the AMERICAN

[zls44]

I'll say this: all three of tonight's games are close late.

 

[itgoeslike]

The conference will get three teams in. I have very little respect for RPI, but the American has four teams with an RPI between 23-38, UConn not among them. Additionally, by the end of the season warren nolan is projecting 4 AAC teams with a projected RPI between 13 and 30, again, UConn not among them. BPI, Sagarin, KenPom, P5 spin, and ESPN will help erode RPI relevance so the fourth team likely falls out, but I think there's a decent chance that at least three get in. The top 6 teams need to win the games they are supposed to. If the top half starts dropping games to the bottom 4-5, it will hurt the conference's overall chances.

 

[CTBasketball]

Ha, these cannot be serious posts are they?

We posts 2 brackets yesterday with 5 teams in. We have 3 teams in the top 35 of the RPI.

Saying 2 is all they will get is an absurd notion based on no factual support.

I'll try to argue.

Every single team in the conference's RPI will go down because of the level of competition we're playing. Outside of the top 75 RPI (SMU, Tulsa, UConn, Cincinnati, and Temple) the bottom half are absolute trash. RPI's in the triple digits and sometimes in the 200's (Houston, East Carolina, South Florida, and UCF). Playing those teams kills SOS and RPI. It will devalue all the teams in the conference - not to mention I highly doubt one team will finish the conference at 18-0. There will be a logjam at the top, 2 or 3 teams fighting for first with 4-5 conference losses. When the best teams beat up on one another, it lowers RPI. Yeah it might be good for the conference, but the AAC needs a team that can go 17-1 or 16-2 in conference and dominate everyone. I don't see that happening this year, as our best RPI-team (Tulsa) is actually a very bad team. If you were to eye-test them, they wouldn't even be in the field of 64 they're that bad. Cincinnati, UConn, and Temple are the same way. SMU is the only team that sticks out and "looks good."

These pre-March brackets are misleading. Don't forget last year Lunardi had SMU, UConn, Memphis, Louisville (as a #1 seed), and Cincinnati all comfortably in. SMU got snubbed. Memphis, UConn, and Cincinnati all got seed ****ed, and in Memphis/UConn case were close to not making it. And Louisville went from 29-5 and a conference champion where they beat 2 ranked teams, to a 4 seed in the hardest bracket. And that was a better conference last year top to bottom.

I would bet we only have 1 team in the top 35 of the RPI come March (SMU). And maybe 2 in the top 50, I would think Temple and Cincinnati.

 

[Drew]

This Tulane/UCF game is insane 3 OT's

 

[4in16]

This Tulane/UCF game is insane 3 OT's

The player for Tulane pulled a Roscoe and put up a 3/4 court shot at the end of 2ot looked at ucf's shot clock (1sec) vs game clock (6.5).

 

[zls44]

I'm glad someone else saw that Roscoe flashback. Sweet jesus.

 

[zls44]

UCF is 22-39 from the line tonight.

 

[Drew]

103-100 Final UCF wins

 

[CTBasketball]

103-100 Final UCF wins

That's an RPI killer. Losing to a 200+ RPI team...

 

[nelsonmuntz]

will put 3-4 teams in the tourney, the conference is starting to show its quality.

Obvious troll is obvious.

 

[mwc22]

Ha, these cannot be serious posts are they?

We posts 2 brackets yesterday with 5 teams in. We have 3 teams in the top 35 of the RPI.

Saying 2 is all they will get is an absurd notion based on no factual support.

The only reason we had 5 was because they gave Tulsa the auto-bid, which that won't end up happening.

Now the reason is only going to be 2-3 is because SMU and Cincinnati are in position to get at-large bids, assuming they don't fall apart. The next 3 trying to find a tourney spot would be Temple, Tulsa and UConn. Unfortunately they all play each other twice and will most likely end up beating themselves up. After these 5 there are no "quality" wins, unlike other power conferences who have good resume boosting games all conference.

My prediction for AAC is 2 teams in (SMU and Cincy), unless UConn, Tulsa, Temple can win the automatic bid. Really hoping UConn gets it together by tournament time and its at XL so we have homecourt.

 

[EricLA]

The only reason we had 5 was because they gave Tulsa the auto-bid, which that won't end up happening.

Now the reason is only going to be 2-3 is because SMU and Cincinnati are in position to get at-large bids, assuming they don't fall apart. The next 3 trying to find a tourney spot would be Temple, Tulsa and UConn. Unfortunately they all play each other twice and will most likely end up beating themselves up. After these 5 there are no "quality" wins, unlike other power conferences who have good resume boosting games all conference.

My prediction for AAC is 2 teams in (SMU and Cincy), unless UConn, Tulsa, Temple can win the automatic bid. Really hoping UConn gets it together by tournament time and its at XL so we have homecourt.

I tend to agree. Not sure we are a NCAA team this year, at least not if things keep going the way they are.

 

[zls44]

Can someone please explain to me the logical leap required to think either Cincy or SMU has a distinctly better profile than UConn?

