Road to Selection Sunday (Week 10)

[SelectionSunday]

RPI data (through Sunday's games) courtesy of Jerry Palm & CollegeRPI.com.

BITS & PIECES
(1) The Top 5 in the RPI -- (1) West Virginia (12-2); (2) Duke (13-2); (3) Temple (13-3); (4) Syracuse (15-1); and (5) Purdue (14-1).

(2) It's A George Bailey Weekend -- It was a very productive and important weekend for the Gophers. First and foremost, the Gophers earned a head-to-head win over one of the teams (The Ohio State) they'll likely battle for a NCAA bid. Second, Butler (our only significant nonconference win) swept a Friday-Sunday road trip at Wright State and Detroit, probably the Bulldogs' two toughest opponents within the Horizon League. Third, our two best "good losses" (if there is such a thing), Texas A&M and Miami-Florida both picked up wins. Miami (#70 in the RPI) defeated Wake Forest, while Texas A&M (#35 in the RPI) beat Nebraska. The only down note? Portland lost at home to Gonzaga, dropping the Pilots to #80 in the RPI.

(3) The Rematch in Columbus -- After the chippiness that occurred vs. the Buckeyes (on both sides) during and after the game, I'd bet my bottom dollar the Big 10 will assign its heavy-hitter referees for the Jan. 31 return engagement. Expect at least two of (if not 3) Jim Burr, Eddie Hightower, Ted Valentine and/or Steve Welmer. Things got perilously close to getting out of control Saturday, and from what I could see Evan Turner and Lawrence Westbrook were the main culprits. These guys need to dial down the "macho act" a little bit, or at some point it's going to hurt their teams. For the record, I love watching both guys play, but there's a difference between being an intense competitior and just plain being a dink. From what I could see that line was crossed by both guys.

(4) NW Shows Serious Guts -- Huge gut-check win for Northwestern yesterday in Ann Arbor. Starting the Big 10 season 0-2 and down 31-14 in the first half, this is a game in the past the Wildcats simply would have drifted off into the sunset. Not this season. The Wildcats' 68-62 win shows they're still in play for an at-large bid. Michigan, on the other hand, has nearly flat-lined, and absolutely must beat UConn this weekend to keep a pulse.

(5) The Big 10 Road Tote Board -- For this early in the season, there's been a surprising number of road wins (9) in the Big 10. Certainly, that total is inflated largely because Iowa has played three of its first four conference games at home. Michigan State is the only team with two (Iowa, Northwestern), followed with one apiece by Illinois (Indiana), Michigan (Penn State), Minnesota (Iowa), Northwestern (Michigan), Purdue (Iowa) and Wisconsin (Penn State).

(6) The "Yac 10" -- Coolhand brought the subject up a couple weeks ago, and man was he right on the money. This is not the year for the Pac 10, it's positively horrible. As a group the conference only has four wins I'd call of significant quality, and three of those (St. Mary's, Tennessee, UNLV) were courtesy of USC, which banned itself from the NCAA Tournament. The other good win is Texas A&M, which was defeated by Washington. And don't forget Oregon State's embarrassing 99-48 home loss to provisional D-I newbie Seattle. At absolute most, if things fall right, the Pac 10 could get three NCAA bids, but one or two appears more likely.

(7) One is Not Necessarily the Loneliest Number -- Colonial Athletic Association leader William & Mary certainly should be able to handle close games if the Tribe makes the NCAA Tournament. W&M is 4-1 in league play, with four of the games decided by 1 point. The Tribe are 3-1 in those games. They also had a 1-point win (Hampton) and a 2-point win (Radford) during nonconference play.

(8) West Coast Version of Evan Turner -- If you haven't seen Gonzaga's Matt Bouldin play, make sure you take the time to do so. This guy is a flat-out versatile, jack-of-all-trades stud just like Evan Turner. I don't care what his assist numbers say (pretty good at 4.4 apg) in comparison to the nation's leaders, for my money he's the best pure passer in college basketball. Unbelievable court vision.

