Gopher Basketball
All RPI references are courtesy of Jerry Palm at collegerpi.com, through games played Thursday, February 3.
RPI Sweet 16
1. Kansas (21-1)
2. San Diego State (20-1)
3. BYU (20-2)
4. Ohio State (23-0)
5. Georgetown (17-5)
6. Texas (19-3)
7. Pitt (20-2)
8. Notre Dame (18-4)
9. UConn (17-4)
10. Duke (20-2)
11. Purdue (18-5)
12. Kentucky (16-5)
13. West Virginia (15-6)
14. North Carolina (16-5)
15. Villanova (18-4)
16. Syracuse (19-4)
Big Ten in the RPI
4. Ohio State (23-0)
11. Purdue (18-5)
22. Wisconsin (16-5)
27. Gophers (16-6)
34. Illinois (15-7)
42. Michigan State (12-9)
46. Penn State (12-9)
73. Michigan (12-10)
87. Northwestern (13-8)
90. Nebraska (15-6)
126. Indiana (12-11)
151. Iowa (9-13)
RPI Top-50 Wins by the Big Ten (32)
Ohio State (5): Purdue (11), @ Florida (17), Gophers (27), @ Illinois (34), Penn State (46)
Wisconsin (4): Purdue (11), Gophers (27), Illinois (34), vs. Boston College (41)
Illinois (4): North Carolina (14), Wisconsin (22), Michigan State (42), Penn State (46)
Purdue (4): Gophers (27), Michigan State (42), @ Penn State (46), Penn State (46)
Gophers (3): Purdue (11), vs. West Virginia (13), vs. North Carolina (14)
Michigan State (3): Wisconsin (22), Gophers (27), vs. Washington (32)
Penn State (3): Wisconsin (22), Illinois (34), Michigan State (42)
Indiana (2): Gophers (27), Illinois (34)
Michigan (2): @ Michigan State (42), Penn State (46)
Nebraska (1): Texas A&M (23)
Iowa (1): Michigan State (42)
Northwestern (0)
Big Ten Overall Road/Neutral Records
1. Ohio State (7-0)
2. Purdue (6-5)
3. Gophers (5-5)
T4. Wisconsin (4-5)
T4. Northwestern (4-5)
6. Illinois (4-6)
7. Michigan State (3-7)
8. Michigan (2-6)
9. Iowa (2-8)
T10. Penn State (1-6)
T10. Nebraska (1-6)
12. Indiana (0-9)
Gophers’ Nonconference Opponents/RPI & Record
13. West Virginia (15-6, 6-3 Big East)
14. North Carolina (16-5, 6-1 ACC)
139. Virginia (12-10, 3-5 ACC)
146. Wofford (12-11, 9-3 SoCon South)
175. Akron (11-10, 3-5 MAC East)
178. Siena (9-12, 6-5 MAAC)
179. Western Kentucky (9-12, 4-5 Sun Belt East)
211. Saint Joseph’s (5-17, 0-8 Atlantic 10)
217. South Dakota State (12-9, 6-6 Summit)
229. North Dakota State (10-10, 6-6 Summit)
256. Eastern Kentucky (10-11, 6-6 Ohio Valley)
260. Cornell (4-14, 0-4 Ivy)
Average RPI of Nonconference Opponents: 168.083 (last week = 167)
Preseason Projected RPI of NC Opponents (excluding North Carolina & West Virginia): 133.5
Big Ten/Big 12 Road Wins (14)
Ohio State (5): Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern
Purdue (2): Michigan, Penn State
Michigan (1): Michigan State
Gophers (1): Michigan
Wisconsin (1): Northwestern
Michigan State (1): Northwestern
Penn State (1): Indiana
Illinois (1): Iowa
Northwestern (1): Iowa
Indiana, Iowa & Nebraska (0)
Weekend Bubblicious Games (Saturday unless noted)
Arizona @ Cal
Cincinnati @ Pitt
Colorado State @ Wyoming
Indiana State @ Missouri State
K-State @ Iowa State
Marshall @ Southern Miss
Memphis @ Gonzaga
Michigan @ Penn State (Sunday)
Northern Iowa @ Drake
Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State
Old Dominion @ George Mason
Richmond @ Fordham
St. John’s @ UCLA
UAB @ Tulane
VCU @ James Madison
Virginia Tech @ Boston College
Wake Forest @ Maryland
Wazzu @ Oregon State
Updated Big Ten Tournament Bracket
Thursday, March 10 (1st Round)
1:30 p.m. — #8 Northwestern (3-7) vs. #9 Indiana (3-7), ESPN2
3:55 p.m. — #7 Gophers (5-5) vs. #10 Michigan (3-7), ESPN2
6:30 p.m. — #6 Michigan State (5-5) vs. #11 Iowa (2-8), BTN
Friday, March 11 (Quarterfinals)
11 a.m. — #1 Ohio State (10-0) vs. Northwestern/Indiana winner, ESPN
1:25 p.m. — #4 Illinois (5-4) vs. #5 Penn State (5-5), ESPN
5:30 p.m. — #2 Purdue (7-3) vs. Gophers/Michigan winner, BTN
7:55 p.m. — #3 Wisconsin (6-3) vs. Michigan State/Iowa winner, BTN
The Bubble 2009-10/Last Season It Was 10 Fighting for 4 Spots
We’re into February, so it’s time to start looking closely at the bubble. Last year on Selection Sunday, at nitty-gritty time I had 10 teams fighting for the final 4 at-large bids. … Cal, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi State, Rhode Island, Seton Hall, Utah State, UTEP, Virginia Tech and William & Mary. I chose 3 of the 4 correctly (Cal, Utah State & UTEP), but missed on my only at-large when I selected Illinois over Florida.
The Bubble 2010-11/18 for 6
We’ll go into more detail on the bubble in the coming days and weeks, but as of today I would have 62 of the 68 NCAA bids (including automatic qualifiers) filled by teams I consider a lock or in good shape to receive a NCAA bid (for now this includes the Gophers). For those 6 remaining at-large bids, I have 18 teams in contention (in alphabetical order with RPI):
1. Cal (56)
2. Cincinnati (40)
3. Colorado State (48)
4. Gonzaga (70)
5. K-State (38)
6. Marquette (60)
7. Maryland (75)
8. Memphis (50)
9. Missouri State (47)
10. New Mexico (53)
11. Northern Iowa (51)
12. Oklahoma State (45)
13. Penn State (46)
14. Richmond (69)
15. Southern Miss (49)
16. UAB (43)
17. VCU (63)
18. Wazzu (74)
Keep in mind, at this point of the season I’m trying to be as generous as possible with the bubble. Quite frankly, a few of the teams listed above don’t have much of a NCAA resume, but I want to be inclusive, not exclusive. For those wondering about the status of Michigan State, I have them as one of the 62 in, but a loss to the Badgers on Saturday would move Sparty to my bubble. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
The Buzz Clips mailbag is empty today. If you have a question for the mailbag, please submit it to my GopherHole PM.