We're still not on the bubble. Need a few big wins and Wednesday night is as good a time as any to start.
2/9 Bracketology Update
2/9 Bracketology Update
Bracketology say:
- Thread starter graddawg
- Start date
...he's got five SEC teams in. That's really about as much as we can hope for this year. And I think we have a chance to finish in the top 5. The top 3? Not so much.
that we will finish 1st or 2nd in the overall SEC. The West is so bad that both us and LSU could win our remaining games (sans the one against each other) while the East has five games involving two of the four in contention, plus Florida has to visit LSU and State.
To me, its looking like 11 wins including a road win at UT and a win over the corndogs Wed would make us a lock. With a loss to either of those I think we'd probably need 12 W's. Although I don't like our chances of winning both of those big games, it can happen. At the beginning of the year who can honestly say that we would be having this discussion? I had resigned myself to be content w/ an NIT berth.
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that Kentucky is considered "in" the tourney right now, and we have virtually the same record, close R.P.I.'s, and our strength of schedule is better according to Jerry Palm. How in the hell can they be considered in, and we are not even in the conversation? I know the obvious answer is they are Kentucky and we are Mississippi State but that is still ********. We have some decent R.P.I. games left and if we take care of business we can still control our own destiny so to speak but I thought that this was a point worth debating. </p>
If we beat LSU Wednesday then we are tied for the lead in the entire SEC. There is still a very good opportunity for us to take it all. If we can get that win then I don't see any SEC team separating itself from the pack. I also think that with the right draw, we have as good a chance as any to win the automatic bid in the SEC tourney.
Let's assume we finish as West 2 for a minute. We get a bye on the first day and play Friday night in the last game. More than likely we are going to end up playing two of the top four Eastern division on Friday and Saturday if we keep winning. If we are West 2, you're looking right now at the winner of Arkansas and East 3, which as of today, is Kentucky. Say we win that one, then we are looking probably at East 1, which as of now is Florida.
The situation is not that much easier as West 1. If we are in that spot, we would open with the winner of West 5/ East 4 which is something like Alabama and as of today, Tennessee. If we win that one, it is likely to be East 2 on Saturday which today is South Carolina.
I don't know if I have a preferred two teams out of those four East teams. We can beat them all, and they can all beat us. Maybe as the season winds down and we see where we are going to finish we'll come to some agreement on which two of those teams we would rather have on our half of the bracket and we'll know who to cheer for in the last week or so, but as of now, I am having a hard time telling much difference in the four of them.
I will say that the only "easy" draw is going to be East 1, who opens with East 5/West 4, so something like Vandy/Auburn before getting to the Saturday game with the West 2/East 3/Arkansas survivor.
The situation is not that much easier as West 1. If we are in that spot, we would open with the winner of West 5/ East 4 which is something like Alabama and as of today, Tennessee. If we win that one, it is likely to be East 2 on Saturday which today is South Carolina.
I don't know if I have a preferred two teams out of those four East teams. We can beat them all, and they can all beat us. Maybe as the season winds down and we see where we are going to finish we'll come to some agreement on which two of those teams we would rather have on our half of the bracket and we'll know who to cheer for in the last week or so, but as of now, I am having a hard time telling much difference in the four of them.
I will say that the only "easy" draw is going to be East 1, who opens with East 5/West 4, so something like Vandy/Auburn before getting to the Saturday game with the West 2/East 3/Arkansas survivor.
Yes..they are Kentucky first off
But second, they have Quality wins over WV and Tn both of which are top 25 rpi teams..and the only lose they have outside the top 100 was the first game of the season
meanwhile, we havent even PLAYED anyone in the top 50 rpi (Cincy is close at 51,but we lost that) and wont until USC comes to town (if they are still in top 50 in a week)
We have 3 losses outside the top 100 and 2 of those are outside the top 150.
But second, they have Quality wins over WV and Tn both of which are top 25 rpi teams..and the only lose they have outside the top 100 was the first game of the season
meanwhile, we havent even PLAYED anyone in the top 50 rpi (Cincy is close at 51,but we lost that) and wont until USC comes to town (if they are still in top 50 in a week)
We have 3 losses outside the top 100 and 2 of those are outside the top 150.
I just don't see how 11-5 does not get us in. People like to say the East is so much better then the West this year, but that really isn't true. The East has a slight advantage over the West (11-9).
I think non-conference games are a extremely overrated indicator as well. In basketball, teams develop over the season and a bad team at the beginning of the season might be a tournament team at the end, this is why conference record and the last 10 games stat is so important. Look at Kentucky last year, they were 6-7 going into conference play. They ended up being a lock for the tournament despite their horrible start. I think what you do in non-conference is much more important for mid-major's, but for power conferences it is not as important (even when they are down)
If we end up 11-5, that means we would have to beat some good teams along the way since our schedule is tougher down the stretch.
I think non-conference games are a extremely overrated indicator as well. In basketball, teams develop over the season and a bad team at the beginning of the season might be a tournament team at the end, this is why conference record and the last 10 games stat is so important. Look at Kentucky last year, they were 6-7 going into conference play. They ended up being a lock for the tournament despite their horrible start. I think what you do in non-conference is much more important for mid-major's, but for power conferences it is not as important (even when they are down)
If we end up 11-5, that means we would have to beat some good teams along the way since our schedule is tougher down the stretch.
