VEGAS 2022

Wanted to start a thread for those of us heading to Vegas.

I get in on Thursday morning and have a flight scheduled to return Sunday. Hopefully I'll need to change that flight (a guy can dream).

Who else will be there?

Something tells me you, Dean and I will be drinking a beer together at the Mardis Gras bar in a few days.

I will be there Thursday morning, leaving Sunday morning.

blacksheep wrote:Who else will be there?

Been waiting a few years for an excuse to go. Looking forward to my first WCC tournament!!

I’m there for the duration, in Thursday early afternoon and out Wednesday. The bye is huge for us personally as we’ve got two connections and a snowstorm forecast for the day we leave. Could be dicey!

Dean Murdoch wrote:

blacksheep wrote:Who else will be there?

Been waiting a few years for an excuse to go. Looking forward to my first WCC tournament!!

I’m there for the duration, in Thursday early afternoon and out Wednesday. The bye is huge for us personally as we’ve got two connections and a snowstorm forecast for the day we leave. Could be dicey!

You are in Canada?
Let us know what hoops you have to go through to meet vaccination requirements at US and Canada entry points. It looks like a COVID card picture on your phone doesn’t do it. I see only the three US vaccines are accepted here. It looks like most vaccines ( excepting Sputnik) are accepted for Canadian entry.

Geezaldinho wrote:You are in Canada?
Let us know what hoops you have to go through to meet vaccination requirements at US and Canada entry points. It looks like a COVID card picture on your phone doesn’t do it. I see only the three US vaccines are accepted here. It looks like most vaccines ( excepting Sputnik) are accepted for Canadian entry.

canadagael just flew down to Moraga for the USF/BYU weekend so he can probably tell you better than I can at this point.

But I think we just have to be able to present proof of vaccination (we have an app here with all of that stuff) and a negative antigen test taken the day before departure.

Dean Murdoch wrote:

Been waiting a few years for an excuse to go. Looking forward to my first WCC tournament!!

Are you staying at the Orleans?

Being a good Canadian, maybe it would be appropriate to go to the Golden Knights game on Sunday.

Sounds like the Canadians are going out for a rip in Vegas. I’d come if some Nanaimo Bars were to appear.

Hey Pilot Fans,

As you are on your way home from a night in Las Vegas at 10 in the morning, you might surprise the UP women's tennis team by stopping by the UNLV campus to watch them play three mornings in a row at 10am:

Friday: Seattle U.
Saturday: New Mexico St.
Sunday: UNLV
I am positive the team will welcome the support.

At least one win in Las Vegas will be huge for the Pilots in terms of recruiting and continuing the development of the current roster.

Last season, Pepperdine beat Santa Clara in Las Vegas prior to losing to BYU and then went on to win 3 straight games to capture the College Basketball Invitational crown ending their season at 15-12.

Pepperdine was 11-11/7-6 prior to Las Vegas and ended the season 12-12/8-7 prior to being invited to the CBI...and I do not see any reason why UP shouldn't also be invited to the CBI or NIT or whatever postseason tournaments there are this year.

I am counting on the Pilots continuing their season and development beyond Las Vegas...and not just because the team deserves a couple more games after BYU and SCU did not come to the Chiles Center, but because they and their coaches are so darned entertaining to watch.

Is the CBI still a $50K entry fee event? Looks like it is going to be played in Daytona Beach, Florida, so not many UP fans will be in attendance. I get that another couple weeks of coaching and games helps a young team, but wonder if the CBI is worth it.

How is the NIT selected? It used to be in consultation with ESPN, looking for teams that will draw large numbers. Now the NCAA runs it. Do they simply take the next 32 teams based on NET and conference champions who did not make the NCAA? Or do they still consider fan base, etc.? If it is based on NET, I don't see how the Pilots could get in.

https://happeninghoops.com/2022/02/26/happening-hoops-cbi-the-basketball-classic-bracketology-7/

This site projects the Pilots to The Basketball Classic, formerly known as the CIT. I would assume hosting games at Chiles would be a more attractive proposition than a lengthy trip to Daytona Beach.

up7587 wrote:How is the NIT selected?

