I thought about Virginia. And I don't disagree that perhaps they should be in that category. But I don't think they actually would be. Probably because of their lack of reputation and history. They are undefeated yet have ZERO #1 coaches' votes and only ONE #1 AP vote (I'm guessing based in VA) despite having a marginally better strength of schedule and having far fewer close games than UK (their only real "close" game was their 2OT at Miami, although their game against Rutgers was brutally ugly...).
Also, bear in mind that while they have gotten through January undefeated in the ACC so far, their only real opponent of consequence was Notre Dame (great road win for them, though). In the next 10 days they play Duke, @ UNC, and Louisville. I don't see them coming out of those 3 undefeated. If they do, they also have games at NC State, Syracuse, and Louisville to close out the season (all of which are brutal on the road, even if the first two aren't having stellar seasons).
But if Virginia is still undefeated (or even a 1 loss team) come selection time, I tend to agree that a home win over them should trump the vast majority of road wins and put them up there with Kentucky.
Results 81 to 90 of 92
Thread: Road Win!
-
01-29-2015, 02:00 PM #81
Last edited by LA Muskie; 01-29-2015 at 02:02 PM.
-
01-29-2015, 02:23 PM #82
I think part of the reason UVA lacks the #1 votes is simply because Kentucky started the season #1 and hasn't lost. The rankings work fairly scientifically for the most part, if you lose you fall and if you win you rise as (if someone right ahead of you lost) and it usually doesn't even really matter who it is you play for that. Kentucky entered the season with the reputation of having one of the most stacked teams ever, and it hasn't lost yet, so there's not much of a chance that anyone could take many, if any, of their first place votes. I've watched Virginia play once in person and a few times on TV this year. They are outstanding. They play the pack line defense as well as or better than I've ever seen it played and they can give any team in the nation (maybe save UK) matchup problems. Whether or not the committee views what win as what, I don't know, but I can tell you that beating UVA on any floor would be a hell of an accomplishment for any team. The thing is, even if UVA has a big time off night offensively, which has happened a couple times, their defense is so good that they still find ways to win. Bennet is an excellent coach and they have some steel balls in of their own in their lineup. I would not want to be anywhere near them in the bracket.
-
01-29-2015, 02:29 PM #83
I agree with all of this. Especially their defense. It's flat-out ridiculous. I don't care who you are playing (save, perhaps, the Sisters of the Poor) -- when you are holding teams to 26 (Rutgers), 27 (Harvard) and 28 (Georgia Tech) you are playing defense nearly perfectly.
-
01-29-2015, 02:37 PM #84
-
01-29-2015, 03:01 PM #85
True, part of it is their slow tempo, but they still have pretty much perfected the pack line. Kentucky is one of the most talented defensive basketball teams you will ever see. They have ridiculous length and athleticism. Definitely clearly the two best defenses in the country, which is why it's not shocking that they're 1 and 2.
-
01-29-2015, 03:28 PM #86
Looking at the per-possession numbers is interesting. By that metric, you have the following:
1) Kentucky
...
...
...
2) Virginia
...
...
3) San Diego State
...
...
Everyone else
Too bad for SDSU, their offense sucks. Kentucky's offense is about on par with ours, while Virginia's is the first after the elite group.Last edited by XUFan09; 01-29-2015 at 03:32 PM.
-
01-29-2015, 05:05 PM #87
Road Win!
Brown against Burton...Brown starting his dribble...He moves in, he pops up....SCOOORRREESSS!....LENNY BROWN!...XAVIER WINS IT!...THE MUSKIES WIN IT!...71-69...The UC Bearcats are #1 in the country, #2 in their OWN CITY! - Andy MacWilliams
-
01-29-2015, 05:29 PM #88
-
01-31-2015, 08:03 PM #89
-
01-31-2015, 08:13 PM #90Award Winning Poster Since 2015
Bookmarks