Super Bowl over- time for College Basketball!

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

CAA didn't look so hot in bracket busters. MVC looked pretty darn good.

Northern Iowa did. I don't know that anyone else in that conference is any good. CAA stunk it up for sure.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

Northern Iowa did. I don't know that anyone else in that conference is any good. CAA stunk it up for sure.

What is your opinion of expanding the tournament to 96?

[ddthetide]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

What is your opinion of expanding the tournament to 96?

there are usually about 8 teams that don't belong now.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

What is your opinion of expanding the tournament to 96?

http://countdowntomarch.blogspot.com...seriously.html

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

Northern Iowa did. I don't know that anyone else in that conference is any good. CAA stunk it up for sure.

They were 7-3 overall and I think they were 8-2 against the number. Northern Iowa is clearly the class but the conference as a whole once again showed how tough they can be.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

They were 7-3 overall and I think they were 8-2 against the number. Northern Iowa is clearly the class but the conference as a whole once again showed how tough they can be.

Who beat anybody that was worth a crap except UNI? Plus they got a bunch of home games. They're still a one-bid league if UNI wins Arch Madness.

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

http://countdowntomarch.blogspot.com...seriously.html

"All this rewarding of mediocrity would feed more into the ridiculousness of the BCS football people who defend their asinine system by saying that playoffs render the regular season meaningless. I hate those idiots and so do you."

LOL.
Well, I am one of those idiots....(sort of).

I pretty much agree with everything in there, and I do think expanding the tournament would damage the regular season in college basketball. If a team can't muster a winning record in their conference I don't think they really deserve to get in....and expanding the tournament would mean that a lot of those teams would get in.

For that (and all the other reasons listed) I too think expanding the tournament would be a terrible idea.

[rpncaine]

[philcski]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

http://countdowntomarch.blogspot.com...seriously.html

Originally Posted by dalakhani

CAA didn't look so hot in bracket busters. MVC looked pretty darn good.

I'm officially with Glockner on this one. Forget the Bracket Busters. Teams like William & Mary had absolutely nothing to gain and everything to lose in the current format when they get matched up with a good but looked at disdainfully Iona team. Until they include the Virginia/VT/Ole Miss/Cincinnati middling BCS teams it is the BracketEliminators. At least ODU had a chance to play a great opponent and a return game next year, and while they didn't play well they are still firmly in the tournament. What sucks is every year previous the CAA had done really well in the BB's but this year was a total debacle when a strong performance could have vaulted the conference to 3 bids.

[ateamstupid]

2/26 update:

Conferences, followed by predicted # of bids, assuming no outlying AQ.

Big XII (7)
In: Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas, Missouri
Work to Do: Oklahoma State (RPI: 31)
Not much change in the reliable Big XII. Still six locks, Texas Tech is officially out of the chase, and Oklahoma State, while closer, still must play itself in. The Cowboys got a win they had to have at home against Baylor on Saturday, but were unable to pick one up at Texas last night. Beating the Longhorns on the road probably would've gotten them in, but OSU has two more chances to pick up that "over the top" win. The Pokes host Kansas on Saturday, and Stillwater should be rocking for that one. I smell upset. After that they're at Texas A&M on Wednesday before entertaining Nebraska to finish the regular season. Overall, considering how soft the bubble still is, OSU has a better than average shot of getting in. The Cowboys are 3-5 against the RPI top 50 and 4-7 against the top 100, without a significant nonconference win or specifically bad loss.

