(12-09-2025 09:31 PM)Nameless Wrote:  

(12-03-2025 01:32 PM)ecasadoSBU Wrote:  That's why I been thinking programs should consider playing some OOC games later in the year in between the conference season.

With the amount of new players, transfers, etc. in a program every single year, most teams are not at their best when they play OOC season in November - December.

And yet, the OOC is what basically decides the conference pecking order / conference bids on a given year.

Yes, individual programs in a conference can play their way in/out of the tourney during conference play - but the amount of bids the conference as a whole will get is mostly decided in NOV-DEC

Sorry for missing this post until now. I think the main reason the Big East doesn't do that is optics. A lot of the mid majors have been starting to play more games late in the season for that reason. Doing so may kind of give off a mid major vibe.

I agree it would be awesome to see like UConn Kentucky in February though lol

we're starting to see a few more major OOC games in February. Duke/Michigan play in DC on 2/21. Ohio St/Virginia in Nashville on 2/14. Louisville/Baylor on 2/14 in Fort Worth.

(12-09-2025 09:49 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(12-09-2025 09:31 PM)Nameless Wrote:  

(12-03-2025 01:32 PM)ecasadoSBU Wrote:  That's why I been thinking programs should consider playing some OOC games later in the year in between the conference season.

With the amount of new players, transfers, etc. in a program every single year, most teams are not at their best when they play OOC season in November - December.

And yet, the OOC is what basically decides the conference pecking order / conference bids on a given year.

Yes, individual programs in a conference can play their way in/out of the tourney during conference play - but the amount of bids the conference as a whole will get is mostly decided in NOV-DEC

Sorry for missing this post until now. I think the main reason the Big East doesn't do that is optics. A lot of the mid majors have been starting to play more games late in the season for that reason. Doing so may kind of give off a mid major vibe.

I agree it would be awesome to see like UConn Kentucky in February though lol

we're starting to see a few more major OOC games in February. Duke/Michigan play in DC on 2/21. Ohio St/Virginia in Nashville on 2/14. Louisville/Baylor on 2/14 in Fort Worth.

Wow. Those are some huge games. Nameless - interesting point about the optics. I didn't know mid-majors where already doing this.

Who knows...Maybe a few years down the line it may become more popular among the power conferences to schedule OOC later in the season. With conference season starting earlier and earlier in December I think its easily doable to squeeze a few OOC games in February.

Another positive I see - Scheduling marquee OOC matchups in february without CFB/NFL would bring more eyeballs and hype to college basketball.

So, now we have the Big East in the NET:

7. UConn
22. St. John’s
37. Villanova
41. Seton Hall
43. Butler

94. Providence
106. Creighton
108. Xavier
120. Georgetown
169. Marquette
173. DePaul

(12-10-2025 10:37 AM)Bill Marsh Wrote:  So, now we have the Big East in the NET:

7. UConn
22. St. John’s
37. Villanova
41. Seton Hall
43. Butler

94. Providence
106. Creighton
108. Xavier
120. Georgetown
169. Marquette
173. DePaul

Nova is gonna be an interesting case. They have no Q1,Q2, or Q3 wins. Basically their OOC is going to come down to a game with Wisconsin in Milwaukee. They're gonna have to get some good wins in conference play- only 2 home Q1 shots though at least right now.

(12-10-2025 10:37 AM)Bill Marsh Wrote:  So, now we have the Big East in the NET:

7. UConn
22. St. John’s
37. Villanova
41. Seton Hall
43. Butler

94. Providence
106. Creighton
108. Xavier
120. Georgetown
169. Marquette
173. DePaul

When I looked at NET earlier I divided it into similar tiers, but added one additional tier. Obviously you can break it down even further if you'd like, but the way I'm currently viewing the conference is:

Good Teams/Tournament Hopefuls:

7. UConn
22. St. John’s
37. Villanova
41. Seton Hall
43. Butler

Teams that aren't good but are good resume wins on the road:

94. Providence
106. Creighton
108. Xavier
120. Georgetown

Potential resume landmines (Q3-4):

169. Marquette
173. DePaul

As long as we keep 9 teams as Q2 wins on the road the league will be in decent shape come tournament time.

Makes sense.

It’s good to see 5 teams in the top 50. If they keep it up, all are potential tournament teams. It would be nice to see St. John’s get it together and move up to a 4-seed. I think it would also be a goal to see UConn move up to a 1-seed.

