How many went last year and the year before?

Last year we had 8 of 16 in (Nova, Pitt, Cuse, UConn, Marquette, Seton Hall, WV, G'Town).

The year prior we had 6 of 12 (Pitt, BC, Nova, WV, UConn, Cuse).

This year, ESPN currently has 7 projected as going (Louisville, Marquette, Villanova, WV, Pitt, Georgetown, and ND). A couple of those are bordering on bubble, but barring a flop, those teams are probably in.

Cuse also has a very real shot with a couple more wins. UConn and Providence have a prayer of a chance, but not much of one.

minnimum 6. Maybe even 7if things fall right. Uconn seems to be getting much better before our eyes, and I think they can even win the BE tourney, if not be the runner up. That will be enough to get them in. Cuse will be able to slip in if they win at least 3 of the next 4 games. I think its between Nova, Cuse, the Ville, Uconn and Providence. Two of those 5 will make it 6, if not 7.

cuseroc Wrote:minnimum 6. Maybe even 7if things fall right. Uconn seems to be getting much better before our eyes, and I think they can even win the BE tourney, if not be the runner up. That will be enough to get them in. Cuse will be able to slip in if they win at least 3 of the next 4 games. I think its between Nova, Cuse, the Ville, Uconn and Providence. Two of those 5 will make it 6, if not 7.

I agree with that mostly. In your 2nd to last sentence you leave out 5 teams which I assume you say are in. Those would be Georgetown, Pitt, Marquette, Notre Dame, & WVU. I think 7 is the cap, even though it is supposed to be only team to team based. Perhaps if UofL & Syracuse started winning every game you get 8, but surely don't count on that.

I would say that Villanova is quite likely in better shape than WVU though. I base that on those two clubs RPI (Nova way ahead) and the schedules. Consider that the committee will look at unbalanced schedules and Villanova hands down has the toughest Big East schedule this season. WVU is nearly a lock I think, but would possibly be sweating if they finish 2-2 (Win 2 at home against UC & SH, lose @ Pitt & Prov) and lose in opening round in MSG. Nova just needs to stay above .500 with their RPI I believe.

If you say those two are in, that's 6 total. With likely only 1 spot left, no team is near a sure thing. I'd list their chances like this though in their hopes for the 7th spot:
UofL
Syracuse
Providence (Longshot Now)
DePaul- Also a longshot at 6-6, 14-11 overall. Probably need to win the final 4, but consider 3 of the 4 are against Cincy & USF! Win at Notre Dame where the Irish are 16-0 and they are right there in the discussion. They have a win over Kansas but killed themselves with "bad" losses to Northwestern & UAB.
UConn- I'm not even sure I'd count them on this list. I think they need to win the tournament or win every game until the final to have any shot. That would require them to win their next 8 games. I don't see that happening.

That is how they'd be lined up if choosing today. I'd also take UofL's finishing schedule against Syracuse's. I guess the Orange can say they earned it if they get a bid because they finish with Georgetown and Nova.

Seven get in

Pitt
Marquette
G-Town
Louisville
WVU
Notre Dame
Nova

Quote:I would say that Villanova is quite likely in better shape than WVU though. I base that on those two clubs RPI (Nova way ahead) and the schedules. Consider that the committee will look at unbalanced schedules and Villanova hands down has the toughest Big East schedule this season. WVU is nearly a lock I think, but would possibly be sweating if they finish 2-2 (Win 2 at home against UC & SH, lose @ Pitt & Prov) and lose in opening round in MSG. Nova just needs to stay above .500 with their RPI I believe.

-- Agreed that Nova is almost a lock because of there RPI...also WVU beat Nova which is always a good thing when having this discussion

-- the big difference between this yr and last yr wouldn't be the # of big east teams in the dance...it will be there seeds.


Jackson

cuseroc Wrote:minnimum 6. Maybe even 7if things fall right. Uconn seems to be getting much better before our eyes, and I think they can even win the BE tourney, if not be the runner up. That will be enough to get them in. Cuse will be able to slip in if they win at least 3 of the next 4 games. I think its between Nova, Cuse, the Ville, Uconn and Providence. Two of those 5 will make it 6, if not 7.

