RPI

DePaul guys!

DePaul guys!

+1

If we win 20 games including the BET I think we're in. And I don't think 20 wins is a stretch at this point.

We already have 13.  Our goals are attainable.  If we beat DePaul like we should(can) at Carnesecca and then take care of either uconn or Georgetown, I think we are on our way.  Let's just beat DePaul.

Quote from: dR3w on January 28, 2013, 04:17:24 PM

Quote from: Moose on January 28, 2013, 03:55:57 PM

Quote from: dR3w on January 28, 2013, 03:50:57 PM

Quote from: Choz4Life on January 28, 2013, 03:43:59 PM

Bottom line is this:

St. John cannot simply take care of business from here on out and expect an invite.

They dug theyselves deep, deep, deep into a hole and they gotta dig theyselves out.

Right now, they on level 4 of Dig-Dug and they gotta get theyselves to level 10.

I don't think StJ deserves to get in, but just to play devil's advocate, West Virginia was 19-13 last year with a 9-9 Big East Record.  That's borderline.  Maybe level 6 of Dig-Dug?

What was their RPI and SOS

End of season (After BET)

Men's Basketball - West Virginia Mountaineers (2011-2012)

RPI Rank: 57    SOS Rank: 18     Record: 19-13 (9-10)

Another factor, and maybe not a big deal, was that they didn't win a single game in the BET.  I can hear the talk that if you ware 19-12 and heading into the BET, that you would need to win a game or two.  They didn't.  But I realize every year, there are question marks. 

And as Choz was saying, recent history has shown that middle of the pack, big conference teams haven't faired well.    But of course, someone has to fill out the at-large bids.  Would you rather see a third place team from a mid-major get in?

Maybe their fans travel better than SHU's.  You think the committee, in a very close call, might take that into account?

No.  NO school travels better than Virginia Tech.   But the Hokies were 23-8 in 2010, 4th in the ACC, with an RPI of 58, and didn't get invited.   Finished 25-9 that year after the NITs.

Now, the NIT will DEFINATELY take fan-following into account when making invites.  Especially non-host schools.

DePaul guys!

Paultz bringin the wisdom.

Quote from: paultzman on January 28, 2013, 07:24:52 PM

DePaul guys!

Paultz bringin the wisdom.

Amen brothers, Amen.

Guys lets say we finsh out around the 19 or 20 win mark, are we more a 6,7 seed or a 8,9,10 seed

It depends on whether our signature wins change. Most likely we'll be 7 seed or lower though. We were only a 6 seed in 2011 and that was with knocking off 6 top 15 teams. But I would take any tourney bid, not worried about that.

And of course we have to take it one game at a time. Beat Depaul! But there's nothing wrong with thinking ahead or getting excited that this team may have turned the corner.

With this team, anything can happen. We could lose to any team remaining on the schedule, but we could also beat any team. Historically, if I'm not mistaken, Lavin's teams get better as the season progresses.

This from yahoo has us as as a 12- seed as it stands right now.  Obviously a long way to go.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/bracket-big-board-powerful-hurricanes-seed-standing-intensifying-180418578--ncaab.html;_ylt=AwrHgPgC_gZRcioAegHevbYF;_ylu=X3oDMTRrMDJza2dtBG1pdANMSVNUUyBNaXhlZCBMaXN0IE5DQUFCIEJsb2dzBHBrZwMzODBkNzk5Yy00ZGJiLTMzOTAtYTk5NC0wMzk4NDUwNjg0MjAEcG9zAzEEc2VjA01lZGlhQkxpc3RNaXhlZExQQ0FUZW1wBHZlcgNlN2MyMThjMy02OTdhLTExZTItOTdmZS1mMjEyNTcyNWViNWI-;_ylg=X3oDMTFqcGhkc2djBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANuY2FhYgRwdANzZWN0aW9ucw--;_ylv=3

Quote from: Choz4Life on January 28, 2013, 08:17:01 PM

Quote from: paultzman on January 28, 2013, 07:24:52 PM

DePaul guys!

