New SBC men's hoops standards to be enacted

The talk during much of Tuesday's Sun Belt Conference on-line media day for men's basketball figures to be about these new league standards that were announced Monday. Starting with the 2011-2012 season, these standards will encompass the following:

1. From 2003-2005, the SBC implemented a "150 rule," that's being brought back. It can be met by either of two ways or both. A team's nonconference opponents must have an three-year average Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) of 150 or lower, or the team can finish the season with an RPI of 150 or lower. The SBC says the previous implementation resulted in the league have a lower combined RPI, better average team RPI, better league and team strength of schedule, better attendance and nonconference winning percentage than any year in seven seasons.

2. The league plans to enter into agreements with another league or leagues to assist in scheduling and provide one home and one away non-league game with those other conferences.

3. The Sun Belt plays too many games outside (below) Division I -- a league-record 22 last year -- and wants them eliminated.

4. The Sun Belt is stepping in to assist member schools with season ticket sales in an effort to bring official attendance more in line with the NCAA D-I average of 5,038. No school met or exceeded that average last season. One, presumably Western Kentucky, averaged at least 5,000 fans in any season the last five years.

5. The league has hired a consultant to act as a director of basketball operations, and further discussion of these new measures are effectively tabled starting in 2011 for at least four seasons.

Curious to see how the league can help individual schools, especially those with histories of lagging ticket sales in all sports, to boost season sales for men's hoops teams that might not be terribly marketable, competitive, or in markets that much care.

As for ditching games against D-II, D-III or NAIA teams (yeah, UNT is guilty as charged), more power. Those games are a waste of time and shouldn't be glorified scrimmages.

Get out your calculators to figure those average RPIs when scheduling. Guessing more than a few teams will be dumped off schedules in the next several months.

Sounds like the league has really put a foot down on this stuff.