Saturday's Games 1/30

[Masterofreality]

Big East might be a 3 bid league....

Not in a year like this where flotsam and jetsam is prevalent everywhere. Find me better alternatives out there than Butler or Seton Hall? Their losses are coming in an extremely tough league...not against garbage like in the AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC.

[GreatDaneAttorney]

Agreed, could be a 3-bid year. Sometimes teams get logjammed in the middle of the pack. Nonetheless, with how poorly St John's and DePaul have been playing in conference, and knowing that Xavier/Nova/Providence are not immortal in Big East play, the 4th place team should end up no worse than 10-8, and likely 11-7. Combined with a win in the BE Tourney, that 4th place team should end up in the NCAA Tourney. Of course, lots of basketball still to be played--but 3-5 teams is looking most likely, and 6 or 7 are sounding increasingly unlikely.

[GreatDaneAttorney]

Big East might be a 3 bid league....

Not in a year like this where flotsam and jetsam is prevalent everywhere. Find me better alternatives out there than Butler or Seton Hall? Their losses are coming in an extremely tough league...not against garbage like in the AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC.

Depends on what the committee values this year. It feels a bit like teams in the Big East are limping to the end of the regular season--Butler certainly doesn't inspire much confidence for the committee at this point. I definitely believe the committee looks at "what have you done for me lately?", and with 9 league games to go, nobody in the Big East outside of the Top 3 are showing any separation.

[EMT]

I'd be nervous if I was a Butler fan

[anXUfan]

Based on the fact that the bubble teams play each other so much we should be good. Someone has to win those games, after all.

Still half of the conference season left. A lot will change.

Likely that 1 or 2 non-locks will play themselves in or out at the BIG EAST tournament.

Basically, we're still looking at 4-5. Pretty sure this week's expert bracket projections will say the same.

[GreatDaneAttorney]

Man, do I love hearing about X in the 1 seed equation. As a math guy, do I hate hearing about locks.

Just using X as an example- X is 19-2. X is now listed as a lock. What happens if X loses their last 9 and lose in the BE tourney? they finish 19-12, 2-12 last 12 (a huge factor for the committee). Are they a lock at that point? There is no lock until March hits, at that point, a team like X (or Nova) then becomes a lock. Anything can happen before then. A team plane can crash or Buddy Hield's girlfriend can cheat on him with Baker Mayfield. Crap happens. Statistically, this "lock" crap pisses me off.

You're a tool, that's a lock.

PorthosPA is simply saying, don't count your chickens until they hatch. Yes, Xavier is 99.99999% in, but you never know when an epic collapse will occur. Even if that occurs, however, that means that another team would simply take their place for NCAA Tourney contention, since not every team can go < 0.500 in conference play.

[stever20]

Big East might be a 3 bid league....

Not in a year like this where flotsam and jetsam is prevalent everywhere. Find me better alternatives out there than Butler or Seton Hall? Their losses are coming in an extremely tough league...not against garbage like in the AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC.

There's a lot of them... ACC has 8 teams now in the top 43 RPI. Big 12 has 6 teams in the top 22, along with 40 and 50. Pac 12 has 7 in the top 50 right now. So those 3 conferences have 23 teams looking pretty good- or 20 of the 36 at larges. SEC has 4 in the top 28 and Big Ten has 6 in the top 50 so 8 more gone. So P5 right now has 28/36 at larges. Seton Hall right now is fairly decent. Butler though there are a lot of better teams. Their RPI right now is down to 70. They are 1-5 vs RPI top 50. Only 3-5 vs RPI top 100. 2 sub 100 losses. Down to #47 in Ken Pom. It's not a great resume at all right now.

[stever20]

Based on the fact that the bubble teams play each other so much we should be good. Someone has to win those games, after all.

Still half of the conference season left. A lot will change.

Likely that 1 or 2 non-locks will play themselves in or out at the BIG EAST tournament.

Basically, we're still looking at 4-5. Pretty sure this week's expert bracket projections will say the same.

Just looking at what the tourney would be:
Wed-
7 Marquette 4-5 @ 10 St John's 0-8
8 Butler 3-6 vs 9 DePaul 1-8

Thu
1 Villanova 7-1 vs 8/9 winner
4 Georgetown 6-3 vs 5 Seton Hall 5-4
2 Xavier 7-2 vs 7/10 winner
3 Providence 6-3 vs 6 Creighton 5-4

if that was the case with what we have right now- Georgetown would be the only team that could easily play themselves in the BET- but them beating Seton Hall could knock Seton Hall out same time... Butler and Creighton could- but it would take an awful lot for them- Creighton would need to beat both PC and X, Butler would need to beat Nova.

This week I'm expecting 4- with Butler out and Seton Hall in the PIG.

[NovaBall]

Butler is out of the race.

Seton hall is now #4 in the conference.

[Jet915]

Butler is out of the race.

Seton hall is now #4 in the conference.

Butler being out is a little premature. They are in trouble but Seton Hall just took their spot. This will still be a 4-5 bid league.