15:00 minute mark

http://www.minerrush.com/2017/2/21/14686...-12-replay

I think the bubble has actually softened up over the last couple of weeks thanks to the bigger conferences beating each other up. If MTSU can escape the regular season with one conference loss and get to the CUSAT championship game, I think they would have a good shot of an at large bid.

(02-21-2017 12:36 PM)odu09 Wrote:  I think the bubble has actually softened up over the last couple of weeks thanks to the bigger conferences beating each other up. If MTSU can escape the regular season with one conference loss and get to the CUSAT championship game, I think they would have a good shot of an at large bid.

I hope you are right...I think the challenge is there is no way MT can win its way in other than winning the tourney...meanwhile, any P5 school that can finish with a few wins at the end of the year can play their way in. They don't get penalized if they play mostly home games and soft OOC schedule and then when they go 9-9 in conference play they get in.

MT is head and shoulders above the rest of the conference. I doubt they'll even need to rely on an at large.

The top 25 voting provides some evidence about what we can expect.

We throttled two conference mates on the road.

Meanwhile, USC lost their only game of the week by 33 points (second straight loss) and gained two points in the coaches poll remaining ranked higher. Iowa State, which has nine losses and didn't have any votes vaulted ahead of us in "Others Receiving Votes" category. They have the same number of top 50 wins as we do.

If we win out and go 2-1 in the conference tournament it's going to be a 50/50 crap shoot. If we do anything else we have virtually no chance.

(02-21-2017 12:41 PM)blueraidermike Wrote:  

(02-21-2017 12:36 PM)odu09 Wrote:  I think the bubble has actually softened up over the last couple of weeks thanks to the bigger conferences beating each other up. If MTSU can escape the regular season with one conference loss and get to the CUSAT championship game, I think they would have a good shot of an at large bid.

I hope you are right...I think the challenge is there is no way MT can win its way in other than winning the tourney...meanwhile, any P5 school that can finish with a few wins at the end of the year can play their way in. They don't get penalized if they play mostly home games and soft OOC schedule and then when they go 9-9 in conference play they get in.

Ha, this year we are talking about some teams with 6-10 conference records on the bubble...

(02-21-2017 12:52 PM)Niner National Wrote:  MT is head and shoulders above the rest of the conference. I doubt they'll even need to rely on an at large.

Yes, that is obvious.

However, in the event that they do not win the tournament (which is not exactly an easy task, no matter how favored one is to win [reference: uab 2016]) I think their chances are better now than it was a few weeks ago. When they lost to UTEP most people, including myself, threw out the at-large bid out the window. Suddenly the UTEP loss isn't looking as bad plus the other bubble teams are losing.

It's obvious which team I am rooting for, but I would not be upset if MTSU did not win the tournament but received an at large.

I don't care how "head-and-shoulders" we seem to be. I think anyone can beat us on any given night.

Hell-- we beat Michigan State last year

(02-21-2017 01:52 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  I don't care how "head-and-shoulders" we seem to be. I think anyone can beat us on any given night.

Hell-- we beat Michigan State last year

This. While I think MT has proven they have one the best teams since realignment I also think they could lose to UAB this Sunday or at any point during the tournament. The conference is tough 1-8.

(02-21-2017 02:03 PM)BlazerGold09 Wrote:  

(02-21-2017 01:52 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  I don't care how "head-and-shoulders" we seem to be. I think anyone can beat us on any given night.

Hell-- we beat Michigan State last year

This. While I think MT has proven they have one the best teams since realignment I also think they could lose to UAB this Sunday or at any point during the tournament. The conference is tough 1-8.

Well I wouldn't go that far

(02-21-2017 01:13 PM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote:  If we win out and go 2-1 in the conference tournament it's going to be a 50/50 crap shoot. If we do anything else we have virtually no chance.

That's about the gist of it, yes. If y'all are 29-5/(tourney runner-up) on Selection Sunday, I'd put your chances maybe at 60/40, but a close call either way.

(02-21-2017 02:03 PM)BlazerGold09 Wrote:  

(02-21-2017 01:52 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  I don't care how "head-and-shoulders" we seem to be. I think anyone can beat us on any given night.

Hell-- we beat Michigan State last year

This. While I think MT has proven they have one the best teams since realignment I also think they could lose to UAB this Sunday or at any point during the tournament. The conference is tough 1-8.

Several years back we went 19-1 in the Sun Belt and had a decent OOC, and lost to FIU in the quarterfinals. The Florida teams always have some athletes, and if they get going they can put a hurtin' on you.

(02-21-2017 03:24 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  

(02-21-2017 02:03 PM)BlazerGold09 Wrote:  

(02-21-2017 01:52 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  I don't care how "head-and-shoulders" we seem to be. I think anyone can beat us on any given night.

Hell-- we beat Michigan State last year

This. While I think MT has proven they have one the best teams since realignment I also think they could lose to UAB this Sunday or at any point during the tournament. The conference is tough 1-8.

Several years back we went 19-1 in the Sun Belt and had a decent OOC, and lost to FIU in the quarterfinals. The Florida teams always have some athletes, and if they get going they can put a hurtin' on you.

UAB has written the book on how to lose to the Florida teams.

(02-21-2017 03:24 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  

(02-21-2017 02:03 PM)BlazerGold09 Wrote:  

(02-21-2017 01:52 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  I don't care how "head-and-shoulders" we seem to be. I think anyone can beat us on any given night.

Hell-- we beat Michigan State last year

This. While I think MT has proven they have one the best teams since realignment I also think they could lose to UAB this Sunday or at any point during the tournament. The conference is tough 1-8.

Several years back we went 19-1 in the Sun Belt and had a decent OOC, and lost to FIU in the quarterfinals. The Florida teams always have some athletes, and if they get going they can put a hurtin' on you.

UAB has written the book on how to lose to the Florida teams.

(02-21-2017 03:29 PM)BlazerGold09 Wrote:  

(02-21-2017 03:24 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  

(02-21-2017 02:03 PM)BlazerGold09 Wrote:  

(02-21-2017 01:52 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  I don't care how "head-and-shoulders" we seem to be. I think anyone can beat us on any given night.

Hell-- we beat Michigan State last year

This. While I think MT has proven they have one the best teams since realignment I also think they could lose to UAB this Sunday or at any point during the tournament. The conference is tough 1-8.

Several years back we went 19-1 in the Sun Belt and had a decent OOC, and lost to FIU in the quarterfinals. The Florida teams always have some athletes, and if they get going they can put a hurtin' on you.

UAB has written the book on how to lose to the Florida teams.

Then our arch rival Western proceeded to win the tourney-- gut punch

It's silly for anyone to think MTSU is not an NCAA quality team. It's sad that the deck is stacked so heavily against the "non-power" teams that its even a discussion. You have to question the basketball IQ of the talking heads sometimes. Either that or their hands are in someone's pockets with the power brokers and the ESPN whores.

(02-21-2017 03:24 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  Several years back we went 19-1 in the Sun Belt and had a decent OOC, and lost to FIU in the quarterfinals. The Florida teams always have some athletes, and if they get going they can put a hurtin' on you.

True.

That FIU team wasn't that bad (18-14, #4 seed in SBC). They were coached by Richard Pitino who immediately left for Minnesota after the season ended.

Any old Sunbelters remember Freddy Aspirilla ? I know Beed does.

Since the great realignment a #1 seed has not won the CUSA tournament.

(02-21-2017 05:05 PM)JCMiner Wrote:  Since the great realignment a #1 seed has not won the CUSA tournament.

Went and checked. 2 of 3 times it's been won by the 2-seed. I like those odds