You know on UConn I was thinking the same thing a couple of days ago. I was thinking - hope WVU doesn't have to play them in the first round at MSG.

We haven't played well in MSG since we joined the Big East. I hope that turns around for us this BET.

I think we get 8 again when all is said and done. Pitt, Georgetown, Marquette, Villanova, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Louisville.

People are saying the Big East is down, but this is normally the best league in the land. A "down year" for us is still pretty damned strong, and I think our tourney results will back it up.

After Tuesday's games:

BIG EAST STANDINGS
11-2 / 24-4 Pittsburgh
10-2 / 20-5 Georgetown
9-4 / 18-8 Louisville
9-5 / 22-7 Marquette
9-5 / 21-6 Notre Dame
8-5 / 19-8 Syracuse
8-6 / 19-7 West Virginia
7-6 / 17-9 Providence
7-7 / 15-12 DePaul
6-7 / 17-9 Villanova
5-7 / 16-10 Connecticut
6-8 / 15-12 St. John's
-----------------------------
3-10 / 11-14 Seton Hall
3-10 / 12-15 South Florida
3-10 / 9-16 Rutgers
1-11 / 10-16 Cincinnati

I took out non-Division 1 opponents above since the committe doesn't count them. That took away a win from Villanova, UofL, WVU, DePaul, Rutgers, & Seton Hall. Here's what I see NCAA wise, although this can practically change daily at this point. RPI is in (_).

NCAA Locks:
Pitt (4), Georgetown (17), & Marquette (29) (after last night)

Just Need to Take Care of Business
Notre Dame (46), Louisville (49)- As for Notre Dame, they essentially lock up a Big East bye by beating Marquette at home Saturday. Even if they drop that, they're 10-6 just by beating Rutgers. UofL locks up a bye by beating St John's and Seton Hall at home. Plus, both the Irish & Cards are playing well right now.

Win 2 out of 3
Villanova (19)- At 6-7, they have Rutgers, @ UConn, & Syracuse. I don't care what the RPI is, I don't think they make it under .500

Currently In, but Barely
WVU (52)- At 8-6, they have @ Pitt & Cincy left. Assuming they don't upset Pitt, I say they not only need to beat UC but also but win 1 in MSG. WVU fans may disagree, but I see a dissapointing Sunday Surprise if their only remaining win ends up being the Bearcats. They currently are 7-1 against BE teams below .500 in league play, and only 1-5 against .500 or better Big East teams.

Not In, but Can Play Their Way In
Syracuse (65) - They are the top team that's on the outside right now. They took care of business the last week against the easy schedule, but now comes the tough ending. Saturday @ Providence is likely an elimination game. If the Orange win that, they have Georgetown & Nova remaining.

Providence (61)- At 7-6, beating Syracuse on Saturday would put them on course for 10-6 in league because they finish with St John's & USF.

Need to be Perfect Up to the Big East title game
[b]DePaul (57)- At 7-7 & looking at 9-7 since they finish with Cincy & USF. That is not near enough after the thrashing they took tonight. The Demons are horribly inconsistent night to night. That smells of NIT.

Georgetown 75 - Cincy 65
Louisville 72 - St John's 48
UConn 65 - Rutgers 55

BIG EAST STANDINGS
11-2 / 24-4 Pittsburgh
11-2 / 21-5 Georgetown
10-4 / 19-8 Louisville
9-5 / 22-7 Marquette
9-5 / 21-6 Notre Dame
8-5 / 19-8 Syracuse
8-6 / 19-7 West Virginia
7-6 / 17-9 Providence
7-7 / 15-12 DePaul
6-7 / 17-9 Villanova
6-7 / 17-10 Connecticut
6-9 / 15-13 St. John's
-----------------------------
3-10 / 11-14 Seton Hall
3-10 / 12-15 South Florida
3-11 / 9-17 Rutgers
1-12 / 10-17 Cincinnati

Teams in blue have qualified for the conference tournament as of tonight, and teams in red are officially eliminated. The only possible way for Seton Hall to steal the last spot is to go 3-0, along with St John's losing their lone remaining game vs. Providence. That actually could stretch out to the last day since Seton Hall's next two are USF and UC.

