat sarcastic), I do not want a category for most moral victories. I'm really tired of them. I'm putting the Nebraska game in the win column without any word in front of it. Go Rhody!

Obadiah wrote:I do agree with Blue Man and others who's think it makes no difference, but I will take a compromise position as suggested by TruePoint.

In the past I have opened the contest about 7 days before the regular season and closed it after the exhibition contest. In my opinion the Pace game is a quasi "exhibition" game, so this year I will open the contest at the usual time and will close it to new submits after the Pace game. Dictum Factum.

Seems fair, good work as always Obadiah.

No need for profanity Obadiah!

Too funny, ramulous!!

I am a Romance language fan !

neil wrote:I say keep it the same. Also, (somewhat sarcastic), I do not want a category for most moral victories. I'm really tired of them. I'm putting the Nebraska game in the win column without any word in front of it. Go Rhody!

Hear hear!!

neil wrote:I say keep it the same. Also, (somewhat sarcastic), I do not want a category for most moral victories. I'm really tired of them. I'm putting the Nebraska game in the win column without any word in front of it. Go Rhody!

Preach!

Obadiah wrote:I do agree with Blue Man and others who's think it makes no difference, but I will take a compromise position as suggested by TruePoint.

In the past I have opened the contest about 7 days before the regular season and closed it after the exhibition contest. In my opinion the Pace game is a quasi "exhibition" game, so this year I will open the contest at the usual time and will close it to new submits after the Pace game. Dictum Factum.

Will the outcome, scoring, and attendance of the Pace game count at all?

Yes, all the data of the Pace game will be included.

Ok let the proceedings commence?