- Joined
- Nov 3, 2008
- Messages
- 5,172
- Reaction score
- 1,386
- Points
- 113
Road to Selection Sunday: Leaders, Locks, Bubblers & Longshots (27 teams, 10 available bids)
By SelectionSunday
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/135774?referrer_id=331171
BRACKET QUEST, U.S.A. -- With conference tournaments now on the immediate horizon -- the Big South kicks things off on Monday -- here's a thumbnail glance at our conference leaders, NCAA tournament locks, the "strong" bubble, the "true" bubblers, and finally, the "hanging on a thread" longshots. The Gophers remain in the last group because they have two major "scalp" opportunities (Indiana and @ Wisconsin) remaining on their schedule. Please note that when categorizing teams (other than the conference leaders), I have taken into account their remaining schedules.
Currently I have 27 teams battling for 10 available at-large bids. These numbers assume the 8 teams in the "strong bubble" category take care of business and earn NCAA Tournament bids. Obviously, once Championship Week gets into full swing, the bubble is likely to shrink when bid-stealers come-a-callin' during the conference tournaments.
Teams are listed in order of RPI, along with their overall and conference records. In addition, I have listed the best 2 RPI wins for all teams on the strong bubble or lower. The designation "vs." means the win occurred on a neutral court, while "@" indicates a true road win.
Records are vs. Division I opponents only.
The Conference Leaders (current place-holder of automatic bid) -- 31
#1 Syracuse (28-1, 15-1)
#2 Duke (24-4, 11-2)
#3 Michigan State (22-5, 12-3)
#4 Kentucky (27-1, 13-0)
#6 Kansas (23-5, 13-2)
#11 Wichita State (24-4, 15-2)
#14 Temple (22-5, 11-2)
#26 Memphis (20-8, 10-3)
#30 New Mexico (21-5, 8-3)
#33 Murray State (24-1, 14-1)
#34 Long Beach State (18-7, 13-0)
#36 Cal (23-6, 13-3)
#38 Harvard (22-3, 9-1)
#39 St. Mary's (22-5, 13-2)
#41 Iona (22-6, 13-3)
#43 Middle Tennessee State (24-4, 14-1)
#45 Oral Roberts (25-5, 16-1)
#56 Nevada (20-5, 10-1)
#59 Akron (19-8, 12-1)
#67 Belmont (22-7, 15-2)
#69 Davidson (20-7, 15-2)
#72 Bucknell (20-8, 11-2)
#75 Drexel (24-5, 15-2)
#76 Weber State (21-4, 14-1)
#87 LIU (22-7, 16-1)
#89 Texas-Arlington (20-6, 13-0)
#96 Valpo (18-10, 13-4)
#120 UNC-Asheville (17-9, 15-2)
#150 Mississippi Valley State (16-11, 15-0)
#155 Stony Brook (18-8, 13-2)
#199 Savannah State (16-10, 11-2)
The Locks (their work is done; it's all about NCAA seeding) -- 19
#5 North Carolina (24-4, 11-2)
#7 Ohio State (23-5, 11-4)
#8 Marquette (23-5, 12-3)
#9 Baylor (22-5, 10-5)
#10 Michigan (20-7, 11-4)
#12 UNLV (21-6, 7-4)
#13 Mizzou (25-3, 12-3)
#15 Georgetown (19-6, 10-5)
#17 Florida (22-6, 10-3)
#18 Gonzaga (22-5, 12-3)
#19 Indiana (21-7, 8-7)
#20 Florida State (19-8, 10-3)
#21 Louisville (21-7, 9-6)
#22 Saint Louis (21-5, 10-3)
#27 Wisconsin (20-8, 9-6)
#28 Creighton (24-5, 13-4)
#31 San Diego State (19-6, 7-4)
#35 Notre Dame (20-8, 12-3)
#40 Kansas State (19-8, 8-7)
The Strong Bubble (in barring a major collapse down the stretch) -- 8
#16 Southern Miss (20-6, 9-4) -- @ #24 Colorado State, #26 Memphis
#23 UConn (17-10, 7-8) -- vs. #20 Florida State, #32 Seton Hall
#25 Vandy (20-8, 9-4) -- @ #8 Marquette, @ #29 Alabama
