Anyone a little worried about the Big East this year?

[Zissou]

Please define what we are confident about (you provided no context) and then explain what is unreasonable about it.

Nobody in the the Big East can match up with our physicality, and then we bring in Clingan. Then I start singing, "Turn off the lights, the party is over".
Nothing to worry about this year.

Just one example…

 

[BlueMAB]

Nobody in the the Big East can match up with our physicality, and then we bring in Clingan. Then I start singing, "Turn off the lights, the party is over".
Nothing to worry about this year.

Just one example…

So you take one post that you disagree with, and instead of quoting him/her, you attribute the attitude to the entire Boneyard,

and STILL fail to explain what's unreasonable about thinking no Big East team can match up with our physicality.

How many teams have a 1-2 combination currently performing as well as Sanogo/Clingan, while a 3rd player, Andre Jackson, looks like he'll make a strong argument for BE DPOY?

 

[goskis2018]

Nobody in the the Big East can match up with our physicality, and then we bring in Clingan. Then I start singing, "Turn off the lights, the party is over".
Nothing to worry about this year.

Just one example…

What's unreasonable about that? We have the best center in the league backed up by the 3rd best center in the league. Really weird one to pull out, considering Villanova especially will struggle to deal with our size. I look forward to bringing this back up in two weeks time after a double digit win and 30+ points from the 5 spot.

 

[UCSouth]

Nobody in the the Big East can match up with our physicality, and then we bring in Clingan. Then I start singing, "Turn off the lights, the party is over".
Nothing to worry about this year.

Just one example…

Still no context. You obviously saw who wrote that....also, to your Whitmore comment...meet Mr Jackson, Cam

 

[ctchamps]

Don't give a damn about the rest of the conference.

I'm glad you're not my wife!

 

[Zissou]

So you take one post that you disagree with, and instead of quoting him/her, you attribute the attitude to the entire Boneyard,

and STILL fail to explain what's unreasonable about thinking no Big East team can match up with our physicality.

How many teams have a 1-2 combination currently performing as well as Sanogo/Clingan, while a 3rd player, Andre Jackson, looks like he'll make a strong argument for BE DPOY?

I gave one example.

Conference play starts soon. We shall see!

 

[BlueMAB]

I gave one example.

Conference play starts soon. We shall see!

So you don't like the opinion here (shocking) and don't want to back up your disagreement with facts, opinions, data, or logic.....

 

[MU in MKE]

From UConn's tournament perspective, there's not much to worry about. But there are always longer term implications to think about as well.

This is the worst start since the conference realigned in 2013. I think it's just a blip, especially with the new coaches in the league. But that still puts more pressure on UConn to perform to these new expectations AND has $$ implications later... we all want as many teams in the conference as possible to make the tourney and win, if only for the dollars and cents part of it. And of course, for the rest of the conference we all want UConn to do well so when we beat you it means more for our resume!

 

[superjohn]

It’s interesting to see the BY swing from overly pessimistic to unreasonably confident. Conference play has not started yet. Nova is the reigning Big East champ coming off a Final Four with an injured lottery pick that has now started to play (3-0 with Cam). Moore will return in the next month (injured before the Final Four). UConn’s rank is nice. Quality wins potential for Nova.

It's interesting how you post here telling us what is unreasonable. It's also interesting you think Justin Moore is good to go.

 

[Friarsnoop]

The Big East is clearly behind the Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC, but it's still the 4th best conference. Other than Georgetown, there are no truly bad teams in the conference. The ACC has a bunch of teams weirder than DePaul.

The top 5-6 teams in the Big East will make the NCAAs. If UConn continues to play the way they are, they'll have no trouble getting a top seed.

 

[ctchamps]

In the past I was more of "WE are DOOOMMmmed" type of fan but this year I'm riding the wave as long as it will carry me to wherever it will go. These last three weeks have been physically heck for me but the emotional ride I got from this team easily distracted me in a good way.

I'd prefer the BE being stronger than it showed this year. But it matters not. It's been a long time since we were carrying the conference. Heck it's been a long time since we even did our part.

 

[Waquoit]

In 98-99, we went into every game thinking we're going to win. I honestly don't remember so many worrywarts. That's the attitude I think we need here.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

One thing to keep in mind (as we are the only team in the conference that is currently ranked in the AP poll) is that we will be a lot of teams' super bowl this season. If nothing else it will toughen us up a little for tournament play.

 

[Zissou]

It's interesting how you post here telling us what is unreasonable. It's also interesting you think Justin Moore is good to go.

Moore is not good to go.

For Nova @ UConn at the end of Dec, Nova appears to be outgunned. Moore will not likely be back and Nova will not have much game time to gel around Whitmore. Whitmore is a big talent and we will have a shot, but UConn has much more time as a unit with its key pieces in place.

