March Madness 2024

[xubrew]

It's the Sweet Sixteen and is one team left that I have any real interest in or connection to. So for me it's been a typical NCAA Tournament. For me it feels like the season is over. When most of your interest is in the teams that aren't in the power leagues that's just kind of how it is each year.

[Xville]

Seton Hall and Providence had OOC SOSs in the 230s. Saint John's was better than that, but not great. Boise State's OOC SOS was in the 30s. Virginia's was in the 160s, which isn't good but it's better than the Big East teams that didn't get in. They also all but said the reason Iowa State was 8th on the seedlist was because of their weak OOC SOS.

I've said this before, but teams that win at least one OOC game away from home against another tournament team have their chances of being selected go up exponentially. I'm not saying that's how it should be. I'm saying that for the last 20 years that's simply been how it's been. Right or wrong (probably wrong) Virginia got in because on the 4th day of the season they beat Florida in Charlotte. It was a game no one cared was happening at the time, and it was a game that wasn't all that far away from home, and it was a game that if we were to replay today Florida would absolutely kill them, but that probably had more to do with them getting in than anything else. They beat a tournament team away from home and none of the Big East bubble teams did that.

Is that stupid?? Perhaps. But is it also accurate?? YES!! I'm actually with her on this. Don't water down the OOC schedules.

I'm not comparing the BE teams that didn't get in with the Virginia, Boise States of the world. I'm comparing the Big East entire conference to the Big 12 and MW entire conference Non-Con SOS.

The big 12 Non-Con Sos overall was very poor and it allowed them to prop up their W-L, Kenpom and Net. In turn that allowed them to look better than they actually were heading into conference, which allowed them to get more teams in.

Take a look at the middle of the big 12 and tell me what these teams did in the non con to not only get in but get safely in with decent seeds?

Texas
TCU
BYU
Texas Tech

[MHettel]

I'm not comparing the BE teams that didn't get in with the Virginia, Boise States of the world. I'm comparing the Big East entire conference to the Big 12 and MW entire conference Non-Con SOS.

The big 12 Non-Con Sos overall was very poor and it allowed them to prop up their W-L, Kenpom and Net. In turn that allowed them to look better than they actually were heading into conference, which allowed them to get more teams in.

Take a look at the middle of the big 12 and tell me what these teams did in the non con to not only get in but get safely in with decent seeds?

Texas
TCU
BYU
Texas Tech

Playing 20 conference games is a problem for the Big East as well.

[xubrew]

I'm not comparing the BE teams that didn't get in with the Virginia, Boise States of the world. I'm comparing the Big East entire conference to the Big 12 and MW entire conference Non-Con SOS.

The big 12 Non-Con Sos overall was very poor and it allowed them to prop up their W-L, Kenpom and Net. In turn that allowed them to look better than they actually were heading into conference, which allowed them to get more teams in.

Take a look at the middle of the big 12 and tell me what these teams did in the non con to not only get in but get safely in with decent seeds?

Texas
TCU
BYU
Texas Tech

I'm with you on the Big 12. Their OOC schedule was ridiculous. But, the MWC is a little different.

The Mountain West only had four teams inside the bubble, most were seeded worse than expected, and the only reason they had a 5th team in is because New Mexico won the auto bid. Since they were seeded below the teams in the First Four it's clear they would have been out had that not happened. Another reason I'm not as critical of the MWC is because I know they try and play a lot of teams that don't want to play them on equal terms, and then sort of end up with their schedules. They never really sat down and did a data deep dive and made some coordinated effort to improve their nets. Other power conference teams simply don't want to play them home and home (or at all), and a lot of top level mid-majors (I hate that term) would rather play an opponent that's from a P5/BE conference in a place that isn't so hard to get to, so their schedules just kind of end up the way that they do. San Diego State actually went to Grand Canyon, so good on them for that, but they're also a team that most of the Pac 12 just seems to want to avoid. The BeeHive schools (Utah, BYU, etc,) just decided they weren't going to play Utah State anymore. Colorado State had trouble getting games (although they could have gone on the road more than they did) and ended up having to schedule a couple of D2 schools, but they did also manage to beat Creighton, and without that win they're probably not in at all. And, yes, there are others (New Mexico in particular) that choose to play a soft OOC schedule, but it's not all of them. Most MWC teams want to play better teams, but can't get them scheduled.

EDIT: In short, I think it's absurd and hypocritical for so many schools to not play MWC teams, and then those same schools want to point out how the MWC doesn't play anybody. Well...I'm glad those MWC teams got in. If a school feels they should have been in instead, then put them on the schedule and beat them.

[JTG]

It's the Sweet Sixteen and is one team left that I have any real interest in or connection to. So for me it's been a typical NCAA Tournament. For me it feels like the season is over. When most of your interest is in the teams that aren't in the power leagues that's just kind of how it is each year.

So you don't cheer for the Big East teams? As much as I don't cheer for them during the conference season, I'm all in on them in the NCAAT.

[Xville]

So you don't cheer for the Big East teams? As much as I don't cheer for them during the conference season, I'm all in on them in the NCAAT.

Yep that’s where I’m at. Now if the big East teams are suddenly out then my interest will be pretty minimal outside of hate watching Purdue and duke.

[GoMuskies]

I'll cheer for Marquette, Creighton and UConn. I like the three of them fine (UConn would be getting annoying if we hadn't beaten them twice last year; we weren't good enough to even be a speed bump for them this year, and that's annoying, but not on the UConn side of things). Probably have a preference for Creighton over the other two.

[xubrew]

So you don't cheer for the Big East teams? As much as I don't cheer for them during the conference season, I'm all in on them in the NCAAT.

Not to the point to where I structure my day to make sure I don't miss the games. As much as I love college hoops, when it gets down to this part of the tournament I usually don't even watch the games live. I mean I'm certainly keeping up with the results, and I'll oftentimes DVR them so I can speed through the boring parts, but where I'll get really excited about a lot of early season MTEs because of all the different teams and match-ups, now it just sort of feels like there's only 16 teams left and none of them are all that exciting to me. 346 teams are gone. The season has suddenly melted away.

[JTG]

I didn't see either of Marquette's games. Did Shaka stay off the floor, or was he allowed to 'Sixth Man" their opponents? I can't believe the conference let him get away with that all season.

[X-band '01]

She has been awful regarding this, along with a few other things this year and is only further digging her own grave. She also said the feedback she got was to continue to play tough non-conference games. That makes zero sense---the Big 12 and MW had horrible non-conference sos for the most part, and got a ton of their crap teams in.

You can prove a freaking point, without yelling and screaming and I'm not a fan of the political stance she has taken on this. Hurley has had to say something almost every day to keep it in the spotlight, because our weak ass commissioner keeps saying stupid shit.

As long as she gets the media deal right when it's time to reup with Fox, she''ll ultimately be forgiven.