Our Non Conference

[tzznandrew]

Just because a guy makes a number doesn't mean it has to be respected. Four games out of 11 against Top 15 competition away from home can't possibly be 252. His algorithm needs work.

KenPom's rankings are among the most respected out there. His algorithm doesn't need any work. And by advanced metrics they haven't played 4 games against Top 15 competition:

11 Kansas
19 Gonzaga
15 North Carolina
32 Texas

I'm happy we played all those games, and the team will benefit from them all. I think it has given a fair representation of what it was going for: the general strength of the teams we have played. We played 5 good to very good teams, and then a bunch of trash.

 

[Pmac923]

When you’ve won 27 out of 28 non conference games very convincingly it doesn’t matter who you schedule

 

[Fan1978]

It could matter in seeding, especially with a weaker-than-expected Big East. There's a lot of Q4 games in there, and Indiana might end up only being a Q2.

Seeding will not be impacted by the cupcakes. A few of those teams certainly could improve and move up significantly in conference play. We played more ooc quality games than almost anyone and that will loom large. I expect a 1 seed

 

[storrsroars]

Wemby could literally beat any UConn team by himself.

Your use of "literally" is actually worse than Deepster's of "penultimate".

 

[tzznandrew]

Seeding will not be impacted by the cupcakes. A few of those teams certainly could improve and move up significantly in conference play. We played more ooc quality games than almost anyone and that will loom large. I expect a 1 seed

If we play how we've been playing, we're going to be fine. Keep winning and we don't have to worry.

If we're in a group competing for a 1 seed against:

Arizona
Marquette
Purdue
Kansas

We might be in trouble and those bad teams might come back to bite us. All those teams have played exceptional teams and don't have nearly as many bottom feeders.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I think it was Deepster.

No, he thought MBB might be able to beat the WBB team, because they were injury-depleted.

 

[Waquoit]

KenPom's rankings are among the most respected out there.

He even admitted he can't get UConn right.

 

[tzznandrew]

He even admitted he can't get UConn right.

Lol. No one can. UConn is one of one.

 

[connVA]

If we play how we've been playing, we're going to be fine. Keep winning and we don't have to worry.

If we're in a group competing for a 1 seed against:

Arizona
Marquette
Purdue
Kansas

We might be in trouble and those bad teams might come back to bite us. All those teams have played exceptional teams and don't have nearly as many bottom feeders.

At least we control our destiny vs one of those teams. Beat Marquette at least 2 out of 3 (ideally in the BET final) and that should take care of that. But there’s also Houston.

 

[Waquoit]

But there’s also Houston.

Houston has a way of taking care of themselves. And they play in a real league this year.

 

[willie99]

Last year at this time the Boneyard was pretty unanimous in wondering where ANY Big East losses were coming from....

I know I never thought we'd lose 7 (or 8) conference games. Damn, St John's ran us out of our own building. I was cursing them from a pool on Marco Island

 

[CL82]

Yes, but I feel a lot better about this year’s Big East slate than I did last year. Marquette can clip us. So can Creighton if they shoot with any level of efficiency. One of Providence, Nova and St John’s might get us, but I don’t see losing 6 of 7 anywhere on the remaining schedule.

 

[CL82]

I think it was Deepster.

I believe the actual Deepster quote was something like: "mumble, mumble, mumble, where are my slippers, mumble, mumble, nappy time"

 

[AllHusky]

It could matter in seeding, especially with a weaker-than-expected Big East. There's a lot of Q4 games in there, and Indiana might end up only being a Q2.

ya gotta win 6 in a row no matter who they are or what your seed

 

[storrsroars]

Houston has a way of taking care of themselves. And they play in a real league this year.

Samson is 8-3 vs UConn with Houston (3-1 vs Dan Hurley). Granted, none of those UConn teams were like this one, but I still remember that 81-45 beatdown in '19.

 

[Waquoit]

Samson is 8-3 vs UConn with Houston (3-1 vs Dan Hurley). Granted, none of those UConn teams were like this one, but I still remember that 81-45 beatdown in '19.

OK, I have you down for Houston if they play UConn.

 

[superjohn]

Samson is 8-3 vs UConn with Houston (3-1 vs Dan Hurley). Granted, none of those UConn teams were like this one, but I still remember that 81-45 beatdown in '19.

