16-17 Games of Interest

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

Member...their goal is to eliminate non P-5 schools in the first 2 rounds ... we will be matched-up with a mid

Yall keep parroting that line, but I think you lack sufficient facts to back it up. If that is "the goal" of the committee, explain the following:

2016 St. Joe's (8 seed) - 9 seed Cincy (KenPom #31), 1 seed Oregon (#13)
2016 VCU (10 seed) - 7 seed Oregon State (KenPom #60), 2 seed Oklahoma (#8), 3 seed Texas A&M (#16)
2016 Gonzaga (11 seed) - 6 seed Seton Hall (KenPom #30), 3 seed Utah (#28)
2015 Gonzaga (2 seed) - 7 seed Iowa (KenPom #25), 3 seed Iowa State (#14), 1 seed Duke (#6)
2015 UNI (5 seed) - 12 seed Wyoming (KenPom #99), 4 seed Louisville (#19), 1 seed Villanova (#4)
2015 WSU (7 seed) - 10 seed Indiana (KenPom #50), 2 seed KU (#12), 3 seed Notre Dame (#10)
2014 San Diego St (4 seed) - 13 seed New Mexico St (KenPom #71), 5 seed Oklahoma (#29), 1 seed Arizona (#2)
2014 BYU (10 seed) - 7 seed Oregon (KenPom #27), 2 seed Wisconsin (#10)

That's an awful lot of mid-majors who got favorable matchups (according to KenPom), and also, notice how many BCS teams those mids were lined up to play.

The narrative you guys are spouting falls apart quickly.

[im4wsu]

Yall keep parroting that line, but I think you lack sufficient facts to back it up. If that is "the goal" of the committee, explain the following:

2016 St. Joe's (8 seed) - 9 seed Cincy (KenPom #31), 1 seed Oregon (#13)
2016 VCU (10 seed) - 7 seed Oregon State (KenPom #60), 2 seed Oklahoma (#8), 3 seed Texas A&M (#16)
2016 Gonzaga (11 seed) - 6 seed Seton Hall (KenPom #30), 3 seed Utah (#28)
2015 Gonzaga (2 seed) - 7 seed Iowa (KenPom #25), 3 seed Iowa State (#14), 1 seed Duke (#6)
2015 UNI (5 seed) - 12 seed Wyoming (KenPom #99), 4 seed Louisville (#19), 1 seed Villanova (#4)
2015 WSU (7 seed) - 10 seed Indiana (KenPom #50), 2 seed KU (#12), 3 seed Notre Dame (#10)
2014 San Diego St (4 seed) - 13 seed New Mexico St (KenPom #71), 5 seed Oklahoma (#29), 1 seed Arizona (#2)
2014 BYU (10 seed) - 7 seed Oregon (KenPom #27), 2 seed Wisconsin (#10)

That's an awful lot of mid-majors who got favorable matchups (according to KenPom), and also, notice how many BCS teams those mids were lined up to play.

The narrative you guys are spouting falls apart quickly.

But the committee doesn't start using KenPom and other metrics until NEXT year.

[Play Angry]

But the committee doesn't start using KenPom and other metrics until NEXT year.

Actually, they are using them this year and have supposedly been using them in prior years - the "next year" part relates to potential implementation of a comprehensive metric in lieu of (or in tandem with) the RPI for the nitty gritty sheets.

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

@im4wsu:...

1) They've said they've used KenPom for years. Next year there will just be an added focus on it in a more official capacity.
2) I'm saying that I can find a ton of examples of mid-majors who were given a BCS-filled route through teams that could be considered overrated for their seeds. Pretty much the exact opposite of "they always give mid-majors an unfairly difficult route, and disproportionately make mids face other mids in order to start weeding them out".

[AZ Shocker]

Good data JH4P. Appreciate the examples you cited. But... (there's always a but - lol)...it sure "seems" like over the years there has been quite a bit of mids against mids early on. I'm obviously looking out for our Shockers moreso when I say that. It stems from the year we had to play VCU in tourney. If memory serves...I believe the first year Gregg got us in. Add in we usually have an unbelievable "path".

[ShockerGirl]

Good data JH4P. Appreciate the examples you cited. But... (there's always a but - lol)...it sure "seems" like over the years there has been quite a bit of mids against mids early on. I'm obviously looking out for our Shockers moreso when I say that. It stems from the year we had to play VCU in tourney. If memory serves...I believe the first year Gregg got us in. Add in we usually have an unbelievable "path".

Agreed. In addition to VCU/WSU, I always think of the one year I genuinely believed Butler and Old Dominion would go on deep runs, only to be pitted against each other in an 8/9 game (which Butler won at the buzzer en route to the title game).

[Play Angry]

Welp, this year there are so few bids for mids that the risk is pretty remote.

[another shocker]

Welp, this year there are so few bids for mids that the risk is pretty remote.

rpi is all for the p5

[wusphlash]

I wonder how many TVS in Normal are tuned into Georgia Tech versus Pittsburgh. Seems like a GT loss would be in ISUR's favor.

Neither are all that good.

[ShockerFever]

I wonder how many TVS in Normal are tuned into Georgia Tech versus Pittsburgh. Seems like a GT loss would be in ISUR's favor.

Neither are all that good.

These P5 opening round games have the look of NIT games.

[wusphlash]

Pitt takes out GT. Surely, SURELY, they're eliminated.

[wsushox1]

We would destroy St. Mary's and yet they are likely to be a higher seed than us. Oh well.

[AndShock]

We would destroy St. Mary's and yet they are likely to be a higher seed than us. Oh well.

Their resume is slightly better than ours and they are relatively close to us in KenPom from beating up on bad teams like we did. I'm slightly (very slightly) worried we are bad as St. Mary's looks and just haven't been tested yet.

[Blackmag]

Watching Gonzaga and Saint Mary's. I would take ISUR over Saint Mary's any day. The fact that they get more respect than we do is laughable.

[ShockerFever]

Watching Gonzaga and Saint Mary's. I would take ISUR over Saint Mary's any day. The fact that they get more respect than we do is laughable.

St. Mary's resume is actually pretty weak. It's not that match better than the Jailbirds. But the thing helping St. Mary's is out is that they were preseason Top 20 and have been in the polls ALL YEAR. That absolutely makes a difference whether anybody wants to admit it or not.

Thankfully, for us next year, we're gonna start off Top 15 from the get-go.