SMU

[BFieldHusky]

Houston gave you the blue print on how to beat them tonight (without their best player btw). You need to attack their big guys. Sampson said it after the game...they have 3 post players. They are all very good players, but they have no one behind them. Go inside and get them in foul trouble. Miller is going to be a huge key in that game.

The other thing I notice about SMU is besides Nic Moore, they really don't have a great outside shooter.

Will be interesting to see if SMU can keep playing at this level with the reality setting in that they are not playing in the postseason. It was easy when they were undefeated.

 

[BUConn10]

Im calling it right now, we sweep SMU this year, home and away.

 

[jibsey]

How does this loss help us especially since their RPI and ranking sink?

 

[B1GEast]

Texas beat Baylor so that's got the boost the RPI too

 

[JMick]

Im calling it right now, we sweep SMU this year, home and away.

If we sweep SMU and don't have a WTF loss we should solidly be in the tournament regardless of AAC tournament play. Ideally we go 4-0 and then beat SMU @ Home for 5-0. If that happens it'd be tough not to make the tournament, too - so long as we don't lose out.

I'm still hoping for a resurgence with Brimah back and Hamilton finding his groove, winning 8 of 10 and winning the AAC tournament. That should be good for a 5 seed.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

If we sweep SMU and don't have a WTF loss we should solidly be in the tournament regardless of AAC tournament play. Ideally we go 4-0 and then beat SMU @ Home for 5-0. If that happens it'd be tough not to make the tournament, too - so long as we don't lose out.

I'm still hoping for a resurgence with Brimah back and Hamilton finding his groove, winning 8 of 10 and winning the AAC tournament. That should be good for a 5 seed.

Not to sound cynical, but i feel like we'd have to win out to get to a 5 seed.

 

[Leebo]

Not to sound cynical, but i feel like we'd have to win out to get to a 5 seed.

To be fair, if we finish 23-8, as he's saying, and then win the AAC tourney, we'd likely have a top 25 RPI, which would make a 5 seed plausible. Of course, that would be plausible for any P5 team with a top 25 RPI, but who knows about an AAC team.

 

[JMick]

Not to sound cynical, but i feel like we'd have to win out to get to a 5 seed.

I think we can afford two losses so long as they're not bottom dwellers and we win the AAC tournament. That puts at 23-8 with at least 1 win between @Cinci, v. SMU and @ SMU and and 26-8 with an AAC conference title. Lowest I could see us after that is a 6.

 

[Hankster]

That was a great game last night. Houston great. They did not let up 1 minute, Lead changes yes but they played hard. Another opportunity for our dogs to keep pace and close in. Next Memphis at their house. huge game.

 

[Excalibur]

How does this loss help us especially since their RPI and ranking sink?

If we play both teams twice, it doesn't matter.

 

[Rico444]

Not to sound cynical, but i feel like we'd have to win out to get to a 5 seed.

If we win out, including the AAC Tourney, that puts us 28-6, 15-3 in conference, with road wins over SMU, Cinci, Texas, Temple, and Memphis. If that happens, we're likely a top 10 team and I'd be very surprised if we weren't at least a 4 seed.

 

[A10 fan]

If we play both teams twice, it doesn't matter.

I won't matter with regard to rpi, but it can with regard to top 25 wins, and top 100 wins. Ideally, you want SMU to stay in the top 25, but would like Houston to end up in the top 100. That would give UConn a shot at two wins over a top 25 team, and two more over a team in the top 100. These are both factors that the committee looks at.

 

[Jerry1714]

How does this loss help us especially since their RPI and ranking sink?

it moves Houston's RPI to 102 and very close to a top 100 win for us. Top 100 wins are good.

SMU is not leaving the Top 25 of the RPI unless they fall apart, they are 10th now, since we already beat Houston on their home court them winning last night is good for us.

 

[IMind]

Every time I read a thread like this I get annoyed at how bad RPI is. Why is it still used? Everyone knows the problems with it. I think because it actually aids the power conferences.

 

[Brochacho]

If we sweep SMU and don't have a WTF loss we should solidly be in the tournament regardless of AAC tournament play. Ideally we go 4-0 and then beat SMU @ Home for 5-0. If that happens it'd be tough not to make the tournament, too - so long as we don't lose out.

I'm still hoping for a resurgence with Brimah back and Hamilton finding his groove, winning 8 of 10 and winning the AAC tournament. That should be good for a 5 seed.

Doubt it. A 29-5 conference champion Louisville squad with a top 20 RPI was only a 4 seed in what was by far the American's best season. A 26-8 UConn is no higher than a 7.

 

[UConnStats]

Every time I read a thread like this I get annoyed at how bad RPI is. Why is it still used? Everyone knows the problems with it. I think because it actually aids the power conferences.

The NCAA has financial incentive to use metrics that benefit the teams that generate them the most revenue. There's 12 year olds out there that could realize how outdated RPI is, but I don't expect it to become a non-factor any time soon.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Doubt it. A 29-5 conference champion Louisville squad with a top 20 RPI was only a 4 seed in what was by far the American's best season. A 26-8 UConn is no higher than a 7.

true, but this year is a little different in that records overall are down. there really isn't a group of teams that are separating from the pack as in other years. A 26-8 Uconn team that wins the AAC is going to be fine.