Was WSU actually a legit top 40 team? Top 30?

[ShockerPrez]

After the past week of basketball. I now believe that WSU was easily a top 40 team this year, even with some of the brainfart games that we had. Looking at the teams we lost to in the tournament, the teams we lost to in the OOC are still going.

And also given our recent 2 games against BCS teams that gave 'obviously superior teams to us' scares and losses only cements my thinking on this. It's just a shame that our margin of error is so small that we can't get the vast opportunities to screw up that the likes of Missouri (who won 1 game on the road in conference, I think) and probably 3 or 4 Big East schools.

But we had our chances and we didn't capitalize, but looking back, it appears that we may as well have lost Duke, KU, and Ohio State in the OOC. At least then, it wouldn't seem so hard to take at the time.

[kcshocker11]

Yes they were!

[AndShock]

I believe we're just as good as any of the 16 teams left in the real tournament. That's why I can't be 100% excited about this NIT run. We blow out a Big XII team, beat an ACC team on the road, but we're still just in the NIT. After every win I think to myself, "wow, what could've been."

[Speed]

Absolutely what could have been. A case can be made that 2 losses to 2 Sweet 16 teams were decided by questionable means.
Twice WSU was within 1 win of a top 25 ranking.

[wusphlash]

Yes, we have top 30 capability. Nobody, and I mean nobody ran us off the floor. Our worst loss was to a team now in the Sweet 16 on their floor. In fact, 3 of our losses are to Sweet 16 teams. This will be a "what could have been", "lost opportunity" season. Can't change that now. Go forward and make the most of this season and start building the program for next year.

[ShockerFever]

Top 30 team that played like a 150 team in about 4 games.

[KC Shox]

Top 30, no. Top 50 - sounds about right. Top 100 most definitely. As Fever said, can play like doo-doo but can also play like a Top 30 team on occasion but cannot do it consistently like a true Top 30 team.

[1979Shocker]

Absolutely what could have been. A case can be made that 2 losses to 2 Sweet 16 teams were decided by questionable means.
Twice WSU was within 1 win of a top 25 ranking.

If you happened to hear the Coach's Show tonight, I thought it was interesting what Coach Marshall said about the UConn game.

"In that UConn game, this is very unusual in this business. One of the officials, the head official in that basketball game, indirectly through a third party, apologized to me, on behalf of his performance and maybe the other referees that were in that game because he watched the video tape and the edits that I prepared for our Commissioner of Officials."

[Speed]

Yes thank you. I didn't remember the exact quote & didn't think there was a transcript of the show.

[1979Shocker]

Yes thank you. I didn't remember the exact quote & didn't think there was a transcript of the show.

There actually wasn't. I went through it a few times to get the quote correct.

[another shocker]

No. Not at all. Somewhere between 50 and 68. SIU, MSU and UNI were too much for them at home in the Valley. Very weak. By March 5th, not even a bubble consideration in any way, shape or form.

edit: Forgot.. almost lucky to have made the NIT even.

[Speed]

No. Not at all. Somewhere between 50 and 68. SIU, MSU and UNI were too much for them at home in the Valley. Very weak. By March 5th, not even a bubble consideration in any way, shape or form.

edit: Forgot.. almost lucky to have made the NIT even.

Yep lucky to make the NIT, really, really lucky to get that 1st round win, and really, really lucky to win the 2nd round game, the refs and that ft disparity helped us a lot!

[kcshocker11]

No. Not at all. Somewhere between 50 and 68. SIU, MSU and UNI were too much for them at home in the Valley. Very weak. By March 5th, not even a bubble consideration in any way, shape or form.

edit: Forgot.. almost lucky to have made the NIT even.

Yep lucky to make the NIT, really, really lucky to get that 1st round win, and really, really lucky to win the 2nd round game, the refs and that ft disparity helped us a lot!

8)

[another shocker]

Slow down, Speed. You might hurt yourself. I said ALMOST lucky. Like they were a third seed, which actually made them about the 77th ranked team in importance going into the (second) postseason.. closer to 100 than to 50 in importance this year. But, hey, I'm glad too now that they have (seemingly) pulled it together after being relegated to second class.. which was just what they deserved.

[shox1989]

For what it is worth, last night Bruce Heartl said after watching several of the at large teams in the big dance, WSU deserved to be there.