Big East (8)
In: Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia, Georgetown, Pittsburgh
Work to Do: Marquette (54), Connecticut (40), Louisville (42), Seton Hall (52), Cincinnati (59), South Florida (69), Notre Dame (72)
The Big East looks pretty solid for eight bids, but it may be difficult for the conference to get more than that, especially if one of its top three bubble teams nosedives. Marquette moves to the edge of the 'in' category by winning a pair of OT games on the road to move its league record to 9-6. The Golden Eagles have now won seven of their last eight. They're not a lock yet, but probably only need one more win to get there. They finish at Seton Hall, vs. Louisville and vs. Notre Dame and are 3-7 against the RPI top 50 with a good neutral court win over Xavier in the nonconference. UConn obviously helped itself tremendously by beating West Virginia, which sets up a biggie on Saturday at home against Louisville. Both '09 1-seeds are likely one win away from locking up a bid. Louisville needs it more, as the Cards finish at Marquette and home against Syracuse, while UConn only has to navigate roadies at Notre Dame and South Florida. Speaking of those two, the Bulls' home loss to St. John's and a 25-point shellacking at Villanova effectively ended their Tournament hopes, while Notre Dame crushed Pitt at home to get back in the conversation. The irish have nothing resembling a good nonconference win and are only 2-4 against the RPI top 50 and 6-8 against the top 100, and on top of that, they're only 2-7 in road/neutral games, so their hopes are still slim. However, they're 7-8 in conference and they finish at Georgetown, home against UConn and at Marquette, so if they can find a way to win two of those three, they'll be in business. The Hall stays in the discussion by virtue of a 7-8 league record and three RPI top 50 wins. The Pirates face a must-win game at home Sunday against Marquette. Cincinnati's in trouble following the home loss to Marquette. The Bearcats still have a 7-8 league record, but they finish with a brutal final three games, at West Virginia, vs. Villanova and at Georgetown. At 4-6 against the RPI top 50, with two big nonconference wins, if Cinci somehow found a way to win two of their last three, it would be in good shape. But that seems like a tall order. Even with a fifth RPI top 50 win, the Bearcats might not be popular because of how poor they've been in finishing the season.

ACC (6)
In: Duke, Wake Forest, Maryland, Florida State
Work to Do: Clemson (36), Virginia Tech (48), Georgia Tech (33)
Some tough losses for the ACC bubble teams this week, and Virginia Tech shouldn't be counting its chickens quite yet, as a blowout loss at Boston College has set the Hokies back. VT is still in decent shape and finishes home against Maryland and NC State before a roadie at Georgia Tech. Normally one win would be enough to get a team like VT in, but the pathetic nonconference resume may force them to win two to lock up a bid. The Hokies are 2-3 against the RPI top 50 and 5-4 against the top 100. Clemson took a loss at Maryland to drop to 3-6 against the RPI top 50, but the Tigers finish at Florida State, vs. Georgia Tech and at Wake Forest, so there are ample opportunities to improve the resume. One more win probably gets Clemson in what with the neutral court win over Butler boosting the nonconference profile. The Yellow Jackets lost in brutal fashion at Maryland, a loss that dropped them to 6-7 in conference. A 4-6 record against the RPI top 50 and a win over Duke keeps them alive. They finish vs. Boston College, at Clemson and vs. Virginia Tech and probably need two of the three to feel confident.

SEC (4)
In: Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
Work to Do: Florida (45)
The SEC looks pretty solid for four bids. Florida got a game it had to have on Tuesday against Tennessee, and one more win should be enough to get the Gators into the tourney, especially if that win is in their final two games. This is no given, however. They finish at Georgia, not an easy place to play, home against Vanderbilt, then at Kentucky. UF is 3-6 against the RPI top 50 and 7-7 against the top 100.

Big Ten (5)
In: Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin
Work to Do: Illinois (64), Minnesota (81)
Illinois got a win it needed at Michigan and is on the precipice of getting a bid. The Illini are 4-6 against the RPI top 50 and 6-8 against the top 100 and finish vs. Minnesota, at Ohio State and vs. Wisconsin. Minnesota missed a big chance to boost its profile by losing a heartbreaker at home to Purdue last night. That dropped the Gophers to 2-6 against the RPI top 50, so they probably need to win out (at Illinois, at Michigan, vs. Iowa) and get a few games in the Big Ten tourney to get a bid. Such is life on the bubble. One point can put you in or out of the Dance.

