College Basketball Countdown

[stever20]

meanwhile on the USA Today countdown, they have Georgetown in as the #37 team- but as the 2nd highest team in the Big East. Just shows what the perception is for the Big East going into this year.

-stever20:

So what does a preseason projection showing our 2nd best team as #37 mean to you with regards to our perception? With our 4th best team in the play in game in the same projection? Or most preseason polls showing the Big East with 1 top 25 team? How else can you react other than badly? Are we just supposed to bury our heads in the sand?

[SJHooper]

Honestly, other than Nova, what team deserves to be in the top 25? None. There are a ton of great players leaving and a lot of unknown. We really need at least 2 more teams to step up and consistently be top 25 to get that national recognition as a legit conference. I know some of you will say as long as teams make the tourney who cares, but our perception is important to me at least. When you're used to being the king conference undisputed since forever, you do not want to play second fiddle. There are too many great programs here to only have 1 program top 25. I hope it's just been a rough patch and teams like Marquette, G'Town, Xavier, etc. get back to being ranked consistently because if not we will only be called mid major more and more even if it's technically not true.

[Xudash]

Honestly, other than Nova, what team deserves to be in the top 25? None. There are a ton of great players leaving and a lot of unknown. We really need at least 2 more teams to step up and consistently be top 25 to get that national recognition as a legit conference. I know some of you will say as long as teams make the tourney who cares, but our perception is important to me at least. When you're used to being the king conference undisputed since forever, you do not want to play second fiddle. There are too many great programs here to only have 1 program top 25. I hope it's just been a rough patch and teams like Marquette, G'Town, Xavier, etc. get back to being ranked consistently because if not we will only be called mid major more and more even if it's technically not true.

I couldn't agree with you more.

It is very important for perception/brand purposes that we generate a constant stable of ranked teams during the regular season in addition to generating success in the tournament. And it isn't either/or - we need for both to be obvious.

[stever20]

Honestly, other than Nova, what team deserves to be in the top 25? None. There are a ton of great players leaving and a lot of unknown. We really need at least 2 more teams to step up and consistently be top 25 to get that national recognition as a legit conference. I know some of you will say as long as teams make the tourney who cares, but our perception is important to me at least. When you're used to being the king conference undisputed since forever, you do not want to play second fiddle. There are too many great programs here to only have 1 program top 25. I hope it's just been a rough patch and teams like Marquette, G'Town, Xavier, etc. get back to being ranked consistently because if not we will only be called mid major more and more even if it's technically not true.

I agree. I think this is where St John's is huge as well, they have to get back going on the other thread- they need to not be an accomplishment for being on the bubble- but they need to be one of those consistent top 25 teams quite frankly.

Also, I would say that we need teams to do well in the tourney. Part of that is having those top 25 teams. I know some folks on here are like just making the tourney is good enough because after that you have a shot. I'm sorry- but if you look at the records by seeds, seeds do matter.

[DudeAnon]

So what does a preseason projection showing our 2nd best team as #37 mean to you with regards to our perception? With our 4th best team in the play in game in the same projection? Or most preseason polls showing the Big East with 1 top 25 team? How else can you react other than badly? Are we just supposed to bury our heads in the sand?

C'mon dude, don't act like you are some bastion of objectivity. You only site facts when they suit your pessimistic view of the conference.

Besides, the beautiful thing about sports is that perception means squat. Just win baby.

[stever20]

So what does a preseason projection showing our 2nd best team as #37 mean to you with regards to our perception? With our 4th best team in the play in game in the same projection? Or most preseason polls showing the Big East with 1 top 25 team? How else can you react other than badly? Are we just supposed to bury our heads in the sand?

C'mon dude, don't act like you are some bastion of objectivity. You only site facts when they suit your pessimistic view of the conference.

Besides, the beautiful thing about sports is that perception means squat. Just win baby.

You are right to some degree that perception means squat. But still, college basketball is driven a lot on perception. What drove the old Big East was that you would have several ranked teams so when you won in confernece, those wins resonated. I mean look at Villanova a few years ago. They were only 20-14, but because they had several top 20 wins in conference, they made the tourney.

The problem the conference has right now is that it's not just me that has a pessimistic view of where the conference is right now. USA Today has our 2nd best team as #37. How can you say anything positive about that? 2nd best team a 10th seed? Also, when teams start that far down, it takes time to build up and even get ranked. I mean, look how long it took Creighton to get ranked last year.

