Post by hoyahoyasaxa on Feb 17, 2005 12:45:47 GMT -5
Some Hoya and Big East items:
Princeton, N.J.: George Washington seems to be hitting its stride while Maryland is still up and down and Georgetown is losing to teams they need to beat this time of year (Notre Dame). Are all three in the tourney, or just the Colonials and the Terps?
Matt Rennie: I disagree on Georgetown. Winning AT Notre Dame would have been huge, but that's not a loss that hurts the Hoyas too much. If they can win at st. John's and beat Providence at home, they should get in. I think the Colonials are in a more dicey position, though I agree they are playing better. There's no way you can say they've assured themselves of an at-large bid.
Eric Prisbell: I think Maryland has a great chance to make it; an 8-8 ACC record would clinch it. Georgetown has an excellent chance if it gets 18 overall victories. GW’s RPI has improved to a respectable level (59-ish), but the A-10 is rated the 16th-best conference in the country. A conference that low doesn’t deserve two bids. GW will be an interesting test case for the committee.
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Washington, D.C.: What, realistically, do the Hoyas need to do in their final few games to ensure themselves a spot in the tourney? Also, do you have a sense of how much of their success this year is attributable to JT-III and how much is based on the fact that pundits simply did not appreciate how talented the younger players are?
Eric Prisbell: If Georgetown splits its final four regular season games, it should be enough. The Hoyas have an excellent RPI better than 40. Ten wins in the Big East should be enough. Beat St. John’s and Providence and that’s enough. Short of that, they will be sweating it out unless they win a game or two in the BE tourney. Oh, and credit JTIII with their success because he is a candidate for national coach of the year honors, in my opinion.
Matt Rennie: I agree that a 10-6 record gets Georgetown in (and the Hoyas could beat Villanova at home too, though winning at U-Conn. might be too much to ask). JTIII deserves a lot of credit for getting his team to play hard for 40 minutes a game, but there's no question that Jeff Green has exceeded virtually everyone's expectations.
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Willow, Alaska: There is no team in the Big East, ACC, SEC, CUSA, A10, or Pac10 who is unbeatable. Only Illinois could unstumble their way to an uncontested #1 seed at the dance. Does that mean they get the Midwest bracket hands down?
And does that mean that vying contenders for other brackets could find the loser of the matchup -- at their tournament -- opponents playing in a bracket on the other side of the country? For example, Pitt beats BC at the big show in Madison Square Garden and BC finds itself a #2 seed in the West?
Could this kind of outcome occur because the top teams this year are almost all likely take-down targets? Certainly Washington, Louisville, Kentucky, Syracuse, and Duke are.
Kudos: Pacific, Iona, and Nevada -- Stand-up teams this year. And LaSalle is upsetting higher-ranked rivals. Way to go.
Cabin Dweller and Number Cruncher
Eric Prisbell: Illinois likely will be headed from Indianapolis to Chicago to St. Louis. I want to see Texas Tech get an 8/9 seed and be shipped to Indianapolis so Knight, the last coach of an undefeated team, has a chance to knock off one.
Boston College likely will play the first two rounds in Worcester, Mass., a wonderful place as long as I don’t have to go there to cover basketball games next month. Decent chance, though, that Maryland is shipped to Worcester so Gary Williams can face his former school in the second round.
Matt Rennie: Hey, Cabin Dweller. I think you can count on whoever is viewed as the weakest No. 1 seed getting sent to Albuquerque for its regional games, but with the pod system, it will be able to stay closer to home for the first weekend. I'm not sure I'd put Syracuse in with your otherwise sound group of upset victims, though I suppose their recent losses support your position more than mine.
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Mt. Lebanon, Pa.: Hey, last week I asked: which team in the Big East is going to the be "the presence" or words to that effect down the home stretch. And you both said, Syracuse.
'Cuse - the team with the moxie.
Well, 7 days later they look more like the team with the chickenpoxie. Maybe we should call them ExCuse Us. As in ExCuse Us from serious consideration in the Big East tournament!
By the way, which team SWEPT the OrangeSlush? And did you give THEM any love this season?
Bosun's pipe & call: "Sweepers, sweepers, man your brooms. Give the ship a clean sweepdown fore and aft. Now sweepers away."
Thanks much. HLB
(former sailor on the high seas)
Eric Prisbell: I still believe Syracuse will be the last team standing out of the Big East.
Matt Rennie: If only the federal government was held to the accountability standard we are in this chat. Pittsburgh has a bit of Maryland-like quality this season, making the Panthers a complete wild-card in the postseason. They have some great conference wins but all four losses are real head-scratchers.
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Foggy Bottom, Washington D.C.: Q: If GW won the NCAA Tournament, Karl Hobbs cured cancer and Pops stopped a trecordist attack, on the same day Gary Williams changed hair styles and JT3 shot a 2 under round of golf, would the Colonials make P1 of the sports section?
Eric Prisbell: Nah, I’d add it on as notes to my Terps newsletter.
