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Message: [QUOTE="huskymedic, post: 4656868, member: 549"] [URL unfurl="true"]https://d1baseball.com/chats/d1baseball-weekly-chat-may-22/[/URL] A few UConn mentions: [B]Bob Gagnon[/B]: What does ECU need to do to host? Win their tournament? If yes, do they need any help even if they win their tournament. If ECU turns out to be a #2 seed, will they be rewarded with a favorable regional and where would they go? [B]Aaron Fitt[/B]: I think the Pirates suffer from the same deficiency as the other top RPI teams in the mid-major leagues, like Indiana State, DBU and UConn — they haven’t done great against top 50 opponents. Given the glut of hosting candidates with considerably more high-end wins, I don’t really envision ECU hosting with a 4-6 top 50 record, even if they win the conference tourney. But it also wouldn’t be a shocker if they did snag a host. Definitely still in the running. If they’re on the road, I would bet on a drivable ACC site like Charlottesville, Winston-Salem or Durham (probably not W-S because that would be a strong 2-seed for the No. 1 overall national seed to have in its regional). [B]Will[/B]: Can you briefly explain if there is a different analysis done for your top 25 rankings compared to your projected regional hosts? Specifically, Uconn-Miami-Oregon St are 9,10, and 11 in your rankings and it appears only Miami is a host team as we enter conference tournament play. Miami is 4-9 on the road and a 19 RPI, Oregon State (30 RPI) is 0-3 vs the top 25 RPI and while Uconn (25 RPI) playing in the Big East is only 1-1 vs the top 25 they have 18 road victories. If you don’t think Uconn or Oregon St are host teams why are they ranked in the top 11? [B]Aaron Fitt:[/B] These are two different exercises. The field of 64 projections represent our attempt to forecast how the committee will construct the field next weekend, based on the criteria that we know the committee uses. We don’t lean on the RPI metrics when constructing the Top 25, which is more of a barometer of how teams are playing. If you get into the Top 25 and keep on winning all your weekends, you’re going to keep rising, and generally won’t drop even if you lack those marquee wins. The Top 25 is therefore weighted toward series wins, which we believe is a huge marker of a good team. To break into the Top 25 as a mid-major who lacks those high-end wins, you have to have a talented roster that we believe is capable of making a run in the postseason, and you need some good wins even if they aren’t necessarily top 25/50 RPI wins. But once you’re in, you typically don’t drop out unless you lose series. [B]Andrew Miller[/B]: Is Campbell still in the hosting picture and if it came down to ECU or Campbell who would you have in as a host. [B]Aaron Fitt:[/B] Yes, Campbell is certainly still in the mix, and clearly ahead of ECU based on the 3-0 head-to-head record. Campbell also has a better top 50 record (5-4) than these other mid-major host candidates we’ve been talking about, like Indiana State (2-9), DBU (2-7) and UConn (1-2). I’d feel better about the Camels if they hadn’t lost that final series, but you can make a case they should still be ahead of those other mid-major host candidates despite a lower RPI (No. 25) because of the top 50 record. And at least they still won the regular-season conference title, which is always key for one of these types of teams. If I’m betting, I would not bet on any of these teams hosting, but they’re all still in the mix. [B]Dustin[/B]: Is UConn in no matter what happens in the big East tournament? Any possible path to hosting or is the RPI just to low? [B]Kendall Rogers[/B]: UCONN is definitely in no matter what. And the Huskies have an RPI of 25, which means they’re within striking distance. Roll through the Big East tourney and they will have a shot. The biggest road block right now is just the sheer number of host contenders right now. It’s a laundry list. [/QUOTE]

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