Selection committee, with one of the members being WCC commissioner Gloria Nevarez.

CIT used to be a $30K entry fee before it shut down. What's the price for The Basketball Classic? At least they play in campus sites.

Dean Murdoch wrote:

This site projects the Pilots to The Basketball Classic, formerly known as the CIT. I would assume hosting games at Chiles would be a more attractive proposition than a lengthy trip to Daytona Beach.

up7587 wrote:How is the NIT selected?

  Selection committee, with one of the members being WCC commissioner Gloria Nevarez.

Not sure  anout the NIT, but if it follows the NCAA tournament process,
Having a conference representative on the committee is no help..

From a bleacher report article on the topic:

 Athletic directors are required to leave the room when their team is being discussed, and conference executives when any team from their conference is being discussed.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2387936-behind-the-scenes-how-the-ncaa-tournament-selection-committee-really-works

Dean Murdoch wrote:Selection committee, with one of the members being WCC commissioner Gloria Nevarez.

Don't know the terms of her contract, but based upon her obvious lack of leadership through the basketball season, let's hope she is soon ex-WCC Commissioner Nevarez.  

DoubleDipper wrote: I do not see any reason why UP shouldn't also be invited to the CBI or NIT or whatever postseason tournaments there are this year.

Dean Murdoch wrote:https://happeninghoops.com/2022/02/26/happening-hoops-cbi-the-basketball-classic-bracketology-7/

This site projects the Pilots to The Basketball Classic, formerly known as the CIT. I would assume hosting games at Chiles would be a more attractive proposition than a lengthy trip to Daytona Beach.

I'd heard there was another postseason tournament being developed, but I did not know its name, and the projected field for The Basketball Classic should make for some entertaining games and a chance to extend the season.

I would love to see UP Riverside play at UP.  You might recall that last spring Shantay Legans was my first choice to become the Pilots head coach, and my second choice was Riverside coach Mike Magpayo.

KenPom currently ranks UC Riverside #181 and UP #182.

GU's starting guards are 7-10 from 3P range currently. Oops, 8-11.

DoubleDipper wrote:


I would love to see UP Riverside play at UP.  You might recall that last spring Shantay Legans was my first choice to become the Pilots head coach, and my second choice was Riverside coach Mike Magpayo.

My choice was a coach with previous D1 head coaching experience, which all the coaches since I started coming to UP games in 1992 except Chavez lacked.

It turns out that route had some merit.

Magpayo’s team arguably didn’t have any better season than last year, or a little worse.

up7587 wrote:GU's starting guards are 7-10 from 3P range currently. Oops, 8-11.

And really, those daggers late made all the difference in GU pulling away after SMC had gotten within 2 points.

GU, SMC, and USF should represent the WCC well in the Tournament.

I watched some of the NEC Tournament final tonight with #2 Wagner (Long Island) at #1 Bryant (RI) for the NCAA bid, but it was delayed about 30 minutes due to "student misbehavior" in the 2500 seat gym, and I did not watch the ending...but with all the white shirts I was imagining a BYU crowd with the rowdy GU crowd in front of them...

Thankfully Deaner found a way to restrain himself when drunk Steve Nash jersey guy decided to come heckle the Pilot section on Saturday. Otherwise there might have been a similar scene at the Orleans

blacksheep wrote:Thankfully Deaner found a way to restrain himself when drunk Steve Nash jersey guy decided to come heckle the Pilot section on Saturday. Otherwise there might have been a similar scene at the Orleans  

At least nobody took a shot at the Wagner coach, like happened at a UP - zag game when Fitzgerald got blind sided by a drunk UP student at the end of the game. Fitz claimed the drunks at his regular bar were better aims.

Thank goodness there wasn’t YouTube then.

blacksheep wrote:Thankfully Deaner found a way to restrain himself when drunk Steve Nash jersey guy decided to come heckle the Pilot section on Saturday. Otherwise there might have been a similar scene at the Orleans  

When Mrs Deaner says “no donnybrooks” she means no donnybrooks!