Cincy: Florida is better than NC State in the computers and has been terribly unlucky.
SMU: Congrats on beating a horrid Michigan team on the road...best win is in-conference at Temple.


You guys should try watching any of the other 350 programs in Division I sometime.

 

[zls44]

I tend to agree. Not sure we are a NCAA team this year, at least not if things keep going the way they are.

Would that be the won 3 of the last 4 part, the fact that two of those wins were against top-30 KenPom teams part or the fact that the loss was a single-digit road loss at the team in first place part? Which of those are the gigantic sirens of doom?

 

[EricLA]

Would that be the won 3 of the last 4 part, the fact that two of those wins were against top-30 KenPom teams part or the fact that the loss was a single-digit road loss at the team in first place part? Which of those are the gigantic sirens of doom?

Was referring to Tulsa. Isn't that a game we should have won? I guess I should have said if we play down or underestimate opponents. But did not mean to sound doomy and gloomy...

 

[Jerry1714]

Was referring to Tulsa. Isn't that a game we should have won? I guess I should have said if we play down or underestimate opponents. But did not mean to sound doomy and gloomy...

We were underdogs in the game, so no its not a surprise we lost. Tulsa has 1 loss at home this year and it was to Oklahoma, winning there was never going to be easy. Tulsa was a tournament team last year, and is position themselves to be one now (34 RPI).

Had we won, making it 6 out of our last 7 the same people who know think UConn is an NIT team would be saying we do not get enough respect we should be ranked.

Amazing how fickle people are.

 

[CTBasketball]

Is it an indication of how far we've fallen - or how delusional we have become, if we think playing at Tulsa always will be a tough win?

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Is it an indication of how far we've fallen - or how delusional we have become, if we think playing at Tulsa always will be a tough win?

This year's (and next year's since they are all juniors) Tulsa team is better than the lousy Providence teams that found ways to beat us at their place.

 

[Pudge]

Is it an indication of how far we've fallen - or how delusional we have become, if we think playing at Tulsa always will be a tough win?

Use your damn eyes ... instead of instantly dismissing the opponent.

That Tulsa team is the equal to the Providence Friars or the Miami Hurricanes or many of the Villanova teams that gave us a hard time over the last 15 years. I don't get why some on this board sniff at the name on the Jersey. That team, decently coached by Haith (contrary to what mauconn states), has 8 Juniors that play. 5 were key components on a team that played in the NCAA March Madness last year. Think about that. Those two guards - Harrison & Woodard - are amongst the best we have seen this year. Better than what I saw at WVU; better than the Texas guards; and not far behind the Duke two. Plus they played two more guards that were solid.

I get where we want to go. I don't think the B1G has many better teams than what we just lost to. Maryland? Jeezum. Tulsa just won't get the votes.

 

[CTBasketball]

Use your damn eyes ... instead of instantly dismissing the opponent.

That Tulsa team is the equal to the Providence Friars or the Miami Hurricanes or many of the Villanova teams that gave us a hard time over the last 15 years. I don't get why some on this board sniff at the name on the Jersey. That team, decently coached by Haith (contrary to what mauconn states), has 8 Juniors that play. 5 were key components on a team that played in the NCAA March Madness last year. Think about that. Those two guards - Harrison & Woodard - are amongst the best we have seen this year. Better than what I saw at WVU; better than the Texas guards; and not far behind the Duke two. Plus they played two more guards that were solid.

I get where we want to go. I don't think the B1G has many better teams than what we just lost to. Maryland? Jeezum. Tulsa just won't get the votes.

Did you watch the game? Tulsa is ****ing horrible. We were worse. Tuesday night was some of the worst basketball I've ever watched.

 

[upstater]

Did you watch the game? Tulsa is ****ing horrible. We were worse. Tuesday night was some of the worst basketball I've ever watched.

I admit I thought Tulsa was not nearly as good as I was expecting. That being said, Woodard couldn't miss, and the Shaquille kid is excellent at getting to the basket. UConn went up against two formidable scorers who are as good as any it will see this year. The rest of the Tulsa team seems unable to hit the broadside of a barn.

Still, consider that for all of their losses, Tulsa handled Temple, and Auburn and Creighton.

There's no point in complaining about Tulsa being a lowly American team when clearly it would be a middle of the road team in a P5 conference. They have proven that with their tourney success and their wins this year. You can't dismiss it.

 

[superjohn]

I was really unimpressed with Tulsa which makes our loss to them all the more horrifying.

 

[Inyatkin]

If you kept everything the same -- players, ranking, record -- and switched the name from Tulsa to Oklahoma, no one would be surprised we lost on Tuesday.

Which doesn't change that it was a godawful thing to watch.

 

[CL82]

Is it an indication of how far we've fallen - or how delusional we have become, if we think playing at Tulsa always will be a tough win?

It has it's challenges, much like playing in Siberia. Long flight, uninteresting location (full disclosure, I've never been there), in an empty stadium... that will make all but the most discipline teams play flat.

 

[upstater]

It has it's challenges, much like playing in Siberia. Long flight, uninteresting location (full disclosure, I've never been there), in an empty stadium... that will make all but the most discipline teams play flat.

Full arena.