Opening night is tomorrow! That should be a pretty good reason to get the blog going in full swing.
First, let me begin by announcing some changes to the blog this season. For anybody who read the game-by-game reactions from 2008-09, these will return. The format will be retained, focusing on a combination of game flow description and reaction to individual player performance.
Some new additions:
Game previews - At least an hour before game time (preferably the night before), I will be providing some information on the upcoming Bradley game. As many of you know, the game notes provided by schools are filled with data but are often a little cumbersome to read. I'd like to provide a "cheat sheet" for anyone looking to quickly get useful information. I will provide a link to each press release and pull out any important facts. Hopefully these snippets can help people looking for a brief synopsis, but also allow anyone to take a deeper look at the great work that is done by the sports information directors. Lastly, I will provide some keys to victory and make a prediction.
Date/time to be published: Varies; At least one hour before tip-off and most likely the night before the next game
Missouri Valley Conference rankings - This was a project I thought about mid-season last year and now I'd like to implement it. Many websites/blogs post polls on how they rate the teams in a conference, nationally, etc. In reality, I have yet to find anything that is more than a popularity contest, especially on the national level. Teams get honored/ignored because of who gets seen on ESPN and not necessarily because of their on-the-court performance. For the first few weeks, I will rely on my unbiased look at the conference to rate the teams. Once a solid set of statistics have been established, look for an incorporation of a rating system to help support (or possibly refute) my rankings.
Date/time to be published: Weekly on Monday
"In Case You Missed It" - Even though it isn't as long as the Major League Baseball season, college hoops is truly a grind. Teams play 1-3 games per week for 4 months (the good ones play for five!). If your favorite team is Bradley, that can be enough of a homework assignment just to keep up with them. What about other teams in the MVC? Are there any big national games? What about scandals, suspensions, and other major news stories?
Certainly, I can't keep up with everything either, but hopefully I can provide a rundown of stories you need to read. In many cases, this might just be a short blurb and a link, but I'm hoping this can be a useful way of sifting through all of the information we get inundated with through different news outlets, blogs and websites. If I notice something interesting, I'll try to put it in here.
Date/time to be published: Daily, on non-game days (in the evening) as my schedule permits
Hopefully if you're reading this post, you're excited as I am for the start of college basketball and the improvements to this blog. As always, please let me know if you have any suggestions/comments about new ideas for this season.
Coming up next: Bradley at BYU preview
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