Who's hot and who's not?

[Bill Marsh]

Continuous improvement is what college basketball is all about. Teams playing as well in February as they played in November are being surpassed by team playing better today than they were 3 months ago. Coaches want their teams to be peaking in March.

After yesterday's upsets, the standings are once again in flux. It seems like it's Villanova on top, DePaul on the bottom, and everyone else in the middle. So here are Greenfield's (teamrankings.com) current rankings for Big East teams, based exclusively on power ratings in the last 5 games. First number is national rank. In parentheses is last 5 record and last 5 power rating.

9. Villanova (5-0, 21.6)
23. Creighton (3-2, 16.1)
27. Georgetown (3-2, 14.5)
28. St John's (3-2), 14.2)
51. Butler (2-3, 10.5)
54. Xavier (4-1, 10.2)
55. Providence (2-3, 10.2)
64. Seton Hall (2-3, 9.2)
115. Marquette (1-4, 4.0)
206. DePaul (0-5, -2.6)

NOTE: The power numbers are transactional, meaning that you can subtract one from the other to get the anticipated point spread.

[Bill Marsh]

It keeps shifting.

8. Villanova (5-0, 20.8)
12. Creighton (3-2, 18.7)
25. Providence (3-2, 15.3)
30. Georgetown (3-2, 14.6)
43. Seton Hall (3-2, 11.8)
44. Butler (2-3, 11.4)
58. St John's (2-3, 9.7)
76. Xavier (3-2, 7.4)
113. Marquette (1-4, 4.0)
197. DePaul (0-5, -2.6)

[gtmoBlue]

I Luv the Hall and hope their FT parade continues Saturday against Nova.

Go BE Refs!

[Bill Marsh]

Every coach is looking for continuous progress inhisteam'sdevelopment throughout the season with the goal of peaking in March. Power ratings based on the last 5 games provide a snapshot of which teams are peaking as we approach March.

7. Villanova (4-1, 21.3)
13. Butler (4-1, 19.3)
24. Providence (3-2, 16.0)
25. Creighton (2-3, 15.9)
29. Marquette (3-2, 15.1)
76. Georgetown (1-4, 8.1)
78. St John's (2-3, 7.9)
86. Seton Hall (3-2, 7.4)
137. Xavier (1-4, 2.1)
146. DePaul (1-4, 1.5)

Caution: The Xavier numbers have to be taken as a grain of salt as any kind of measure with regard to where they're heading because Bluiett missed half the time in these 5 games.

[stever20]

Every coach is looking for continuous progress inhisteam'sdevelopment throughout the season with the goal of peaking in March. Power ratings based on the last 5 games provide a snapshot of which teams are peaking as we approach March.

7. Villanova (4-1, 21.3)
13. Butler (4-1, 19.3)
24. Providence (3-2, 16.0)
25. Creighton (2-3, 15.9)
29. Marquette (3-2, 15.1)
76. Georgetown (1-4, 8.1)
78. St John's (2-3, 7.9)
86. Seton Hall (3-2, 7.4)
137. Xavier (1-4, 2.1)
146. DePaul (1-4, 1.5)

Caution: The Xavier numbers have to be taken as a grain of salt as any kind of measure with regard to where they're heading because Bluiett missed half the time in these 5 games.

Xavier is running out of time though. If they don't win vs either Butler or Marquette, a 8 seed may be their best case scenario.

[Bill Marsh]

Every coach is looking for continuous progress inhisteam'sdevelopment throughout the season with the goal of peaking in March. Power ratings based on the last 5 games provide a snapshot of which teams are peaking as we approach March.

7. Villanova (4-1, 21.3)
13. Butler (4-1, 19.3)
24. Providence (3-2, 16.0)
25. Creighton (2-3, 15.9)
29. Marquette (3-2, 15.1)
76. Georgetown (1-4, 8.1)
78. St John's (2-3, 7.9)
86. Seton Hall (3-2, 7.4)
137. Xavier (1-4, 2.1)
146. DePaul (1-4, 1.5)

Caution: The Xavier numbers have to be taken as a grain of salt as any kind of measure with regard to where they're heading because Bluiett missed half the time in these 5 games.

