Lunardi-Updated Bubble

We should be in ahead of Minnesota...clearly the better team and they've played their way out of it. Illinois has some good wins and got the win over Minnesota yesterday. We did beat them but it was on our own floor. I think Iowa and Illinois should both be in and Minnesota should be out.

Reality - Illinois is in. Iowa has to win today. Minnesota is probably in.
 
You know, I understand and support that. It's just so nauseating to read the same thing over and over about those teams. It's an extremely simple-minded opinion to have, spouting conference seeding and overall records.

It's also nauseating to see people in the national media as well as on this forum, completely discount the entire last half of Minnesota's season.....a total of 16 games. It's like, they did enough up until Jan 9th to get in and nothing they did after the fact matters. And this is the bullspit that is the RPI. Load up on a bunch of middling teams in the non-con to get a decent non-con SOS and then depend on your conference schedule to keep your RPI up. Forget the fact that Minnesota has turned into a turnover machine. Forget the fact that they couldn't shoot if their lives depended on it. Forget the fact that they've won only 5 of their last 16 games. Just watch them play.....they are worse than awful right now.

The tourney is played in March, not November. How you play in the 2nd half of the season is a much better predictor and indicator of how you will play in the NCAA tourney than what you did the first 15 games of the season. But let's just offer them up as a 10 seed and watch them get destroyed while a team like Iowa that destroyed them by 20 at home and lost on a fade away 3 from the corner on the road watches from home again. No one on planet earth that has even the slightest inkling of basketball knowledge could tell you that Minnesota is a better team than Iowa right now.
 
It's also nauseating to see people in the national media as well as on this forum, completely discount the entire last half of Minnesota's season.....a total of 16 games. It's like, they did enough up until Jan 9th to get in and nothing they did after the fact matters. And this is the bullspit that is the RPI. Load up on a bunch of middling teams in the non-con to get a decent non-con SOS and then depend on your conference schedule to keep your RPI up. Forget the fact that Minnesota has turned into a turnover machine. Forget the fact that they couldn't shoot if their lives depended on it. Forget the fact that they've won only 5 of their last 16 games. Just watch them play.....they are worse than awful right now.

The tourney is played in March, not November. How you play in the 2nd half of the season is a much better predictor and indicator of how you will play in the NCAA tourney than what you did the first 15 games of the season. But let's just offer them up as a 10 seed and watch them get destroyed while a team like Iowa that destroyed them by 20 at home and lost on a fade away 3 from the corner on the road watches from home again. No one on planet earth that has even the slightest inkling of basketball knowledge could tell you that Minnesota is a better team than Iowa right now.

For me it's not even Iowa vs. Minnesota. There are numerous teams more deserving that Minnesota. They don't belong based on how they are playing. If this were the start of the Big Ten season I would have them as no worse than a 2 seed but this is mid March. We are trying to play our way in late. They played their way out late.
 
You know, I understand and support that. It's just so nauseating to read the same thing over and over about those teams. It's an extremely simple-minded opinion to have, spouting conference seeding and overall records.

Illinois, I can understand there really is no case we have that Iowa deserves to be in more than them. Even the 1 win we have over them was a home game for us.

But Minnesota completely fell apart down the stretch, other than upsetting Indiana they have looked horrible over their past 10 games and you can make a case that they do not belong in the tournament. The committee used to consider a teams last 10 games, not sure they do anymore. But there are a lot of teams that can make a case for being in over Minnesota, not just Iowa. But their high RPI rank, tough non conference schedule, and their win over Indiana will probably get them in the tournament whether it is justified or not.
 
Minnesota is the perfect example why LAST 10 games, used to matter, Still does matter, and should matter.
 
Minnesota is the perfect example why LAST 10 games, used to matter, Still does matter, and should matter.

ESPN scroll bad had them as a lock to make the tourney even after the loss yesterday. There's no way Minnesota should be in the tourney...none.
 
ESPN scroll bad had them as a lock to make the tourney even after the loss yesterday. There's no way Minnesota should be in the tourney...none.

Well that isnt true either. You cant take away their wins vs. Indiana, Michigan St, Memphis, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Those wins are still better than 98% of bubble teams.
 
Sure I can.

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Iowa only played them once, at home, and had an easier B1G schedule.

The joys of an unbalanced conference schedule.

Illinois is in solidly and there isnt really a reason for complaint about it.

I agree with you on Illinois. Minnesota getting in ahead of Iowa is the one I have a problem with. Yeah, their overall resume still looks good, but the way that team has mailed it in the past month or more, that bothers me. They have 12 losses, and have been getting manhandled by most everyone recently.

It just seems silly to me that a team can play well in December or January, and then crumble from there on out, and their NCAA bid will still be "safe" no matter what, come hell or high water.
 
For me it's not even Iowa vs. Minnesota. There are numerous teams more deserving that Minnesota. They don't belong based on how they are playing. If this were the start of the Big Ten season I would have them as no worse than a 2 seed but this is mid March. We are trying to play our way in late. They played their way out late.

I think this is the key point. There is definitely an argument to be made that Minnesota should miss the tournament. Automatically saying Iowa "deserves" their spot is short sighted. There are a lot of other bubble teams to consider. Iowa doesn't deserve anything...yet.
 
So did Maryland. It doesn't mean they're in.

For the record I think Virginia will get in, but my point is that one game by itself doesn't automatically make a team deserving.

Of course not, but it puts them in over Iowa definitively. If Iowa had beaten Indiana they would be in the same spot. Its a signature win, and shows the committe they are capable of the big upset, which is what they want, teams in the tourney that can win.

Hell you can make the argument that if Iowa wins at Wisky or against MSU they would be in right now also.
 
They lost to a potential 300 seed. No.

Again everyone on the bubble has losses, bad losses even. The committee cares fsr more about who you can beat than who you can loose to. Your argument is like all those guys who said we had no chance at the NIT cause of the campbell loss.
 

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