NCAA Tourney Bracket/Bubble Watch

Yes this team should've won more games   

Says who?

The pre-season coaches poll picked us 4th. With one game to play we sit in 3rd place and if not for Clockgate ( I reserve the right to use it the remainder of this season but will scrap it next year if we dance ) we would sit alone in third.

The team has NOT underperformed at all. We got off 12 - 0 out of conference and had some good performances against the leagues top two carried by a superstar guard and visions of grandeur and unrealistic expectations ran away for some of us. Recall the February posts about elite 8's, sweet sixteens and 4, 5 or 6 seeds?

Check this out. Conference games missed by teams top two scorers:

Butler- Baldwin 0 and Jorgensen 0
Creighton - Alexander 1 Krampelj 0
Depaul - Strus 0 Olujobi 0
Gtown - Govan 0 McClung 3
Marquette - Howard 0 Hauser 0
Providence - Diallo 0 Watson 0
Seton Hall - Powell 0 Cale 0
ST. JOHN's - Ponds 1 Heron 3
Villanova - Booth 0 Pascall 0
Xavier - Marshall 0 Scruggs 0

So no surprise here (we are St. John's), we had the worst injury bug in an unusually healthy year for the league and we got outright robbed at Clockgate and still we've performed fully to expectations of any sane pundit.  I don't know what some of you expect? It's like you've been rooting for a different team than I all these years.

Says who?

The pre-season coaches poll picked us 4th. With one game to play we sit in 3rd place and if not for Clockgate ( I reserve the right to use it the remainder of this season but will scrap it next year if we dance ) we would sit alone in third.

The team has NOT underperformed at all. We got off 12 - 0 out of conference and had some good performances against the leagues top two carried by a superstar guard and visions of grandeur and unrealistic expectations ran away for some of us. Recall the February posts about elite 8's, sweet sixteens and 4, 5 or 6 seeds?

Check this out. Conference games missed by teams top two scorers:

Butler- Baldwin 0 and Jorgensen 0
Creighton - Alexander 1 Krampelj 0
Depaul - Strus 0 Olujobi 0
Gtown - Govan 0 McClung 3
Marquette - Howard 0 Hauser 0
Providence - Diallo 0 Watson 0
Seton Hall - Powell 0 Cale 0
ST. JOHN's - Ponds 1 Heron 3
Villanova - Booth 0 Pascall 0
Xavier - Marshall 0 Scruggs 0

So no surprise here (we are St. John's), we had the worst injury bug in an unusually healthy year for the league and we got outright robbed at Clockgate and still we've performed fully to expectations of any sane pundit.  I don't know what some of you expect? It's like you've been rooting for a different team than I all these years.

I think the upperclassmen have to lead, and this is the year we should be seeing it.

Let’s see if it’s there tomorrow for 40 minutes.

I think the upperclassmen have to lead, and this is the year we should be seeing it.

Let’s see if it’s there tomorrow for 40 minutes.

I think the upperclassmen have to lead, and this is the year we should be seeing it.

Let’s see if it’s there tomorrow for 40 minutes.

I hope so but let's not forget we're in a ridiculously tough spot here against the best or hottest team in the league in one of the toughest home courts in the league on senior night? yet again.

It'll take a miracle to win this.

Like I said this could get ugly. X is gonna go full bully ball on us with Jones, Marshall and crew.

This is where a good coaching staff comes up with a game plan to negate X's literal and figurative strengths. Don't see that happening.

I'm shocked the line is only X -2.5. Make a lot of money on the home team with that modest spread.

I'm shocked the line is only X -2.5. 

That's a very encouraging line.

That's a very encouraging line.

X injury

Murray State beats Belmont in the OVC championship game, which adds another team to the bubble. Belmont a true bubble team while Murray would have been sent to the NIT had they lost tonight.

In other news, fairly decent day by bubble teams today.

