Could the Big East send 8?

[guru]

If WVU wins out and takes a few in the BET, they have to get in.

Nova is ranked and beating BC at the moment. Unless they tank the rest of their games badly, they have to get in.

Notre Dame has a 39 RPI and three winnable home games down the stretch. If they take care of business, they have to get in.

If the Hoyas take 2 of 3 down the stretch and end up at 10-6, we have to get in. Don't we? Don't we?

If the committee doesn't want to take 8, though, are we the odd team out? Does our win over WVU get negated by their torrid play down the home stretch? God, that SJU loss was bad, and at the worst time. Pass the Pepto.

[TBird41]

Maybe Pitt doesn't get in? I don't know, but I'm suddenly really, really, really worried about the game on Sunday.

[lichoya68]

im worried too... nova looks very very good .... but heck its february and aint it fun .... were still here and having fun ...and will still hopefully still will be sunday nite ...beat nova ...a huge game make that HUGH despite my naysayers ;D

[SaxaCD]

I'm EXCITED about the game on Sunday more than anything else. Here it is, late February, and the Hoyas are playing a tough game at home for their tournament lives! Who woulda thunk it before the season? I"m very fired up to go to this game, and think it could be more electric than any seen in DC in years. Yes, Villanova is playing very well -- but here we have a game that, at least a year early, shows GU matters again on the basketball scene, and I'm confident JT3 will pull all the tricks out of the bag to try to get the win!

[HOYAPLAYA]

I think Nova's win last night is a good thing for us. It makes our road win against them look even better and they aren't going to be quite as desperate come Sunday. We still need to win this game for a number of reasons, but most importantly because a win on Sunday almost assures us that we will be dancing. That is unless we completely tank the last two games and pull a one and done in the BET. One game at a time though and a home win on Sunday would be the biggest win we've had since we demolished the then-ranked Seton Hall squad a few years back. A win this Sunday means we would have to lose our way back on the bubble. I like the sound of that as opposed to having to hope that we can pull off victories to get on the bubble like we've needed to do, but couldn't, in the past 3 years.

[FromTheBeginning]

What we need is for Pitt to continue their death spiral. With away games @ BC & ND and a home game with UConn they are ripe to lose out and take themselves out of the equation. We still must win 2 out of 3 and one BET game to be sure. I'd still like to see Seton Hall upset WVA next week to finish them off. Would also like to see UCLA beat ND on Sunday. We've got to win Sunday.

[TrueHoyaBlue]

In terms of NCAA consideration, I don't think our main competition is Big East teams, particularly as each win by Pitt/WVU/ND makes our wins against them all the more impressive.

Right now, if we beat Nova and Prov and lose to UConn, we'll be at about a 52 RPI ranking (higher in the old ranking). That will include the following quality wins:

@ Nova (top 25)
Nova (top 25)
@ Pitt (top 50)
Notre Dame (top 50)

@ Davidson (likely top 50)
WVU (likely top 50)

With those wins (including three on the road), a 52 RPI rank, a 6-6 road+neutral win pct, and a 6-4 record going into the BET, I think we'll be sitting on a pretty solid profile.

Now all we need to do is beat Nova.

Go Hoyas -- Kick the 'Cats!

[JimmyHoya]

Short answer? No.

Long answer? Still no.

Sorry, but it ain't happenning. And if it did, the NCAA would get hell for it.

If we beat 'nova, they would be really, realy hard pressed to not let us in.

5-1 versus ND/'nova/Pitt/WVU? And 2-3 of those teams will be let in if we aren't? That's just not right. We could go 1-2 and it'd really take some balls not to give us a bid if we beat 'nova again. I don't care what the RPI is.

[Fan Of The Game]

Jimmy, I hear your point but it sounds like you're saying that out of conference records and strength of schedule don't matter, and teams should only be compared to who has similar conference records with them and who they beat in head to heads in their conference.

I believe that if Georgetown finishes 9-7 in the Big East, we will be considered for a berth. Our resume will be compared to that of other bubble teams, not strictly teams in our conference with similar records.

[hoyadrummer]

Yes, the BE can, and frankly at the moment, I think the money bet is that they will.

BC, Cuse, UConn, Nova are all locks.

