The whole "weak schedule" thing

[Rlh04d]

Pomeroy has it at 139

http://kenpom.com/index.php?y=2014

Pomeroy's SOS is based on his rankings, though, right?

While I'd guess Pomeroy's is more correct, because his rankings are more correct, I don't think the selection committee would be using his SOS measure. Theirs would be based on RPI, the way shown by ESPN and RealtimeRPI, as far as I can tell.

RPI is a flawed measure compared to KenPom stats, but it's still the measure of choice.

[AndShock]

So, like us last year, and each of the last several years graduating 4 or 5 seniors, we should overlook those we "assume" will be weaker because of losses with no other regards to the program?

I'm looking at some of their records over the past 10 years and I'm not exactly seeing a great "program." I also wonder how much of their recent success was due to having a coach's son on the team. I would have no problem keeping the game if we're just going to replace it with a home game vs William & Mary or even an Oral Roberts but if we have the chance to get a highlight on our schedule, I'm gonna be annoyed if Bracket Busters keeps us from getting it. If you want to argue the ethics of it I will agree that that's a slippery slope and I can certainly see the problem with pulling the game off the schedule for that reason, but I just don't see this being a "good" game. I'll admit Bracket Busters giving us one more return dud would be a fitting way to say goodbye to it.

[Rlh04d]

I dont feel like we need to sell our souls for the sake of a so called blue blood game. If we keep winning and going to the big dance everything will take care of itself. We have played quite a few big time schools over the years and have more than held our own. SOS and RPI is all subjective as I see it. At the start of every season the rankings come out before anyone has even played a game. And who do you think is given the the highest rankings every year. Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio State ect. Which conferences have multiple teams in the top 25, yep the BCS boys.....and at the end of the year the top 25 doesnt look at all like it did at the start. Big time bias. Shockers started out ranked 17th after a final four run with most of its starters back, look wear Louisville, Michigan,and Syr. started the year. The little guys always have to do more to get noticed....but I guess thats just the way it will always be. Is it fair...I dont think so, thats why I dont take the SOS and RPI all that serious

The "big boys" get more respect because they get better talented recruits. Just the way it is.

And the top 25 doesn't accurately measure the best teams later on in the year, either. Those blue blood programs, like it or not, are usually the ones doing the best in the NCAA tournament at the end.

We're always going to get less respect, because we simply aren't bringing in 4/5* recruits regularly. That doesn't mean we need those recruits to be a great team, but we probably need them to get a lot of attention. Thankfully, that attention doesn't mean a whole lot, and the other way to get it is to win. And we do just fine with that.

[Rlh04d]

If we were projected to be a 250+ RPI team next year while Texas was projected to be a Top 50 RPI team I wouldn't blame them. My thoughts on this would be much different if Detroit wasn't a part of Bracket Busters.

With all of the complaints about Bracket Busters ... it sure would be nice if we were looking at getting a solid RPI BB game at the end of the year instead of the D2 creampuff we had to open the season with. Especially since we'd get the best BB game.

[ShockerHoops]

I dont feel like we need to sell our souls for the sake of a so called blue blood game. If we keep winning and going to the big dance everything will take care of itself. We have played quite a few big time schools over the years and have more than held our own. SOS and RPI is all subjective as I see it. At the start of every season the rankings come out before anyone has even played a game. And who do you think is given the the highest rankings every year. Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio State ect. Which conferences have multiple teams in the top 25, yep the BCS boys.....and at the end of the year the top 25 doesnt look at all like it did at the start. Big time bias. Shockers started out ranked 17th after a final four run with most of its starters back, look wear Louisville, Michigan,and Syr. started the year. The little guys always have to do more to get noticed....but I guess thats just the way it will always be. Is it fair...I dont think so, thats why I dont take the SOS and RPI all that serious

The blue blood BCS schools are the ones that continually get the Top 100 talent. Year after year after year. And it's not going to change. HCGM is going to have to continue to do it the hard way: find the gems that excel at playing his style and mine the JUCO circuit for talent.

[AndShock]

With all of the complaints about Bracket Busters ... it sure would be nice if we were looking at getting a solid RPI BB game at the end of the year instead of the D2 creampuff we had to open the season with. Especially since we'd get the best BB game.

No disagreement there. But just to show how much BB had fallen (and why they killed it...)

This year we probably would've gotten @ Ohio (48) or @ North Dakota State (55) (we've used NDSU as a buy game in the past.)

[Rlh04d]

No disagreement there. But just to show how much BB had fallen (and why they killed it...)

This year we probably would've gotten @ Ohio (48) or @ North Dakota State (55) (we've used NDSU as a buy game in the past.)

And just to show how bad the MVC's gotten, Ohio would be the third highest RPI team we'd play this year in that scenario.

But yeah, BB became a mess. Bracket Busters should have been reinvented as a MVC/A-10/Horizon/WCC restricted event. Matchup those conferences based on RPI and leave everyone else out. The problem with BracketBusters is that it just got ridiculously big.

[ICTShockerFan]

Katz expressing his wish to see the WSU-Creighton series rekindled.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=10329151&ex_cid=espnapi_public

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

I don't care for opposing opinions. It's expected. But when somebody always takes the same damn side in everything and does it just to see himself spit out quadratic equations, that's where I draw the line.

What side do I always take? Or are do you prefer to stay vague so you can't be proven wrong?

[im4wsu]

I looked up last season's final Sagarin and today's Sagarin for our non-conference opponents.
The ones in bold are ones that we scheduled, as opposed to BB or the CBE tourney.

	2012	2012	2013	2013
	Rank	Sagarin	Rank	Sagarin
WESTERN KENTUCKY	192	70.96	172	72.27
WILLIAM & MARY	298	63.3	221	69.28
TENNESSEE STATE	172	72.18	166	72.46
at Tulsa	103	77.83	181	71.95
DePaul	155	73.96	168	72.4
Texas or BYU	40	82.98	54	82.17
at Saint Louis	17	87.05	20	86.26
ORU	94	78.44	135	74.88
TENNESSEE	74	80.07	75	79.27
at Alabama	30	84.58	63	80.62
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL	217	69.44	165	72.54
DAVIDSON	68	80.33	71	80
Total - All games	1460	921.12	1491	914.1
Total - Bold	727	548.37	811	537.79

[ShockBand]

The funny thing about the "haven't played anyone" argument is it presumes we would lose. The reality is WE DON'T KNOW.

[RomeoCrennel's Belly]

9148130.jpg

[Kung Wu]

The funny thing about the "haven't played anyone" argument is it presumes we would lose. The reality is WE DON'T KNOW.

Exactly. For all the haters trying to pull the "they haven't played anyone card, they are gonna get squashed in the NCAA tournament" ... well ... we might just be better, even a LOT better, than our schedule can demonstrate.

[DUShock]

The funny thing about the "haven't played anyone" argument is it presumes we would lose. The reality is WE DON'T KNOW.

They could encourage their alma maters to man-up and play the Shocks.

[Capitol Shock II]

They could encourage their alma maters to man-up and play the Shocks.

This. If we suck so bad then play us.