Matt Rennie: The inferiority complexes among some fan bases around here are ridiculous. You've nailed it Foggy Bottom. The Graham family bought this newspaper years ago anticipating the day it could use its sports section to denigrate coverage of George Washington basketball and its home win over a 10-13 Atlantic-10 team. You've got us.
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Coach of the Year: When Robert "Don't Call Me Bobby" Knight beats King JTIII in bracketville next March, we'll know who the REAL Coach of the Year is.
And he drinks branchwater with his bourbon..
Hell for Texas
Eric Prisbell: Get out of Lubbock immediately and drive north to Amarillo. Treat yourself to a 72-ounce steak at the Big Texan Steak Ranch, one of my favorites, and then rethink that premise. If nothing changes, repeat process.
Matt Rennie: sound advice, Eric. Never let it be said we're not here for you, Hell.
And Al Skinner might have something over both Knight and JTIII in the coach-of-the-year dept.
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Bethesda, Md.: Lots of prognosticators (TV guys, Andy Katz) are talking up Villanova as a team that could make a deep run in the tournament. I went there so I'd like to believe it, but they seem to be sprinkling disappointing performances amongst their good ones. Not to the extent of the Terps, but it's enough to keep me from getting too excited. What do you think of their chances going into the end of the season?
Eric Prisbell: I agree with Andy. Villanova has the talent and the tendency to get hot and run off a couple wins over talented teams. I could pick them for the Sweet 16 with the right matchups. I will watch them closely the next two weeks.
Matt Rennie: I'm not as sold. The blowout of Kansas is certainly a good thing to have on your resume, but I'd like to see the 'Cats have a couple quality wins in the league before jumping on board that bandwagon.
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Washington, D.C.: A popular stat being floated around these days is the Big East's Record vs the ACC -- I think it would now be 6-2 after UNC beat UCONN. I haven't once seen, however, a list of who beat who -- were these top tier ACC teams? Do you know what these matchups were and if they are a true indicator of conference strength?
Thanks
Matt Rennie: well, this is why it's a somewhat deceptive stat: two of the losses are N.C. State losing to St. John's and West Virginia, Virginia losing to Providence, Virginia Tech losing to St. John's, Boston College beating Clemson. I can't remember the others off the top of my head, but the powers from the leagues haven't played each other, outside of U-Conn. and UNC.
Eric Prisbell: I say we wait to see how many teams from each conference reach the Elite Eight. I am confident the ACC will have more, perhaps three.
Princeton, N.J.: George Washington seems to be hitting its stride while Maryland is still up and down and Georgetown is losing to teams they need to beat this time of year (Notre Dame). Are all three in the tourney, or just the Colonials and the Terps?
Matt Rennie: I disagree on Georgetown. Winning AT Notre Dame would have been huge, but that's not a loss that hurts the Hoyas too much. If they can win at st. John's and beat Providence at home, they should get in. I think the Colonials are in a more dicey position, though I agree they are playing better. There's no way you can say they've assured themselves of an at-large bid.
Eric Prisbell: I think Maryland has a great chance to make it; an 8-8 ACC record would clinch it. Georgetown has an excellent chance if it gets 18 overall victories. GW’s RPI has improved to a respectable level (59-ish), but the A-10 is rated the 16th-best conference in the country. A conference that low doesn’t deserve two bids. GW will be an interesting test case for the committee.
------------------------------------
Washington, D.C.: What, realistically, do the Hoyas need to do in their final few games to ensure themselves a spot in the tourney? Also, do you have a sense of how much of their success this year is attributable to JT-III and how much is based on the fact that pundits simply did not appreciate how talented the younger players are?
Eric Prisbell: If Georgetown splits its final four regular season games, it should be enough. The Hoyas have an excellent RPI better than 40. Ten wins in the Big East should be enough. Beat St. John’s and Providence and that’s enough. Short of that, they will be sweating it out unless they win a game or two in the BE tourney. Oh, and credit JTIII with their success because he is a candidate for national coach of the year honors, in my opinion.
Matt Rennie: I agree that a 10-6 record gets Georgetown in (and the Hoyas could beat Villanova at home too, though winning at U-Conn. might be too much to ask). JTIII deserves a lot of credit for getting his team to play hard for 40 minutes a game, but there's no question that Jeff Green has exceeded virtually everyone's expectations.
------------------------------------
Willow, Alaska: There is no team in the Big East, ACC, SEC, CUSA, A10, or Pac10 who is unbeatable. Only Illinois could unstumble their way to an uncontested #1 seed at the dance. Does that mean they get the Midwest bracket hands down?
And does that mean that vying contenders for other brackets could find the loser of the matchup -- at their tournament -- opponents playing in a bracket on the other side of the country? For example, Pitt beats BC at the big show in Madison Square Garden and BC finds itself a #2 seed in the West?
Could this kind of outcome occur because the top teams this year are almost all likely take-down targets? Certainly Washington, Louisville, Kentucky, Syracuse, and Duke are.