CardFan636 Wrote:We haven't played well in MSG since we joined the Big East.

from what i recall, louisville has lost 4 straight in msg- the nit semis, the big east qtrs, st. johns and the last team denny crum took to new york to play st. johns.

ctkatz Wrote:

CardFan636 Wrote:We haven't played well in MSG since we joined the Big East.

from what i recall, louisville has lost 4 straight in msg- the nit semis, the big east qtrs, st. johns and the last team denny crum took to new york to play st. johns.

The streak is much longer than 4 games. I saw it on a UofL board this season, I think its longer than 10 games. The weird part is that we have 4 games over the last 12 months (you forgot vs. Arizona in Dec) and then a loss to St John's in 1996. Before '96 I think you had to go back to the 70's before any previous games were played. There was a string of L's in the NIT during that '70's span. Before the last year we had 1 game played there over a quarter century IIRC.

Louisville played, and lost in both the pre and post-season NIT final four in the 80s. I think the 86 champs lost to Kansas and maybe St. Johns in the preseason tourney at MSG, and the 85 team lost to UCLA and Tennessee in the actual NIT final four

BatonRougeEscapee Wrote:Louisville played, and lost in both the pre and post-season NIT final four in the 80s. I think the 86 champs lost to Kansas and maybe St. Johns in the preseason tourney at MSG, and the 85 team lost to UCLA and Tennessee in the actual NIT final four

Looks like I remembered incorrectly on the dates!

-----------------------------------------
Saturday Scores
Georgetown 61 - Pitt 53
-Hoyas position themselves for a conference title

DePaul 58 - Cincinnati 45
-Bearcats are currently on their longest losing streak since 1925 after the 10th straight L. If they lose their final 2 it breaks the school record. The Demons could be formidable in the NIT.

Syracuse 71 - Providence 67
-The Friars are NIT bound. The Orange pick up a must win and continue to leave their NCAA hopes in their own hands. If they win 1 of the next 2 I think they might be in over WVU.

Notre Dame 85 - Marquette 73
-The Irish finish a perfect 18-0 at home. These teams are quickly heading in opposite directions. The Irish need only win @ Rutgers to gain a tournament bye.

Villanova 74 - Rutgers 51
-No surprise here, although Nova had to win this one. This game was over 5 minutes into action. Literally.

Seton Hall 89 - South Florida 76
-The Pirates keep alive their hopes for the final tournament spot. They need to close with wins @ Cincy & UofL & a St John's loss next weekend.

BIG EAST STANDINGS
12-2 / 22-5 Georgetown
11-3 / 24-5 Pittsburgh
10-4 / 19-8 Louisville
10-5 / 22-6 Notre Dame
9-5 / 20-8 Syracuse
9-6 / 22-8 Marquette
8-6 / 19-7 West Virginia
8-7 / 16-12 DePaul
7-7 / 18-9 Villanova
7-7 / 17-10 Providence
6-7 / 17-10 Connecticut
6-9 / 15-13 St. John's
-----------------------------
4-10 / 12-14 Seton Hall
3-11 / 12-16 South Florida
3-12 / 9-18 Rutgers
1-13 / 10-18 Cincinnati

The orange are quietly moving up the standings. Good to see the orange make a climb. They still need a signature win in my opinion. I'm certainly not doubting them because the orange came up big time last year in the Beast tourny.

6 or 7 get in Depending how SU finishes out the season and how they play at MSG,

Georgetown
Pitt
UL
ND
Marquette
WV
are all locks

Maybe Villanova or SU depending how they finish out IMO.

