5 Games Left

[ralph1950]

11 wins in conference and this team is in. Period.

My opinion is with 11 conference wins UC will need at least 2 wins in the Big East Tourney to get in the NCAA. We will know the answer in 3 weeks.

 

[JasonS]

My opinion is with 11 conference wins UC will need at least 2 wins in the Big East Tourney to get in the NCAA. We will know the answer in 3 weeks.

If UC gets to 11 conference wins, 2 wins in the Big East Tourney would mean they are in the Semi-Finals or Finals of the Big East Tourney. You are crazy.

 

[ralph1950]

If UC gets to 11 conference wins, 2 wins in the Big East Tourney would mean they are in the Semi-Finals or Finals of the Big East Tourney. You are crazy.

This from the selection committee chairman

"“The bottom line is we review each individual team sheet and each team is an independent,’’ Hathaway said. We don’t look at what conference teams are affiliated with. We’re looking at the team’s individual merit.’’

What he is saying is 11-7 in the Big East does not mean anything, they are looking at the entire 31, 32, 33, 34 games body of work. A 9-9 Seton Hall team with an RPI of 30 is going to get in over a 11-7 UC team with an RPI of say 74. In my opinion UC needs to get the RPI into the 50's to be a legit contender for an at large bid. When they are comparing an 11-7 UC team with a RPI of 74 to a team with a RPI of 56 for that 68th and final spot that RPI 56 team probably has a better overall body of work and will get the nod. The OCC has killed UC's RPI number, it is now 88, it needs to climb at least 30 spots. That is only going to happen with a minimum 4-1 finish and 2 wins in the Big East tourney.

 

[bearcat jeff]

This from the selection committee chairman

"“The bottom line is we review each individual team sheet and each team is an independent,’’ Hathaway said. We don’t look at what conference teams are affiliated with. We’re looking at the team’s individual merit.’’

What he is saying is 11-7 in the Big East does not mean anything, they are looking at the entire 31, 32, 33, 34 games body of work. A 9-9 Seton Hall team with an RPI of 30 is going to get in over a 11-7 UC team with an RPI of say 74. In my opinion UC needs to get the RPI into the 50's to be a legit contender for an at large bid. When they are comparing an 11-7 UC team with a RPI of 74 to a team with a RPI of 56 for that 68th and final spot that RPI 56 team probably has a better overall body of work and will get the nod. The OCC has killed UC's RPI number, it is now 88, it needs to climb at least 30 spots. That is only going to happen with a minimum 4-1 finish and 2 wins in the Big East tourney.

“The bottom line is we review each individual team sheet and each team is an independent,’’ Hathaway said. We don’t look at what conference teams are affiliated with. We’re looking at the team’s individual merit.’’

They also say they don't purposely place teams in brackets to boost ratings too and we know that's bullshit. Finishing 11-7 in the Big East will help off set a bad loss. It says something when you can finish in the top 5-6 in the Big 12, Big 10, ACC or Big East.

Todays game is huge. UC and Seton Hall could be competing for the same spot at seasons end and a head to head win could tip things in UC's favor in that case. It would also be a good rpi win with Seton Hall sitting at #30. It gives them one more win against a top 50 rpi team. UC has games against the 11, 23, 30 and 57 teams in the rpi. Four great opportunities to get their rpi down and improve their strength of schedule.

In my opinion the 3 games UC has to win are Seton Hall, USF and split the Marquette and Louisville games. They are capable of winning all of them if they come to play for 40 minutes but again, we haven't seen that all season except the stretch following the brawl. It seems they lost that intensity after the WVU/Syracuse losses and have to get it back if they want to reach their goals.