THIS WEEK IN THE BIG 10
Tuesday
Ohio State at Purdue
Penn State at Illinois
Tennessee State at Iowa

Wednesday
Minnesota at Michigan State
Wisconsin at Northwestern

Thursday
Indiana at Michigan

Saturday
Illinois at Michigan State
Penn State at Iowa
Purdue at Northwestern
Wisconsin at Ohio State

Sunday
Minnesota at Indiana
UConn at Michigan

KEEP AN EYE ON
Monday
Villanova at Louisville

Tuesday
Kentucky at Florida
Maryland at Wake Forest
Texas A&M at Kansas State

Wednesday
Miami-Florida at Virginia Tech
Mizzou at Texas Tech
North Carolina at Clemson
Pitt at UConn
Vandy at Alabama

Thursday
Cal at Wazzu
Gonzaga at St. Mary's
Seton Hall at Georgetown

Friday
none

Saturday
Dayton at Xavier
Georgia Tech at North Carolina
Louisville at Pitt
Notre Dame at Cincinnati
Oklahoma State at Baylor
Ole Miss at Tennessee
Syracuse at West Virginia
Texas A&M at Texas
Texas Tech at Kansas
Virginia Tech at Florida State

Sunday
Georgetown at Villanova
Wake Forest at Duke

UPSET SPECIAL
Florida over Kentucky (Tuesday).

Last week: My record dropped to 3-6 as Wright State fell 77-65 at home to Butler.

THE "STAPLES"
Non-BCS Wins over the Big 6 (by team)
Gonzaga (6) -- Cincinnati, Colorado, Illinois, Oklahoma, Wazzu, Wisconsin
Temple (4) -- Penn State, Seton Hall, Villanova, Virginia Tech
BYU (3) -- Arizona, Arizona State, Nebraska
Butler (3) -- Northwestern, Ohio State, UCLA
New Mexico (3) -- Cal, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Northern Iowa (3) -- Boston College, Iowa, Iowa State
Portland (3) -- Minnesota, Oregon, UCLA
Rhode Island (3) -- Boston College, Oklahoma State, Providence
Richmond (3) -- Florida, Mississippi State, Mizzou
UAB (3) -- Arkansas, Cincinnati, Georgia
Utah (3) -- Illinois, LSU, Michigan
Cornell (2) -- Alabama, St. John's
Loyola Marymount (2) -- Notre Dame, USC
Oral Roberts (2) -- Mizzou, Stanford
San Diego (2) -- Oklahoma, Stanford
South Alabama (2) -- Arkansas, Florida
Tulsa (2) -- Colorado, Oklahoma State
UNLV (2) -- Arizona, Louisville
Western Kentucky (2) -- Mississippi State, Vandy
Wichita State (2) -- Iowa, Texas Tech
William & Mary (2) -- Maryland, Wake Forest
Wofford (2) -- Georgia, South Carolina
Xavier (2) -- Cincinnati, LSU
American (1) -- DePaul
Boston U (1) -- Indiana
Bradley (1) -- Illinois
Cal State Fullerton (1) -- UCLA
Central Florida (1) -- Auburn
Central Michigan (1) -- South Florida
Charleston (1) -- North Carolina
Charlotte (1) -- Louisville
Colorado State (1) -- Colorado
Creighton (1) -- Nebraska
Dayton (1) -- Georgia Tech
Duquesne (1) -- Iowa
East Tennessee State (1) -- Arkansas
Florida Gulf Coast (1) -- DePaul
George Mason (1) -- Indiana
Green Bay (1) -- Wisconsin
Harvard (1) -- Boston College
Houston (1) -- Oklahoma
Illinois-Chicago (1) -- Oregon State
Iona (1) -- Providence
Long Beach State (1) -- UCLA
Loyola-Maryland (1) -- Indiana
Maine (1) -- Boston College
Missouri State (1) -- Auburn
Montana (1) -- Oregon
Morgan State (1) -- Arkansas
NC-Wilmington (1) -- Penn State
Old Dominion (1) -- Georgetown
Rider (1) -- Mississippi State
Sacramento State (1) -- Oregon State
Saint Joseph's (1) -- Boston College
Saint Louis (1) -- Nebraska
St. Mary's (1) -- Oregon
Sam Houston State (1) -- Auburn
San Diego State (1) -- Arizona
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (1) -- Oregon State
Texas San-Antonio (1) -- Iowa
Troy (1) -- Auburn
Tulane (1) -- Penn State
UTEP (1) -- Oklahoma
Vermont (1) -- Rutgers
VCU (1) -- Oklahoma
Western Carolina (1) -- Louisville

