NCAA seeding

by irish2705 on Mar 10, 2010 9:20 AM EST

Does anyone else feel like this team is destined for the 8/9 match-up?

(Note – all RPI and SOS numbers are referenced from realtimerpi.com)

I’m wondering what our ceiling is this year, with regards to NCAA seeding. I tend to think that we can still reach a 5, if we win the BET. Just speculating, but that would mean victories over Cinci, WVU, Nova, and Cuse/Pitt. If people feel comfortable that we’re at about an 8/9 right now, I think each win after the Cinci game (this assumes a win tonight) would move us up a full seed. Although we have a significant edge in SOS, we just lack the quality wins of teams we’d be competing against for a 6/7 seed.

We’re basically riding two wins over Cuse, which is still very impressive, but we lack top 50 wins. If UConn had gotten their $hit together, that would have given us two more, and maybe we’re be more comparable. Or if we had held on against Pitt (that also would mean we’d be sitting with a double-bye right now). But we beat a lot of teams between 50-75 (UConn, ND, Cinci, USF).

ACC – Clemson (27), Wake (33), FSU (35), GTech (44), VaTech (50)

Big 12 – Texas (26), Okie St (28), Mizzou (39)

Others – Gonzaga (37), Xavier (21), BYU (23), Richmond (24)

Looking at the numbers, how is Ohio St in the running for a 2 seed, with some saying an outside shot at a 1 seed? Their RPI is 30 with SOS 67.

On another note, does anyone else think we should add one more marquee game to the schedule? While our schedule is certainly tough, its essentially due to two things: playing in the BE (the worst SOS of all BE teams is 56, and 12 teams have SOS better than 33), and not playing really $hitty teams OOC. We play a lot of teams in the top 150 (only 2 teams rated worse than 175, if you don’t count DePaul), but we don’t play any “marquee” OOC games outside of UK. I’d prefer that we schedule a Mich St, Texas, or Butler and a 250 type team in place of two teams rated about 150. The change to SOS would be negligible, but it would give us another opportunity for a top 25 win. And RPI really rewards those types of wins, without much punishment if you lose it.

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Comments

love the idea of adding more marquee ooc games

for instance, i’d love to renew our series with UNC and Indiana (both down right now but will almost certainly be back) or play in some of the more competitive pre-season tournaments (billy minardi classic and hall of fame showcase don’t count). i think rick is terrified of the BE schedule (rightfully so) and thus schedules a relatively-soft ooc schedule.

by davidson07 on Mar 10, 2010 9:40 AM EST reply actions

well I think Rick schedules a lot of teams good for their conf

We normally play a lot of teams that compete for their conference championship. And in a lot of leagues (read: not the top 6-8 conferences), its normally a one or two horse race. So we get good competition, because a lot of those teams are senior-laden, or simply play well together. And I think it does prepare the team for the upcoming season, but I think it would be nice to win a couple games against good teams OOC. Cinci is given all the credit in the world for beating Maryland and Vandy back in November. And while games in November are MUCH different than games in Feb/March, it would be nice for UL to be able to fall back on a game or two like that, come tourney selection time.

Just like its not killing Georgetown this year (Temple, Duke, Butler), it would not have killed us. Heck, its our OOC resume that is dragging us down (losses to Charlotte, Western Carolina, UNLV), not our conference record. We’re a full game better than GTown, but a good 2 or 3 seeds lower.

I just would welcome new teams to the schedule, that’s all

by irish2705 on Mar 10, 2010 9:50 AM EST up reply actions

I would love to see a rivalry with UCLA

Would give our ooc schedule a little star power if we did a home/home with them.

I’m always annoyed not only at our slacky non-conference schedule, but also how Rick always calls it “extremely tough”. And it’s not the Big East. In C-USA we rarely entertained a great program in OOC. Only one I can really recall was the home/home we set up with Florida for two years. They happened to be #1 for one of those games (and we won). Other than that, we opened with Iowa for a couple years, danced with Purdue a couple times (when they weren’t quite as good), and played Indiana once.

Meanwhile, Kentucky was playing UNC, IU, and Louisville every year and even added a two-year home/home with Kansas on top of that as well as competitive season tip-off tourneys. Much more for their fans to look forward to.

I’m not saying load the schedule, but one other big name on it besides Kentucky would be nice.

________________________________________________
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by LORD KAYOSS on Mar 11, 2010 6:34 PM EST up reply actions

I think we are playing in the Maui Inv. next season right?

by cardscott5 on Mar 10, 2010 1:44 PM EST up reply actions

No, 2012

Louisville asked out of the 2009 Maui Inv this past season and Cincinnati took our spot.

by UL is my hot hot sex on Mar 10, 2010 1:49 PM EST up reply actions

On the subject of adding one more marguee game..has anyone heard anything more on the opening game in the new arena against Duke possbility?

by OhioVilleAlum on Mar 10, 2010 10:57 AM EST reply actions

UNLV was a good team.

