looking at the league a third of the way in

[GumbyDamnit!]

I think your win over Kansas should be ok, unless they turn into Kentucky last year- which would just turn the win into a top 50 win instead of a top 5 win. Just something doesn't feel right with them.

That may be true but it's hard to call last night's loss to a very talented Florida team, on their home court, a questionable one. You've got to give it up to KU for their OOC slate: @ Colo, @Florida, SD State, Gtwn, Nova, Duke-N (may be missing one). Not sure if there are many teams in the country that would survive that unscathed. A miracle buzzer beater away at a pretty good Colo team and a loss at a team that may end up Top10 themselves is not terrible. I don't think it takes any luster off the Nova win yet. I expect KU to be up there by season's end.

Certainly have to credit KU for putting together such a quality noncon schedule. That being said, KU seems like they were pretty overrated. I agree with the poster above who said that, right now, there seems to be something not quite right about this KU team. They may get it figured out by the end of the season, or maybe everyone underestimated how much talent they lost from last year's team.

As it relates to the topic re: Dunn, I think KU's problem is their guards. They are just OK. Last night is a prime example: the kids out front had no idea how to attack Florida when they went to that zone; they were toast at that point. They don't shoot well, they don't get their players the ball in good spots, and they don't pressure the ball all that well. Put Archidiancono and Hilliard on that team to play with Wiggins, Ellis, Embeed and Traylor and they are still undefeated.

[HoosierPal]

As a Butler fan, I think the Bulldogs have looked better than expected by national pundits. Most of us BU fans can agree that we're kind of used to that. Butler could turn into a bubble team, but right now I think experience means more than making the NCAA and losing in round 1, so the NIT sounds good for a few tournament wins. If the freshmen continue to perform and improve, this class may end up being a surprise class like Mack/Hayward/Nored.

I agree that to date the Bulldogs are a little better than expected. I had them with one more loss than we have, (BSU), and looking forward to the PU game.

So far Dunham and Marshall are playing as we all expected, and Woods better than expected. I doubt if he keeps his double figure scoring average through the year. The expected hole is from the pivot, with the combination of Fromm and the two Frosh not giving me confidence for the conference. I am surprised at the lack to playing time Berry is getting. I had higher expectations for him than what we have seen so far. Chrab is getting more minutes than Berry, but we need more production from him. Once Brown becomes consistent, he will be a major factor.

[Bimbo_Pietro]

Sorry, Bimbo, and if you are the real Bimbo, double secret probation apologies. But actually, you bolster my case, since Iowa State looks better than Iowa. And I am pretty sure the scrimmage was not in Omaha. Anyway, details . . .

No, not the real Bimbo. I could have just as well picked Robert Scrutchens or Cornell Smith.

[XUFan09]

Here's my take on Xavier a third of the way through the season (It's in part a take on the game but mostly about the season in general so far).

http://fromstaaktomack.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/post-evansville-a-few-thoughts/

[milwaukeejedi1]

On the bright side, the Big East (based on RPI) is ranked third and the conferences strength of schedule is ranked second.



http://realtimerpi.com/rpi_bige_Men.html

1   Big 12  0.6104  0.5676 1 10
2   Big Ten  0.5869  0.5271 5 12
3   Big East  0.5803  0.5507 2 10
4   Pacific-12  0.5771  0.5261 6 12
5   Atlantic Coast  0.5648  0.5310 4 15
6   Atlantic 10  0.5529  0.5220 10 13
7   Mountain West  0.5508  0.5355 3 11
8   Southeastern  0.5503  0.5256 7 14
9   West Coast  0.5418  0.5020 16 10
10   Missouri Valley  0.5266  0.5113 11 10

Here is KenPom's top 10:

1 Big Ten Conference
2 Atlantic Coast Conference
3 Big East Conference
4 Big 12 Conference
5 Pac 12 Conference
6 American Athletic Conference
7 Southeastern Conference
8 Atlantic 10 Conference
9 West Coast Conference
10 Mountain West Conference

