What to make of 3-8?

[GumbyDamnit!]

There are 2 clear top teams and 2 clear bottom teams and then a mass of teams In the middle that I just can't get a handle on. Every time I think team Y is dead, they pull out a big win or think that tean Z is a tourney team they lose a couple in a row. If I had to rank teams 3 through 8 right now where would someone even start? Honestly how can you separate these teams? My fear is that they all just beat on each other and we get no 3rd or 4th team differentiate themselves enough to be more than a bubble team. Hope I'm wrong. In terms of them all finishing with identical records I think in terms of tourney inclusion potential I'd rank them thusly:

Gtwn
XU
PC
SJU
Marq
SHU

[stever20]

I think your list is pretty much spot on- if you are talking conference records...
Gtwn
XU
-------------------(NCAA bubble)
PC
SJU
Marq
SHU
if every team in this group is 9-9... Maybe flip Georgetown and Xavier. Georgetown would be 18-12 Xavier 19-11. Georgetown with the much better wins.

Now, if you are talking overall records, I think you have Marquette leapfrogging Providence and St John's, as they would have more conference wins. Georgetown definitely flips over Xavier.

[BluejaysForThree]

Here's how I see 3-8 ending up at the end of the regular season...

Xavier
Georgetown
St Johns
Marquette
Providence (the road games are going to catch up with a tired team IMO)
Seton Hall

But you can pretty much interchange 3-5 on the list, and if St Johns stays hot and wins Sunday, they might make a play at an NCAA bid even. This is shaping up to be quite a second half of conference play... I still think this is a solid 4 bid league FWIW.

[ReynoldsWrap]

I don't think this situation is all that favorable for our conference. It would have been nice to have a #3 and #4 team really emerge and be solidly in the NCAA Tournament. That can still happen of course with half the conference schedule remaining, but it's got to happen now.

* As someone else said, Providenceis in deep trouble. I see them finishing at .500 (9-9) in the league with their difficult remaining schedule.
* Xavier has slipped up big time. That home loss to Seton Hall was pretty devastating.
* Marquette seems to be the definition of a mediocre Big East teams. Don't see them making a big push to be the #3 team in the league.
* NIce win @Xavier for Seton Hall, maybe they are putting something together. They have five more home games that are all winnable.
* The hottest team of this group is obviously St. John's. Finally playing as a team and getting things done. 10-8 in the league is not out of the question.
* How does Georgetown lose 5 straight games and then beat MSU? The home losses to Hall and Marquette were the downfalls here.

[cu blujs]

I'm not ready to chalk CU up as a one or two just yet. We have a history of dropping a few games in February. If we get through the the next two weeks with one or two more losses, then I will feel pretty good. We could easily lose four or five second time through.

[TheHall]

I don't think this situation is all that favorable for our conference. It would have been nice to have a #3 and #4 team really emerge and be solidly in the NCAA Tournament. That can still happen of course with half the conference schedule remaining, but it's got to happen now.

* As someone else said, Providenceis in deep trouble. I see them finishing at .500 (9-9) in the league with their difficult remaining schedule.
* Xavier has slipped up big time. That home loss to Seton Hall was pretty devastating.
* Marquette seems to be the definition of a mediocre Big East teams. Don't see them making a big push to be the #3 team in the league.
* Nice win @Xavier for Seton Hall, maybe they are putting something together. They have five more home games that are all winnable.
* The hottest team of this group is obviously St. John's. Finally playing as a team and getting things done. 10-8 in the league is not out of the question.
* How does Georgetown lose 5 straight games and then beat MSU? The home losses to Hall and Marquette were the downfalls here.

Not to mention that Seton Hall is 3-2 all road games (3 wins & 2 one-point losses) against the 5 teams people are ranking us under.

[stever20]

I'm not ready to chalk CU up as a one or two just yet. We have a history of dropping a few games in February. If we get through the the next two weeks with one or two more losses, then I will feel pretty good. We could easily lose four or five second time through.

it'd take a lot for Creighton to not finish 1 or 2. They would likely have to finish 5-4 and have PC or X almost win out. Don't see EITHER of those things happening. If Creighton goes 5-4 even to go 13-5, PC must go 7-1(beating Creighton on McDermott's senior night), Xavier must go 8-1 with a Creighton win, Marquette 8-0, and Seton Hall 9-0.

[ReynoldsWrap]

I'm not ready to chalk CU up as a one or two just yet. We have a history of dropping a few games in February. If we get through the the next two weeks with one or two more losses, then I will feel pretty good. We could easily lose four or five second time through.

Four or five?! I would be absolutely stunned if that happened.

Definite wins (4): vs. DePaul, @Butler, vs. Seton Hall, vs. Providence
Probable wins (2): @Marq, @Gtown
More like 50/50 (3): @SJU (you're catching them at their peak), vs. Nova, @Xavier
Probable losses: None

I don't know, that's just the way I see it. I don't see four losses there, and certainly not five. Even if you lose two of the three 50/50 games, and then get upset in another one, that still puts you at 6-3 (which would mean 14-4 BE record for the season and a guaranteed 1 or 2 spot). Then again, I'm a Nova fan (high opinion of Creighton) and I'm still having nightmares of Wragge hitting contested 27 footers in the Wells Fargo Center.

[Bill Marsh]

Final Finish 3-8:

10-8 - Xavier: should get a bid
10-8 - Providence: on the bubble, needs a win in the BE tournament to get a bid

9-9 - Marquette: a regular season upset and a win in the 4-5 game in the BE tournament
8-10 - Georgetown: still have a shot at a bid with a couple of upsets

8-10 - St. John's
7-11 - Seton Hall

[stever20]

Final Finish 3-8:

10-8 - Xavier: should get a bid
10-8 - Providence: on the bubble, needs a win in the BE tournament to get a bid

9-9 - Marquette: a regular season upset and a win in the 4-5 game in the BE tournament
8-10 - Georgetown: still have a shot at a bid with a couple of upsets

8-10 - St. John's
7-11 - Seton Hall

well just looking- you then are calling for 4- Marquette/Providence loser would be out....

Don't think Georgetown at 17-13 would have much of a shot at all.

Also just looking- I really don't see Butler/DePaul losing out which is what it would take to fill what you have here just about.