Temple beat #25 UCF
Creighton beat DePaul
Clemson beat Syracuse
NC State beat BC
Arizona State beat Arizona
Seton Hall beat Villanova
TCU beat Texas

Alabama lost to Arkansas
Texas lost to TCU

Murray State beats Belmont in the OVC championship game, which adds another team to the bubble. Belmont a true bubble team while Murray would have been sent to the NIT had they lost tonight.

In other news, fairly decent day by bubble teams today.

Temple beat #25 UCF
Creighton beat DePaul
Clemson beat Syracuse
NC State beat BC
Arizona State beat Arizona
Seton Hall beat Villanova
TCU beat Texas

Alabama lost to Arkansas
Texas lost to TCU

We are going to finish in 7th place. I believe we may have to make it to the BE final to have a chance at dancing.

We are going to finish in 8th place. I believe we may have to make it to the BE final to have a chance at dancing.

It's 7th. But I'm actually not so sure about needing that much to dance. The bubble is very weak this year. Entering today we still were ahead of the Dayton play-in games. The way I see it now:

Loss to DePaul we're definitely out.
Beat DePaul, lose to Marquette we're probably in but not safe and probably Dayton if we're in.
Beat DePaul and Marquette and we're in regardless of what happens Friday.

St Marys up 5 with 7 mins left against Gonzaga. If St Marys holds on then that's one less bubble spot out there

St Marys wins. Bubble shrinks a spot

Zags laid a complete egg last night. Could help them refocus for the dance. They beat that same St. Mary's team by 48 last month.

This will probably be a important thread now:

Bubble teams today:

Ohio State over Indiana in what might have been a play-in game
Florida beat Arkansas
Alabama beat Ole Miss

NC State blown out by Virginia
TCU lost to Kansas State
Creighton lost to Xavier

Minnesota currently in OT vs Penn State

Texas Plays Kansas later tonight
Arizona State plays UCLA

Plus plenty of potential bid stealers still alive. Need Nevada + Buffalo to win their conferences and nothing crazy to happen in any of the power conferences

This will probably be a important thread now:

Bubble teams today:

Ohio State over Indiana in what might have been a play-in game
Florida beat Arkansas
Alabama beat Ole Miss

NC State blown out by Virginia
TCU lost to Kansas State
Creighton lost to Xavier

Minnesota currently in OT vs Penn State

Texas Plays Kansas later tonight
Arizona State plays UCLA

Plus plenty of potential bid stealers still alive. Need Nevada + Buffalo to win their conferences and nothing crazy to happen in any of the power conferences

I think we’re squarely in. Limped to get there but we got there.

If it’s possible to string together 2 good games this is almost a blessing. Should be looking at an 11/12 seed which I prefer over 7-10

I think we’re squarely in. Limped to get there but we got there.

If it’s possible to string together 2 good games this is almost a blessing. Should be looking at an 11/12 seed which I prefer over 7-10

I think we'll end up getting in but will end up getting sent to Dayton to play a team like TCU or Arizona State.

The bid stealers are going to be the main concern at this point. Can't have the bubble shrink much more

I think we'll end up getting but will end up getting sent to Dayton to play a team like TCU or Arizona State.

The bid stealers are going to be the main concern at this point. Can't have the bubble shrink much more

Hope you’re wrong.

As an aside, I haven’t seen AZ state but Tcu has been really unimpressive the games I’ve seen.

As an aside aside, TCU has to have the worst court I’ve ever seen. It’s visually offensive.

Hope you’re wrong.

As an aside, I haven’t seen AZ state but Tcu has been really unimpressive the games I’ve seen.

On the bubble thread on the TCU board they are saying the same thing about us being very unimpressive... and they'd be right

Minnesota wins in OT. That should remove any doubt on their end. They're in.

I think Florida and Minnesota clinched their spots today. On the flip side, Creighton and Indiana clinched their spots in the NIT

At the very least you gotta think they'll be in Dayton which at this point you take and thank the Lord you aren't in the NIT

On the bubble thread on the TCU board they are saying the same thing about us being very unimpressive... and they'd be right

They would be. I haven’t seen their upside and they haven’t seen ours.

But that court tho.