Weird to see Gonzaga in this position where they might have to win to get in. You can see this is a different team than those before them. Smaller and slower.

Wagner joins the NIT field! Let's see, the AQs now include:

Bucknell
UNF
Wichita State
High Point
Hofstra
Valpo
Monmouth
IPFW
Wagner

The NIT is going to be begging the big dance to ease some of this. I suspect no stability will be found from here on out with the other one-bid leagues.

And Princeton wins out...uh oh.

(03-08-2016 10:19 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  Weird to see Gonzaga in this position where they might have to win to get in. You can see this is a different team than those before them. Smaller and slower.

Wagner joins the NIT field! Let's see, the AQs now include:

Bucknell
UNF
Wichita State
High Point
Hofstra
Valpo
Monmouth
IPFW
Wagner

The NIT is going to be begging the big dance to ease some of this. I suspect no stability will be found from here on out with the other one-bid leagues.

And Princeton wins out...uh oh.

It could get wacky, but it's not as bad as it looks right now. Of the nine auto-qualifiers, three (Wichita State, Valpo, Monmouth) are NCAA at-large contenders. so if they don't get in, they're definitely not stealing a NIT spot. And a fourth (Hofstra) probably would have gotten an NIT bid as well no matter what. The other five are bid thieves for sure.

Last year's NIT had 12 auto-qualifying teams. This year probably won't be much different.

(03-08-2016 10:45 PM)Wedge Wrote:  Last year's NIT had 12 auto-qualifying teams. This year probably won't be much different.

Well right now have 8 likely ones. I don't think Monmouth is going to be getting a spot in the tourney. There are still about 10-15 tournaments to go where the loser would be an NIT bid thief. Very possible that we still have 7-8 teams to go out of those 10-15....

I counted it- there's 13 tournaments left where if the 1 seed loses, they aren't going to the tourney. Even if there's half- that's up to 14-15.

The committee will screw the mid majors like they have done the past two seasons. I am about done with March Madness if that happens.

It didn't help that my teams of St. Francis and Navy had good shots but failed and Army got massacred.

(03-05-2016 02:13 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(03-04-2016 11:18 PM)HarmonOliphantOberlanderDevine Wrote:  What do you have against Ed? He was a great coach for PSU. I loved rooting for the Lions basketball then.

I've gone on rants about the guy before, but suffice it to say, when it came to the non-conference schedule and the intrastate competition, the guy was a coward. Never scheduled the good PA schools. And when you talk smack about a place like you do after you're allowed to leave, and then use the majority of your "about me" page at your next job to just talk about your accomplishments at that place, and almost saying nothing about the place that gave you your first shot (ETSU), I think it says a lot about the guy (he's a jerk).

I feel bad for Pat. The guy actually does challenge his program more than Ed ever did, but you'll never see it with that record. And the first two years there, that's cleaning up what Ed left. Had he stayed at Boston, he'd probably never see a pay raise, and he'd have to deal with BU's alignment to Patsy ways. It was like he was destined for a fall-off.

Quote:its so funny- these tourneys try everything to gerrymander things to get the top team to win, but IMO it really hurts the top team with these double byes etc.

I think having a tv camera during some of these tournaments is doing something to impact momentum. Be it the play-in or that quarterfinal game where the top-seed gets it first crack, the lower seed gets the tempo and atmosphere advantage. It's huge. The game has become so impacted by coverage, if you're not used to it or aren't in front of one, you've got no chance.

I love watching Chambers fail. PSU fans think that they are better in basketball than what they really are. DeChellis won a lot at a school in the rural area. I live right next to PSU. You folks have delusions of grandeur when it comes to basketball. DeChellis won the NIT and made the tournament. What has Chambers done?

(03-09-2016 12:06 AM)HarmonOliphantOberlanderDevine Wrote:  The committee will screw the mid majors like they have done the past two seasons. I am about done with March Madness if that happens.

It didn't help that my teams of St. Francis and Navy had good shots but failed and Army got massacred.

Maybe Monmouth- but take St Mary's tonight. They have 18 wins vs teams RPI 201 or higher. That would be the most in the last 20 years getting in at large...

