UCLA

I'm in there waiting for you!

Lost it,where is it again, Nut??? Anybody , help,help ???

front page, down toward the bottom

Thank you DTR,

Name of K mans rival...Michael Proctor....I think they are about same skill level now thanks too Rev and Joel's coaching helping K over last two years though!!!

Welcome CJacks, how about Kramer's HS teamate-Mickey McConnell , and your Aussie frosh played good too

I can see that it was a Monty Python night last night on PN. Between the Black Knight in this thread and DTR's "flesh wound" comment in another. Good work!

PilotNut wrote:I was secretly rooting for CSF, too... need to remember to think RPI!

SMC is looking good... but then again SDSU is playing horrendous defense. One would think you would start defending the 3 at some point...

I think we're focussing on RPI almost a little too much too early. Our season has barely begun. So what if our win over UCLA doesn't mean as much? That just means we'll advance further in the tourney and take care of a better opponent like Butler with a better RPI. We'll also still have #14 Washington on the schedule too. If we win games this year, I think the RPI will take care of itself. Even if UCLA is worse, we have still a tougher schedule overall.

Agreed it's too soon to worry about RPI. Gotta worry about wins first.

BUT... I do think it's relevent in terms of national perception, which is what really matters when it comes to the NCAA selection committee. Remember a few years ago when Missouri State was, what, 26 or 27 in the RPI and didn't get an at-large bid? RPI isn't everything. It helps, but unless you do something that sticks in people's memories, you can still easily get passed over.

I would have much preferred if UP were the first team to put a dent in UCLA's armor. Then the story is about us, not them. But hey... beggars can't be choosers - if we beat them, I would be beyond ecstatic.

Also... saw that UCLA was called for one foul in the second half of that game. ONE FOUL. If that game were even close to fairly officiated, Fullerton would have won in a walk.

After seeing how they played in the last game, I think our chances are actually pretty good. IMO we have to beat them to get a team with a better RPI onto our schedule. I don't think this UCLA team is good enough to finish 3rd in the Pac-10 (as was predicted by some) anymore. They look like a team that's starting bench players... At the end of the season, a win over Butler or Minnesota might look more impressive.

To there defense, as of a few weeks ago they had no less than 6 players injured... While I'm sure that may not have an effect on our game, once those players get back, they very well could make a run in a VERY down Pac 10

The nice thing is that even if we lose to UCLA, we still play the loser of Butler/Minnesota. It'd be nice to win AND play the winner of Butler/Minnesota, though.

I think the RPI talk is a bit premature. I think the biggest deal is just what the win will look like. Seeing a UP win over UCLA, regardless of who they have, injuries etc, looks good to a lot of people. Especially to a lot of part-time Pilots fans. That win would do a lot for us in a lot of different ways.

Hopefully UCLA dont get the "it wont happen again" mentality and we can steal a win away. I want to see UP/Butler! That would be a real test.

cjacks14 wrote:I think the RPI talk is a bit premature. I think the biggest deal is just what the win will look like. Seeing a UP win over UCLA, regardless of who they have, injuries etc, looks good to a lot of people. Especially to a lot of part-time Pilots fans. That win would do a lot for us in a lot of different ways.

Hopefully UCLA dont get the "it wont happen again" mentality and we can steal a win away. I want to see UP/Butler! That would be a real test.

I've been saying that a win over UCLA will do a lot for bringing more fans and recognition to our program. A win over Washington last year may have been a better feat (UW was a better team) but UCLA is UCLA. If they put it in the Beacon that the team beat UCLA I would love to see that student section start to fill up. Also, the rest of the arena.

Agreed that a win over UCLA does more "window dressing" than actual RPI work this year... but it wouldnt hurt if UCLA ends up with a strong rating...

A win over UCLA would be huge in gaining the eyes and ears of everyone!

PilotNut wrote:Agreed that a win over UCLA does more "window dressing" than actual RPI work this year... but it wouldnt hurt if UCLA ends up with a strong rating...

A win over UCLA would be huge in gaining the eyes and ears of everyone!

Completely agree. It's like San Diego beating Stanford. Sure the Cardinal may end up sucking this year, but just to be able to say, "We beat Stanford" means a lot in national perception and with recruiting. Remember, probably 95% of college basketball fans have never heard of Portland. They only way we get their attention is beating teams they have heard of... like UCLA!

I'm gonna keep hoping we can beat UCLA and then back that up with another win over Minny/Butler. Then we'd surely be getting some good press. Maybe even some votes in the polls!

I can dream right? lol

cjacks, I'd actually prefer that you keep dreaming. I think I'll join you. That would be HUGE!

Like everyone has said, a win against UCLA would be huge, no matter what. Also, even if they are down right now, they could get their act together by the time conference play rolls around and end up helping our RPI.

All the team can do is win and let the chips fall where they may. Let's take this season one W at a time and see what happens

How 'bout we just beat Seattle, then maybe UCLA and let others sort out what it means.

If we don't beat them, it's all moot.

I can dream though right? haha

Yeah if we could go 3-0 into that game with UCLA that would be awesome. But we have a few tough games before we get down there.

Sorry to be looking ahead, but I couldn't help but notice that Oregon's top three scorers are all guards, led by Porter

PLAYER POS PTS REB AST
Tajuan Porter G 18.7 2.7 2.7
Teondre Williams G 13.7 2.7 3.3
LeKendric Longmire G 11.0 3.7 0.3
Joevan Catron F 6.7 5.7 0.7
Garrett Sim G 6.0 1.3 1.0
Michael Dunigan C 5.7 5.7 0.3

Not much of a forward presence. This could be due to the quality of the opponents, but if the pilots can dominate the glass and get some solid production from Robin, Luke, and Kramer, any hot streak on the perimeter by Porter will be moot. Looking forward to the game tonight!

How is it too early to be thinking about RPI?? Does a win in November count less for RPI than a win in February? I did not know that wins were weighted based on the calendar.

Besides, at this point there is nothing you can do about your RPI, except win. And for us fans there is pretty much nothing we can do at all except cheer for our team and hope for the best. Therefore it is never to early for fans to have wishful thoughts about improvements to their favorite team's RPI.