Expect Moore back in January, and Nova firing on all cylinders by March. UConn @ Nova in early March will be an important test for both teams.

I bet UConn has at least 4 losses before the NCAAs. That would be a great record, and UConn will have been tested by conference play. Nova should be under seeded due to the losses in the early season without Cam and Moore, but teams will not want to draw them.

 

[superjohn]

Moore is not good to go.

For Nova @ UConn at the end of Dec, Nova appears to be outgunned. Moore will not likely be back and Nova will not have much game time to gel around Whitmore. Whitmore is a big talent and we will have a shot, but UConn has much more time as a unit with its key pieces in place.

Expect Moore back in January, and Nova firing on all cylinders by March. UConn @ Nova in early March will be an important test for both teams.

I bet UConn has at least 4 losses before the NCAAs. That would be a great record, and UConn will have been tested by conference play. Nova should be under seeded due to the losses in the early season without Cam and Moore, but teams will not want to draw them.

It sure sounds like you think Moore will be good to go, I think you're going to be disappointed.

 

[CL82]

I'm worried about you Willie. This is a blue collar team with the white collar talent. Are you ready to handle it?

Best of all possible worlds?

 

[CL82]

It’s interesting to see the BY swing from overly pessimistic to unreasonably confident. Conference play has not started yet. Nova is the reigning Big East champ coming off a Final Four with an injured lottery pick that has now started to play (3-0 with Cam). Moore will return in the next month (injured before the Final Four). UConn’s rank is nice. Quality wins potential for Nova.

Absolutely! You guys are lighting it up this year! It’s always tough to bet against a team with a Hall of Fame coach!

 

[polycom]

We've lost the opening round of conference play many times. If we can get past Butler in convincing fashion we should have a great big east.

 

[Waquoit]

I bet UConn has at least 4 losses before the NCAAs.

How much?

 

[metsfan2323]

In 98-99, we went into every game thinking we're going to win. I honestly don't remember so many worrywarts. That's the attitude I think we need here.

I completely agree that this feels like the 99 team again. Talent, depth and hunger unlike anything we have seen since 99. Also Calhoun was a man on a mission in 99 and I get the same vibe from Hurley.

 

[auror]

Moore is not good to go.

For Nova @ UConn at the end of Dec, Nova appears to be outgunned. Moore will not likely be back and Nova will not have much game time to gel around Whitmore. Whitmore is a big talent and we will have a shot, but UConn has much more time as a unit with its key pieces in place.

Expect Moore back in January, and Nova firing on all cylinders by March. UConn @ Nova in early March will be an important test for both teams.

I bet UConn has at least 4 losses before the NCAAs. That would be a great record, and UConn will have been tested by conference play. Nova should be under seeded due to the losses in the early season without Cam and Moore, but teams will not want to draw them.

It sure sounds like you think Moore will be good to go, I think you're going to be disappointed.

Everyone was all excited about James Robinson's quick NFL recovery from the Achilles. New treatments! He had 2 long runs in the first couple weeks and everyone convinced he was 100% and like nothing had happened.

Since then he's been terribly bad and then got traded. His new team decided he sucked and isn't playing him. The stats like success rate have him as perhaps the worst RB in the league.

At the time of Akok Akok's achilles, I believe we were told that with new treatments and since he was so young and didn't have a lot of weight, that he should be able to recover more quickly or closer to 100% than most people who tear it. He was injured in late February, returned in January of the following year (sound familliar). Akok unfortunately never was the same after his injury and it's been years. He's one of the hardest working kids you can find, so it's certainly not his recovery adeptness.

Expecting anything is a fool's hope. I won't begrudge anyone that hope, but just be aware you will likely still be a cylinder short in March.

 

[PNolanFan]

The conference has been disappointing for sure however I think its fine, metrics have us mid-tier among the power conferences. I would take us top to bottom against the Pac-12 and ACC, and then probably a bit worse than the big 10, big 12 and SEC. Should still have 4/5 tournament team.

More importantly alot of programs are headed in the right direction. I think Marquette and Xavier and Creighton are all headed up with us in the right direction and expect the three to be perennially ranked with the current coaches. Georgetown and Depaul are really the two main drags on the conference at the moment but every conference needs bottom feeders

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Creighton and Xavier have been disappointing, and Marquette has been a surprise to the upside. The rest of the conference has been about what I expected.

Xavier could still be a power this year because that team has talent. Boum is a really good player and should be First Team All-Big East. If Jones ever realizes he is not Lebron and Freemantle keeps his head out of his butt for an entire game, Xavier can play with anyone.

Creighton's mediocre shooting has hurt it and Kalkbrenner is the best player on the team and missed the BYU game. Kalk will be back, but I don't think the shooting will improve.

 

[auror]

From UConn's tournament perspective, there's not much to worry about. But there are always longer term implications to think about as well.

