NovaBall wrote:If xavier lost in the first round of the big east tourney, I think they were still comfortable in the dance. I think that was because the conference was viewed as so strong, not because xavier lit it up with a 10-3 out of conference record. It wasn't the Murray state, cincy, Alabama and Murray state wins against the long beach st and auburn losses ooc that saved the day for xavier. It was the strength of the big east.
Xavier was safe even with a first round loss in the big east tourney. But if the big east were the 5th rated conference, I'm not sure a team with a similar profile (provided they lost in bet) was getting in.
Often times it is the strength of conference in rpi that puts one team over the top or another team out. Xavier's ooc effort this past year was not the type of barn burning performance that set them apart and got them in.
Also, the overall conference rpi being better (based on ooc portion) helps make sure that the middle of the pack teams maintain top 50 status rather than drop to the 60'is or 70's. The difference between rpi #45 and rpi #65 is not that great in terms of computer numbers. But the difference between a top 50 win versus a win v #65 can be significant for bubble teams.
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