Kudos: Pacific, Iona, and Nevada -- Stand-up teams this year. And LaSalle is upsetting higher-ranked rivals. Way to go.
Cabin Dweller and Number Cruncher
Eric Prisbell: Illinois likely will be headed from Indianapolis to Chicago to St. Louis. I want to see Texas Tech get an 8/9 seed and be shipped to Indianapolis so Knight, the last coach of an undefeated team, has a chance to knock off one.
Boston College likely will play the first two rounds in Worcester, Mass., a wonderful place as long as I don’t have to go there to cover basketball games next month. Decent chance, though, that Maryland is shipped to Worcester so Gary Williams can face his former school in the second round.
Matt Rennie: Hey, Cabin Dweller. I think you can count on whoever is viewed as the weakest No. 1 seed getting sent to Albuquerque for its regional games, but with the pod system, it will be able to stay closer to home for the first weekend. I'm not sure I'd put Syracuse in with your otherwise sound group of upset victims, though I suppose their recent losses support your position more than mine.
------------------------------
Mt. Lebanon, Pa.: Hey, last week I asked: which team in the Big East is going to the be "the presence" or words to that effect down the home stretch. And you both said, Syracuse.
'Cuse - the team with the moxie.
Well, 7 days later they look more like the team with the chickenpoxie. Maybe we should call them ExCuse Us. As in ExCuse Us from serious consideration in the Big East tournament!
By the way, which team SWEPT the OrangeSlush? And did you give THEM any love this season?
Bosun's pipe & call: "Sweepers, sweepers, man your brooms. Give the ship a clean sweepdown fore and aft. Now sweepers away."
Thanks much. HLB
(former sailor on the high seas)
Eric Prisbell: I still believe Syracuse will be the last team standing out of the Big East.
Matt Rennie: If only the federal government was held to the accountability standard we are in this chat. Pittsburgh has a bit of Maryland-like quality this season, making the Panthers a complete wild-card in the postseason. They have some great conference wins but all four losses are real head-scratchers.
--------------------------------
Foggy Bottom, Washington D.C.: Q: If GW won the NCAA Tournament, Karl Hobbs cured cancer and Pops stopped a trecordist attack, on the same day Gary Williams changed hair styles and JT3 shot a 2 under round of golf, would the Colonials make P1 of the sports section?
Eric Prisbell: Nah, I’d add it on as notes to my Terps newsletter.
Matt Rennie: The inferiority complexes among some fan bases around here are ridiculous. You've nailed it Foggy Bottom. The Graham family bought this newspaper years ago anticipating the day it could use its sports section to denigrate coverage of George Washington basketball and its home win over a 10-13 Atlantic-10 team. You've got us.
----------------------------------------
Coach of the Year: When Robert "Don't Call Me Bobby" Knight beats King JTIII in bracketville next March, we'll know who the REAL Coach of the Year is.
And he drinks branchwater with his bourbon..
Hell for Texas
Eric Prisbell: Get out of Lubbock immediately and drive north to Amarillo. Treat yourself to a 72-ounce steak at the Big Texan Steak Ranch, one of my favorites, and then rethink that premise. If nothing changes, repeat process.
Matt Rennie: sound advice, Eric. Never let it be said we're not here for you, Hell.
And Al Skinner might have something over both Knight and JTIII in the coach-of-the-year dept.
---------------------------------------
Bethesda, Md.: Lots of prognosticators (TV guys, Andy Katz) are talking up Villanova as a team that could make a deep run in the tournament. I went there so I'd like to believe it, but they seem to be sprinkling disappointing performances amongst their good ones. Not to the extent of the Terps, but it's enough to keep me from getting too excited. What do you think of their chances going into the end of the season?
Eric Prisbell: I agree with Andy. Villanova has the talent and the tendency to get hot and run off a couple wins over talented teams. I could pick them for the Sweet 16 with the right matchups. I will watch them closely the next two weeks.
Matt Rennie: I'm not as sold. The blowout of Kansas is certainly a good thing to have on your resume, but I'd like to see the 'Cats have a couple quality wins in the league before jumping on board that bandwagon.
-----------------------------------
Washington, D.C.: A popular stat being floated around these days is the Big East's Record vs the ACC -- I think it would now be 6-2 after UNC beat UCONN. I haven't once seen, however, a list of who beat who -- were these top tier ACC teams? Do you know what these matchups were and if they are a true indicator of conference strength?
Thanks
Matt Rennie: well, this is why it's a somewhat deceptive stat: two of the losses are N.C. State losing to St. John's and West Virginia, Virginia losing to Providence, Virginia Tech losing to St. John's, Boston College beating Clemson. I can't remember the others off the top of my head, but the powers from the leagues haven't played each other, outside of U-Conn. and UNC.
Eric Prisbell: I say we wait to see how many teams from each conference reach the Elite Eight. I am confident the ACC will have more, perhaps three.