VA TECH BIG WIN @ #17 VIRGINIA

Dr.Don

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Va Tech 47, VA 45.

This is a good win for our Gophers, Right SS?
 

Definitely, unless they lose a few more that they shouldn't. We need Va Tech to keep winning and finish at least .500 in ACC play to keep it a quality win.

Sorry, I know I'm not SS, but hey, I'm feelin' good on this 3 game winning streak! :)
 

On a somewhat related note - a question for the selection gurus out there (SS maybe?) - if you're playing two games, say @ MSU and vs Iowa, would a win/lose scenario cancel each other out? Or is it better to win and lose where you are supposed to?

It seems to me you get more attention for winning the 'big' games (upsets), but there's something to be said for consistency.
 

On a somewhat related note - a question for the selection gurus out there (SS maybe?) - if you're playing two games, say @ MSU and vs Iowa, would a win/lose scenario cancel each other out? Or is it better to win and lose where you are supposed to?

It seems to me you get more attention for winning the 'big' games (upsets), but there's something to be said for consistency.

I don't know how much it matters to the selection committee, but it seems that everyone on ESPN every year feels that beating the better team is more valuable. They justify it by saying that you will be playing against good competiton in the tournamet, so a better record against better teams proves you belong more than a good record against bad teams since you won't be playing bad teams in the tournament anyway. Like I said, not sure if the selection committee views it the same way though.
 

I don't know how much it matters to the selection committee, but it seems that everyone on ESPN every year feels that beating the better team is more valuable. They justify it by saying that you will be playing against good competiton in the tournamet, so a better record against better teams proves you belong more than a good record against bad teams since you won't be playing bad teams in the tournament anyway. Like I said, not sure if the selection committee views it the same way though.

I agree that this is how ESPN seems to view it and I don't like it. To me, two teams who play the same schedule and finish with the same record are identical, regardless of who pulled off upsets or who beat who they were supposed to (or, or that matter, how much you won by or how close or losses were). That's why I am not a big fan of selection committees, I would prefer basketball to use something like college hockey's pairwise rankings to pick the tournament field.
 



I put more stock in quality wins than bad losses.

Generally speaking, my hope is that about half of the Gophers' nonconference opponents (5, maybe 6) end up being top-50/100 type teams. Currently there are 4 of those -- Dayton (22), SDSU (64), Virginia Tech (68) and Bucknell (69). We're 3-1 vs. those 4.

It looks doubtful any others (#129 Indiana State, #132 NDSU, #139 Fairfield) will join them. I'd guess Fairfield has the best chance.
 

I put more stock in quality wins than bad losses.

Generally speaking, my hope is that about half of the Gophers' nonconference opponents (5, maybe 6) end up being top-50/100 type teams. Currently there are 4 of those -- Dayton (22), SDSU (64), Virginia Tech (68) and Bucknell (69). We're 3-1 vs. those 4.

It looks doubtful any others (#129 Indiana State, #132 NDSU, #139 Fairfield) will join them. I'd guess Fairfield has the best chance.

I don't get that part. To me it says it's better to be inconsistent than consistent. Just don't agree with that, but seems I'm in the minority.
 

I think at this point, we're over-stating how 'bad' the Iowa loss is. They already have 3 conference wins and will probably end up at 5 or 6. It's not like we're the 1 for a 1-17 team.

As for VT, I think they will find their way to the outside of the bubble at 8-8 or so. The ACC is terrible outside of Duke, NC, UVa and FSU.
 



The Purdue loss bothers me more than the Iowa loss. Purdue's more likely to be one of the teams the Gophers share the bubble with at the end of the season. Purdue is nowhere near as good as they've been recently, and we helped make them look like world-beaters.

Obviously, knowing what we know now (the win @ IU), I'd rather have a win over Purdue in my hip pocket than one vs. Iowa. ... especially since we only play Purdue once.
 




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