Bracketology

[49r]

The B1G Dance Bubble: Minnesota, Nebraska, and maybe Indiana/Illinois - Off Tackle Empire

 

http://www.offtackleempire.com/2014/2/24/5442088/the-b1g-bubble-minnesota-nebraska-indiana-illinois-ncaa-tournament-rpi-sos

 

"By most projections - and probably reality - the B1G has firmly locked in five teams to the NCAA tournament. Those teams are Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Iowa. Barring something catastrophic, and even then most likely, those teams will be dancing and are now more concerned about their seeding than they are if they'll punch their ticket. Normally, as a Nebraska writer, my job about now would be projecting NIT berths, but Nebraska is part of a small group in the B1G with a chance to still gain one of those beautiful spots in the Big Dance."

[GoBigRed]

 

 

A guy on 1620 the zone got on and said that NU still has work to do because we don't have a lot of top 100 wins. Yet we are 6-7 in that category which is just as many wins as so many of these other teams.

The long and the short of it is, most people don't know what they are talking about.

This^^^^. Nebraska has come out of nowhere over the last month and there are a lot of 'experts' that still haven't studied up on the Nebraska NCAA tournament resume. You would think it would be simple enough to look but since they don't know, when asked the question they just spew standard answers like need some more wins, not enough big wins, too many losses, etc. They don't know. Gradually, this team is forcing more people to look. People will take notice. Just look at the bracketmatrix. Just last week we were in 1 bracket. Now somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 or so. The momentum is continuing to build and the experts will finally get it right.

 

Yep, and it pains me to hear people say we can't lose another game in the regular season or we're done. You're telling me a team has to win 9 games in a row in the 2nd best league in the nation and 11 out of 12 to get in? Because 10-2 in the last 12 games of the Big Ten wouldn't be good enough? You'd have to have been atrocious before that to not be in, and we were not atrocious. We were 9-9 with 6 of the losses to teams projected to be 2-7 seeds. I still believe if we go 2-2 (18-12, 10-8) and win 1 in the Big Ten tournament, we should be in. Hands down. I wouldn't feel good about it, but I think we'd deserve it. Then you've got teams like Providence who lose 3 in a row, 4 out of 5, 5 out of 8...they haven't won back-to-back games sine January. Yet they seemingly can't do anything to be removed from the tournament field.

[big red22]

You mark my words right now, by Tuesday we will be either be in or the first or second team out… If you only go by the 2/24 updates we are up 4 or 5 spots.

 

GBR!

 

Win at Illinois boys then Northwestern at home… we will be sitting real pretty!

[nebrasketball10]

A guy on 1620 the zone got on and said that NU still has work to do because we don't have a lot of top 100 wins. Yet we are 6-7 in that category which is just as many wins as so many of these other teams.

The long and the short of it is, most people don't know what they are talking about.

This^^^^. Nebraska has come out of nowhere over the last month and there are a lot of 'experts' that still haven't studied up on the Nebraska NCAA tournament resume. You would think it would be simple enough to look but since they don't know, when asked the question they just spew standard answers like need some more wins, not enough big wins, too many losses, etc. They don't know. Gradually, this team is forcing more people to look. People will take notice. Just look at the bracketmatrix. Just last week we were in 1 bracket. Now somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 or so. The momentum is continuing to build and the experts will finally get it right.

Yep, and it pains me to hear people say we can't lose another game in the regular season or we're done. You're telling me a team has to win 9 games in a row in the 2nd best league in the nation and 11 out of 12 to get in? Because 10-2 in the last 12 games of the Big Ten wouldn't be good enough? You'd have to have been atrocious before that to not be in, and we were not atrocious. We were 9-9 with 6 of the losses to teams projected to be 2-7 seeds. I still believe if we go 2-2 (18-12, 10-8) and win 1 in the Big Ten tournament, we should be in. Hands down. I wouldn't feel good about it, but I think we'd deserve it. Then you've got teams like Providence who lose 3 in a row, 4 out of 5, 5 out of 8...they haven't won back-to-back games sine January. Yet they seemingly can't do anything to be removed from the tournament field.

I'm pretty sure that - while SOME weight may be given to recent success - the Committee is supposed to look at a team's entire body of work - not how 'hot' they are now.

Not saying I think we have to win out the regular season to get in, just saying we might be over playing the streak factor.

[tcp]

"bracketologists" don't select the field. the committee does. I'm concerned what they think. And as a general rule, they're far more thorough than an internet hack with broadband.