Sagarin Conference Rankings: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/sa ... onference/

  1 BIG TEN = 84.03 83.96 ( 1) 12 84.00 ( 1)
  2 BIG 12 = 82.50 82.44 ( 2) 10 82.49 ( 2)
  3 ATLANTIC COAST = 81.92 81.73 ( 3) 15 81.83 ( 3)
  4 BIG EAST = 81.62 81.70 ( 4) 10 81.67 ( 4)
  5 PAC-12 = 81.13 81.22 ( 5) 12 81.16 ( 5)
  6 SOUTHEASTERN = 80.37 79.95 ( 6) 14 80.24 ( 6)
  7 AMERICAN ATHLETIC = 79.50 79.49 ( 7) 10 79.51 ( 7)
  8 ATLANTIC 10 = 77.86 78.05 ( 8) 13 77.94 ( 8)
  9 WEST COAST = 77.25 77.91 ( 9) 10 77.39 ( 9)
  10 MOUNTAIN WEST = 76.97 76.76 ( 10) 11 76.91 ( 10)

[stever20]

realtime RPI messed up because they don't have the AAC. They're #9 right now(though real close to SEC and MWC).

[BillikensWin]

realtime RPI messed up because they don't have the AAC. They're #9 right now(though real close to SEC and MWC).

Strange, but not the strangest thing I've seen on that site.

[Friarfan2]

People saying that every team still has a shot are wrong.

Its like the old saying, you can't win a golf tournament on thursday, but you can lose one.

Sure, I guess if seton hall and/or depaul run the table they could make it. But they are the equivilant of 15 over par heading into the final 45 holes with the leaders lurking at double digits below par. They are done.

You do have to distinguish yourself a bit in out of conference play. Look at providence last year, or the selection from 2007. What you do out of conference does matter. Teams that perform poorly can't just go 10-8 and win a game or two in new york and expect a bid.

I am a little bitter at marquette. I thought they would struggle, their fans were crazy serious telling us all how good they will be, how amazing buzz williams is, etc..., and then they go and bomb. They really need to beat new mexico and win at least 11 conference games to stay in the picture, and might need a dozen conference wins to make the top half of the 16 team bracket (especially if they lose to new mexico). I'm thinking xavier is in this category too.

I am fine with what creighton did. They can probably be fine at 11-7, and still have a shot at 10-8. Georgetown too. Maybe butler, providence and st johns fall in this category too, although the johnnies might be closer to the xavier/marquette level)

Nova is really the only team that would be safe with a 10 win conf seasons.

And not trying to pile on seton hall, but what the heck is going on there? I don't care how many injuries your team has, you shouldn't be losing to st peters or fdu. This is getting real bad. They have to rethink their future, even with the recruiting class they have coming in. Sometimes a solid recruiting class is not enough to justify keeping a problem coach.

Depaul against chicago state was embarrassing to watch. These guys need to get better.

Seriously though, if this conference is going to get 5 teams in, we need the cellar dwellars to pick up a ton of losses. We need seton hall and depaul to combine for a 2-34 record, with whomever finishes in the 6, 7 and 8 slots to pick up a dozen or more losses each, with the 1-5 teams being the beneficiaries. Also, we would want nova to take care of business and have a real strong rpi, but lose to the 4 and 5 teams to give them good wins for bubble teams. Would take a perfect storm.

[Blue Blobs Bro]

Im sorry, is Providence so good that Xaviers 7-3 record is not even respectable? I mean, its definetely not stellar , but it is respectable for sure.

[XUFan09]

The Crosstown Shootout is often a major juncture in Xavier's season, with the question always being, win or lose, "Where do we go from here?" I put together a post discussing some of the themes of this season, with two non-conference games remaining. It could work as an easy synopsis of Xavier for those who haven't paid too much attention yet, or a series of points worth debating for those with more knowledge. Hope you enjoy!

http://fromstaaktomack.wordpress.com/20 ... rossroads/