Atlantic 10 (4)
In: Temple, Xavier, Richmond
Work to Do: Rhode Island (28), Dayton (43), Charlotte (55), Saint Louis (90)
Speaking of tough losses for fringe bubble candidates, SLU lost at home to Xavier by two last night, setting its late bubble push back a few steps. The Billikens have two more chances against the conference elite though, so they're not dead yet. After hosting Duquesne on Saturday, they get Temple at home before going to Dayton. With a shaky at best computer profile, they probably need to win out to get in. They weren't alone in tough loss territory though, as Dayton dropped one on the road at Duquesne on Sunday before falling at Temple last night. I made this point to myself after that game though, as the announcers started to throw dirt on Dayton's at-large chances after the Duquesne game. The Flyers haven't gotten blown out once this year. They've been competitive in every single game, and they've played the 34th best schedule in the country. Their most lopsided loss was 83-75 against Villanova on a neutral court. They've only got one loss outside the RPI top 100 and they're 3-6 against the RPI top 100. Obviously the 7-6 league record hurts, but if they can win out (vs. Massachusetts, at Richmond, vs. Saint Louis) and get a game in the A-10 tourney, I think they'll be OK. Rhode Island goes to St. Bonaventure on Saturday before hosting what could be a bubble elimination game against Charlotte on Wednesday. URI finishes up at UMass. The 49ers have to win that and probably beat George Washington on the road and Richmond at home to lock up a bid.

Mountain West (3)
In: BYU, New Mexico
Work to Do: UNLV, San Diego State
UNLV appears in good shape to lock up a bid at 4-4 against the RPI top 50 with games against MWC bottomfeeders Air Force and Wyoming remaining. If the Rebs can take both of those, they'll be 11-5 in conference with a solid nonconference profile, probably enough to not need anything in the MWC tourney. San Diego State missed out on a big opportunity at BYU last night, and has more left to do than UNLV. The Aztecs finish home against Colorado State and at Air Force, so they too should be able to get to 11-5 in league, but they're only 2-5 against the RPI top 50, so they'll need to get something done in the conference tourney.

Other Conferences (2)
In: Butler, Gonzaga
Work to Do: Northern Iowa, Utah State, UTEP, Old Dominion, St. Mary's, UAB, Memphis, Marshall, California, VCU, Cornell
The non-BCS conferences took a hit this week, with Siena, Northeastern and William & Mary removing themselves from the conversation. By my current super-awesome predictions, assuming no outlying AQs in the listed conferences, I've got 30 at-larges taken, leaving four for this amorphous pool of mid-majors. That 30 can and will shrink and grow, which is what makes this so fun. Northern Iowa went a long way in locking up a bid by smothering Old Dominion without Jordan Egleseder, then took a big step back by losing to the dreadful Aces of Evansville. The Panthers are 2-0 against the RPI top 50 and 9-1 against the top 100, a pretty damn good output. However, UNI also has three losses outside of the top 100. Overall the Panthers are in good shape. They host Illinois State tomorrow, another quality conference foe. If the Panthers win that, then get by Southern Illinois or Drake in the first round of Arch Madness, they're in for sure. If they lose one of those two, it's less certain. If they lose both, they're in trouble despite all they've done. Utah State probably needs to at least get to the WAC tournament final to lock up a bid. Four Conference USA teams have decent to outside chances, and almost all of them play each other in the league's final week. UTEP has won 11 straight and has put itself in striking range of a bid. The Miners are only 1-1 against the RPI top 50 and 5-4 against the top 100, and after hosting a terrible Rice team, they finish with two bigguns. They visit Marshall on Tuesday before finishing at home against UAB. Winning its last three would get UTEP in, and two out of three keeps the Miners alive. UAB has something UTEP doesn't - a big nonconference win (home over Butler), but the Blazers fell at home to UTEP and risk getting swept if they can't come up with a win in El Paso. Memphis faces a near must-win at UAB on Wednesday, while Marshall, which has won five in a row, needs to take its last three (vs. UCF, vs. UTEP, at SMU) to be seriously considered. Old Dominion and VCU are the last two standing in the CAA, and the two meet at Old Dominion tomorrow in their conference finales. VCU needs the win more, but Old Dominion already dropped one to the Rams and probably shouldn't get swept by a conference rival in the wake of the Monarchs' uninspired performance at Northern Iowa. ODU is only 1-4 against the RPI top 50 and 5-7 against the top 100, so I don't know that one big win at Georgetown is going to save the Monarchs should they get swept by VCU and lose in the CAA tourney. VCU will be hurt by its four losses against RPI 100+ teams, but the Rams are 3-0 against the RPI top 50 and 6-3 against the top 100. A road win tomorrow at Old Dominion would be huge. St. Mary's probably has to get to its conference tournament final to feel confident. The Gaels are 2-3 against the RPI top 50, 5-5 against the top 100. Cal is just 1-4 against the RPI top 50, but three of those losses were at Kansas, at New Mexico and against Syracuse at the Garden. The Golden Bears are 5-6 against the top 100, but have lost three against teams outside the top 100. Cornell's at-large chances remain shaky, but the Big Red has a chance to essentially play itself into the Tournament tonight at home against Princeton. A win would likely put Cornell two games ahead of Harvard and 2 1/2 in front of Princeton with just three to play. Cornell would also have the head-to-head tiebreaker with both schools, so it would be just about impossible for either team to catch the defending champs.