[billyjack]

So what does a preseason projection showing our 2nd best team as #37 mean to you with regards to our perception? With our 4th best team in the play in game in the same projection? Or most preseason polls showing the Big East with 1 top 25 team? How else can you react other than badly? Are we just supposed to bury our heads in the sand?

C'mon dude, don't act like you are some bastion of objectivity. You only site facts when they suit your pessimistic view of the conference.

Besides, the beautiful thing about sports is that perception means squat. Just win baby.

Funny you mention perception and all, because Frankie The Barber has told me that Miami (Fla) won't be in his Top-100, and he's already ranked NC State and Notre Dame in the 90's, and he's down on Virginia (slow, boring) and Pitt (even slower, boring) making the NCAA's... that leaves the ACC's Big Four and maybe Florida State as possible Big Dance candidates. Tough to spin only 4 or 5 bids out the the ACC as being anything but horrendous.

[stever20]

ACC- most recent Notre Dame #45 8th- 7 teams left
B10- most recent Minnesota #46 8th- 7 teams left
B12- most recent West Virginia #47 6th- 5 teams left
AAC- most recent Tulsa #48 4th- 3 teams left
P12- most recent Oregon #49 6th- 5 teams left
SEC- most recent Alabama #50 5th- 4 teams left
BE- most recent Butler #51 4th- 3 teams left
A10- most recent Rhode Island #57- 5th- 4 teams left
MW- most recent New Mexico #67 3rd- 2 teams left
WCC- most recent San Francisco #71 3rd- 2 teams left

2nd 4 teams out: 53 Illinois, 54 Florida St, 55 Georgia, 56 Providence
1st 4 teams out: 49 Oregon, 50 Alabama, 51 Butler, 52 Cincy
Last 4 teams in: 45 Notre Dame, 46 Minnesota, 47 West Virginia, 48 Tulsa

NCAA projection by conference
ACC 8(plus 1 on outside of bubble in 1st 8 out)
B10 8(plus 1)
B12 6
P12 5(plus 1)
SEC 4(plus 2)
AAC 4(plus 1)
A10 4
BE 3(plus 2)
MWC, WCC 2 each

Just looking, I'd say this projection is looking pretty good for us. I think they messed up with Seton Hall, so that would give us a 6th team in contention. As I said before, I look at last 8 teams in and first 8 teams out in a projection like this as being pretty much the same. So I see Notre Dame and Providence for example being pretty much equal.

[FriarJ]

ACC- most recent Notre Dame #45 8th- 7 teams left
B10- most recent Minnesota #46 8th- 7 teams left
B12- most recent West Virginia #47 6th- 5 teams left
AAC- most recent Tulsa #48 4th- 3 teams left
P12- most recent Oregon #49 6th- 5 teams left
SEC- most recent Alabama #50 5th- 4 teams left
BE- most recent Butler #51 4th- 3 teams left
A10- most recent Rhode Island #57- 5th- 4 teams left
MW- most recent New Mexico #67 3rd- 2 teams left
WCC- most recent San Francisco #71 3rd- 2 teams left

2nd 4 teams out: 53 Illinois, 54 Florida St, 55 Georgia, 56 Providence
1st 4 teams out: 49 Oregon, 50 Alabama, 51 Butler, 52 Cincy
Last 4 teams in: 45 Notre Dame, 46 Minnesota, 47 West Virginia, 48 Tulsa

NCAA projection by conference
ACC 8(plus 1 on outside of bubble in 1st 8 out)
B10 8(plus 1)
B12 6
P12 5(plus 1)
SEC 4(plus 2)
AAC 4(plus 1)
A10 4
BE 3(plus 2)
MWC, WCC 2 each

Just looking, I'd say this projection is looking pretty good for us. I think they messed up with Seton Hall, so that would give us a 6th team in contention. As I said before, I look at last 8 teams in and first 8 teams out in a projection like this as being pretty much the same. So I see Notre Dame and Providence for example being pretty much equal.

They play each other so I guess we will see. PC also plays FSU. PC plays 4 ACC teams this year.

[Bill Marsh]

Richmond came in the other day at #35. If they can live up to that, it will enhance their candidacy as a potential expansion candidate.