Tulsa also owned UConn and UConn lost back to back games to Wagner and Northeastern with a Yale loss thrown in for fun.

 

[storrsroars]

OK, I have you down for Houston if they play UConn.

I absolutely want to take them down, and hard. But I also won't underestimate their coach's ability.

 

[Waquoit]

I absolutely want to take them down, and hard. But I also won't underestimate their coach's ability.

I don't underestimate his ability to schedule for success.

 

[storrsroars]

Tulsa also owned UConn and UConn lost back to back games to Wagner and Northeastern with a Yale loss thrown in for fun.

In AAC play, Tulsa was 7-4. It was Cincy that basically owned us, going 11-4, with an 8-0 run in the middle. Highlight of Kobe's life.

But like I said, none of those UConn teams were like this one.

 

[tzznandrew]

ya gotta win 6 in a row no matter who they are or what your seed

Yeah, and? A higher seed is indicative of a better team and it's better and easier to win the title from a higher seed. 60%+ of champs are 1 seeds. 33 out of 38 (since the expansion) have been 1, 2, or 3 seeds.

UConn is the only 7 seed and one of only two 4 seeds to win. Give me a great resume and a 1 or 2 seed every year.

 

[pepband99]

Just because a guy makes a number doesn't mean it has to be respected. Four games out of 11 against Top 15 competition away from home can't possibly be 252. His algorithm needs work.

You'll never give up on this, will you? Sigh.

The OP with the cupcake numbers is spot on. The fact we beat some really good teams will be offset by the fairly doughy cupcakes we scheduled, too. It's really not that hard.

NCSOS is kind of silly for major teams, anyway. The "best" NCSOS are going to be bottom-of-wrung teams, anyway. I.e. right now, there are the top 10:

You want an impressive non-con? Purdue's is crazy (but is also about to tank with some doughy ones coming up):

 

[AllHusky]

Yeah, and? A higher seed is indicative of a better team and it's better and easier to win the title from a higher seed. 60%+ of champs are 1 seeds. 33 out of 38 (since the expansion) have been 1, 2, or 3 seeds.

UConn is the only 7 seed and one of only two 4 seeds to win. Give me a great resume and a 1 or 2 seed every year.

So your contention is that Arkansas Pine Bluff and the Sisters of the Poor are going to drag us down instead of our OOC resume lifting us up? Or that you think we are going to suffer another January like last year? Or that we can't win the BE Tourney?

If we do another January and don't win the BE Tourney, we probably don't deserve a higher seed.

If we have a 3 loss or better Regular Season(champs??) and win the BE Tourney, don't you think we'll be a 1 or 2?

 

[thatguyed]

I don't understand how Massey can have our current SOS so ridiculously low (#256) when we've played 5 top 40 teams and won 4 of them.

 

[AllHusky]

I don't understand how Massey can have our current SOS so ridiculously low (#256) when we've played 5 top 40 teams and won 4 of them.

How much of the NCAA Tourney seeding is human versus computer algorithims(sp?)?

 

[FfldCntyFan]

With the sheer number of D-1 schools (a few more than 350) there is the potential for an inherent flaw in a strength of schedule algorithm (JC spoke of this often in the mid 1990's and had a reasonably valid point). Then, JC said "there isn't a whole lot of difference between a win against team 175 and a win against team 300 yet the impact on strength of schedule is quite large". There should be some adjustment, lessening the impact after a certain point, but an easier solution may be to try to target more schools that will consistently be ~200 and fewer that will likely be ~300 - ~350.

 

[tzznandrew]

I don't understand how Massey can have our current SOS so ridiculously low (#256) when we've played 5 top 40 teams and won 4 of them.

Because we've played like 6 sub-300 teams. They are joke games we should have never played.

 

[ucp990411]

Samson is 8-3 vs UConn with Houston (3-1 vs Dan Hurley). Granted, none of those UConn teams were like this one, but I still remember that 81-45 beatdown in '19.

And so does our coach

 

[ctchamps]

Because we've played like 6 sub-300 teams. They are joke games we should have never played.

Before I can agree they never should have been played I’d like to know when we scheduled them. Do you know?

 

[Tyler2Rings]

It could matter in seeding, especially with a weaker-than-expected Big East. There's a lot of Q4 games in there, and Indiana might end up only being a Q2.

I'd rather be 10-1 with a 250th ranked noncon than 8-3 with a top 50.