Road to Selection Sunday (Week 14)/Field of 65 (2/8/10)

[SelectionSunday]

Please note, I'll start the "Bubble Watch" today (in another thread). The Gophers, once again, will be one of the primary suspects. I'll post a daily list of games involving current bubble teams.

All RPI rankings are courtesy of CollegeRPI.com.

BITS & PIECES
(1) The top 5 in the RPI. ... (1) Kansas (22-1); (2) Syracuse (22-1); (3) Duke (19-4); (4) West Virginia (19-3); and (5) Villanova (20-2).

(2) Best advice I've heard from an official to a player all season? There was no misreading Teddy Valentine's lips when he emphatically spoke to Even Turner in the Buckeyes' game Sunday vs. Iowa. Valentine told Turner to "zip it" (adding for emphasis the "zip it" motion) after Valentine saw the Buckeyes star shooting his mouth off to Iowa's Aaron Fuller. It's too bad a player of Turner's ability acts like he does on the court. He's petulant and carries himself like he should get every call. Looks to me like he's ready for the NBA in more ways than one.

MY FANTASTIC 5
1. Kansas (tonight @ Texas)
2. Syracuse (host UConn on Wednesday)
3. Kentucky (host Alabama on Tuesday)
4. West Virginia (host Villanova tonight)
5. Villanova (tonight @ West Virginia)

BIG TEN IN THE RPI
9. Wisconsin
11. Purdue
14. Michigan State
38. Ohio State
61. Minnesota
66. Northwestern
72. Illinois
145. Michigan
190. Iowa
220. Indiana
227. Penn State

GOPHERS' NONCONFERENCE OPPONENTS
15. Butler (20-4, 13-0)
20. Texas A&M (16-6, 6-3)
82. Miami-Florida (15-7, 2-7)
84. Portland (13-8, 5-3)
131. Morgan State (17-7, 9-0)
165. Stephen F. Austin (13-6, 6-3)
177. Saint Joseph's (9-14, 3-6)
189. Tennessee Tech (10-12, 6-7)
211. South Dakota State (11-11, 9-4)
244. Northern Illinois (8-14, 4-6)
268. Brown (5-16, 1-5)
339. Utah Valley (7-12, 4-3)

"FIELD OF 65" PROJECTION
***Joe Lunardi and I have 3 differences at this point. He has Louisville, Oklahoma State and Old Dominion "in", in their place I have Marquette, VCU and Virginia Tech.

*Denotes conference leader in multiple-bid league.

America East (1): Stony Brook (154)

ACC (7): *Duke (3), Wake Forest (16), Georgia Tech (25), Clemson (40), Florida State (43), Maryland (44), Virginia Tech (64)

Atlantic Sun (1): Belmont (144)

Atlantic 10 (6): Rhode Island (12), Temple (17), Xavier (27), Richmond (31), Dayton (33), *Charlotte (46)

Big East (6): *Syracuse (2), West Virginia (4), Villanova (5), Georgetown (8), Pitt (23), Marquette (60)

Big Sky (1): Weber State (83)

Big South (1): Coastal Carolina (140)

Big 10 (5): Wisconsin (9), Purdue (11), *Michigan State (14), Ohio State (38), Illinois (72)

Big 12 (6): *Kansas (1), Kansas State (7), Texas A&M (20), Texas (22), Baylor (28), Missouri (47)

Big West (1): Pacific (112)

Colonial (2): VCU (53), *Northeastern (54)

Conference USA (2): UAB (29), *UTEP (58)

Horizon (1): Butler (15)

Ivy (1): Cornell (49)

Metro Atlantic (1): Siena (34)

MAC (1): Kent State (65)

MEAC (1): Morgan State (131)

Missouri Valley (1): Northern Iowa (13)

Mountain West (3): *New Mexico (10), BYU (21), UNLV (30)

Northeast (1): Robert Morris (156)

Ohio Valley (1): Murray State (90)

Pac 10 (1): Cal (26)

Patriot (1): Lehigh (168)

SEC (5): *Kentucky (6), Tennessee (18), Vanderbilt (19), Ole Miss (36), Florida (48)

Southern (1): Charleston (88)

Southland (1): Sam Houston State (76)

SWAC (1): Jackson State (252)

Summit (1): Oakland (68)

Sun Belt (1): Arkansas State (157)

West Coast (2): Gonzaga (24), *St. Mary's (45)

WAC (1): Utah State (51)


Non-BCS At-Larges (10): Rhode Island (12), Temple (17), BYU (21), Gonzaga (24), Xavier (27), UAB (29), UNLV (30), Richmond (31), Dayton (33), VCU (53)

Last 4 In: Dayton (33), VCU (53), Marquette (60), Virginia Tech (64)

First 4 Out: Old Dominion (35), Oklahoma State (39), Louisville (42), Notre Dame (59)

In the Mix (13): Texas Tech (32), Wichita State (37), South Florida (50), William & Mary (52), Washington (55), Cincinnati (56), UConn (57), GOPHERS (61), Tulsa (62), Northwestern (66), Mississippi State (69), Oklahoma (75), Virginia (94)

Next Field of 65 Projection: Tuesday, February 16

 

[GVBadger]

Is there any way Cornell could get in if they don't win the Ivy, or have they already clinched the Ivy? That would be a heck of a story.

Carolina not even in the mix, and you have 7 from the ACC in, how the might have fallen.

This year is wide open. I would not be shocked to see only one number one seed make it to the final four as opposed to last year.

 

[GVBadger]

You forgot the Big 10 power rankings.

 

[Winona Gopher]

Selection Sunday what is your opinion on St. Marys? If they dont beat Gonzaga this week do they have to win their conference tournament? I dont see them getting in unless they win that game as an at-large bid even though they have an impressive record at 21-3.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Cornell (probably not), St. Mary's (has a shot)

A few weeks ago I would have given Cornell a chance for an at-large bid, but probably not now. Their best wins (@ Alabama, @ St. John's) don't look as good as they did a few weeks ago, and they have no wins over sure-fire NCAA teams. I'd give them a slight chance if they only lost one game in the Ivy, but that's about it. That said, I suspect it'll be a moot point. They should run away with the Ivy League title, despite Princeton's surprising 4-0 start.

I like St. Mary's a lot more than I did a few weeks ago. As they were last year, the Gaels could be an interesting case. I think if they win at Gonzaga this week (read: a signature win), they'll pretty much be a lock for the tournament, barring a late-season swoon in the WCC. But if Gonzaga wins and completes the sweep, the Gaels' profile again will be a headache for the Selection Committee.

As you pointed out, they have a gaudy record, but their resume -- like Cornell -- doesn't include any wins over sure-fire NCAA teams. However, the Gaels do have quite a few good wins that -- in my opinion -- make them a viable at-large candidate. New Mexico State, San Diego State, @ Utah State, Pacific, Northeastern at a neutral site & Portland aren't great wins, but as a group they're pretty solid. All except Pacific are in the top 100 of the RPI, and all except San Diego State and Portland either lead or are co-leaders of their respective conferences. In addition, they have no bad losses (Vanderbilt, USC at a neutral site & Gonzaga are all in the top 100).

Translation: I'd give St. Mary's about a 50% chance of getting an at-large bid, so long as there are no losses the rest of the way to opponents other than Gonzaga. The thing that could really bite them is the home losses to Vandy and Gonzaga. If they had simply split those games, they'd be in great shape for an at-large bid.