I think they’re trying to put together a 3 year series with Duke. It would be nice to play Memphis again, we get them in Football this year, but that’s nothing like playing them in basketball. Who would you say our top 10 rivals are (football and basketball)? Just speaking off the cuff, my list goes:

1. Kentucky
2. Memphis
3. West Virginia
4. Cincinnati?
5. Connecticut
6. Pittsburgh
7. Syracuse
8. North Carolina
9. Michigan State
10. Nevada- Las Vegas
11. Miami / Florida State— these are primarily football rivalries and we don’t play enough or haven’t played recently enough to make it a rivalry.

So, I would also enjoy games with UNC and Mich St. ON another note, I can’t stand Ohio State because their fans remind me of UK, so it would be really cool to play them in either football or basketball.

by REALISTICCARDSFAN on Mar 10, 2010 11:01 AM EST reply actions

Agree with most of that

But for my taste, off the cuff…Marquette should be in the Top 5. Tennessee should make the list as well. And I would take UNC and UCONN off the list.

by UL is my hot hot sex on Mar 10, 2010 11:40 AM EST up reply actions

Good call

Totally forgot about Marquette. They are in the top 5 over Uconn. ND probably in top 8 as well. UNC could be dropped, but I disagree about UConn. I hated them last season for killing our perfect conference run.

by REALISTICCARDSFAN on Mar 10, 2010 3:09 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Maybe it's just Harangody

But I think of Notre Dame more of a rival than I do Pittsburgh or Michigan State

by guyngreen on Mar 10, 2010 12:51 PM EST up reply actions

agree, Notre Dame should be on the list.

by UL is my hot hot sex on Mar 10, 2010 1:02 PM EST up reply actions

I'd put WVU above Memphis

Instant rivalry from year -1 of the BE.

Memphis for me is just a pure hatred thing. I don’t care if we never play them again, I just want them to lose every game they ever play in any sport against anyone but UK and Duke – and I’m not entirely sure about those.

I don’t see any of your number 8-11 teams as big rivals of ours. It’s always good to beat a highly regarded opponent, but those aren’t games I circle on the schedule when it comes out, and I doubt their fans circle us on their schedule either.

by rickmbari on Mar 10, 2010 3:56 PM EST up reply actions

P. S. I'd put UCLA in there as a basketball rival

A lot of younger fans might not care nearly as much as I do; but I remember seeing Bridgeman, Murphy & Co. lose to them in 1975, in the best basketball game I’ve ever seen, and I was in the house when the Doctors of Dunk scored the last 9 points of the game to beat them 89-84 for the national championship in 1980. Those two games defined U of L basketball in their day.

To me, a good rivalry involves mutual respect; and there isn’t a basketball program I have had more respect for over the years than the Bruins.

by rickmbari on Mar 10, 2010 4:06 PM EST up reply actions

UCLA v. Louisville was my first game in Freedom Hall

I sat with the band when it was in the opposite corner on the 2nd level, attending as a high school student next to a band member from our school.

I’m aware of the history of the rivalry, especially the 80’s during the Crum era. I agree… and let’s bring it back.

by guyngreen on Mar 11, 2010 6:20 AM EST up reply actions

I wouldn’t call UNC or MSU rivals.

They gone have to stop sleeping on me one day.. I gotta be one of the best

About 3 hours ago by Eric Wright Cleveland Browns – Cornerback

by Villeslgr on Mar 11, 2010 1:46 PM EST up reply actions

I think we can get up to a 6

if we make it to the finals

agree that another big OOC game would be good. maybe something in the Big 12. But the beauty of the BE sked is that we don’t need it.

by ericdedwar on Mar 10, 2010 11:13 AM EST reply actions

I'm all for more marquee games

I know that Pitino pulled us out of Maui for this season because he thought we would be too young. I also believe that we will be heading out there in the next year or two.

Along the lines of adding a marquee game, wouldn’t it have been better to lose to Kansas or Duke instead of UNLV of WKU last year. Playing teams like Dayton, UNLV, WKU, or Purdue a couple of years ago seems good in theory (they’ll have a good RPI by the end of the season so it’ll help us) but in practice it just kills you when you lose.

by drhustle on Mar 10, 2010 12:55 PM EST reply actions

Ohio State

They’ve won 14 of 16, won the Big 11, and lost a couple games with the Player of the Year out. Their only losses with Turner back were at Minnesota before the collapse, at West Virginia, and to Purdue. They are really good because Turner is really good.

If you are going to mention fraud 2 seeds, why not New Mexico?

by cardscott5 on Mar 10, 2010 3:40 PM EST reply actions

New Mexico is definitely overrated.

Should be a good game vs. SDSU in the MWC tournament.

by UL is my hot hot sex on Mar 10, 2010 4:04 PM EST up reply actions

Living in New Mexico

I can say that most people out here are firmly believe that UNM is deserving of the 2-3 seed. The MWC is pretty solid this year (3-4 tourney teams) and the it’s simply UNM getting noticed in a good year for the MWC. The MWC is the highest rated non power conference this season, even above the A10.

The MWC’s top 4 pretty much beat each other up, accounting for all but 2 of their 15 conference losses. Nobody is going to know how good these teams REALLY are until the NCAAs. I for one wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see 2 MWC teams in the Sweet 16, which is likely what I’ll be predicting for the SEC and ACC as well. But I’m guessing many of you wouldn’t be surprised to see the MWC get eliminated completely after the first round.

by Remote Cardinal on Mar 10, 2010 5:06 PM EST up reply actions