Paultz bringin the wisdom.

Amen brothers, Amen.

I don't want to pile on.... But right on Paultz!   
DePaul, DePaul, DePaul .. That's all our guys need to be thinking about.


As a side note: I know we're on a nice winning streak, but since when can we count games against USF or Providemce as automatic wins?   
If its a tight game and we give the friars all those open looks down the stretch, like we did against Seton Hall, I guarantee Cotton will hit one of those open 3s to tie or take the lead.    If we keep playing one possession games we're going to get burnt like we did against Rutgers the first time. 
This habit of not putting teams away isn't a cute characteristic of a "scrappy" and young team....its a potentially fatal flaw for a basketball team.   

Quote from: fordham96 on January 28, 2013, 08:21:55 PM

Quote from: Choz4Life on January 28, 2013, 08:17:01 PM

Quote from: paultzman on January 28, 2013, 07:24:52 PM

DePaul guys!

Paultz bringin the wisdom.

Amen brothers, Amen.

I don't want to pile on.... But right on Paultz!   
DePaul, DePaul, DePaul .. That's all our guys need to be thinking about.


As a side note: I know we're on a nice winning streak, but since when can we count games against USF or Providemce as automatic wins?   
If its a tight game and we give the friars all those open looks down the stretch, like we did against Seton Hall, I guarantee Cotton will hit one of those open 3s to tie or take the lead.    If we keep playing one possession games we're going to get burnt like we did against Rutgers the first time. 
This habit of not putting teams away isn't a cute characteristic of a "scrappy" and young team....its a potentially fatal flaw for a basketball team.   

+1 Learn to finish a team!!

Quote from: fordham96 on January 28, 2013, 08:21:55 PM

Quote from: Choz4Life on January 28, 2013, 08:17:01 PM

Quote from: paultzman on January 28, 2013, 07:24:52 PM

DePaul guys!

Paultz bringin the wisdom.

Amen brothers, Amen.

I don't want to pile on.... But right on Paultz!   
DePaul, DePaul, DePaul .. That's all our guys need to be thinking about.


As a side note: I know we're on a nice winning streak, but since when can we count games against USF or Providemce as automatic wins?   
If its a tight game and we give the friars all those open looks down the stretch, like we did against Seton Hall, I guarantee Cotton will hit one of those open 3s to tie or take the lead.    If we keep playing one possession games we're going to get burnt like we did against Rutgers the first time. 
This habit of not putting teams away isn't a cute characteristic of a "scrappy" and young team....its a potentially fatal flaw for a basketball team.

I don't think anyone is saying they're automatic wins. But, would it surprise you if we beat them? Would it really surprise you if we knocked off one of Syracuse or Louisville? Is it out of the realm of possibility that we go 7-5 the rest of the way? We've only been "blown out" once this season, every other game has been close. And you can expect these final 11 games to be close as well.

I think we are clearly a bubble team right now. A lot can change from now until March, but no one on this board thought we'd be 13-7 (5-3) 4 games ago. Back then, our team was so poorly built we'd be lucky to surpass last years win total and Lavin couldn't coach a JV team.

You guys crack me up....this team is a long way from the tourney.  20 wins will be real tough

Quote from: desco80 on January 28, 2013, 08:53:59 PM

Quote from: fordham96 on January 28, 2013, 08:21:55 PM

Quote from: Choz4Life on January 28, 2013, 08:17:01 PM

Quote from: paultzman on January 28, 2013, 07:24:52 PM

DePaul guys!

Paultz bringin the wisdom.

Amen brothers, Amen.

I don't want to pile on.... But right on Paultz!   
DePaul, DePaul, DePaul .. That's all our guys need to be thinking about.


As a side note: I know we're on a nice winning streak, but since when can we count games against USF or Providemce as automatic wins?   
If its a tight game and we give the friars all those open looks down the stretch, like we did against Seton Hall, I guarantee Cotton will hit one of those open 3s to tie or take the lead.    If we keep playing one possession games we're going to get burnt like we did against Rutgers the first time. 
This habit of not putting teams away isn't a cute characteristic of a "scrappy" and young team....its a potentially fatal flaw for a basketball team.   