WEEK 9 RESUME BUILDERS
1. Arizona State over Wazzu
2. BYU over UNLV
3. Georgia Tech over Duke
4. Maryland over Florida State
5. Miami-Florida over Wake Forest
6. Minnesota over Ohio State
7. Mississippi State wins @ Ole Miss
8. Mizzou over Kansas State
9. Oklahoma State over Texas Tech
10. Notre Dame over West Virginia
11. Pitt wins @ Cincinnati
12. Temple wins @ Rhode Island
13. UNLV wins @ New Mexico
14. Vandy over Florida
15. Wichita State wins @ Missouri State

WEEK 9 MOST STUNNING RESULT
Charleston 82, North Carolina 79 -- I know UNC is re-loading and I know they had a couple injuries, but how do you explain this one? It's not like Bobby Cremins' squad was 13-0 or 12-1 coming into theis game. They were 7-6.

MY FANTASTIC 5 (ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
1. Kentucky (@ Florida on Super Tuesday)
2. Purdue (host The Ohio State on Tuesday)
3. Syracuse (@ Rutgers on Wednesday)
4. Texas (@ Iowa State on Wednesday)
5. Villanova (@ Louisville tonight)

MY BIG 10 POWER RANKINGS
1. Purdue (14-1, 2-1)
2. Michigan State (13-3, 3-0)
3. Wisconsin (13-3, 3-1)
4. Minnesota (12-4, 3-1)
5. Illinois (11-5, 3-0)
6. Northwestern (12-3, 1-2)
7. Ohio State (11-5, 1-3)
8. Michigan (7-7, 2-2)
9. Indiana (7-8, 1-2)
10. Penn State (8-7, 0-3)
11. Iowa (5-11, 0-4)

BIG 10 IN THE RPI
5. Purdue
15. Wisconsin
25. Michigan State
43. Minnesota
67. Northwestern
69. Illinois
91. Ohio State
156. Michigan
168. Iowa
210. Penn State
243. Indiana

GOPHERS' NONCONFERENCE OPPONENTS IN THE RPI
17. Butler (12-4, 5-0)
35. Texas A&M (11-3, 1-0)
70. Miami-Florida (14-1, 1-1)
80. Portland (8-6, 0-1)
131. Morgan State (9-7, 2-0)
138. Saint Joseph's (5-9, 1-1)
176. South Dakota State (7-8, 5-1)
185. Stephen F. Austin (7-4, 0-1)
219. Tennessee Tech (5-9, 1-4)
238. Northern Illinois (5-8, 1-0)
249. Brown (4-10)
336. Utah Valley (3-8, 1-0)

BCS CONFERENCES HEAD TO HEAD
Standings
1. Big 12 (28-11, 71.8%)
2. ACC (24-20, 54.5%)
3. SEC (25-26, 49%)
4. Big 10 (18-19, 48.6%)
5. Big East (16-20, 44.4%)
6. Pac 10 (9-24, 27.3%)

Week 9 Results (not listed among resume builders)
Duke 86, Iowa State 65
Georgia 73, Georgia Tech 66
Tennessee 76, Kansas 68
Texas 96, Arkansas 85

Next RTSS: Monday, January 25 (need a breather next week)

 

[GVBadger]

Good stuff as always. I know that the Badgers lost to Green Bay, but a RPI of 15 seems low. They have beat two top 5 RPI teams, which is pretty awesome. Maybe instead of the "Record agasint top 50" you could make a special one for the Badger for "record against top 5".

I think the bottom of their schedule was much weaker then it has been in the past which may be hurting their RPI. That and maybe the overall strength of the conference.

Not sure I agree with the power rankings either. That was a pretty good beating the Badgers put on Purdue. Are those post injury report?

 

[SelectionSunday]

Who would be your top 5? I know who one is, who would be the other 4?

Yes, the Leuer injury was considered. No doubt, as a set the Badgers probably do have the best pair of wins in the country.

