ESPN projects GU 3rd seed in NCAA

[nodak89]

I guess I fell victim to the whole 2-15 upset conventional wisdom and thought that 2 seeds weren't that much better than 3 seeds.

[joey0403p]

I really don't care if we are seeded 2 or 3. Its all about match ups and avoiding a 1 seed until Elite 8. THe more this teams plays the better they get (at least I hope - last night withstanding).

[HoyaSinceBirth]

I actually think there is a big difference at least this year between being a 2vs. a 3 seed. If we're a 2 that means we only have to face 1 of the big 7 competing for #1 seeds( duke, unc, ucla, texas, kansas, tennessee, mempis) if you're a 3 you've probably got to go through two of those teams rather than just 1 to make it to the final 4. I'd rather only face 1 of them before the final four.

[Jack]

It would be nice to avoid a potential matchup with Duke or UNC in Charlotte or Texas in Houston. Otherwise, you gotta play someone good to get there.

[HoNYaSaxa]

ESPN still has us at a#3 seed, this time in the West. Sweet 16 game would be against #2 seed Kansas (and, IMO, their A-game is better than everyone else in the nation except maybe UNC and Memphis). Ouch.

It would be nice to have Xavier's #2 seed in the East. #7-10 matchup in the second round would be winner of West Virginia - Miss. St. The Sweet 16 game would be against #3 seed Stanford or #6 seed Gonzaga, and the Elite 8 game would be against UNC (#1 seed) or UConn (the #4 seed with upset potential over UNC).

[guru]

I don't want to see Kansas until the Final Four - anyone else as the 2 seed to our 3, I'd be fine with (Xavier, please?)

But I still say we'll get a 2

[hoyarooter]

Having us as a 3 in Kansas's bracket probably means that Lunardi regards us as the weakest 3, since Kansas is almost assuredly the strongest 2. Hopefully we can beat Louisville and resolve that.

[GIGAFAN99]

Mar 4, 2008 11:53:17 GMT -5 guru said:

I don't want to see Kansas until the Final Four - anyone else as the 2 seed to our 3, I'd be fine with (Xavier, please?)

But I still say we'll get a 2

It's so tough to assess the A-10. I think the first 9 teams in that league would make the Big East tournament but all of them would have to play Wednesday. That's no knock as the Wednesday teams in the Big East range from a 5-seed like Marquette to not very good with bubbles and locks in between.

But give Xavier a #2 for that? I don't know. That's a big jump for a team with one top 25 win and a bunch of bubble wins.

[KHoyaNYC]

Xavier will get a #2 because their RPI is 6 and they are 7-1 vs. the RPI top 50. Whether its fair or not, the RPI ratings drive the seedings for the NCAA Tournament and that hasn't changed for 20 years.

[Hoya TMF]

Jay Bilas just blasted the RPY as a"joke." I'm paraphrasing, but his example of its lunacy was that Kentucky got throttled at Vandy by 41 points and their RPI went up. That's why college basketball is the ebst. every rankign system has its flaws; college basketball lets the kids decide the games (for the most part).

I too, would prefer a two to a three seed, since we'd only have to play one of the top eight teams to get to the Final Four. Obviously you have to beat good teams to win a title, but seeding and match-ups are important. If we play as well as we can these next 11 days, we'll beat Lousiville, win the BET and lock up a two seed. At least we still control our own destiny.
Go Hoyas!!! Beat the Cards!

[GUJook97]

I disagree that the RPI has that great an impact on seedings. Someone here posted our region last year by ranking and RPI and you would be surprised by how off the RPI was. I think it is "bubble measure" and that is about it. Xavier will get a #2 right now because they have won 18 of 19 games in a pretty decent conference, have some good OOC wins, and could finish winning something like 15 in a row.

On edit: Rivals.com has us as the last #2 seed. i think it is very close between us, Lville, Stanford and Xavier.

[HoyasAreHungry]

Mar 4, 2008 14:51:11 GMT -5 KHoyaNYC said:

Xavier will get a #2 because their RPI is 6 and they are 7-1 vs. the RPI top 50. Whether its fair or not, the RPI ratings drive the seedings for the NCAA Tournament and that hasn't changed for 20 years.

