ranking the big east as of 12-21

[GumbyDamnit!]

1. Nova - no debate
2. Creighton - one bad weekend but pretty solid
3. SJU - has hung tough with the top teams in the country; play down/up to their competition?
4. G'town. - one bad loss; two decent wins; that's better than many can say
5. Butler - kudos to the Butler fans who told us all that they weren't the 8th best team in conference. They aren't.
6. Xavier - that Iowa loss was huge in retrospect
7. Marq - disappointing
8. PC - Dunn and suspensions
9. DePaul - same old same old
10. SHU - RPI poison

[Edrick]

Going into the unofficial 1/2 way point of the season, the Big East has 5 Top 50 teams (VU: 4, CU: 18, GU: 32, MU: 41, XU: 47). The bottom half of the conference is: Butler 54, St Johns 55, Providence 71, DePaul 133, Seton Hall 143 -- http://t.co/xoyWXNf6CX

[stever20]

Going into the unofficial 1/2 way point of the season, the Big East has 5 Top 50 teams (VU: 4, CU: 18, GU: 32, MU: 41, XU: 47). The bottom half of the conference is: Butler 54, St Johns 55, Providence 71, DePaul 133, Seton Hall 143 -- http://t.co/xoyWXNf6CX

I don't think anyone but Pomeroy thinks Marquette is a top 50 team right now. They have beaten 1 I repeat 1 top 220 ranked team. Their RPI right now is 109.

[Edrick]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/sa ... lsite=true

Do we really have to do this? There's dozens of these things, of course Marquette is a top 100 team and probably top 50.

[stever20]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/sagarin/2014/conference/?fullsite=true

Do we really have to do this? There's dozens of these things, of course Marquette is a top 100 team and probably top 50.

They haven't shown it on the floor... They have 1 top 220 win this year in 12 games. The 6 other wins- Southern, Grambling, New Hampshire, CS Fullerton, IUPUI, Ball St. 17 wins between the 6 of them- with only 10 D1 wins in the mix. That's hardly a top 50 team- I don't give a rip what any computer says. They are in a lot of trouble right now period. They need at least 11 wins between conference/BET to have any prayer of making the tourney. 10 wins would make them 18-14- and that's just NIT. No matter if they are #41 in Ken Pom or Sagarin.

It's very possible looking at their schedule they could be 10-10. They have games @ Creighton, Xavier, Butler, and Georgetown where they should be a dog in all of those games, and then a home game with Nova.

[Edrick]

What in god's name are you talking about? Of course they've shown in on the floor, whatever that's supposed to mean, where exactly do you think they played all those games this year which has yielded their rank (which is fairly universal)?

Your premises are FUBAR again.

[stever20]

What in god's name are you talking about? Of course they've shown in on the floor, whatever that's supposed to mean, where exactly do you think they played all those games this year which has yielded their rank (which is fairly universal)?

Your premises are FUBAR again.

They have beaten NO one who is any good. Their 6 wins outside of GW flipping DePaul would have won easily. Those 6 teams have won 10 D1 games between them COMBINED. That's just not good. Those are cupcakes. They are supposed to beat Grambling, Southern, New Hampshire, IUPUI, Ball St, and CS Fullerton.

Bottom line is simple. If Marquette wins 10 or fewer games in conference play they are NIT. PERIOD. Ken Pom or Sagarin, or any other computer rating won't save them. I think folks are starting to really believe that the computer numbers are God and totally override everything- especially RPI(where they are 109 right now). W-L record matters. 7-5 just isn't good. In the 6 AQ leagues plus the Big East, there are 11 teams with 5+ losses right now out of 83 teams. That should tell you something. That group:
Houston, Temple, Rutgers, Miami, BC, Texas Tech, Marquette, Northwestern, Washington St, Alabama, South Carolina.
Hardly a who's who. If you add in the A10, MWC, MVC, and WCC- so the top 11 leagues, only 17 more are added- so 28 total from the top 11 conferences with 5+ losses right now. Out of 127 teams.

What record do you say they need in conference play to make the tourney?

[Omaha1]

I've always liked Marquette and I think the BigEast needs them to be good, but they don't look anything like an NCAA team so far this year. If we took away preseason rankings or the names on the jerseys, no one would vote Marquette even in the top half of the league based on performance.

[Jet915]

Marquette has beaten a top 50 team in GW, I don't think GW is particularly good but will probably end up top 100. Marquette being top 50 is a reach, they will likely end up being a top 100 team unless they run the table in the Big East which would be bad for the Big East.

[stever20]

Marquette has beaten a top 50 team in GW, I don't think GW is particularly good but will probably end up top 100. Marquette being top 50 is a reach, they will likely end up being a top 100 team unless they run the table in the Big East which would be bad for the Big East.

I agree with that- but my point is that's all they've beaten. The others all are just awful. 10 D1 wins between them!

Like Omaha said, if you had generic name on their jersey's no one would be saying they're remotely close to top half of the conference right now. Or close to the top 50.