Gopher Basketball
RPI Sweet 16
1. BYU (19-1)
2. Kansas (19-1)
3. San Diego State (18-1)
4. UConn (17-2)
5. Ohio State (21-0)
6. Pitt (19-2)
7. Georgetown (15-5)
8. Notre Dame (17-4)
9. Duke (19-1)
10. Villanova (17-3)
11. Kentucky (15-4)
12. Texas (17-3)
13. Purdue (17-4)
14. Florida (16-4)
15. Syracuse (18-3)
16. North Carolina (14-5)
Big Ten in the RPI
5. Ohio State (21-0)
13. Purdue (17-4)
23. Gophers (16-4)
24. Wisconsin (15-4)
36. Michigan State (11-8)
37. Illinois (14-7)
55. Penn State (11-8)
73. Michigan (11-9)
83. Northwestern (13-7)
103. Nebraska (14-5)
145. Indiana (11-10)
158. Iowa (8-12)
RPI Top-50 Wins by the Big Ten (22)
Ohio State 5 — Purdue (13), @ Florida (14), Gophers (23), @ Illinois (37), @ Florida State (47)
Gophers 3 — Purdue (13), vs. North Carolina (16), vs. West Virginia (20)
Illinois 3 — North Carolina (16), Wisconsin (24), Michigan State (36)
Michigan State 3 — vs. Washington (22), Gophers (23), Wisconsin (24)
Wisconsin 3 — Gophers (23), vs. Boston College (29), Illinois (37)
Penn State 2 — Michigan State (36), Illinois (37)
Michigan 1 — @ Michigan State (36)
Purdue 1 — Michigan State (36)
Indiana 1 — Illinois (37)
Iowa, Nebraska & Northwestern — 0
Big Ten Road/Neutral Records
1. Ohio State (6-0)
2. Gophers (5-3)
3. Purdue (6-4)
4. Wisconsin (4-4)
5. Northwestern (4-5)
6. Illinois (4-6)
7. Michigan State (3-6)
8. Michigan (2-5)
9. Iowa (2-7)
10. Penn State (1-5)
11. Nebraska (1-5)
12. Indiana (0-8)
Gophers’ Nonconference Opponents/RPI & Record
16. North Carolina (14-5, 4-1 ACC)
20. West Virginia (13-6, 4-3 Big East)
137. Virginia (11-9, 2-4 ACC)
151. Wofford (11-10, 8-2 SoCon South)
156. Akron (10-9, 2-4 MAC East)
181. Western Kentucky (8-11, 3-4 Sun Belt East)
184. Siena (7-12, 4-5 MAAC)
209. South Dakota State (11-8, 5-5 Summit)
217. Saint Joseph’s (5-15, 0-6, Atlantic 10)
239. North Dakota State (8-10, 4-6 Summit)
244. Cornell (4-12, 0-2 Ivy)
250. Eastern Kentucky (9-10, 5-5 Ohio Valley)
Average RPI of Nonconference Opponents: 167
Preseason Projected RPI of Nonconference Opponents (excluding UNC & West Virginia): 133.5
Big Ten/Big 12 Road Wins (13)
Ohio State 4 — Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan
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
Games to Watch This Weekend
Saturday
Butler @ Valparaiso: Bulldogs’ at-large hopes now precarious at best.
Georgetown @ Villanova: Two of the Big East’s several overrated teams?
Georgia @ Kentucky: Bulldogs coming off disappointing home OT loss to Gators.
K-State @ Kansas: It’s getting late for K-State (I’m a poet, and I don’t know it).
Mississippi Valley State @ Jackson State: Two of the SWAC’s three co-leaders.
Mizzou @ Texas: Longhorns somewhat quietly in the hunt for #1 seed.
West Virginia @ Cincinnati: Both could be on bubble at season’s end.
Wisconsin @ Penn State: Nitts must continue to enhance their NCAA resume.
Xavier @ Richmond: Two of the three A-10 teams likely to receive NCAA bids.
Sunday
Duke @ St. John’s: Free-falling Redmen’s NCAA hopes need a lift, beating Dukies would provide it.
Miami-Florida @ Virginia Tech: Seth Greenberg taking his usual seat on the bubble, even with 68.
Northern Iowa @ Missouri State: The Valley still has a chance to get two bids.
Washington @ Wazzu: Very, very, very crucial game for Cougars’ NCAA hoops.
You’ve Got Mail
From the Buzz Clips mailbag. …
Question: Hey SS, I was just wondering what your thoughts were on the Gophers’ need to get “Nolen-less” quality wins. I know some of the PP and Strib guys are saying we need to “establish our resume without Nolen for the NCAA tournament committee”. The way I understand it, it doesn’t work that way. Our Purdue win is just as good now even though we no longer have Nolen. I know any quality win from here on out strengthens our case, but do we need more quality wins since the Purdue win came with Nolen? — fryguy22 —
Answer: I agree the Gophers need to prove they can win without Al, however, I’m not as worried about the “number of quality wins” they get down the stretch as I am about the “number” of wins. Provided they win the games they’re supposed to — far from a given, I realize — I think their resume is plenty solid enough to garner a NCAA bid, especially when I look at the resumes/RPI/quality wins of other like teams. It’s not a strong year for at-large candidates (especially the mid-majors, ACC and Pac 10), not to mention there are three additional at-large berths available this year.
With or without Al, I think the Gophers’ magic number (yes, I know no such thing exists with the Selection Committee) to be a lock for the NCAA is 10-8 in the Big Ten regular season, regardless what happens in Indianapolis. Even at 9-9 (20-10 overall), I’d feel pretty good about their chances, especially if they add any two of the top-50 scalps (Illinois, Sparty, Ohio State, Purdue & perhaps Penn State) still available on their schedule.
Please submit questions for the Buzz Clips mailbag to my GopherHole PM.