(12-10-2025 05:44 PM)Nameless Wrote:  

(12-10-2025 10:37 AM)Bill Marsh Wrote:  So, now we have the Big East in the NET:

7. UConn
22. St. John’s
37. Villanova
41. Seton Hall
43. Butler

94. Providence
106. Creighton
108. Xavier
120. Georgetown
169. Marquette
173. DePaul

When I looked at NET earlier I divided it into similar tiers, but added one additional tier. Obviously you can break it down even further if you'd like, but the way I'm currently viewing the conference is:

Good Teams/Tournament Hopefuls:

7. UConn
22. St. John’s
37. Villanova
41. Seton Hall
43. Butler

Teams that aren't good but are good resume wins on the road:

94. Providence
106. Creighton
108. Xavier
120. Georgetown

Potential resume landmines (Q3-4):

169. Marquette
173. DePaul

As long as we keep 9 teams as Q2 wins on the road the league will be in decent shape come tournament time.

to me the big key is can any of the 3 that are in that 30-50 range get into the top 30 range, where then they could be Q1 games at home. The league is so thin on those right now. Take out UConn and their 4 Q1 wins, the rest of the league has 3 combined. That needs to change or it's gonna be really tough.

1. Need to hope the league takes care of business OOC the rest of the way.

2. UConn, St. John's, Seton Hall, Butler, and Villanova need to kill it in league play.

3. # of regular seasons wins (prior to BET) to clinch bid: UConn (20), St. John's (20), Seton Hall (22), Butler (22), Villanova (21)

Assuming UConn and St. John's are 1/2, Seton Hall needs to beat Rutgers and go 12-8 in league play, Butler needs to beat Northwestern and go 13-7 in league play, and Nova needs to beat Pitt and Wisconsin, and go 12-8 in league play.

So, and to be clear, is everybody thinking three at-large bids (for four total) or four at-large bids (for five total)? I was think three at-large but maybe am confused.

Obviously, it's still a bit early and things can (and likely will) change.

(12-11-2025 10:57 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  So, and to be clear, is everybody thing three at-large bids (for four total) or four at-large bids (for five total)? I was think three at-large but maybe am confused.

Obviously, it's still a bit early and things can (and likely will) change.

We are anywhere between 3-5 bids. It depends heavily how the remaining 16 OOC games go, and whether or not Nova, Seton Hall, and Butler can all go at least 12-8 or better in league play.

(12-11-2025 10:48 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  1. Need to hope the league takes care of business OOC the rest of the way.

2. UConn, St. John's, Seton Hall, Butler, and Villanova need to kill it in league play.

3. # of regular seasons wins (prior to BET) to clinch bid: UConn (20), St. John's (20), Seton Hall (22), Butler (22), Villanova (21)

Assuming UConn and St. John's are 1/2, Seton Hall needs to beat Rutgers and go 12-8 in league play, Butler needs to beat Northwestern and go 13-7 in league play, and Nova needs to beat Pitt and Wisconsin, and go 12-8 in league play.

Villanova will have to play like they did against BYU to win this game against Wisconsin. Given that BYU was their opening game and that they’ve been integrating a lot of new players and given that we’re now 6 weeks deeper into the season, they just might be able to pull that off.

(12-11-2025 11:00 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  

(12-11-2025 10:57 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  So, and to be clear, is everybody thing three at-large bids (for four total) or four at-large bids (for five total)? I was think three at-large but maybe am confused.

Obviously, it's still a bit early and things can (and likely will) change.

We are anywhere between 3-5 bids. It depends heavily how the remaining 16 OOC games go, and whether or not Nova, Seton Hall, and Butler can all go at least 12-8 or better in league play.

I honestly don't know if 12 for Nova will be enough. They might have a good record but haven't beaten anyone.

I think the key for the bids is to have a real bottom again just like last year where 4 teams only won 18 games(instead of 12). If there's a ton of parity this year, it's going to be really hard to get more than 4.

(12-11-2025 12:14 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(12-11-2025 11:00 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  

(12-11-2025 10:57 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  So, and to be clear, is everybody thing three at-large bids (for four total) or four at-large bids (for five total)? I was think three at-large but maybe am confused.

Obviously, it's still a bit early and things can (and likely will) change.

We are anywhere between 3-5 bids. It depends heavily how the remaining 16 OOC games go, and whether or not Nova, Seton Hall, and Butler can all go at least 12-8 or better in league play.

I honestly don't know if 12 for Nova will be enough. They might have a good record but haven't beaten anyone.

I think the key for the bids is to have a real bottom again just like last year where 4 teams only won 18 games(instead of 12). If there's a ton of parity this year, it's going to be really hard to get more than 4.

Yes, so Villanova would have to pick up some Q1 wins in conference. Also, Wisconsin is close enough to the top 50 that they could become a Q1 if they improve as the season goes on. It’s an opportunity which Villanova would beat them to take advantage of and get a Q1 here. Even though Wisconsin is technically a neutral court game, the committee would know better, which is why the decision is made by a committee and not by a computer.

(12-11-2025 12:54 PM)Bill Marsh Wrote:  

(12-11-2025 12:14 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(12-11-2025 11:00 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  

(12-11-2025 10:57 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  So, and to be clear, is everybody thing three at-large bids (for four total) or four at-large bids (for five total)? I was think three at-large but maybe am confused.

