2019-20 Games of Interest

[WstateU]

Anybody ever come across that little, annoying rat terrier who grabs onto your pant leg, and as many times as you shake or kick it off, it just won’t let go????

Just be careful with the "rat terrier"... once in awhile, he'll take you to the woodshed...

[Stickboy46]

I agree with the bold part of this post. Unfortunately, I see a lot of this NET stuff starting to go the way of the RPI. It's now not enough to measure teams based on their NET ranking, but we have to parse through every Q1-4 opportunity as if playing the #1 and #49 teams are equal, and as if playing the #51 and #99 teams are equal. It allows anyone to make almost any case they want.

I do like the Wins Above Bubble metric because it removes the biases that come into play with situations like I mentioned above. It measures the expected amount of wins (xW) of a bubble team against the schedule a team plays, then subtracts that from the actual wins (aW) to get the Wins Above the Bubble (WAB). If a team plays a tougher schedule, they will have fewer expected wins, and the inverse goes for an easier schedule.

aW - xW = WAB

This method minimizes bias, and is much better than putting it in the hands of humans who can literally make a case for whatever team they would like. Unfortunately, every person on the committee (and every human ever) has a bias. I'm fine with taking that out of play as much as possible. If that means 11 of 14 Big Ten teams get in, so be it.

I don't think the selection process should punish teams one way or the other for playing in a good or bad conference. The "eliminating teams with a conference record below .500" can only hurt teams in power conferences.

WAB still supports ~10 Big Ten teams

http://www.barttorvik.com/?sort=34&begin=20191101&end=20200501&conlimit=All&top=0&hteam=&quad=5&rpi=#

[ShockBand]

Here is an article from a few years ago about teams getting NCAA bids with double digit losses, focusing on teams to that point that received at large bids with 14 losses.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/bracket-beat/2017-02-17/college-basketball-teams-make-ncaa-tournament-double

[Cdizzle]

I don't think the selection process should punish teams one way or the other for playing in a good or bad conference. The "eliminating teams with a conference record below .500" can only hurt teams in power conferences.

They already do punish teams for playing in bad conferences, and it can only hurt teams in non-power conferences.

If you can't figure out how to be above .500 in your league it's not like you don't have options. I have little/no sympathy for teams that have 14 opportunities, half at home, convert on 2 of them and then pretend they are superior to a team that went 1-1 against good teams.

Option 1: Available to all teams, regardless of good/bad conference affiliation: Win your league's automatic bid.
Option 2: If your league is too tough for you, change leagues.

[Kel Varnsen]

They already do punish teams for playing in bad conferences, and it can only hurt teams in non-power conferences.

I agree that the committee currently does that and that method is incorrect, but going forward, they shouldn't punish teams in good conferences (nor should they punish teams in bad conferences). It should be a level playing field for all, as it is with the Wins Above Bubble metric.

Your Option 2 is just not feasible. No team would change conferences for all sports because their basketball team isn't as good as the other teams in the league.

[Cdizzle]

Your Option 2 is just not feasible. No team would change conferences for all sports because their basketball team isn't as good as the other teams in the league.

That's their choice. Most schools in that position actually have a choice. Again, no sympathy for that. Consider why they would not change conferences.

Also, it's demonstrably untrue. See also: UConn.

[ShockTalk]

The Dance has never been about "who is the best", but who was the best at that time. No doubt, the better the team, the higher likelihood of success.

However, the NCAA Tournament has the appearance of an inclusive style of tournament, and to varying degrees, it is. That's the real beauty of the tournament and why it gets most all fans of college basketball involved.

Where it fails at this, is when it becomes a money grab for a few, select conferences. Most general college basketball fans do not care anything about a bottom half team out of a P5 conference. Why? Because many have already had 2 (if not 3) bites at the apple and failed …… non-con, inter-P5 conference challenges, conference tournament.

More emphasis needs to be placed on the non-con where teams need to play some combination of road and neutral games with a reasonable limitation of those and home games against the bottom 3rd conference teams as well as other and other P5/BE teams. There is just too much kissin' your cousin going on.

Or, do like football, and have 1-A and 1-AA where at least half the conferences are in 1-AA, do not go to the Dance (have their own tournament), but where 1-AA conferences have the ability to move up to 1-A by knocking other 1-A conferences down to 1-AA.

[Kel Varnsen]

That's their choice. Most schools in that position actually have a choice. Again, no sympathy for that. Consider why they would not change conferences.

Also, it's demonstrably untrue. See also: UConn.

UConn thinks they're leaving the Big East for the same reasons we left for the American. More bids, better teams, better profile for recruiting, etc...they think the conference is hurting them (right or wrong), not because they think the Big East is easier and will give them a better chance at an auto bid. Although it is hilarious watching them go out on a pretty low note.

A selection criteria proposition can't be geared at punishing teams who have tough conference schedules, which is essentially the goal of the "below .500" rule. It's the inverse of what many here (rightly) are frustrated about, when power conference teams get a pass because they have so many opportunities to beat good teams.

[Cdizzle]

I almost put a joke disclaimer on my UConn line. Guess I should have.

[wichshock65]

Just be careful with the "rat terrier"... once in awhile, he'll take you to the woodshed...

My god man, where do you find these???? Lololol

[pinstripers]

Our loss to Temple just gets worse and worse.

[pinstripers]

Penny down by 4 at UCF, halftime

[pinstripers]

Temple down 15 at half........AAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWW

[Stickboy46]

Our loss to Temple just gets worse and worse.

Most likely Temple and UConn will be below ECU in the standings today after 8 games ....

[ShockTalk]

Michigan PG Zavier Simpson, who is 3rd in scoring, leads them in minutes per game, along with leading the nation in assists, has been suspended for their next game due to undisclosed violation of team policies. Given that Isaiah Livers is out again with another groin injury received in their last game, I can see why they suspended Simpson for the Nebraska game.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28576618/michigan-suspends-pg-zavier-simpson-undisclosed-violation