Oral Roberts Scheduling Gaffe

[xubrew]

Woops.

Truth be told, I thought transitional teams counted as div1 teams when it came to scheduling. I guess not.

http://www.southland.org/news/2014/1/7/GEN_0107142949.aspx

[GoMuskies]

Woo hoo! RPI boost for Xavier!

[XUFan09]

Woo hoo! RPI boost for Xavier!

Hahahahaha!

[Masterofreality]

Woo hoo! RPI boost for Xavier!

Ha! Except that I don't think that the non-D1 game vs Abeline counts to the RPI for us either.

And I have now exceeded 10,000 posts on this board. That would be about 2,000 years that I'll never get back.

[coasterville95]

Is that what gets us to 31 games this season ?

[Milhouse]

Someone better alert UC about this rule and quick!

[xubrew]

Ha! Except that I don't think that the non-D1 game vs Abeline counts to the RPI for us either.

And I have now exceeded 10,000 posts on this board. That would be about 2,000 years that I'll never get back.

Transitional teams count in the RPI.

This is a stupid rule. Well, the rule isn't stupid that you're only allowed to schedule four non-div1 teams, but transitional teams should count as div1 teams. Abeline Christian is playing a full Southland schedule. NKU is playing a full Atlantic Sun schedule. does that count as two non-div1 games for each team in those conferences that play those teams twice?? That just seems kind of dumb.

I also didn't know that exhibition games counted as one of the four games when it came to nondiv1 opponents.

[XUFan09]

I think it's only in the first transitional year that they don't count. Maybe to incentivize teams to schedule them who otherwise would view them as an RPI anchor?

[bigdiggins]

The exhibition games counting towards the total is ridiculous. The exhibition games don't count in the team's record any more than a closed door scrimmage would, so why would you have it count in any way that is at all meaningful to anything.

[X-band '01]

Stephen F. Austin (another Southland school) now has to forfeit a game as well:

CBSSports.com: Southland Conference Forces SFA to Forfeit Game (http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24402726/southland-conference-forces-stephen-f-austin-to-forfeit-game)

Now we know why teams in the past were normally independents in their first year of Division I competition. What I don't understand is why exhibition games are being counted against that total. It was the NCAA who mandated in the first place that exhibition games could no longer be played against travelling teams (i.e. Athletes In Action) in the first place.

[xubrew]

The new rules are that transitional teams must be in a conference before they begin to move up, so they can't be independent anymore.

Gee, that really seems to be working out.

[xubrew]

Received this in an email. WOW!!




ok, the four games against non-D1 thing is getting crazier.

Apparently all first year transitional teams count as non-D1, even if they played a full D1 schedule. Therefore, both Maine and Vermont have run afoul of the rule as well. UMass-Lowell, unlike the 2 Southland teams, did play a full D1 schedule and count as D1 for RPI (Ab Christian and UIW do NOT count for RPI). But now the NCAA is saying games against Lowell impact your limit of 4 non-D1. Maine could still save themselves by cancelling one of their two games against Lowell -- they would have had to cancel both but for an earlier game against Maine-Presque Isle getting cancelled due to weather and not made up.
Vermont is in worse position, they have already play 4 non-D1 game PLUS one against Lowell...meaning if nothing changes they are ineligible for postseason play!

However....the NCAA is now allowing all of these teams (including ORU and SFA) to submit for a waiver...with strong indications that all waivers will be granted due to the confusion about the rule. No games should have to be cancelled and the Oral Roberts game Thursday night against Abilene Christian is now back on.

[BMoreX]

Sounds like this is more on the NCAA and its poorly-worded/incomprehensible rules than the mistake of the schedule makers. I could understand if ORU did it, but now two other universities are in the same boat?

[xubrew]

Last year, Florida Gulf Coast played Ave Maria, Southeastern University, and two games against NKU.

I don't know what they did for their exhibition games. If they played a nondiv1 school, does that mean they have to forfeit the Sweet Sixteen??

[GoMuskies]

Ave Maria is hyper-Catholic, so FGCU was forgiven for its sins.