[hhctony]

Going to be a really fun next few weeks. Whether we make it or not. Been a fun ride. 

[nuled2dance]

I just can't understand the love with Tennessee...help me here?

[uneblinstu]

I just can't understand the love with Tennessee...help me here?

Have you ever heard Rocky Top sung in unison by 100,000 people? It's intoxicating.

[uneblinstu]

[hhctony]

Tennessee (Nebraska in ()) = Four road/neutral wins (3). Non.-conf. SOS 39 (76). Non-conf. RPI 68 (69). We have clearly performed better in conference play. But, they do have a nice win with Virginia (only top-50 win) and a neutral with Xavier (odd that they played twice, but went to XU and lost, then played them in the Battle for Atlantis, I think. 

[HuskerFever]

 

This tells me two things...

 

1) I need to remember to go get an eye test.

 

2) Nebraska fits the bill.

[nuled2dance]

Xavier was just woodsheded this weekend...tenn lost to bama. We should look great on their eyes.

[doc1394]

24 of 93 brackets now on bracketmatrix.com

[TomEadesSucks]

 

How do I get that job?

[TheKamdyMan]

All I care about are the teams like Wichita State and other mid major conferences where it's a one bid league and somehow that one bid becomes two because they falter in the tournament. Those teams can hurt us more I think in the end.

[hhctony]

All I care about are the teams like Wichita State and other mid major conferences where it's a one bid league and somehow that one bid becomes two because they falter in the tournament. Those teams can hurt us more I think in the end.

 

The good thing about that is there are not a ton of those this year. But, yes, that should scare us as much as other bubble teams.

[lanigan123]

I was listening to the radio and they thought in Nebraska won out that they would be like a 6 seed.

[ajb5856]

24 of 93 brackets now on bracketmatrix.com

And a 10-seed in one of those brackets with some 11-seeds sprinkled in. They are starting to take notice. Need to get the win tomorrow. Just need to keep winning and leave no doubt.

[Blindcheck]

What is the best conference record of a Big ten team to be left out of the tournament in the last ten years?

 

I think Nebraska went 10-6 in the Big 12 one year and it was the first time a Big 12 team was left out winning 10 games.

[atskooc]

What is the best conference record of a Big ten team to be left out of the tournament in the last ten years?

 

I think Nebraska went 10-6 in the Big 12 one year and it was the first time a Big 12 team was left out winning 10 games.

Someone posted the other day that Iowa finished fourth in the conference standings a few years ago and were left out.

[throwback]

I was listening to the radio and they thought in Nebraska won out that they would be like a 6 seed.

Well I was listening to the voices in my head and they were thinking 5 seed, but we're probably just splitting hairs now. 

[PimpMario]

http://bracketproject.blogspot.com/
 

This has us a 1 seed in the NIT.

[1sdpad2]

Southern Miss(31) was the lowest rpi to go to the NIT last year.  Lousiana Tech was second highest at 54.  Many teams in the 55 - 70 range went to the NIT.  I think we need to be 45 or so in the RPI to get to the dance. http://www.rpiforecast.com has us go 2-2 and finish the season with a 55 rpi and then go 1-1 in the Big 10 tourney and finish at 63.5.  I don't think 2-2 and a win in the tourney gets us in, unless one of those two wins is against Wisconsin.  Even that Wisconsin win would probably not get us in.  2-2 and 1-1 in the tourney puts us at 19-13 as someone mentioned earlier.  20 is a magic number in my opinion to keep our rpi above 50, once again as someone stated earlier.

[hhctony]

The guy who does the bracket for USA Today -- Shelby Mast -- is a pretty decent follow on Twitter (@bracketwag). Currently has us as the second team out and Minnesota as the last team in (Oregon in between us). I can live with that personally. I'm not sure if he is updating brackets daily yet, but he says a Xavier loss to St. John's tonight could get the Johnnies past us and in the bracket with XU out and that Minnesota would need a win against Iowa to stay in the bracket. 

[GoBigRed]

Entering tonight, BracketMatrix had:

 

(12) St. John's - 11.36

(4th team out) Dayton - 11.40

(5th team out) Nebraska - 11.58

 

With St. John's losing at home and Dayton getting crushed, we will probably pass both teams when the rankings are updated next, which would put us the 3rd team out (I hope). Missouri will fall from 10.70 but probably not below us.