NCAA Auto-Bid RPI & Seeding

[valpotx]

The free advertising never stops for Valpo, as I noticed that as well!  We will remain in front of viewers for decades to come with both Bryce and Broekhoff, so hopefully we can get another tournament highlight in the near future!

[agibson]

I'm not sure who to root for in the CUSA.  Old Dominion seems to be a bubble team.  If we think they'll get in _anyway_, I guess we want them to win the tournament?  Or, actually, I guess we'd still prefer some cellar-dweller to win, to fill up the bottom of the bracket.

If we think they _won't_ get in as an at-large, I guess we want them to lose early?  Because if they won the conference they'd have a better seed than us.

Not at all clear that UTEP would be a safe win, and LA Tech is likely _not_ a safe win.  UAB seems OK...

I guess, to be safe, we root for someone in the 4-12 seeds to pull off a couple of upsets?

In the Southland, anybody but SFA seems probably OK.

[ValpoHoops]

There are three groups of teams: locks, bubble and auto-bid only.

We fall into the third group and we make up the bottom of the bracket. We want this group to be as large and as "bad" as possible. If a team is a bubble team and they lose, they don't affect our seed in any way...they were ahead of us to begin with. They may bump another team from the tournament.

Just root for the worst team to win each game and you'll be on the right track.

[agibson]

Just root for the worst team to win each game and you'll be on the right track.

Right, that'll work.  But, it's a little impractical.  The last seed's not going to win the conference tournament.  It's more fun to work on the margins - who's the likeliest winner that we can reasonably safely root for?

[agibson]

For my own benefit/amusement, here's my crack at a cheering guide.

Seems like our best hopes are probably with Manhattan, and with Yale, and maybe with Sam Houston or someone over SFA.

Root for Furman over Wofford (likely 12 seed), Monday 6 PM central.

Root for Manhattan over Iona (very plausible 12 seed), Monday 8 PM central.

CUSA tournament starts Wednesday, with everybody playing Thursday, Friday, Saturday.  Root for carnage basically.  Maybe UAB?  (Louisiana Tech's a plausible 12 seed; Old Dominion's on the edge of the bubble; even UTEP could compete with us for seeding if they win the tournament.)

Southland tournament starts Wednesday, but SFA plays Friday and Saturday.  Root for Stephen F. Austin (likely 12 seed) to lose.

Root for Yale over Harvard (plausible 12 seed - though Yale _might_ not be much better for us), Saturday March 14 at the Palestra.

[a3uge]

For my own benefit/amusement, here's my crack at a cheering guide.

Seems like our best hopes are probably with Manhattan, and with Yale, and maybe with Sam Houston or someone over SFA.

Root for Furman over Wofford (likely 12 seed), Monday 6 PM central.

Root for Manhattan over Iona (very plausible 12 seed), Monday 8 PM central.

CUSA tournament starts Wednesday, with everybody playing Thursday, Friday, Saturday.  Root for carnage basically.  Maybe UAB?  (Louisiana Tech's a plausible 12 seed; Old Dominion's on the edge of the bubble; even UTEP could compete with us for seeding if they win the tournament.)

Southland tournament starts Wednesday, but SFA plays Friday and Saturday.  Root for Stephen F. Austin (likely 12 seed) to lose.

Root for Yale over Harvard (plausible 12 seed - though Yale _might_ not be much better for us), Saturday March 14 at the Palestra.

Good stuff, but you should've saved the games past Tuesday until after tomorrow's game :p

[agibson]

Good stuff, but you should've saved the games past Tuesday until after tomorrow's game :p

We do indeed have a little more riding on that one!

[ValpoHoops]

Three clinched bids yesterday with North Florida, Coastal Carolina and Northern Iowa.

Three more tickets punched today. The Colonial shouldn't matter much, but definitely root for Manhattan in the MAAC (vs. Iona) and Furman in the SoCon (vs. Wofford).

In some semi-final games, root for Portland (vs. BYU) and Pepperdine (vs. Gonzaga) in the WCC (unlikely, but still a rooting interest).

For Tuesday...screw the rest, GO VALPO!

Waited today until NCAA RPI updated. Just sticking with this because its the "official" one.

[agibson]

For my own benefit/amusement, here's my crack at a cheering guide.

Seems like our best hopes are probably with Manhattan, and with Yale, and maybe with Sam Houston or someone over SFA.

Root for Furman over Wofford (likely 12 seed), Monday 6 PM central.

Root for Manhattan over Iona (very plausible 12 seed), Monday 8 PM central.

Furman's playing them close, at least.  2 point game with 10 minutes to play.

[a3uge]

For my own benefit/amusement, here's my crack at a cheering guide.

Seems like our best hopes are probably with Manhattan, and with Yale, and maybe with Sam Houston or someone over SFA.

Root for Furman over Wofford (likely 12 seed), Monday 6 PM central.

