BP with DG

On the heels of some preseason basketball bytes a couple of weeks ago we ran some basketball comments that got lost in the shuffle the other day that may be worth checking out. (Link)

With basketball approaching, we thought that you would enjoy this quick conversation between David Glenn and Billy Packer. Billy Packer has always been a polarizing figure in college basketball, but before you descide to try to chime in here with some criticisms we plead with you to click here.

I particularly liked Packer’s comments about the differences in conferences that are highlighted below. I used to say the EXACT same kind of example back in the mid 1990s related to ECU football when the Pirates would play well in a couple of games against a top conference and then feast on a host of lesser names. This was particularly appropriate when ECU held independent status before joining C-USA and didn’t have to deal with the pressures of traditional conference battles (no matter how ‘bad’ the program).

DG: You’ve talked a lot about confidence being one of the “hidden factors” that can work against middle-tier teams in the ACC and other major conferences, and in favor of the mid-majors. What do you mean exactly?

Billy Packer: This is one of the reasons I often side with the coaches from the major conferences who were on the borderline but didn’t make it. We can argue about a team’s conference record all day long — is 9-7 in the ACC automatically good enough? — and we can crunch numbers and look at schedules. That’s all fine. But what we often forget is that the road you travel in the tougher conferences can damage you in ways that extend well beyond the actual wins and losses.

Take Maryland (an NIT participant) and George Mason (an at-large NCAA team) last year. If you took Maryland and put them in George Mason’s league, and you took George Mason and put them in Maryland’s league, by March the Maryland team probably would have been the more effective team than George Mason. Why? Because it would have been Maryland that gained confidence and gradually built into something that was much better than what they became in the ACC. George Mason would have been beaten up in the ACC and probably started to doubt themselves. Maryland would have won a lot of games and built some genuine confidence heading into the postseason. That’s human nature.

That confidence level is extremely, extremely important in March. If you learned, night-in and night-out for two months, that you weren’t very good, there’s no way you’d have enough confidence to survive in March. If you win most of your games — even against lesser competition — you may be able to enter March thinking you can conquer the world. That’s maybe the best example of how playing in a tough league like the ACC can hurt you beyond the wins and losses.

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19 Responses to BP with DG

  1. westwolf 11/01/2006 at 12:42 PM #

    That’s an interesting point that ol’ BP makes. And for a team that relies almost exclusively on 3 point shooting, the issue of convidence is even more crucial.

  2. cfpack03 11/01/2006 at 12:48 PM #

    Sid is going to be great at this confidence factor.

  3. Sam92 11/01/2006 at 1:05 PM #

    Packer has his pluses and minuses. i was raised a UNC fan and everybody hated Packer because he was so anti-UNC (or so it seemed, somehow). i don’t pay much attention to him

    but kudos to Packer for avoiding the easy way out of chiding the university and us for getting rid of Herb. it’s such a cop-out.

    throughout the whole process it really ticked me off how everyone was only too happy for N.C. State to be satisfied with mediocrity.

  4. Wolf-n-Atl 11/01/2006 at 1:05 PM #

    People don’t boo nobodies ~ 😉

    Interesting. I think the same can be said for football, but not to the same extent as there are more athletes and less chance that one person can take control of a game. I would point towards the UGA/WVU game last year. UGa comes in thinking that they will have the game handed to them. WV jumps on them in the first half. UGA settled down and made a comeback in the 2nd half – but it was too late.

  5. cfpack03 11/01/2006 at 1:24 PM #

    I especially love Packer’s response to the ‘broadcasting style’ question. He all but says Dickie V is moron

  6. redfred2 11/01/2006 at 1:29 PM #

    Packer is saying what I thought about the past regime’s philosophy. It just couldn’t take hold in the ACC, too much competition night in and night out.
    Maybe at ASU, there is a better chance.

    One thing I do know for sure, if confidence was a factor and as Billy Packer says, and as we all know it is, then…………..

    But who cares now anyway?

  7. Woof Wolf 11/01/2006 at 1:51 PM #

    222 hours until tipoff.

  8. SixPack 11/01/2006 at 1:56 PM #

    I’ll watch TV with the sound down and listen to a 10 second delay on the radio before I listen to Dickie V call a STATE game (particulalry vs Duke or
    UNC) !!!!!

  9. redfred2 11/01/2006 at 2:23 PM #

    Dickie V. is good for the game, especially our old games. If it wasn’t for his loud mouth and enthusiam about some unrelated and off the wall topic, like some player’s special dog needing an emergency root canal or something, I would have been snoozing through the past four or five basketball seasons. But I’ll guarantee ol’ Dickie V won’t feel the need to make excuses for the HC of Wolfpack basketball anymore.

    Positive changes are coming from every direction. Some, like Dickie V’s new attitude, are no more important than the time I wasted typing this post.

  10. Andy 11/01/2006 at 2:46 PM #

    Not sure if this is the right place for this but does anyone know a good way to get video of BBall games on the west coast? Pack pass is good for radio broadcasts but the video appears to be just press conferences/coaching shows.

    Also first exhibition is this friday so less than 222 hours!

  11. packbackr04 11/01/2006 at 3:40 PM #

    i love the bball talk, fball is way too depressing right now.
    i asked this on another post but does anyone know when farnold will hear from NCAA’s regarding his eligiblity for this year?

  12. cfpack03 11/01/2006 at 3:49 PM #

    Dick V adds NO value, only irritation, to the game in my opinion. He just calls the obvious, yells baseless claims, and hypes already hyped programs. Not to mention he’s annoying as hell. I just thought it was funny that Packer addressed the uselessness of this type of commentator in his response on broadcasting style.

  13. redfred2 11/01/2006 at 4:05 PM #

    “annoying as hell…adds NO value…only irritation…yells baseless claims…uselessness”

    cfpack03: You can see why I, personally, have to kinda stick for him, can’t you?

  14. cfpack03 11/01/2006 at 4:22 PM #

    at least you don’t type IN ALL CAPS BABY!!!

  15. redfred2 11/01/2006 at 4:33 PM #

    ^TOUCHE!

  16. choppack1 11/01/2006 at 5:32 PM #

    Maybe I’m missing the nuance here, but Packer compares UMd to GW, and talks about the value of “confidence” in making you a quality b’ball team. Then he also says that the NCAA should take the best teams regardless of conference affiliation. Now, while those 2 views aren’t mutually exclusive, a confident team is no doubt better than a team that lacks it. Are ACC teams losing confidence because they know they aren’t going to the dance after a few losses? That’s the only thing can really complete his argument if you connect his pov on these issues.

  17. cfpack03 11/02/2006 at 10:03 AM #

    I think he’s implying that, chop. Strong mid-tier ACC teams can lose confidence after playing a rigorous ACC schedule, while good mid-majors continue to win against below average opponents, building confidence, and that ‘believe’ factor.

  18. gopherfan 11/02/2006 at 2:04 PM #

    Dick V is intolerable

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    6pZQO1 I really like and appreciate your blog post. Awesome.

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