Pitt, ND, WVU and Gtown are bubble teams - but more importantly they are bubble teams that hardly play one another. Consider the following likely scenario:

Pitt beats UConn, loses to BC, and beats ND, they are 10-6, they are dancing.

ND beats UCLA, Rutgers, loses to Pitt, they are 9-7, but have the UCLA win, and with a low BET seed have a first round game against someone like Providence that they win. They are dancing.

WVU beats Ruters and Seton Hall, are 9-7, 8-2 in their last ten, have a easy first round game against someone like St Johns that they will win, they are dancing.

GU beats Nova, loses to UConn, beats Providence, is 10-6, and likely dancing, we are 4/5 seed, have a bye and a tough second round game. A win means we are definately dancing, but even without it, we should.

I think eight will dance, and the ACC, with several teams at 8-8, will get screwed.

[SaxaCD]

If your teams can't finish over .500, your conference doesn't get screwed, it gets what they deserve.

[hoyabinx]

hoyadrummer said:

Yes, the BE can, and frankly at the moment, I think the money bet is that they will.

BC, Cuse, UConn, Nova are all locks.

Pitt, ND, WVU and Gtown are bubble teams - but more importantly they are bubble teams that hardly play one another. Consider the following likely scenario:

Pitt beats UConn, loses to BC, and beats ND, they are 10-6, they are dancing.

ND beats UCLA, Rutgers, loses to Pitt, they are 9-7, but have the UCLA win, and with a low BET seed have a first round game against someone like Providence that they win. They are dancing.

WVU beats Ruters and Seton Hall, are 9-7, 8-2 in their last ten, have a easy first round game against someone like St Johns that they will win, they are dancing.

GU beats Nova, loses to UConn, beats Providence, is 10-6, and likely dancing, we are 4/5 seed, have a bye and a tough second round game. A win means we are definately dancing, but even without it, we should.

I think eight will dance, and the ACC, with several teams at 8-8, will get screwed.

I think you point out something that I think is weird. If we were to be a 6 seed in the BET we would play the 11 seed and most likely would win and then play the 3 seed the next day, with maybe a 50-50 shot at winning. If we are a 5 seed we play the 4 after a bye and have a 50-50 shot at winning. I'd prefer the 6 seed any day because it gives a great chance to get one more win (barring a SJU type game) then a winnable instead of just losing in the quarter finals to a 4 seed.

This is of course mute if you expect us to WIN the BET, then we want to play as few games as possible.

[hoyadrummer]

I would think the selection committee would have to look at a bye as some sort of pseudo win. Plus, playing Providence or another low ranked team would hurt our RPI, even if we won.

[GIGAFAN99]

Drummer hit it (pardon the pun). The "extra win" argument is nonsense. We got an extra win in 2002, and got...nothing. Seton Hall and BC got "extra wins" in 2003 and...same fate.

Meanwhile, the 2001 Hoyas got waxed by a .500 team after a bye and got...to the second week.

The selection committee has problems but they're not dumb enough to let teams in with extra wins versus lousy teams. Teams build a resume over months not in the last two days before the tournament selection.

I want the Hoyas rested for the quarters and for the committee to have to justify skipping over them for two teams (assuming the Big East gets 6 bids). A top 5 finish in-conference and we're in good shape for a bid given the strength of the conference and our resume.

[ColumbiaHeightsHoya]

I also get the feeling that they want us in. We are a big time name still and would draw attention as a team that is on the rise. Nova is huge. Providence is going to be tough. If we hold home court, we are in. If we only be providence, the selection sunday is going to be tough to watch.

[MEGAFAN]

WANNA KNOW WHY SELECTION SUNDAY WILL BE TOUGH TO WATCH?

Because after being at the Garden on Saturday night to watch Georgeown win their first BET in over 15 years, we're going to celebrate SO HARD AND SO LONG, be up sooooo late, that we'll be lucky if we're not still in some type of pseudo-coma come Sunday evening. So it may be physically difficult to even get out of bed or to reach the TV to turn it on. That's why it will be tough to watch!!!

That's right baby. It's our time.

2005 - HOYAS' YEAR TO WIN BET!!!

LET'S GO HOYAS!!! BEAT 'NOVA!