Bubble teams fear slip
Texas center Dexter Pittman attempts to block a shot by Oklahoma State's Marshall Moses during the Big 12 game Saturday in Stillwater, Okla. Oklahoma State won 68 59.
(Brody Schmidt, The Associated PressBOULDER It was late Wednesday night and Oklahoma State had just whipped Colorado in a game that hurt the Cowboys' RPI, helped their record and hurt their strength of schedule.
Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford had all kinds of comments about the Cowboys' defense, their 3 point shooting and their balance.
When it came time to explain what the NCAA Tournament selection committee looks for, the affable Ford got tongue tied, like a guy trying to explain astrophysics. "Man, if I could answer that . . ." he said.
Welcome to life on the NCAA Tournament bubble. It's what a dozen teams are facing as the regular season enters its final two weeks. For cynics who say college basketball's regular season isn't much more important than the NHL's, they aren't one of the bubble teams staring at each remaining game as the biggest of their lives.
One slip against a Colorado and they're done. One upset of a team already looking at a high NCAA Tournament seed and there's renewed hope. The question all coaches have is whether what their teams are doing right fits into the selection committee's criteria. What the 10 person committee uses in selecting the 65 team field isn't written on a scroll. However, it's fairly common knowledge that huge factors are the RPI, the record in the last 12 games,
new balance 574, big wins and bad losses.
Conference placement means nothing. Conference affiliation means nothing. Overall record means little. It leaves a lot of coaches entering March a lot more confused about their teams than they were entering November,
asics barcelona.
Take Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are 19 9 overall and 8 6 in the Big 12. Their RPI is 34. Their strength of schedule is 16. Until they beat Texas 68 59 on Saturday, their lone big win was over Siena on Nov. 30. If you can name Siena's conference, slowly step away from the TV.
"To me it should be your body of work," Ford said. "They talk about your last 10 games or who'd you beat in the top 25. You may beat 10 people in the top 25 at the beginning of the year and they may be out of the top 25 now. I think it's an absurdity."
The flaw in taking the last 12 games, which was changed from 10 last year,
botas timberland, is that records show a strong finish doesn't translate into a strong NCAA Tournament run. From 2002 06,
asics zapatillas, among teams seeded to reach the Sweet 16 but didn't make it, 17 finished 8 2 or better and 17 were 7 3 or worse.
Yet Syracuse, which likely would make the tournament today, nevertheless could get knocked out by a brutal final stretch of games. While the Orange opened Big East play against also rans Seton Hall, South Florida, DePaul and Rutgers, it closes against Villanova twice, Connecticut, Georgetown, St. John's, Cincinnati, Rutgers and Marquette.
"As far as the last 10 games, surely, I'd think they'd look at that situation," said Billy Gillispie, coach of Kentucky, another bubble team. "You could have seven on the road, three at home or three on the road and seven at home."
There's also the argument that some of the monster conferences are eating their own. Notre Dame entered the season ranked seventh nationally and has likely been knocked off the bubble by the cannibalism of the mighty Big East,
timberland madrid.
Then again,
zapatillas asics padel, maybe Notre Dame has only itself to blame. He doesn't think teams from power leagues should complain when their bubbles burst.
"It cuts both ways," Lunardi said Thursday. "When you're in a league like the Big East, you also have far greater opportunities to prove your worthiness for the tournament. Some teams might get two or three games like that a year. (Big East teams) get it every night."
He also doesn't buy the stodgy opinion that a 17 10 Maryland team is more tournament worthy than, say, a 22 7 Siena from the here's your answer Metro Atlantic.
"What you're generally getting is a very, very, very consistent mid major versus an inconsistent major," Lunardi said. "When you play 30 to 35 games and you're winning one, losing one, winning two, losing one, losing two, winning one, there's rarely a transformation overnight to become consistent."
While so much can happen in two weeks and so many questions will be asked, Oklahoma State's point guard, Byron Eaton,
timberland outlet, may have the best answer for them all.
"As long as we keep winning," he said, "it'll take care of itself."
NCAA Tournament: An early glance
Midmajor conferences represented by team currently in first place or,
zapatillas new balance, in case of tie, highest RPI. Note: RPI and strength of schedule (SOS) numbers as of Saturday.
AMERICA EAST
Who's in: Binghamton
ATLANTIC 10
Who's in: XavierWho's in: North Carolina, Duke,
asics oferta, Clemson,
new era españa, Wake Forest, Florida State, Boston College, Virginia Tech
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