RPI is ridiculous....we moved down two spots over the weekend after winning at a ranked opponent. I agree that Xavier's record is impressive in terms of numbers RPI blah blah blah but I refuse to believe this would knock the winner of the Big East out of a #2 spot in the NCAA's....maybe I'm wrong...with the lack of respect we have been getting nothing would shock me at this point. Halftime of the Kansas game last night they talked about which Big East teams could go the farthest in the tournament (showing clips of louisville, Uconn, and get this ND....yes I laughed out loud too) Digger and Stacy Dales cited Uconn and Louisville as the most dangerous teams to go far in the tourney...no mention of Georgetown at all....I'm not worried about us being overlooked. That is fine with me...as long as we keep taking care of business and winning the critics don't matter. I just hope that even if we do take care of business the selection commitee doesn't screw us with a lower than deserved seed and we end up in a bracket of death.

[SFHoya99]

RPI is used more to determine your competition than it is used as a measure of a team. The committee know it is more than quick and dirty -- so it is used a) to determine the consideration set (i.e., better be under 60 or whatever) and b) to group sets of opponents (record versus Top 25 RPI, etc).

[mrsixer123]

i pray that we are in the east bracket that has unc as the #1 seed.

[williambraskyiii]

I think RPI has diminished in value over the past few years b/c coaches have learned the tricks to having a good RPI. No 300+ cupcakes, a large amount of 100-200 type teams, and your major conference schedule with maybe 1-2 other Top 50 opponents ooc. like any formula, it can be figured out. I would be shocked if the committee didn't know this better than anyone on the board (aside from Pomeroy's monkey boy SF perhaps), so i think it comes back to neutral/road wins, last 10, etc.

if xavier comes into the tourney on a 15-game winning streak, they deserve a 2-seed - the A-10 is competitive enough.

[PDRHoya99]

Mar 4, 2008 16:05:36 GMT -5 williambraskyiii said:

if xavier comes into the tourney on a 15-game winning streak, they deserve a 2-seed - the A-10 is competitive enough.

Good enough? I've yet to hear anyone question Xavier's "close wins" in conference the way ours are. They won by a tip in at the buzzer to knock of St. Louis (15-13, #117 RPI), and a 3pt with 15 seconds to play to beat Charlotte (16-12 #96 RPI). Compare that to our close wins Villanova (RPI 61), WVU (35), Marquette (18) and UConn (13).

Combine that with losses to Miami University (14-13 RPI #81) and Temple (16-12 RPI #66) and they just don't look very impressive. Yes, when the A-10 was looking like the hot mid-major this year I think you could make a case for them deserving a #2, but with Dayton falling apart after midseason injuries they seem to be the only deserving team in their conference. Other than the muskies only Temple looks guaranteed to have a winning record in conference with most teams bunched around the .500 mark, and Temple's RPI doesn't even really put them in contention for the field of 64.

[GUJook97]

Thought I would revive this after last night. Those two games were huge, in my opinion. I dont see how you can really make a case for Xavier as a 2 seed over a Big East champ any more, even if they win the A-10 tourney. Stanford would also have to win the Pac 10 tourney to grab the #2. And, even then, I dont think it is assured over the Big East champ. The door is now wide open for us and Lville. And, I agree with others, I think the difference between a 2 and 3 is significant, to some extent.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

we win tomorrow and win our first game in the BET we get the 2 seed.

[VelvetElvis]

ESPN can project all they want. While Lunardi is busy showing off his new hairpiece and mouth-kissing Jameer Nelson, we will be busy determining our own fate over the next 8-10 days.

[Dhall]

Since the #2 should be playing the #3, it really makes no difference which we end up being. Not really any easier to beat a #15 compared to a #14 or a #7 instead of a #6 to get to that Sweet 16 game. Would want to avoid being a #4 though because then you'd be playing the #1 in the Sweet 16 if form holds true.