#29 Alabama (18-9, 7-6) -- vs. #11 Wichita State, vs. #49 Purdue
#32 Seton Hall (19-9, 8-8) -- #15 Georgetown, #23 UConn
#37 Virginia (21-6, 8-5) -- #10 Michigan, #50 Miami-Florida
#42 Iowa State (20-8, 10-5) -- #6 Kansas, #40 Kansas State
#49 Purdue (18-10, 8-7) -- vs. #14 Temple, vs. #41 Iona
The True Bubblers -- 19
#24 Colorado State (16-9, 6-5) -- #30 New Mexico, #31 San Diego State
#44 West Virginia (17-11, 7-8) -- #15 Georgetown, vs. #40 Kansas State
#46 BYU (21-7, 11-4) -- #18 Gonzaga, vs. #51 Oregon
#47 Northwestern (16-11, 6-9) -- #3 Michigan State, vs. #32 Seton Hall
#48 USF (16-11, 10-5) -- #32 Seton Hall, #80 Cleveland State
#50 Miami-Florida (16-10, 7-6) -- @ #2 Duke, #81 UMass
#51 Oregon (19-8, 10-5) -- #55 Washington, @ #70 Arizona
#52 Marshall (16-10, 8-5) -- #41 Iona, #64 UCF
#53 Xavier (17-10, 8-5) -- @ #25 Vandy, #49 Purdue
#54 Texas (17-11, 7-8) -- #14 Temple, #40 Kansas State
#55 Washington (19-8, 12-3) -- #51 Oregon, @ #70 Arizona
#57 Saint Joseph's (18-11, 8-6) -- #28 Creighton, #66 Dayton
#60 Mississippi State (19-9, 6-7) -- @ #25 Vandy, #29 Alabama
#62 NC State (18-10, 7-6) -- @ #50 Miami-Florida, vs. #54 Texas
#63 LSU (17-10, 7-6) -- #8 Marquette, #29 Alabama
#66 Dayton (17-10, 7-6) -- @ #14 Temple, #22 Saint Louis
#68 VCU (24-6, 14-3) -- #48 USF, @ #59 Akron
#70 Arizona (20-9, 11-5) -- @ #36 Cal, @ #61 New Mexico State
#74 Cincinnati (20-8, 10-5) -- @ #15 Georgetown, #21 Louisville
Longshots to Dance (win out & do serious damage in conference tournament) -- 8
#64 UCF (17-8, 8-5) -- vs. #23 UConn, #26 Memphis
#65 Northern Iowa (17-12, 8-9) -- #24 Colorado State, #28 Creighton
#73 Illinois (16-12, 5-10) -- #3 Michigan State, #7 Ohio State
#79 GOPHERS (17-11, 5-10) -- @ #19 Indiana, #47 Northwestern
#81 UMass (19-8, 8-5) -- #22 Saint Louis, #53 Xavier
#84 Colorado (16-9, 10-5) -- #51 Oregon, #55 Washington
#85 Maryland (16-11, 6-7) -- vs. #35 Notre Dame, #50 Miami-Florida
#88 Stanford (19-9, 9-7) -- #24 Colorado State, #62 NC State
By SelectionSunday
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/135774?referrer_id=331171
BRACKET QUEST, U.S.A. -- With conference tournaments now on the immediate horizon -- the Big South kicks things off on Monday -- here's a thumbnail glance at our conference leaders, NCAA tournament locks, the "strong" bubble, the "true" bubblers, and finally, the "hanging on a thread" longshots. The Gophers remain in the last group because they have two major "scalp" opportunities (Indiana and @ Wisconsin) remaining on their schedule. Please note that when categorizing teams (other than the conference leaders), I have taken into account their remaining schedules.
Currently I have 27 teams battling for 10 available at-large bids. These numbers assume the 8 teams in the "strong bubble" category take care of business and earn NCAA Tournament bids. Obviously, once Championship Week gets into full swing, the bubble is likely to shrink when bid-stealers come-a-callin' during the conference tournaments.
Teams are listed in order of RPI, along with their overall and conference records. In addition, I have listed the best 2 RPI wins for all teams on the strong bubble or lower. The designation "vs." means the win occurred on a neutral court, while "@" indicates a true road win.
Records are vs. Division I opponents only.