RPI from Real Time RPI as of Sunday 8:20pm 25 February 2007

2006 - 07 STANDINGS
Locks
Georgetown 12-2 In Conference/22-5 Overall/RPI 16
Pittsburgh 11-3 In Conference/24 5 Overall/RPI 6
Louisville 11-4 In Conference/21-8 Overall/RPI 39
Notre Dame 10-5 In Conference/22-6 Overall/RPI 37
_______________________________________
Likely Locks
Marquette 9-6 In Conference/22-8 Overall/RPI 28
Villanova 7-7 In Conference/19-9 Overall/RPI 22
_______________________________________
Bubble Teams
Syracuse 9-5 In Conference/20-8 Overall/RPI 53
West Virginia 8-6 In Conference/20-7 Overall/RPI 57

Cuse should be in already but should seal it with one more victory. The team is hurting--Roberts is playing on one leg and our PG Wright was sick all last week. Cuse can't afford to get in foul trouble on Mon night.

Dick Vitale was on Mike and Mike this morning and he and the show's hosts seem to think that Big East gets eight again....seems the last spot comes down to Syracuse or WVU...Although you could make an argument for Providence or Depaul if they finish strong and go deep into the tourney...The BE tourney should be very interesting again this yr

Jackson

I'd love to get all 8 teams in. You can't fault the mid-majors as a group but I think they collectively have failed to take full advantage of the opportunity they were granted last year thanks to George Mason and others. The chance was there to really clean up bid wise this season due to some general mediocrity in the middle of most big 6 leagues this season, but the same can be said of the mid level leagues.

Despite that I think some teams really dropped their own ball (Gonzaga, Witchita St, NIU, etc), I won't be surprised if the committee still surprises people by taking a few teams from mid level conferences that aren't projected in even the morning of the selection. They would take the place of big 6 league teams that will be projected as the last 4 in by Lunardi, et al.

What does that mean for the Big East? I think we have 5 safely in. Villanova is in pretty good shape if they win at least 1 more due to RPI and the toughest Big East schedule. That isn't my opinion by the way, check it out here: Big East in Conference RPI.


....TEAM...........CONFERENCE RPI.........CONF SOS....SOS RANK
Georgetown-------------.5827------------------.4912-----------12
Pittsburgh---------------.5765------------------.5119-----------5
Louisville----------------.5624------------------.5031-----------8
Marquette---------------.5511------------------.5271-----------2
Notre Dame-------------.5472------------------.4906-----------13
Villanova----------------.5323------------------.5430------------1
Syracuse-----------------.5217------------------.4784-----------14
DePaul------------------.5216------------------.5109-------------6
West Virginia-----------.5021------------------.4720-----------15
Providence--------------.4842------------------.4913-----------11
Connecticut------------.4780------------------.4976-------------9
St. John's----------------.4751------------------.5048------------7
South Florida-----------.4248------------------.5147------------4
Seton Hall---------------.4230------------------.4951-----------10
Cincinnati---------------.4056------------------.5257------------3
Rutgers------------------.3881------------------.4547-----------16


Syracuse & WVU have currently played the 14th & 15th toughest in conference schedules. The Orange will really jump up in that category with their last 2 opponents however. I don't think Syracuse can be denied with a 2-1 or 2-2 finish of any make. If they split this week and lose lose game 1 in New York they have a shot but will be sweating bullets and rightly so.

WVU is hanging on by a thread if you ask me. I say losing to Pitt, beating Cincy, and losing in the opening round @ MSG won't cut it. Most WVU fans on their Rivals board seem to disagree with me there but I'll stand by my projection 2 weeks in advance. They need a win next Wednesday in NY, barring an upset win tomorrow @ Pitt.

So, if Syracuse & WVU each win twice more, I think we can sneak 8 in due to teams falling by the wayside from other BCS leagues (see: only 4 bids possibly from #1 RPI SEC).

I think we'll get 8 teams in. And if Dickie V. thinks so as well.... let it be so!

The Ville
Pitt
Cuse
WVU
Marquette
No. Shame
Nova
G'town