This is the worst start since the conference realigned in 2013. I think it's just a blip, especially with the new coaches in the league. But that still puts more pressure on UConn to perform to these new expectations AND has $$ implications later... we all want as many teams in the conference as possible to make the tourney and win, if only for the dollars and cents part of it. And of course, for the rest of the conference we all want UConn to do well so when we beat you it means more for our resume!

It's true, UConn likely doesn't have much to worry about regarding the rest of the conference.

In fact, the conference has to be overjoyed how good UConn has been thus far (obviously considering how the rest of the preseason top 4-team tier have failed to capitalize on opportunities). Similar to Villanova in past years, we're going to be a signature win for teams at their home arenas, which is the easiest way to get signature wins for bubble teams. Right now the Big East has only a single team in the top 30 of WAB (Wins Above Bubble). Big East teams will be lining up to suckle at our power rating largess, because there's not much else available (as @nelsonmuntz has been accurately mentioning in a few threads regarding the zero sum nature of conference wins)...

If the tournament ended today, UConn is safely in... and that's it. The rest are all on the bubble.

St John's #32, Xavier #36, Marquette #50, Butler #63. Seton Hall #83, Creighton #84, Providence #114, Depaul #132, Nova #154 (will get Whitmore amnesia points at least).

The computer numbers are better, but not the resumes. The conference will need teams to emerge and not just form a mass of mediocrity.

 

[elmcityboy]

Everyone was all excited about James Robinson's quick NFL recovery from the Achilles. New treatments! He had 2 long runs in the first couple weeks and everyone convinced he was 100% and like nothing had happened.

Since then he's been terribly bad and then got traded. His new team decided he sucked and isn't playing him. The stats like success rate have him as perhaps the worst RB in the league.

At the time of Akok Akok's achilles, I believe we were told that with new treatments and since he was so young and didn't have a lot of weight, that he should be able to recover more quickly or closer to 100% than most people who tear it. He was injured in late February, returned in January of the following year (sound familliar). Akok unfortunately never was the same after his injury and it's been years. He's one of the hardest working kids you can find, so it's certainly not his recovery adeptness.

Expecting anything is a fool's hope. I won't begrudge anyone that hope, but just be aware you will likely still be a cylinder short in March.

i was going to post something similar. i like moore (and like nova more than most on this board do) but i can't believe how many nova fans think he will be at or close to 100% any time soon. people like to point to kevin durant as an archetypal success story, but forget that (1) he was out for nearly two years and (2) he's a space alien.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

It's true, UConn likely doesn't have much to worry about regarding the rest of the conference.

In fact, the conference has to be overjoyed how good UConn has been thus far (obviously considering how the rest of the preseason top 4-team tier have failed to capitalize on opportunities). Similar to Villanova in past years, we're going to be a signature win for teams at their home arenas, which is the easiest way to get signature wins for bubble teams. Right now the Big East has only a single team in the top 30 of WAB (Wins Above Bubble). Big East teams will be lining up to suckle at our power rating largess, because there's not much else available (as @nelsonmuntz has been accurately mentioning in a few threads regarding the zero sum nature of conference wins)...

If the tournament ended today, UConn is safely in... and that's it. The rest are all on the bubble.

St John's #32, Xavier #36, Marquette #50, Butler #63. Seton Hall #83, Creighton #84, Providence #114, Depaul #132, Nova #154 (will get Whitmore amnesia points at least).

The computer numbers are better, but not the resumes. The conference will need teams to emerge and not just form a mass of mediocrity.

What stats source are you using?

NET: Marquette 30, Xavier 40, Creighton 46, Butler 51, St. Johns 70, Seton Hall 89
KenPom: Creighton 27, Xavier 29, Marquette 31, St. Johns 49, Villanova 52, Seton Hall 59, Providence 69, Butler 71

I can not remember if NET has a starting point that takes time to get out of the model. KenPom definitely does.

NET still has a lot of cuckoo in it, like Sam Houston State at 23 with a 4-2 record, Kent State (6-2) at 33 and Iona (6-2) at 34. A lot of this detritus will slide down the ratings as the season continues. I also don't expect the MWC teams outside of SDSU to get a lot of love in March for their fancy NET ratings because of how obviously they are gaming the stupidest computer ranking in history.

The Big 12 is the best league in college and the Big East went 5-5 against it in the Big East/Big 12 Battle. The Big 10 is clearly #2, but all but one Big 10 school as 2+ losses, and eight have 3+ losses. The SEC teams haven't played anyone, and several of them still have a lot of losses. The MWC has gamed the computer rankings, and the ACC and Pac 12 are dumpster fires below their medians.

As I mentioned before, part of the reason the Big East is not a train wreck in the computer rankings is because they lose close games rather than get blown out, for the most part.

