Games of interest

[ShockerFever]

Kenpom has us somewhere around the 170th luckiest team over that period.

Yeah but Kenpom doesn't use facts and statistics to support its data. Just ask the all-knowing JamarHoward4President.

[shockerfanmas]

BYU and St. Louis. Those are 2 quality teams that we didn't play as well as we could have against and with a few bad bounces could have easily been losses. However, a few good bounces and we could have easily beaten both teams by double digits. The fact still remains this team hasn't played their best basketball yet. I expect a few bumps along the road, as long as they go deep into March

[AndShock]

I can understand the argument for "slipping by" BYU and St. Louis, don't necessarily agree with it, but I can see it. There's not a lot of meat left on the schedule after that though. Tennessee is the best team left and we haven't struggled at home yet. Alabama is a bit of a disappointment and that's a game we should definitely win. The Valley is a joke. I think we'll be favored in every game the rest of the way and our current "subpar effort" should be enough to win most games. We can still take our lumps and improve without getting beat by Oral Bob and Evansville.

FWIW, RPIForecast has us at a 1.68% chance of going undefeated which is a better chance than us going 22-8 or worse. Most likely scenario is between 2 and 5 losses but those are "statistical*" losses. We're actually predicted to win every game the rest of the way.

*Statistical isn't the right word for it but the right word isn't coming to me.

[shockerfan]

BYU and St. Louis. Those are 2 quality teams that we didn't play as well as we could have against and with a few bad bounces could have easily been losses. However, a few good bounces and we could have easily beaten both teams by double digits. The fact still remains this team hasn't played their best basketball yet. I expect a few bumps along the road, as long as they go deep into March

Congrats, you just described the sport of college basketball.

[Dave Stalwart]

For today:

North Carolina Central (5-1) has Old Dominion (4-3)
UNI (3-3) has Milwaukee (7-2)
Tenn St. (0-8) has Alabama A&M (1-4)
ORU (4-3) has Cameron (non-D1)
St. Louis (6-2) has Rockhurst (non-D1)
BYU (6-2) has North Texas (5-3)


Top 10s that need to fall :)

#2 Arizona (7-0) has Texas Tech (6-2)
#4 Syracuse (7-0) has Indiana (6-1)
#10 Duke (6-2) has #22 Michigan (5-2)

[_kai_]

The UNI vs Milwaukee game has me interested.

[rrshock]

I think that Duke has the best shot of the top 10 today to fall. Even if Arizona loses, they won't fall below the Shocks. I wouldn't drop them very far because they are that good.

[_kai_]

Isn't Indiana ranked 22nd?

[newshock1234]

SLU and BYU games are the toughest games that were on the schedule IMO. Good thing we were "lucky"

[WSUwatcher]

New motto: "Lucky all the way to Arlington!"

[Dave Stalwart]

Isn't Indiana ranked 22nd?

I didn't look very hard. I was using whatever espn had listed on their scores page for today. Maybe Indiana is ranked in one poll and not the other?

[Dave Stalwart]

I'm really looking forward to when duke loses and it just moves Michigan above us but duke doesn't fall below us :)

[shockmonster]

I'm really looking forward to when duke loses and it just moves Michigan above us but duke doesn't fall below us :)

Yes, the bias is always there. Your example is a case in point. Another bias is last year when Gonzaga was a Number 1 seed. Others didn't really believe that they deserved it. Some things don't change.

[insaneykaney]

"Play Lucky?" anyone?

Nope, let's keep playing angry!

[SB Shock]

I would rather be a lower seed and knock at least two number 1 seeds out...

I would rather do that as a 4 seed than as a 8 or 9 seed.

I just don't understand the mentality that some profess that they somehow think WSU losing games is a good thing and then hoping they get hot at the end of the season? That is a recipe for NIT. Play Angry and destroy our competition.