+1 Learn to finish a team!!

We're not alone, a lot of posters have been saying it.
But it bears repeating lol

When we play close games were taking a risk that a bad bounce, or a bad call, won't go against us.   Too much luck comes into play in tight games.

Quote from: desco80 on January 28, 2013, 08:53:59 PM

Quote from: fordham96 on January 28, 2013, 08:21:55 PM

Quote from: Choz4Life on January 28, 2013, 08:17:01 PM

Quote from: paultzman on January 28, 2013, 07:24:52 PM

DePaul guys!

Paultz bringin the wisdom.

Amen brothers, Amen.

I don't want to pile on.... But right on Paultz!   
DePaul, DePaul, DePaul .. That's all our guys need to be thinking about.


As a side note: I know we're on a nice winning streak, but since when can we count games against USF or Providemce as automatic wins?   
If its a tight game and we give the friars all those open looks down the stretch, like we did against Seton Hall, I guarantee Cotton will hit one of those open 3s to tie or take the lead.    If we keep playing one possession games we're going to get burnt like we did against Rutgers the first time. 
This habit of not putting teams away isn't a cute characteristic of a "scrappy" and young team....its a potentially fatal flaw for a basketball team.

I don't think anyone is saying they're automatic wins. But, would it surprise you if we beat them? Would it really surprise you if we knocked off one of Syracuse or Louisville? Is it out of the realm of possibility that we go 7-5 the rest of the way? We've only been "blown out" once this season, every other game has been close. And you can expect these final 11 games to be close as well.

I think we are clearly a bubble team right now. A lot can change from now until March, but no one on this board thought we'd be 13-7 (5-3) 4 games ago. Back then, our team was so poorly built we'd be lucky to surpass last years win total and Lavin couldn't coach a JV team.

Your last paragraph is absolutely true 212.
We're not nearly as bad as the consensus said we were 3 weeks ago.   (Myself included)
But the opposite is true to, we're probably not as good as we think we are right now.
I gotta believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle unfortunately.   

And to answer your question, no, beating USF or providence wouldn't surprise me... And I admit we should even be favored.  But our margin for victory is just real slim right now, that I wouldn't count on both games being Ws. 
And yes I would be shocked if we beat Louisville or Syracuse.   If for no other reason than that those games are on the road at incredibly hostile environments.  Yes, we won at Cincy, but I think it's a tall task to ask our guys to win any of those 2.   

Agree let's just avoid a letdown against Depaul.  That is a game we should win, and if we lose I am going to have to stay away from this board for a few days until I get wind of Jermaine or Jordan committing.

Quote from: redstorm212 on January 28, 2013, 09:05:06 PM

Quote from: desco80 on January 28, 2013, 08:53:59 PM

Quote from: fordham96 on January 28, 2013, 08:21:55 PM

Quote from: Choz4Life on January 28, 2013, 08:17:01 PM

Quote from: paultzman on January 28, 2013, 07:24:52 PM

DePaul guys!

Paultz bringin the wisdom.

Amen brothers, Amen.

I don't want to pile on.... But right on Paultz!   
DePaul, DePaul, DePaul .. That's all our guys need to be thinking about.


As a side note: I know we're on a nice winning streak, but since when can we count games against USF or Providemce as automatic wins?   
If its a tight game and we give the friars all those open looks down the stretch, like we did against Seton Hall, I guarantee Cotton will hit one of those open 3s to tie or take the lead.    If we keep playing one possession games we're going to get burnt like we did against Rutgers the first time. 
This habit of not putting teams away isn't a cute characteristic of a "scrappy" and young team....its a potentially fatal flaw for a basketball team.

