Competence at a small school

This year's Following the Compass games will take me to the Carolinas for football and basketball. The football game, between North Carolina and Appalachian State is certainly interesting, but perennial also-ran South Carolina Upstate's basketball team and potential opponent seemed less appealing, especially when, in the preseason, they were pegged as one of the worst teams in college hoops. 

But then, in 2021-22, they were competent. Certainly, they weren't at the talent level of the major conference teams, and even in the Big South Conference, they weren't necessarily the best team, but nor were they at the bottom of the conference. Ultimately, they ended up in 4th place, with a 10-6 record in conference play. 

Of the minor conferences, the Big South has been better than most, and 4th place netted the Spartans a postseason tournament berth, where they reached the second round of the Basketball Classic, beating Appalachian State and falling to South Alabama. For a team with low initial expectations, this has to be considered a success.

There were no big changes to the roster, but a look at the group shows a lot of juniors in the bunch. They got older, and they developed, staying in the same system with the same coach for the several years. Dave Dickerson is that coach, and he comes with a long resume, especially for a small school like Upstate. Dickerson's previous head coaching role took him to Tulane, but he also was an assistant at Ohio State for several years, and worked for the Utah Jazz as a scout before coming to Spartanburg. 

He has the buy in of his players, and those players are learned enough to play as well as they can play. Looking at their RPI, they feasted upon the lesser opponents in their conference, and managed to go 10-5 against Quad 4 teams. That's exactly what a team looking to get out of Quad 4 should do. Their game against Appalachian State was even a Quad 2 win, and it came late in the season, after a full, healthy season of Dickerson's coaching. 

The Spartans got notably better this year, and continued to do so throughout the season. They will return most of their team next year on what was already a fairly veteran group. They might not challenge for the Big South title, especially with Winthrop perennially in the catbird seat, but the game I go to in December looks to be more interesting than it initially seemed. 

Following the Compass 2022

Among the lease importatnt things that COVID impacted, Following the Compass got really weird. A very good Alabama basketball team got their game against Arkansas in just after the 2020 Super Bowl, AKA pre-Covid, and then it got odd. South Alabama basketball saw their game postponed all the way to January 2021, which meant that the 2020 second game came after the first 2021 game. South Alabama beat Flagler College, while the New York Giants, still in a crowd limited stadium, played the Dallas Cowboys in East Rutherford. 

The Giants upended Cowboys, which helped to give the division to Washington Football Team. It wasn't a really big deal in the grand scheme of things, but Washington was the last real threat to Tom Brady's Super Bowl run. The Giants don't look much better this year, though at least Saquon Barkley is back. 

The other team was the Colorado Rapids. The Rapids were one of the surprises of the MLS season, putting together an unexpectedly solid season and earning the #1 seed in the Western Conference of the MLS playoffs. OK, by solid, I should have said "exceptional, especially for a team many thought would be an also-ran". The game I drew was their road engagement with Real Salt Lake. I didn't go, because of a family surgery around that time, but Colorado was unceremoniously dumped by RSL. The Rapids historically have had a tough time playing in Sandy, Utah, and it was no exception in October, as they lost 3-1. Also, the Rapids faced a white hot Portland Timbers squad that bounced Colorado without a victory in the postseason. Not very good under my watchful eye.

But that was 2020 and 2021. I think 2022 is going to be a bit more normal. In fact, I think I'm as locked and loaded for at least the first game as I can be. The first team I drew was the University of North Carolina's football team. I pulled their basketball team a few years ago, and watched them play Tulane in Chapel Hill. This time, the Tar Heels will be on the road, playing in state rival Appalachian State on September 3rd. If I can get tickets, I will be there, but the in state game at a smaller stadium over Labor Day weekend might be tough. I'm going to try. 

UNC looks good next year, thanks to a strong defense, while Appalachian State always punches above their weight, and will be tough at home. I'm hoping to be in Boone, NC for this one.

The other game will probably be easier to get tickets for, but falls in a tougher travel period. I drew game 13 on the schedule for South Carolina - Upstate. That would put the game somewhere in late December 2022, likely after Christmas. In the past, they have played teams like VMI or local non D-1 schools on the last weekend of the year. Since this will be next years schedule, I will probably have to wait until next fall to know for sure if attendance is even feasible, but USCU is near Spartanburg, and is just the type of small school I love visiting. They don't have a long track record, and especially not one of success, but they are in the Atlantic sun which is a fun conference in general. 

I really hope to get to these games. I just hope travel is a better possibility in 2021.