Bubblicious Tuesday: Monmouth, Valpo Losses Put More Pressure On Gonzaga

[SelectionSunday]

Heading into Tuesday, there are roughly 14 available at-large bids. I have 29 teams at least marginally competing for those 14 bids.

29 Bubble Teams Heading Into Tuesday (current RPI): Saint Bonaventure (27), Oregon State (30), Saint Joseph's (34), Cincinnati (39), VCU (40), Providence (43), Butler (44), USC (46), Wichita State (47), Tulsa (48), Vanderbilt (49), Valparaiso (51), Monmouth (53), South Carolina (54), Florida (57), Pitt (58), UConn (59), Gonzaga (60), Syracuse (61), George Washington (62), Michigan (67), Florida State (69), Georgia Tech (70), Georgia (72), Houston (74), Alabama (75), Ohio State (76), Washington (83), LSU (90)

Tuesday Bubble Slate
#69 Florida State vs. Boston College, 1:30 (ESPN2) -- 'Noles just looking to survive & advance.
#60 Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary's, 8 (ESPN) -- With the upsets yesterday, Zags probably need this one to get in.

Monday Bubble Results
#51 Valparaiso lost to Green Bay
#53 Monmouth lost to Iona
#60 Gonzaga beat BYU

 

[Holy Man]

I was in and out of sleep watching the Zags last night, but they did look pretty good while I was awake. Would not surprise me if they pulled out the W against St. Mary's. They know how to win in March.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Wichita State nugget of information

Something to chew on while pondering Wichita State's at-large chances? Shockers have lost to 3 teams (USC, Tulsa, Alabama) currently sitting on the bubble.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Zags

I was in and out of sleep watching the Zags last night, but they did look pretty good while I was awake. Would not surprise me if they pulled out the W against St. Mary's. They know how to win in March.

Good timing, HM. Was just looking specifically at Gonzaga resume. Can't see them getting in as an at-large. The numbers are ugly:

RPI/KenPom Average = 45
0-3 vs. RPI top 25
0-5 vs. RPI top 50
4-7 vs. RPI top 100

No road wins vs. the RPI top 75.

Best 3 wins are BYU twice (once road, once neutral) and a neutral-siter vs. UConn.

Unlike Monmouth, Valpo & Wichita State, no regular-season conference championship to fall back on.

Zags would be wise to beat Saint Mary's tonight.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Michigan needs to do work

Beating Northwestern and Indiana might be enough, but perhaps not. Yes, the Wolverines have no bad losses, but the numbers aren't pretty.

RPI/KenPom Average = 60.5
3-8 vs. RPI top 25
3-9 vs. RPI top 50
3-11 vs. RPI top 100
Non-conference SOS is nothing special (#190).
No road wins vs. the RPI top 75.

UM's 3 quality wins are really good ones, but 2 came at home (Purdue & Maryland) and the other one (Texas) was at a neutral site.

 

[CourtneyJames4]

Found it interesting listening to ESPN on how much both Gonzaga and Pittsburgh's at large chances are hurt because of their season opening game at the air force base that was cancelled at half time.

Both could really have used a win there now. Wonder when those novelty games will go out of style.

 

[Holy Man]

This seems like the thread to air my latest gripe at ESPN. Why in the world do the keep hyping the "BPI" for tournament projections and ignoring the RPI. Their in house tool may be "better", who knows?, but the NCAA does not use it in for selection criteria. It's bogus and borderline dishonest to the casual fan who knows not the difference between the ranking systems.

Just torques me off. If they didn't own the sports world, I would never turn them on.

Perhaps we could make a push from GH to have them include Selection's analysis as one of the pieces of information they toss out to bubble followers.

 

[Holy Man]

Found it interesting listening to ESPN on how much both Gonzaga and Pittsburgh's at large chances are hurt because of their season opening game at the air force base that was cancelled at half time.

Both could really have used a win there now. Wonder when those novelty games will go out of style.

If the bucks are there, the games will continue. If either of them had any sense, they would have rescheduled the game on one of their home courts.