I don't think anyone is saying they're automatic wins. But, would it surprise you if we beat them? Would it really surprise you if we knocked off one of Syracuse or Louisville? Is it out of the realm of possibility that we go 7-5 the rest of the way? We've only been "blown out" once this season, every other game has been close. And you can expect these final 11 games to be close as well.

I think we are clearly a bubble team right now. A lot can change from now until March, but no one on this board thought we'd be 13-7 (5-3) 4 games ago. Back then, our team was so poorly built we'd be lucky to surpass last years win total and Lavin couldn't coach a JV team.

Your last paragraph is absolutely true 212.
We're not nearly as bad as the consensus said we were 3 weeks ago.   (Myself included)
But the opposite is true to, we're probably not as good as we think we are right now.
I gotta believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle unfortunately.   

And to answer your question, no, beating USF or providence wouldn't surprise me... And I admit we should even be favored.  But our margin for victory is just real slim right now, that I wouldn't count on both games being Ws. 
And yes I would be shocked if we beat Louisville or Syracuse.   If for no other reason than that those games are on the road at incredibly hostile environments.  Yes, we won at Cincy, but I think it's a tall task to ask our guys to win any of those 2.

You're probably right about not being as good as we seem riding a 4 game win streak. Especially because the 4 wins are not necessarily spectacular. But, any BE win is a good win. I just think it's not crazy to start thinking about the "bubble watch" for SJU, because we're right there. I definitely wouldn't be shocked to see us beat one of the two giants. I'm not saying it's likely, but we play to the level of our competition. Louisville's already lost to 'Nova and are not playing particularly well lately.

As a side note: I know we're on a nice winning streak, but since when can we count games against USF or Providemce as automatic wins?   
If its a tight game and we give the friars all those open looks down the stretch, like we did against Seton Hall, I guarantee Cotton will hit one of those open 3s to tie or take the lead.    If we keep playing one possession games we're going to get burnt like we did against Rutgers the first time. 
This habit of not putting teams away isn't a cute characteristic of a "scrappy" and young team....its a potentially fatal flaw for a basketball team.
[/quote]

As another side note, this teams ability to gain comfortable leads against older and more experienced Big East teams is a potentially good omen for a young team.  It is also a promising sign to see a young team regain a lead late in a game against a top twenty team.  These kids did it twice.  Most of these guys went through a war last season.  They seem to be able to deal with adversity fairly well.

Let's enjoy this season one game at a time.  No need to project a NCAA season and no reason to diminish good wins.   

I did find Lavin's quotes before the SHU game encouraging in terms of this team NOT taking ANY team too lightly.

He basically said they have taken enough whippings and blown enough leads between last year and this year to know that they CANNOT overlook anyone.

As a side note: I know we're on a nice winning streak, but since when can we count games against USF or Providemce as automatic wins?   
If its a tight game and we give the friars all those open looks down the stretch, like we did against Seton Hall, I guarantee Cotton will hit one of those open 3s to tie or take the lead.    If we keep playing one possession games we're going to get burnt like we did against Rutgers the first time. 
This habit of not putting teams away isn't a cute characteristic of a "scrappy" and young team....its a potentially fatal flaw for a basketball team.

As another side note, this teams ability to gain comfortable leads against older and more experienced Big East teams is a potentially good omen for a young team.  It is also a promising sign to see a young team regain a lead late in a game against a top twenty team.  These kids did it twice.
[/quote]

Very true, and point well taken.   You gotta be doing doing something right to get the leads. 

And 212, youre right that there is no harm in the bubble talk.   I mean, that's kindve why we talk on a message board, to play the "what if" game.  Right?   
The rest of the season should be exciting either way.   We're at least relevant.  Will we make the tournament?  Idk, I have my doubts.   But it's exciting to have a young team that's improving. 

Latest Bracketology report has us as the last member of the first four out.  RPI of 47 SOS of 18.  The USF loss is technically not a "bad loss" right now as their RPI is up to 147 (BL are graded as a loss to +150).  2-2 vs. top 50 and 5-5 vs top 100 RPI.  Keep piling up wins and we're in good shape.  Next stop Depaul.