WED - BIG EAST TOURNEY - DePAUL vs GEORGETOWN, 9:30pm.

[PMThor]

This was a horrible, horrible loss for the conference. Just based on the BS ESPN led "eye test" this loss hurts the league. We need EVERY team projected to even sniff the tourney to win over inferior competition. I don't care about this stuff about strengthening other BE teams chances, that's crap. No team in consideration for the tournament should lose to the LAST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE. EVER. Never, ever, ever.

When people look back at this season for the Big East, the naysayers will say a bubble team lost to the worst team in the league. That is never good.

[SJHooper]

ESPN had Xavier as a "should be in". Their resume is strong compared to other bubble teams too. So if you want to consider them a bubble team they are VERY comfortable on it. Either way, the SJ/PC winner gets in tomorrow.

[SJHooper]

This was a horrible, horrible loss for the conference. Just based on the BS ESPN led "eye test" this loss hurts the league. We need EVERY team projected to even sniff the tourney to win over inferior competition. I don't care about this stuff about strengthening other BE teams chances, that's crap. No team in consideration for the tournament should lose to the LAST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE. EVER. Never, ever, ever.

When people look back at this season for the Big East, the naysayers will say a bubble team lost to the worst team in the league. That is never good.

G'Town lost a lot of talent. They will be fine…let them reload. They have a great player in Smith-Rivera…G'Town is too good a program to be held down too long. They will be ranked again within the next season or two. Upsets happen in tournaments. No conference is immune. Look at UConn…they finished the year .500 in conference and won the national championship a few years back.

I agree we need G'Town to be good for the conference to be seen as healthy, but teams are going to have to reload every once in a while. Creighton will be in a similar position after this year.

[ReynoldsWrap]

Xavier is absolutely not a lock if they lose to Marquette tomorrow night. If they beat Marquette, sure. But if they lose, they will be directly on the bubble. St. John's-Providence could be a play-in game, but maybe not. There are many, many scenarios in which St. John's beats Providence, loses in the semifinals, and misses the Tournament. Lunardi saying that the winner of the SJU-Prov game will "likely squeak in" gives you confidence that this thing is a play-in game?

SJHooper, your posts contradict each other. You say that Xavier is a lock, and to try to prove your point, you say that they're in the "Should Be In" category. They would not be in that category if they were considered a lock. You say that St. John's-Prov is a play-in game, and to drive that point home, you say that Lunardi says that the winner will "likely squeak in". You say that Xavier has 21 wins, and they really have 20 (and 19 against D-1).

Look, I want what's best for the conference, but you need to think things through more clearly before posting.

[SJHooper]

Xavier is absolutely not a lock if they lose to Marquette tomorrow night. If they beat Marquette, sure. But if they lose, they will be directly on the bubble. St. John's-Providence could be a play-in game, but maybe not. There are many, many scenarios in which St. John's beats Providence, loses in the semifinals, and misses the Tournament. Lunardi saying that the winner of the SJU-Prov game will "likely squeak in" gives you confidence that this thing is a play-in game?

SJHooper, your posts contradict each other. You say that Xavier is a lock, and to try to prove your point, you say that they're in the "Should Be In" category. They would not be in that category if they were considered a lock. You say that St. John's-Prov is a play-in game, and to drive that point home, you say that Lunardi says that the winner will "likely squeak in". You say that Xavier has 21 wins, and they really have 20 (and 19 against D-1).

Look, I want what's best for the conference, but you need to think things through more clearly before posting.

Lunardi is well-known to be the most trusted guy when it comes to bracketology. He's almost always right. If he says it's a virtual play-in game I believe him. Is there a chance 2 wins will still be needed? Sure. But it seems to be more in favor of a play-in. Like I said if the 2nd round was against Marquette then yes we'd definitely need 2, but Nova is a top 5 if not top 3 at the moment. You really think a team with a 50-55 RPI losing to the 4 RPI team would say to them "they aren't ready"? I think as long as it's not a blowout and PC/SJ shows they can hang (both have this season already), then losing a squeaker won't kill them. That's not a bad loss or an expected win. It would be icing on the cake but you don't always need icing to get in.