(03-09-2016 12:52 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(03-09-2016 12:06 AM)HarmonOliphantOberlanderDevine Wrote:  The committee will screw the mid majors like they have done the past two seasons. I am about done with March Madness if that happens.

It didn't help that my teams of St. Francis and Navy had good shots but failed and Army got massacred.

Maybe Monmouth- but take St Mary's tonight. They have 18 wins vs teams RPI 201 or higher. That would be the most in the last 20 years getting in at large...

Saint Mary's problem is their non-con schedule - 0-1 vs. top 50 teams, only wins against NCAA tournament teams will be the two over Gonzaga.

Monmouth has wins over USC and Notre Dame, which might be enough to overcome Saint Mary's edge in RPI and KP. If quality wins are the deciding factor, Monmouth has the edge over SMC and Wichita and the other mid-major regular season champs hoping for an at-large bid.

FWIW, Lunardi says that both Monmouth and SMC are still in his bracket but are likely to be pushed out if bubble teams like UConn and Oregon State win a game or two in their conference tournament.

(03-09-2016 12:06 AM)HarmonOliphantOberlanderDevine Wrote:  The committee will screw the mid majors like they have done the past two seasons. I am about done with March Madness if that happens.

It didn't help that my teams of St. Francis and Navy had good shots but failed and Army got massacred.

The mid-majors get over just as much as the majors. It's not easy playing in a conference where 2-4 teams are sure fire or at least highly probable losses for most of the teams. That doesn't mean they should get the benefit of the doubt for beating none of them save 1-2 but it's not easy being in that type of league compared to being in, say, the MAAC where there are no other NCAA caliber teams or even the WCC, where there's 3 good teams (2 if you're one of them) and sharp dropoff after that.

NIT may have just gotten another team as Syracuse lost. Down to 64 RPI. 3-7 road/neutral vs RPI top 100, with 2 other losses road/neutral(including one to St John's).

(03-09-2016 02:35 PM)stever20 Wrote:  NIT may have just gotten another team as Syracuse lost. Down to 64 RPI. 3-7 road/neutral vs RPI top 100, with 2 other losses road/neutral(including one to St John's).

That's big, as Syracuse was firmly on the bubble - Lunardi had them in the last four in category prior to today

(03-08-2016 11:51 PM)stever20 Wrote:  I counted it- there's 13 tournaments left where if the 1 seed loses, they aren't going to the tourney. Even if there's half- that's up to 14-15.

Hawai'i is no sure bet either.

(03-09-2016 02:45 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(03-09-2016 02:35 PM)stever20 Wrote:  NIT may have just gotten another team as Syracuse lost. Down to 64 RPI. 3-7 road/neutral vs RPI top 100, with 2 other losses road/neutral(including one to St John's).

That's big, as Syracuse was firmly on the bubble - Lunardi had them in the last four in category prior to today

19-13 overall, 9-10 in ACC including the ACC tournament loss, poor RPI.

If you compare Cuse with the mid-major champs who lost in their conference tournament, I don't see the case for ranking Cuse first among that group.

well we have our 1st lock to play in Dayton. Holy Cross 14-19 going to the dance...... 9 seed in the tourney....

This would have been a great year for a 16 to beat a 1 but all of the 1 seeds are going to the NIT it appears. We're not even half way through with Championship We--err, I mean Champ Week.

(03-09-2016 10:20 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  This would have been a great year for a 16 to beat a 1 but all of the 1 seeds are going to the NIT it appears. We're not even half way through with Championship We--err, I mean Champ Week.

This makes me think it could never happen, because this stuff is so normal now. The 16-line is weak and six deep with the play-in thing. It can balance the other lines, not letting "bad teams" leak into the 15-line, but not so this year...lines 16-14, and maybe even 13 is going to have some clunkers in there.

But, given how this season has produced some interesting upsets during the season, maybe it's fitting for a set-up to something unprecedented. Doesn't look it on paper, though. Seeds 1-4 are going to have it super easy the first round.

Duke loses in OT to ND

Illinois knocks off Iowa

(03-10-2016 05:00 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  Duke loses in OT to ND

ND came back from a 16 point second half Duke lead to win.