2016-17 Bracketology

[WSUwatcher]

Good heavens, SBT -- was that a picture of Keith Olbermann calling somebody ELSE an idiot? Has Olbermann even learned to drive yet?

Getting back to the point from Teamstream that wichshock cited, I guess it's a good thing ORU isn't in the hallowed Big 12-2. Those quality wins might have them on the bubble, too.

[RoyalShock]

2017 NCAA Tournament Bracket: Latest Projection of the Field of 68

http://teamstre.am/2mldbis

Stock Up: Wichita State Shockers (Up Seven Spots)

Aside from taking care of business against a couple of teams hovering around .500 overall (Evansville and Missouri State), Wichita State hasn't done anything since our last projection. However, the Shockers have benefited from the collapse of other teams around them.

They jumped over VCU, which lost to both Rhode Island and Dayton. They also bypassed Northwestern, which lost to both Illinois and Indiana. Meanwhile, Creighton, Maryland, Wisconsin and Xavier all plummeted enough to help the Shockers move more comfortably into the field.

Outside of maybe Northwestern, no bubble team has been more scrutinized than Wichita State has been over the past month. Based on the proverbial eye test, this is clearly a tournament-worthy team. All but three of their 26 D-I wins have come by a double-digit margin, including a 41-point shellacking of Illinois State. Thanks to blowout after blowout, the Shockers are No. 10 on KenPom.

But the rest of the resume leaves something to be desired. Part of the reason they keep destroying opponents is because they don't play good ones. Wichita State is 1-4 against the RPI Top 75 and only has three wins against the RPI Top 145. You know who also has three RPI Top 145 wins? Oral Roberts, which is 6-22 overall and ranks 282 in RPI.

The Shockers rank No. 41 in RPI and 150 in SOS. If they lose to Illinois State in the MVC title game, they should be in with room to spare. But an early loss to a team like Indiana State or Missouri State could be catastrophic. Conversely, if they win the MVC tournament, I could see the Shockers faring as well as a No. 5 seed. There is plenty at stake in St. Louis this weekend.

I tend to start discounting an analysis when I see the first bolded portion above. He's using a selective endpoint to exclude our win over Colorado State. The "Dance Card" provided to the selection committee does not categorize by "top 75", but by 1-50, 51-100, 100-200, 200+ (I'm guessing on those last two).

Then regarding the 2nd bolded portion, please tell me Mr. Smarty Pants, how many losses outside the top 50 ORU has? Nine-freaking-teen! How many does WSU have? Zero!!!

There is some serious intellectual dishonesty there, and it's permeated the whole selection discussion among the talking heads. I guess losses no longer say anything about how good or bad a team is.

[ShockingButTrue]

Are you really sitting around fake quoting to make it look like I made a formatting typo? Seriously?

You're giving yourself too much credit. Encore.

[ShockingButTrue]

Good heavens, SBT -- was that a picture of Keith Olbermann calling somebody ELSE an idiot? Has Olbermann even learned to drive yet?

Getting back to the point from Teamstream that wichshock cited, I guess it's a good thing ORU isn't in the hallowed Big 12-2. Those quality wins might have them on the bubble, too.

Bingo!!! Maybe ORU's better than the Shocks?

[XManCometh]

I think the more likely reality is that Lunardi puts WSU and KU in the Midwest a ton because they are both teams located in the... wait for it... Midwest. He does a bazillion updates January through March. I think you overestimate the level of conspiracy involved.

I'm not calling it a "conspiracy", because it isn't one. Just a guy who knows what gets people to talk about his bracket, and WSU vs KU is a talker. He could easily put us in the South or the West if he wanted to. He has no issue moving St. Mary's all over the globe in each update.

[ShockingButTrue]

[shockrah]

He's a liberated man. Married his only sex partner and took their name.

[HenryMuto]

Just seen Palm live on TV he is still sticking with the same story no at large bid coming for loser of tomorrow's game.

[ShockerPrez]

It just still makes my blood boil a bit hearing tha KSU is in with a win in the Big 12 tourney.

I hope we get matched up with them.

[HenryMuto]

Katz just now on Vanderbilt "It doesn't matter how many losses you have it's how many quality wins you have and they have enough to get a bid".

Vandy would be the first ever 15 loss team to get an at large bid.

It's kind of funny how Palm and Lunardi are polar opposites on some of these teams with Wichita State and Vanderbilt being 2 of the big ones.

Palm does not even have Vanderbilt on his bubble he has them way out.

[Cdizzle]

Katz just now on Vanderbilt "It doesn't matter how many losses you have it's how many quality wins you have and they have enough to get a bid".

He has said this several times. I am not sure that he is wrong. It will be wrong if that is the approach that is taken.

[SB Shock]

Just seen Palm live on TV he is still sticking with the same story no at large bid coming for loser of tomorrow's game.

Bob Hull on the Shocker pregame show said he believes the MVC will only get one bid.

[Cdizzle]

Bob Hull on the Shocker pregame show said he believes the MVC will only get one bid.

Bob Hull is a Big10 hack.

They are about 5 years overdue of getting rid of him.

[Dave Stalwart]

My personal opinion is if the Shockers lose, we are still in. But if Illinois State loses, there will only be one MVC team in the NCAA tournament

[ShockerFever]

Bob Hull on the Shocker pregame show said he believes the MVC will only get one bid.

Huh? Does Mike Kennedy know that? Or Gregg Marshall?