 

[Sour1729]

Good stuff as always. I know that the Badgers lost to Green Bay, but a RPI of 15 seems low. They have beat two top 5 RPI teams, which is pretty awesome. Maybe instead of the "Record agasint top 50" you could make a special one for the Badger for "record against top 5".

I think the bottom of their schedule was much weaker then it has been in the past which may be hurting their RPI. That and maybe the overall strength of the conference.

Not sure I agree with the power rankings either. That was a pretty good beating the Badgers put on Purdue. Are those post injury report?

As far as the power rankings go, I think you said it yourself earlier in the post. Wisconsin lost to UW-GB. The only game Purdue has lost is on the road to a good Badger squad who rarely ever loses there. Wisconsin also lost to MSU.

Big Ten road wins are tough to come by. Even beating Purdue head to head, I think Wisconsin has to be lower due to their inconsistency and now Leuer's injury. I also think Purdue will beat Wisconsin at Mackey.

 

[inflectionpoint]

The road game at Illinois Feb 27th could be huge. Only game against them and if we can sweep any of the middle/bubble B10 teams it would be huge. Potentially knock out an OSU/NWU/ILL and land us a very solid road win.

Our resume is interesting in that our RPI and SOS are quite high right now (43 RPI/51 SOS per Yahoo RPI), but on paper it doesn't look nearly as impressive as OSUs or NWU. Those "good" losses really do payoff a la MSU and wisky in past years. The neutral/road factor helps, too.

As SS said those Butler wins were huge. Solid conference foes out of the way.

The MSU games are huge coming up, but I look just beyond those to the NWU, at OSU, at PSU, Mich, at NWU between Jan 26 and Feb 14 as the deciders.

SS - RPI Deterioration... If Butler loses one or so do they stay RPI top 25? How much does that conference weigh on the RPI? Same question for Portland. If they lose 3/4 do they stay top 100?

Thanks as always.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Assuming they don't lose more than a couple games, Butler's RPI should remain up there. Maybe it won't stay top 25, but certainly top 50.

Portland, I'm not as confident. If they lose to anyone other than Gonzaga and/or St. Mary's (the only good teams in the WCC), I think they'll end up being a "bad loss" (RPI of 101+). I'm just hoping they somehow stay in the top 100.

 

[Jike Spingleton]

(6) The "Yac 10" -- Coolhand brought the subject up a couple weeks ago, and man was he right on the money. This is not the year for the Pac 10, it's positively horrible. As a group the conference only has four wins I'd call of significant quality, and three of those (St. Mary's, Tennessee, UNLV) were courtesy of USC, which banned itself from the NCAA Tournament. The other good win is Texas A&M, which was defeated by Washington. And don't forget Oregon State's embarrassing 99-48 home loss to provisional D-I newbie Seattle. At absolute most, if things fall right, the Pac 10 could get three NCAA bids, but one or two appears more likely.

And then Oregon State goes into MacArthur Court last night and knocks off the league's last unbeaten (albeit at only 2-0) in Oregon, ending a 16-game losing skid in "The Pit" in the final "Civil War" ever played there.

With Washington looking extremely shaky, I think it would be hilarious to see the Pac-10 get only one team in the tourney.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Oregon State over Oregon

Good point. Oregon has a chance to at least take a little bit of control (through 3 games), and their response is looking like crap at home vs. a very bad Oregon State squad?

I have to believe Cal will be the team that takes charge. Washington's been a major bust, they miss Brockman much more than they ever could have imagined. Won't be surprised at all if Ben Howland's UCLA team slowly but surely improves and then wins the Pac 10 tourney to grab a bid, even in a significantly down year for the tradition-rich program.

 

[fan of Ray Williams]

Selection Sunday, you know anything about the Universty of Northern Iowa team? They just keep rolling along.

 

[SelectionSunday]

UNI

Only loss is a head-scratcher (DePaul, early in the season), have some pretty decent wins (BC, Siena, @ Iowa State, Missouri State), looks like they'll run away with MVC title, likely will be in the field as an at-large if they don't win the MVC tourney title.

Would love it if Gophers would schedule them in the future, or someone of similar ilk from the MVC.

 

[fan of Ray Williams]

SS, I was just looking up their schedule results and they also beat Iowa by 17. Big game tomorrow at home against Bradley. Great job on the Road to Selection Sunday.