Obviously, it's still a bit early and things can (and likely will) change.

We are anywhere between 3-5 bids. It depends heavily how the remaining 16 OOC games go, and whether or not Nova, Seton Hall, and Butler can all go at least 12-8 or better in league play.

I honestly don't know if 12 for Nova will be enough. They might have a good record but haven't beaten anyone.

I think the key for the bids is to have a real bottom again just like last year where 4 teams only won 18 games(instead of 12). If there's a ton of parity this year, it's going to be really hard to get more than 4.

Yes, so Villanova would have to pick up some Q1 wins in conference. Also, Wisconsin is close enough to the top 50 that they could become a Q1 if they improve as the season goes on. It’s an opportunity which Villanova would beat them to take advantage of and get a Q1 here. Even though Wisconsin is technically a neutral court game, the committee would know better, which is why the decision is made by a committee and not by a computer.

But still techincally it counts as a Q2 game right now. It may be borderline Q1 or Q2 depending on the year for Wisconsin.

Still it's huge because it's literally the only chance left for Nova OOC to get a Q1-3 win...... Pittsburgh isn't even Q3 right now.

(12-11-2025 01:52 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(12-11-2025 12:54 PM)Bill Marsh Wrote:  

(12-11-2025 12:14 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(12-11-2025 11:00 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  

(12-11-2025 10:57 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  So, and to be clear, is everybody thing three at-large bids (for four total) or four at-large bids (for five total)? I was think three at-large but maybe am confused.

Obviously, it's still a bit early and things can (and likely will) change.

We are anywhere between 3-5 bids. It depends heavily how the remaining 16 OOC games go, and whether or not Nova, Seton Hall, and Butler can all go at least 12-8 or better in league play.

I honestly don't know if 12 for Nova will be enough. They might have a good record but haven't beaten anyone.

I think the key for the bids is to have a real bottom again just like last year where 4 teams only won 18 games(instead of 12). If there's a ton of parity this year, it's going to be really hard to get more than 4.

Yes, so Villanova would have to pick up some Q1 wins in conference. Also, Wisconsin is close enough to the top 50 that they could become a Q1 if they improve as the season goes on. It’s an opportunity which Villanova would beat them to take advantage of and get a Q1 here. Even though Wisconsin is technically a neutral court game, the committee would know better, which is why the decision is made by a committee and not by a computer.

But still techincally it counts as a Q2 game right now. It may be borderline Q1 or Q2 depending on the year for Wisconsin.

Still it's huge because it's literally the only chance left for Nova OOC to get a Q1-3 win...... Pittsburgh isn't even Q3 right now.

Yes, and good point about Pitt. They’re really having a down year.

NET this week vs last week
UConn 8 vs 7 last week -1
St John's 24 vs 21 last week -3
Villanova 34 vs 35 last week +1
Seton Hall 38 vs 43 last week +5
Butler 43 vs 41 last week -2
Providence 91 vs 85 last week -6
Xavier 101 vs 109 last week +8
Creighton 112 vs 108 last week -4
Georgetown 126 vs 114 last week -12
DePaul 147 vs 198 last week +51
Marquette 164 vs 167 last week +3

(12-15-2025 08:27 AM)stever20 Wrote:  NET this week vs last week
UConn 8 vs 7 last week -1
St John's 24 vs 21 last week -3
Villanova 34 vs 35 last week +1
Seton Hall 38 vs 43 last week +5
Butler 43 vs 41 last week -2
Providence 91 vs 85 last week -6
Xavier 101 vs 109 last week +8
Creighton 112 vs 108 last week -4
Georgetown 126 vs 114 last week -12
DePaul 147 vs 198 last week +51
Marquette 164 vs 167 last week +3

After last night’s wins, UConn moved back up to #7 on the NET and St. John’s dropped a notch to #25.

FWIW:

BPI Power Index Top 50 (number of teams from P5)

SEC: 14

Big Ten: 11

ACC: Nine

Big 12: Eight

Big East: Four

To be fair to the Big East, the all-sports P4 leagues offer more members than the BE. Still, it would look better if, say, the Big East had five (or, even better, six) members in the Top 50.

stever20 could probably scan the ranking quickly and let us know. Of note, Creighton is at No. 55, with Providence at No. 58.

Creighton from 112 to 79 last night
Xavier from 101 to 137 last night

(12-18-2025 07:48 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Creighton from 112 to 79 last night
Xavier from 101 to 137 last night

Georgetown was like 127 before last night too right? Currently 111 so up 16 spots if that's accurate.

As far as X and Creighton , that's probably a really good result for the league. Gives us a 6th team that is close to the Q1 road territory, and X isn't far from being back in Q2 on the road.