[ateamstupid]

dala, another low-major team that could take down a 3 or 4-seed is Murray State. But that's if the Racers can get by Morehead State in the OVC tourney. Both of those teams are quality.

[2MinsToPost]

gettin ready to chill in my easy chair now watching what could be the best game in a while -

Nova vs Orange

[Payson Dave]

watchin cuse / nova also... gotta luv college bb

[GPK]

Tarheels win!!!!

Will this win today at Wake get us in Joey??

[Cannon Shell]

Joey great call on Ok State. You have UTEP as a bubble team but the coaches poll currently has them ranked 25th and probably moving up after Texas lost again. I understand that the polls arent as important as other factors but has a team ever been ranked in the top 25 this late in the season and not made it?

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Joey great call on Ok State. You have UTEP as a bubble team but the coaches poll currently has them ranked 25th and probably moving up after Texas lost again. I understand that the polls arent as important as other factors but has a team ever been ranked in the top 25 this late in the season and not made it?

Good question, my guess would be probably, but more likely because of a total collapse in the final two weeks. UTEP is very close to pocketing a bid, probably one win away, but their lack of quality wins and poor SOS keeps them out of lock territory for the moment IMO. They can remove all doubt by beating UAB in El Paso next Saturday.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

dala, another low-major team that could take down a 3 or 4-seed is Murray State. But that's if the Racers can get by Morehead State in the OVC tourney. Both of those teams are quality.

Thanks for the heads up. How about them Cowboys? I saw you picked the upset. I have been following them a good part of the year and they are on the way back.

Duke/Md on wednesday. I think Duke is way too big for maryland. Its a shame about the terps. For as great of a job Gary Williams does coaching them he does an equally bad job recruiting...and its gotten really bad since they won the title.

Great blog by the way. I really enjoy it.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Thanks for the heads up. How about them Cowboys? I saw you picked the upset. I have been following them a good part of the year and they are on the way back.

Duke/Md on wednesday. I think Duke is way too big for maryland. Its a shame about the terps. For as great of a job Gary Williams does coaching them he does an equally bad job recruiting...and its gotten really bad since they won the title.

Great blog by the way. I really enjoy it.

Like I wrote on the Twitter, OSU needs Matt Pilgrim to play well and stay on the floor. Anderson's gonna get his 20 a game, but if Pilgrim is playing 30+ minutes, they'll be a tough out.

Vasquez is carrying Maryland right now and he's doing a terrific job of it. Duke's better than the Terps but funny things happen in that building. And you're right about GW's recruiting. Other than Mychal Parker he doesn't have much coming in next season. Supposedly there'll be a lot of top juniors and sophomores at the game Wednesday, so that combined with the 21-point loss being fresh in their minds, I expect a competitive game at least.

Kansas State/Kansas should be good. KSU has a chance to sneak into a 1-seed if Duke falls to Maryland. Thanks for the blog shoutout.

[ateamstupid]

ESPN has to start using flex scheduling the last two weeks of the season. How dumb do they look now with #5 Kansas State vs. #2 Kansas being on ESPN360 (online and regional only) Wednesday? At least flex it to ESPNU, damn son.

[Cannon Shell]

Will AZ be lower than a 14 seed after they win the Pac 10 tourney?