[ReynoldsWrap]

No, a loss to top 5 Nova would not be a blemish on their resume. That's not the point. The point is that when you're hanging out right on the bubble, you need to give the committee a reason to put you in beyond a reasonable doubt. A win over top 5 Nova would be that feather in their cap that would 100% put them over the top. Otherwise, you might need a new pair of drawers on Sunday.

[shupirate98]

I want the league to get as many bids as possible but anyone who thinks St. John's would be a lock with a win tomorrow with their ONE top 50 win really has no idea how the selection process works.

[SJHooper]

No, a loss to top 5 Nova would not be a blemish on their resume. That's not the point. The point is that when you're hanging out right on the bubble, you need to give the committee a reason to put you in beyond a reasonable doubt. A win over top 5 Nova would be that feather in their cap that would 100% put them over the top. Otherwise, you might need a new pair of drawers on Sunday.

Other bubble teams can eliminate themselves and make it easier for us too, so some of it still needs to play out. SJ and PC are two teams that have been improving a lot lately and it's good to even be discussing this right now. If SJ loses I'll be disappointed, but honestly I wouldn't prefer anyone else get in than PC. Beating us at home with tourney dreams on the line would be a clear indicator SJ is just not ready. It will be interesting…SJ does not perform well historically in big games especially in the BET, but we will be at home and the team plays much, much better at MSG.

If SJ wins their first 2 games, Stout (the alumni/fan bar) is going to have a line for blocks. After the G'Town blowout there was a huge line. SJ fans have been waiting so long for the program to get their act together and start punching their ticket again. Hopefully this year is it. If not, I will root for PC and the rest of the Big East. If we made it to round 2 vs. Nova and won it would instantly be among the biggest wins in program history especially with the significance of a locked up bid.

Lol @shupirate98…here we go again zeroing in on 1 stat. Either you know something Lunardi doesn't or you are just not admitting they are right there.

[Gopher+RamFan]

Xavier is absolutely not a lock if they lose to Marquette tomorrow night. If they beat Marquette, sure. But if they lose, they will be directly on the bubble. St. John's-Providence could be a play-in game, but maybe not. There are many, many scenarios in which St. John's beats Providence, loses in the semifinals, and misses the Tournament. Lunardi saying that the winner of the SJU-Prov game will "likely squeak in" gives you confidence that this thing is a play-in game?

SJHooper, your posts contradict each other. You say that Xavier is a lock, and to try to prove your point, you say that they're in the "Should Be In" category. They would not be in that category if they were considered a lock. You say that St. John's-Prov is a play-in game, and to drive that point home, you say that Lunardi says that the winner will "likely squeak in". You say that Xavier has 21 wins, and they really have 20 (and 19 against D-1).

Look, I want what's best for the conference, but you need to think things through more clearly before posting.

Lunardi is well-known to be the most trusted guy when it comes to bracketology. He's almost always right. If he says it's a virtual play-in game I believe him. Is there a chance 2 wins will still be needed? Sure. But it seems to be more in favor of a play-in. Like I said if the 2nd round was against Marquette then yes we'd definitely need 2, but Nova is a top 5 if not top 3 at the moment. You really think a team with a 50-55 RPI losing to the 4 RPI team would say to them "they aren't ready"? I think as long as it's not a blowout and PC/SJ shows they can hang (both have this season already), then losing a squeaker won't kill them. That's not a bad loss or an expected win. It would be icing on the cake but you don't always need icing to get in.

Lunardi has the 34th best ranking among bracketologists in the past few years. He's good, not great. He usually gets inside information and updates his bracket right before the selection show. If you think a 50-55 RPI team with 20 D1 wins, losing to a top 5 team should make them a lock than I suggest you read more on past selections. The best thing for Xavier to do, is to remove all doubt and beat Nova. The bubble is soft this year (like most years it seems) no team has an excuse.

[ReynoldsWrap]

Other bubble teams can eliminate themselves and make it easier for us too, .

You are the least objective person of all time. You realize this bubble stuff works both ways right? While some bubble teams (Gtown) are playing their way out, others will be playing their way in. That's why it's so important for St. John's to win two and remove all doubt. I respect your passion, but you are an unbelievable homer, and you allow that to cloud your judgment and opinions.

I'm done with this conversation because at this point I'm just clogging up the thread with this stuff.