That said, I definitely agree with your last sentence. The Big East would be well served to have 2 or 3 of Xavier, Marquette, St. Johns or someone else win 12+ games in the league. The last thing the league or UConn needs is five or six teams between 11 and 9 wins in conference play.

 

[auror]

What stats source are you using?

NET: Marquette 30, Xavier 40, Creighton 46, Butler 51, St. Johns 70, Seton Hall 89
KenPom: Creighton 27, Xavier 29, Marquette 31, St. Johns 49, Villanova 52, Seton Hall 59, Providence 69, Butler 71

I can not remember if NET has a starting point that takes time to get out of the model. KenPom definitely does.

NET still has a lot of cuckoo in it, like Sam Houston State at 23 with a 4-2 record, Kent State (6-2) at 33 and Iona (6-2) at 34. A lot of this detritus will slide down the ratings as the season continues. I also don't expect the MWC teams outside of SDSU to get a lot of love in March for their fancy NET ratings because of how obviously they are gaming the stupidest computer ranking in history.

The Big 12 is the best league in college and the Big East went 5-5 against it in the Big East/Big 12 Battle. The Big 10 is clearly #2, but all but one Big 10 school as 2+ losses, and eight have 3+ losses. The SEC teams haven't played anyone, and several of them still have a lot of losses. The MWC has gamed the computer rankings, and the ACC and Pac 12 are dumpster fires below their medians.

As I mentioned before, part of the reason the Big East is not a train wreck in the computer rankings is because they lose close games rather than get blown out, for the most part.

That said, I definitely agree with your last sentence. The Big East would be well served to have 2 or 3 of Xavier, Marquette, St. Johns or someone else win 12+ games in the league. The last thing the league or UConn needs is five or six teams between 11 and 9 wins in conference play.

WAB, specifically from Torvik.

T-Rank - Customizable College Basketball Tempo Free Stats - T-Rank

T-Rank College Basketball Ratings and Rankings. And fun.

barttorvik.com

It has no efficiency component to it, purely resume (though does consider the efficiency of your opponents to determine a baseline to compare your performance against). Which goes to your "lots of close losses", which in WAB hurt you, not reward you.

(As an aside, some B1G schools have losses because they've already played conference games against each other).

 

[nelsonmuntz]

WAB, specifically from Torvik.

T-Rank - Customizable College Basketball Tempo Free Stats - T-Rank

T-Rank College Basketball Ratings and Rankings. And fun.

barttorvik.com

It has no efficiency component to it, purely resume (though does consider the efficiency of your opponents to determine a baseline to compare your performance against). Which goes to your "lots of close losses", which in WAB hurt you, not reward you.

(As an aside, some B1G schools have losses because they've already played conference games against each other).

I had heard of it but just read the FAQ. I think I like his methodology more than KenPom, although he says they are similar.

 

[Jimdish255]

How much?

Only two of the top seeds had 3 losses, the other two had 6 losses last year. It's very ambitious to expect 4 or less losses but the number could be anywhere from 3 to maybe 7 imo. It's interesting because we seem to be the kind of team that can weather some hot shooting when we're a bit flat, then play tough D, get a couple of turnovers, and eventually find a couple of guys to take advantage of a mismatch. PG development can make that a consistent theme.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

What stats source are you using?

NET: Marquette 30, Xavier 40, Creighton 46, Butler 51, St. Johns 70, Seton Hall 89
KenPom: Creighton 27, Xavier 29, Marquette 31, St. Johns 49, Villanova 52, Seton Hall 59, Providence 69, Butler 71

I can not remember if NET has a starting point that takes time to get out of the model. KenPom definitely does.

NET still has a lot of cuckoo in it, like Sam Houston State at 23 with a 4-2 record, Kent State (6-2) at 33 and Iona (6-2) at 34. A lot of this detritus will slide down the ratings as the season continues. I also don't expect the MWC teams outside of SDSU to get a lot of love in March for their fancy NET ratings because of how obviously they are gaming the stupidest computer ranking in history.

The Big 12 is the best league in college and the Big East went 5-5 against it in the Big East/Big 12 Battle. The Big 10 is clearly #2, but all but one Big 10 school as 2+ losses, and eight have 3+ losses. The SEC teams haven't played anyone, and several of them still have a lot of losses. The MWC has gamed the computer rankings, and the ACC and Pac 12 are dumpster fires below their medians.

As I mentioned before, part of the reason the Big East is not a train wreck in the computer rankings is because they lose close games rather than get blown out, for the most part.

That said, I definitely agree with your last sentence. The Big East would be well served to have 2 or 3 of Xavier, Marquette, St. Johns or someone else win 12+ games in the league. The last thing the league or UConn needs is five or six teams between 11 and 9 wins in conference play.

'and the ACC and Pac 12 are dumpster fires below their medians.'

this
NCAA college basketball rankings, polls from the AP and Coaches
says that the ACC has 4 ranked in the AP poll today.