The Conference Leaders (current place-holder of automatic bid) -- 31
#1 Syracuse (28-1, 15-1)
#2 Duke (24-4, 11-2)
#3 Michigan State (22-5, 12-3)
#4 Kentucky (27-1, 13-0)
#6 Kansas (23-5, 13-2)
#11 Wichita State (24-4, 15-2)
#14 Temple (22-5, 11-2)
#26 Memphis (20-8, 10-3)
#30 New Mexico (21-5, 8-3)
#33 Murray State (24-1, 14-1)
#34 Long Beach State (18-7, 13-0)
#36 Cal (23-6, 13-3)
#38 Harvard (22-3, 9-1)
#39 St. Mary's (22-5, 13-2)
#41 Iona (22-6, 13-3)
#43 Middle Tennessee State (24-4, 14-1)
#45 Oral Roberts (25-5, 16-1)
#56 Nevada (20-5, 10-1)
#59 Akron (19-8, 12-1)
#67 Belmont (22-7, 15-2)
#69 Davidson (20-7, 15-2)
#72 Bucknell (20-8, 11-2)
#75 Drexel (24-5, 15-2)
#76 Weber State (21-4, 14-1)
#87 LIU (22-7, 16-1)
#89 Texas-Arlington (20-6, 13-0)
#96 Valpo (18-10, 13-4)
#120 UNC-Asheville (17-9, 15-2)
#150 Mississippi Valley State (16-11, 15-0)
#155 Stony Brook (18-8, 13-2)
#199 Savannah State (16-10, 11-2)
The Locks (their work is done; it's all about NCAA seeding) -- 19
#5 North Carolina (24-4, 11-2)
#7 Ohio State (23-5, 11-4)
#8 Marquette (23-5, 12-3)
#9 Baylor (22-5, 10-5)
#10 Michigan (20-7, 11-4)
#12 UNLV (21-6, 7-4)
#13 Mizzou (25-3, 12-3)
#15 Georgetown (19-6, 10-5)
#17 Florida (22-6, 10-3)
#18 Gonzaga (22-5, 12-3)
#19 Indiana (21-7, 8-7)
#20 Florida State (19-8, 10-3)
#21 Louisville (21-7, 9-6)
#22 Saint Louis (21-5, 10-3)
#27 Wisconsin (20-8, 9-6)
#28 Creighton (24-5, 13-4)
#31 San Diego State (19-6, 7-4)
#35 Notre Dame (20-8, 12-3)
#40 Kansas State (19-8, 8-7)
The Strong Bubble (in barring a major collapse down the stretch) -- 8
#16 Southern Miss (20-6, 9-4) -- @ #24 Colorado State, #26 Memphis
#23 UConn (17-10, 7-8) -- vs. #20 Florida State, #32 Seton Hall
#25 Vandy (20-8, 9-4) -- @ #8 Marquette, @ #29 Alabama
#29 Alabama (18-9, 7-6) -- vs. #11 Wichita State, vs. #49 Purdue
#32 Seton Hall (19-9, 8-8) -- #15 Georgetown, #23 UConn
#37 Virginia (21-6, 8-5) -- #10 Michigan, #50 Miami-Florida
#42 Iowa State (20-8, 10-5) -- #6 Kansas, #40 Kansas State
#49 Purdue (18-10, 8-7) -- vs. #14 Temple, vs. #41 Iona
The True Bubblers -- 19
#24 Colorado State (16-9, 6-5) -- #30 New Mexico, #31 San Diego State
#44 West Virginia (17-11, 7-8) -- #15 Georgetown, vs. #40 Kansas State
#46 BYU (21-7, 11-4) -- #18 Gonzaga, vs. #51 Oregon
#47 Northwestern (16-11, 6-9) -- #3 Michigan State, vs. #32 Seton Hall
#48 USF (16-11, 10-5) -- #32 Seton Hall, #80 Cleveland State
#50 Miami-Florida (16-10, 7-6) -- @ #2 Duke, #81 UMass
#51 Oregon (19-8, 10-5) -- #55 Washington, @ #70 Arizona
#52 Marshall (16-10, 8-5) -- #41 Iona, #64 UCF
#53 Xavier (17-10, 8-5) -- @ #25 Vandy, #49 Purdue
#54 Texas (17-11, 7-8) -- #14 Temple, #40 Kansas State
#55 Washington (19-8, 12-3) -- #51 Oregon, @ #70 Arizona
#57 Saint Joseph's (18-11, 8-6) -- #28 Creighton, #66 Dayton
#60 Mississippi State (19-9, 6-7) -- @ #25 Vandy, #29 Alabama
#62 NC State (18-10, 7-6) -- @ #50 Miami-Florida, vs. #54 Texas
#63 LSU (17-10, 7-6) -- #8 Marquette, #29 Alabama
#66 Dayton (17-10, 7-6) -- @ #14 Temple, #22 Saint Louis
#68 VCU (24-6, 14-3) -- #48 USF, @ #59 Akron
#70 Arizona (20-9, 11-5) -- @ #36 Cal, @ #61 New Mexico State
#74 Cincinnati (20-8, 10-5) -- @ #15 Georgetown, #21 Louisville
Longshots to Dance (win out & do serious damage in conference tournament) -- 8
#64 UCF (17-8, 8-5) -- vs. #23 UConn, #26 Memphis
#65 Northern Iowa (17-12, 8-9) -- #24 Colorado State, #28 Creighton
#73 Illinois (16-12, 5-10) -- #3 Michigan State, #7 Ohio State
#79 GOPHERS (17-11, 5-10) -- @ #19 Indiana, #47 Northwestern
#81 UMass (19-8, 8-5) -- #22 Saint Louis, #53 Xavier
#84 Colorado (16-9, 10-5) -- #51 Oregon, #55 Washington
#85 Maryland (16-11, 6-7) -- vs. #35 Notre Dame, #50 Miami-Florida
#88 Stanford (19-9, 9-7) -- #24 Colorado State, #62 NC State