Root for Manhattan over Iona (very plausible 12 seed), Monday 8 PM central.

Furman's playing them close, at least.  2 point game with 10 minutes to play.

Woffords going to lose by 30 in the tournament. Man.

[agibson]

Furman's playing them close, at least.  2 point game with 10 minutes to play.

Long three (not far past half-court) at the buzzer to tie.  Short.  Still, not bad for RPI 297 or whatever they were.  Wofford likely to take a 12 seed - but maybe this win will hurt their RPI a little.

[wh]

Their RPI went from 48 to 50 (Warren Nolan).

[agibson]

Manhattan by 10 with five minutes to play in the first half.  Looks like a double technical coming on some chippiness.  Maybe no ejections.

Iona's star nearly ejected?  Manhattan by 11.

[a3uge]

Both Iona and Manhattan look pretty decent. Much better than Wofford. Although it probably appears that way since neither team is playing a lick of defense.

[agibson]

Both Iona and Manhattan look pretty decent. Much better than Wofford. Although it probably appears that way since neither team is playing a lick of defense.

You think if you're scoring 80+ a game, with two players at 20+, you have time or energy left for defense?

Manhattan lead back to 7.  Er, 5.  Er, 2.  Yeah, Iona can score in a hurry.

[chef]

Iona's loss is a big one. They were a definite 12. If either La Tech or Stephen F. Austin don't get through, and most importantly the Crusaders win, then Valpo will be a 12 seed.

[a3uge]

Iona's loss is a big one. They were a definite 12. If either La Tech or Stephen F. Austin don't get through, and most importantly the Crusaders win, then Valpo should be a 12 seed, however, we all know the selection committee could flex us geographically to do us a 'favor' and give us a 13 seed against Louisville.

FIFY

[historyman]

Their RPI went from 48 to 50 (Warren Nolan).

but maybe this win will hurt their RPI a little.

very little!

[agibson]

Iona's loss is a big one. They were a definite 12. If either La Tech or Stephen F. Austin don't get through, and most importantly the Crusaders win, then Valpo will be a 12 seed.

Iona and Murray State did us favors, for sure.  (Or, I guess we should say, Belmont and Manhattan!).

Presumably we're in the conversation now for a 12 seed, but it still feels like we need a lot of love to make it any kind of a sure thing: Harvard/Yale, SFA, maybe CUSA carnage.

Iona and Murray State are, predictably, resurfacing in bubble conversations.  But, they're no kind of conventional at-large candidate.  Not even conventional mid-major at-large candidates.

Most importantly, we've got to win tonight!  Go Valpo!

[ValpoHoops]

Well, here we go...only one game with a strong rooting interest tonight, and I think most of us will be there...

Three tickets punched last night. The Horizon Champ nearly caught a big break with Furman, but alas, Wofford hung on. Manhattan did knock off Iona, so that will help the HL team, and Northeastern kept William & Mary (one of five "original" D1 teams to never go dancing - there were 160 - out of the NCAA Tournament).

[The others are Army, The Citadel, Northwestern and St. Francis (NY). St. Francis has the opportunity to get themselves off of that list tonight.]

NCAA must only update when there are "major" conferences playing games, so these numbers are a day old...most should be close.

[Kyle321n]

So currently, if the #1s win out, there are 17 teams who have to be seeded below us. There's no excuse for any green team, outside of the Harvard/Yale, winner to be higher than the Horizon League winner.

As you know there are four 13 seeds, four 14, four 15 seeds, and six 16 seeds. We could really use:
1. A big bump from winning tonight, which should happen considering the loser will be a top 75 team.
2. Gonzaga to win. They play BYU who might be a bubble team, but if the win they will have a seed ahead of us for sure at an RPI of 43. Gonzaga is already in, let's keep them in.
3. LA Tech and UC-Davis to lose.

I can see them putting the Ivy League darling in a 12 seed so they have the upset potential and the story of the "Ivy Playoff"

[ValpoHoops]

2. Gonzaga to win. They play BYU who might be a bubble team, but if the win they will have a seed ahead of us for sure at an RPI of 43. Gonzaga is already in, let's keep them in.

This game won't matter. Either Gonzaga wins and BYU falls into the cesspool or bubble teams, or BYU wins and knocks a bubble team out of the tournament. The only games that matter are ones that could put a team behind us.

[frontrowfan]

Lunardi still has us a #13 v Baylor in the East Jacksonville

[talksalot]

so, of the 4 bids open tonight... #1 seeds took two of them... VALPO and Gonzaga.    North Dakota State #117 takes the Summit 57-56... and Robert Morris #187 takes out St. Francis 66-63... (those are the rpiratings.com values).  Valpo was a 59 as of Sunday.

[classof2014]

With both Murray St and Iona losing I think we get a 12, some more help would be nice but we've done our job!