Xavier is running out of time though. If they don't win vs either Butler or Marquette, a 8 seed may be their best case scenario.

Agree. Having lost 4 in a row, they're not moving in a positive direction.

BTW, I have to take back what I said in the other thread about 1-3 being a stretch for Seton Hall. You were right. I've looked at it more closely and have come around to your way of thinking. A 2-2 Pirates finish is probably the most likely forecast.

[gosports1]

what do you all think about Xavier? Are they still a lock?

[Bill Marsh]

what do you all think about Xavier? Are they still a lock?

Hard to say. Even if they were to lose out, their record would justify a bid. But if the committee views them as a different team without Sumner, then they're no longer a lock.

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

what do you all think about Xavier? Are they still a lock?

Hard to say. Even if they were to lose out, their record would justify a bid. But if the committee views them as a different team without Sumner, then they're no longer a lock.

The committee has been inconsistent in their application of 'adjustments' concerning injuries to key players. Teams from P5 conferences are generally given the benefit of the doubt in this regard, while the opposite holds true for teams in not in P5-conferences. As Bill March wrote, "Hard to say."

Chris Wright Sidelined with Fractured Bone in his Ankle - DaytonFlyers.com – January 10, 2008

Flyers Vault to Best Ranking in 40 Years - DaytonFlyers.com – January 14, 2008 • Dayton Flyers 2007-08 Schedule & Results - ESPN

Dayton is 14th in the AP Poll and 18th in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. UD is in the midst of a 13-game winning streak which is the program's longest unbeaten stretch since the end of the 1961-1962 season.

Charles Little Out 4-6 Weeks with Broken Bone in his Foot - DaytonFlyers.com – January 18, 2008

Flyers Earn NIT Berth – DaytonFlyers.com - March 16, 2008

The University of Dayton Flyers are one of the 32 teams selected to participate in the 2008 NIT championship tournament field. The Flyers, 21-10 overall and 14-3 at home, defeated six teams that went to the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

Dayton is the Biggest "Snub" Ever – Motown Sports – March 17, 2008

In my opinion, omitting Dayton from the tournament should constitute a failing grade for the committee. Not surprisingly, the committee has not been able to say anything that even remotely resembles solid reasoning as to why Oregon was included or why Dayton was excluded.

Dayton’s non-conference RPI was #4. They beat Louisville and Pittsburgh in non-conference play. Dayton jumped out to 14-1 to start the season before losing Chris "Top Flight" Wright to injury.

Dayton finished with an RPI of 32 and a SOS of 33. The Selection Committee has long stated that it takes into consideration the impact of injuries when it makes its selections. Its inclusion of Arizona this year is one such example. Dayton was set to have Wright back this week after nearly playing in the A-10 Tournament. There is absolutely no question that with Wright, Dayton is one of the top 15 or 20 teams in the country.

The chairman of the Selection Committee went on to say this about Arizona ... Arizona In: "The Wildcats were 16-6 with Nic Wise and Jerryd Bayless, and their strength of schedule [was high]. When they weren't in the lineup they were a different team."

Dayton was 13-1 with Charles Little and Chris Wright with wins over six RPI 100 teams. An injury exemption to Arizona doesn’t make any sense if the same exemption is not given to Dayton especially since Dayton had to play Xavier (#9 in the RPI) three times without Wright. Dayton still finished with a better RPI than Oregon and Arizona despite its injuries.

2008 Post-NCAA Tournament RPI Rankings - NCAA.com

7 - Xavier (NCAA
10 - Louisville (NCAA)
18 - Pittsburgh (NCAA)
24 - Dayton (NIT)
50- Arizona (NCAA)
72 - Oregon (NCAA)

[Bill Marsh]

Wow, Flyer, that's quite a story.

I've heard committees say in the bast that they ignore injuries when deciding who's in and who's out but then take injuries into account for seeding decisions. Your story shows otherwise.