2014-15 National Rankings

[ShockerFever]

Iowa State is being hammered by Oklahoma as we speak.

Sounds like Top 10 quality to me.

[ShockerEngineer]

Has Iowa State even been to a Final Four?

I had to google this after seeing it: 1944.. So, 71 years ago.

Of course, it appears there were only 8 teams in the tourney back then. Oh, and hey: Iowa State lost to Utah, who went on to win their only championship.

[Shocker-maniac]

Their words are just typical fan forum BS.

"Typical fan forum BS"???? Boy, I'm glad we don't have that on ShockerNet. :)

[ShockerEngineer]

"Typical fan forum BS"???? Boy, I'm glad we don't have that on ShockerNet. :)

The funniest part about that to me is that they sound like KU fans, but they don't have **** to brag about. We do seem to be living rent free in their heads, too.

[shox1989]

I had to google this after seeing it: 1944.. So, 71 years ago.

Of course, it appears there were only 8 teams in the tourney back then. Oh, and hey: Iowa State lost to Utah, who went on to win their only championship.

That was also back in the day when the NIT was considered the better tournament.

[DUShock]

Seems pretty fair. Even 19 as the low doesn't seem that bad.

We are living in good times.

[ShockerEngineer]

That was also back in the day when the NIT was considered the better tournament.

Lol.. That's the icing on the cake then.

[wusphlash]

"Typical fan forum BS"???? Boy, I'm glad we don't have that on ShockerNet. :)

I had deleted that part from my original post. Trying not to rile up the natives so late in the evening.

[LoneStar48]

The I State fans don't really sound any different than our fans, back when we wished that we mattered more. They got their "Superbowl" win over KU, will probably have one upset in the conference tournament, beat a cupcake in the dance, and then head back to the snow in Ames. We should offer them guidance on how to act like you've been there before.

[_kai_]

My biggest beef with ISU is when they start acting superior just because of their conference affiliation. You don't get to brag about your conference when you've won a regular season conference title TWICE since World War II. That's just clownish right there. Professional rock kickers.

[SHOCKvalue]

My biggest beef with ISU is when they start acting superior just because of their conference affiliation. You don't get to brag about your conference when you've won a regular season conference title TWICE since World War II. That's just clownish right there. Professional rock kickers.

Holy hell that's pathetic! I missed that caveat in my stat work-up.

ISU doesn't belong in a P5 conference. They're a coat-tail dragger.

[molly jabali]

A couple of thoughts...ISU HAS to have the same inferiority feeling that KSU feels toward KU and,hoops wise, to WSU....so there's that...

Secondly..this baloney in the paper about teams not being moved much down in spite of losses is only good if it applies ACROSS THE BOARD!

[Jhook89]

WSU is 1-3 vs the RPI top 50. And the only win is against #47 Tulsa that could easily be out of the top 50 by years end. If we don't beat UNI it is highly possible we could be headed to the dance with 0 wins against the RPI top 50. Will be interesting to see where we get seeded if that scenario pans out...

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

WSU is 1-3 vs the RPI top 50. And the only win is against #47 Tulsa that could easily be out of the top 50 by years end. If we don't beat UNI it is highly possible we could be headed to the dance with 0 wins against the RPI top 50. Will be interesting to see where we get seeded if that scenario pans out...

Jhook89, that scenario you describe sounds vaguely familiar.

Posted May 22, 2014:

Anyone else nervous about the possibility that although we have what looks like a much improved schedule overall, we could still easily reach the end of the year without playing more than maybe one or two NCAA Tournament level teams?

Posted May 23, 2014:

With all the optimism that this upcoming schedule will be better, I'm just a little concerned that at the end of the day, 3 (NCAA level teams) may be all we get. Heck, I could see it being as low as 2 depending on who fills out the last few remaining games... a part of me just envies the fanbases who get to play top notch competition prior to March.

Doc's response was classic.

Okay, well you're an ass.

I think that is when he put me on his ignore list too. LOL. Good times, although this is one prediction where I wish I had been wrong.

[WSUwatcher]

Honestly, I might prefer WSU being a 6 seed over a 5. I think there are 3 or 4 elite teams and then a lot of really good teams. I'd rather play a 3 seed (
Iowa State, Utah, Louisville, UNC) and then a 2 seed (KU, Arizona, Villanova, Wisconsin) than playing a 4 seed (UNI, Baylor, Oklahoma, Notre Dame) and then a 1 seed (UK, Virginia, Gonzaga, Duke). We have to play well, but I think we could beat most the 2 and 3 seeds. I'm not sure even if we play well that we have much of a chance to beat most of the 1 seeds. Obviously this is assuming we win our first round game. I used Lunardi's latest bracket for seed projections.

Absolutely, hook -- I've said this all along, and even in past seasons: assuming you get past your first game (and 6 vs. 11 isn't really that much harder than 5 vs. 12, if at all), there's no big disadvantage in playing #3 (or even #14 once in a while) instead of #4 (or possibly #13), especially if it postpones a game against #1.

The notion that you have to beat the best to be best is one of the great sports cliche misconceptions of all time. Valvano's NC State team wasn't the best the year they won; neither was Villanova when they beat Georgetown by never missing any shots, and neither were Brown's Cheaters (a/k/a Danny and the Miracles). But one thing all three had going for them was they got lucky in who they played along the way and ended up with an unexpectedly easy path to the championship game. And the longer you can avoid playing #1, the better the chance that some lesser teame might sneak up and knock them off before you have to.

The purpose of a single-elimination tournament isn't to tell you who's best; it's to produce a champion. Sometimes those two things coincide, often they don't. "Being the best by beating the best" is good motivational talk when the best is who you're playing. But the real purpose is just to beat whoever shows up opposite you, and keep doing it as long as possible -- six times, and you're the champ. And that's easier to do when the opponents you face are easier.