Big East and Big Ten: In with 8-8

[GIGAFAN99]

Not saying the Hoyas should tempt this theory (nor will they) but I can't see how anyone can seriously keep teams like Michigan, Cincy, or 'Cuse out of the tourney at 8-8 in these leagues.

If 'Cuse goes 2-2 from here on out they've beaten either WVU, Georgetown, or Villanova. They already beat Cincy and have no bad losses (17-0 versus 50+ RPI). Good enough for me especially when Utah St. and Air Force are their competition. Cincy and Michigan shouldn't even be question marks at this point.

And that's before discussing how the Pac-10, SEC, or Big 12 could lose a few of their potential bids as well. Barring an epidemic of conference tourney upsets, 8-8 in the the two dominant leagues is bid-worthy.

[Big Dog]

It completely depends on your Big East schedule. If you've had it on the easy side (twice with USF, twice with St. Johns) as we have, 8-8 isn't good enough. But for somebody like Syracuse, it should be.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

i disagree BD our schedule at 8-8 would get us in.

[williambraskyiii]

i don't think this is true - if we somehow lose to Rutgers and South Florida our RPI would plummet - add that to our weak in-conference schedule and the fact that, if we were to lose out, we would be something like 4-6 in our last 10, we could very, very easily be left out.

[RockawayHoya]

hoyasincebirth said:

i disagree BD our schedule at 8-8 would get us in.

I'd agree... but barely. And we might need a win in the BET to secure it. Dropping 7 in a row would look awful.

[Frank Black]

hoyasincebirth said:

i disagree BD our schedule at 8-8 would get us in.

No it wouldn't, not should it. If we end the season losing our last six games in the BE we don't deserve to be in the tournament. Send someone who gives a crap, and it wouldn't be Georgetown. But that is immaterial at the moment. Cuse looked tough on D tonight, we better be ready on Saturday. Of course, we ought to be ready for New Jersey Rutgers as well.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

I was reading the question differently from you guys apprently i was thinking of it not as if we ended up at 8-8 at the end of the season by loosing these last three games (although i think we might still get in even if we did) rather i thoguht of it as if we had gone 8-8 in general with our schedule. loosing these last three to inferior competition would hurt us greatly but if we say had just beaten 8 teams and lost 8 teams on our schedule i think you could put us in to the tourney depending on who those loses and wins were.

[lichoya68]

ISNOT EIGHT AND EIGHT ;MEAN THAT WEVER LOST LAST SIX GAMES AND IF NOT WIN IN NYC NOT SO SURE WERE IN FOLKS NEED TO WIN SOME MORE IF NOT ALL GO HOYAS DEHORSE THE DUBIOUS KNIGHTS.. ;D

[Big Dog]

With Rutgers and Providence at home, plus two vs. USF and two vs. St. Johns, one can argue that we were effectively spotted a 5-1 (at worst) conference record. To wind up having gone 3-7 in the rest of the games does not ensure it would have gotten things done.

As we all learned in 2002, the committee doesn't care too much about conference standings when the schedules aren't the same.

Meanwhile, 'Cuse had home-and-homes with UConn and Nova, plus Cincy. 8-8 with that sked=more impressive.

[williambraskyiii]

i think Raf gave us a punch in the nuts tonight on the broadcast - they were all talking about how Cuse had such a tough BE conference schedule and he was like, "...wins over Oregon or Oregon State just don't amount to much this year compared to an in-conference schedule like Syracuse had this year..." or something like that....I was like awww, Raf, why fella, why??!?!?!

[wrestlemania]

bigdog said:

It completely depends on your Big East schedule. If you've had it on the easy side (twice with USF, twice with St. Johns) as we have, 8-8 isn't good enough. But for somebody like Syracuse, it should be.

I basically agree with this, but if you believe (as I do) that the committee is moved by non-statistical considerations, then I think the win over Duke is the tipping point, especially if Duke wins out and/or takes the ACC tournament.

[Big Dog]

williambraskyiii said:

i think Raf gave us a punch in the nuts tonight on the broadcast - they were all talking about how Cuse had such a tough BE conference schedule and he was like, "...wins over Oregon or Oregon State just don't amount to much this year compared to an in-conference schedule like Syracuse had this year..." or something like that....I was like awww, Raf, why fella, why??!?!?!

Nah, that sounds to me like an argument for 'Cuse over one of those middling Pac-10 teams.

The fact is its virtually impossible to envision us falling completely out of the tournament picture. There is a hell of a lot of bad basketball being played in some of these other major conferences.

[SFHoya99]

I'm at a loss to see why the BE won't get nine teams.

[Eurostar]

if cuse goes 2-1 in their next 3 games they are in because then they will have wins vs. WV and either Nova or Gtown. If they go 1-2 and win 2 BET games they are in. They will be truly bubble if they go 1-2 and win 1 BET game.

Cincy on the other hand, could lose their next 3 (Nova, @shu, WVU) leaving them at 7-9 (18-12) and needing semis or finals in the BET to be on the bubble.

Seton Hall is in better shape with @st Johns, @depaul, Cincy, @pitt. They should win at least 2 of those and be 9-7 in conference getting them in regardless.

I think we are in the tournament as long as we win 2 of 3 of our remaining games with the loss to preferrably Syracuse (leaving us at 10-6 in conference). That game is looking tougher and tougher as Cuse needs a win badly and they just beat WV.

[RockawayHoya]

Cuse and Cinci are both in with a win, IMHO. Both have extremely good SOS's (according to the numbers), and RPIs that aren't near the bubble range of 40. 9 is by no means out of the realm of possibility.

[KHoyaNYC]

Well I think if we end up 8-8 in the BE we are out of the NCAAs unless we make a nice run in the BE tourney. We wont have the RPI to compete for a bubble spot.

[RockawayHoya]

khoyanyc said:

Well I think if we end up 8-8 in the BE we are out of the NCAAs unless we make a nice run in the BE tourney. We wont have the RPI to compete for a bubble spot.

I can't in my right mind see us losing to USF. This is 99.9% a moot point.