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NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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Jumpology: Getting Started By Ron Jumper So it is time to begin looking at who is in and out of the tournament. Well, for starters, how many will be from high major conferences and how many will be mid-majors? Who are the teams that are on the “bubble” to make the dance? What do those teams have to do to get off the bubble? Always a headache separating these teams but, what the heck, I’ll give it a try. There doesn’t appear to be as many mid-majors worthy of an at-large bid as there have been in year’s past. Remember when the MVC and CAA would get not just two, but possibly 3 or 4 teams in. It was great for people like me, but hard for the committee to leave out the big schools. As for this season, the MVC is just getting one team in, the CAA is just getting one team in, and the Sun Belt is just getting one team in. As long as Butler wins the Horizon, they will be the only team from that conference getting in. Which brings us to… The Mountain West: Could they really get four teams in? Utah has been tough all season, with a 9-2 MWC record and wins over Gonzaga and LSU. UNLV has beaten Louisville and Arizona in the non-conference, making a pretty solid case for them. BYU has what is turning into a quality win by beating Utah State in the non-conference, though they are a combined 1-3 so far against the other top MWC teams. San Diego State has been great in-conference, splitting with Utah, but I think they didn’t quite do enough in the non-conference to solidify their spot. I think 2 for sure, 3 is reasonable, but 4 seems like a stretch to me. We shall see… The Atlantic 10: Xavier is a lock for the dance, as they have been outstanding all season. Dayton has been outstanding at home (16-0) but has lost some road games to bad teams (Charlotte and UMass). The Flyers have a huge win over Marquette and decent wins over George Mason and Auburn in the non-conference. As for A-10 play, they just beat Xavier at home by 13. Those 2 are virtual locks, though Temple has much work to do. If they finish strong and perhaps win at Dayton, wins over Tennessee and Penn State might be enough to squeeze in a 3rd A-10 team. As for every other Mid-Major conference, that is pretty much it. If Patrick Mills doesn’t get hurt, St. Mary’s would make the dance. However, the Gaels have lost 4 of 6 since then and lack the non-conference resume to make the dance. Of the 34 at-large bids, at least 30 and possibly up to 32 will come from high-major conferences. So who is, without question, a lock for the dance? Here is my breakdown by conference: ACC: UNC Duke Wake Forest Clemson Big Ten: Michigan State Purdue Illinois Ohio State Big 12: Oklahoma Kansas Missouri Texas Big East: UConn Pittsburgh Louisville Marquette Villanova Syracuse PAC-10 UCLA Arizona State Washington California SEC: Kentucky LSU Florida Tennessee Moutain West: Utah UNLV Atlantic 10: Xavier Dayton If we include those 30 teams and the other 23 automatic bids (assuming the conference champion comes from the “Lock” list), we are left with 12 spots to go around for everyone. Here is a list of the teams that are fighting to get off the “bubble” and into the dance: Arizona (RPI 43, SOS 45) Baylor (RPI 54, SOS 12) Boston College (RPI 51, SOS 42) BYU (RPI 35, SOS 62) Cincinnati (RPI 48, SOS 22) Florida State (RPI 20, SOS 26) Georgetown (RPI 37, SOS 3) Kansas State (RPI 76, SOS 86) Miami (RPI 47, SOS 11) Michigan (RPI 53, SOS 17) Minnesota (RPI 36, SOS 54) Mississippi State (RPI 85, SOS 65) Notre Dame (RPI 74, SOS 44) Penn State (RPI 70, SOS 105) Providence (RPI 66, SOS 57) San Diego State (RPI 46, SOS 70) South Carolina (RPI 42, SOS 93) Southern Cal (RPI 44, SOS 16) Stanford (RPI 86, SOS 127) Temple (RPI 34, SOS 24) Texas A&M (RPI 52, SOS 35) Virginia Tech (RPI 49, SOS 41) West Virginia (RPI 13, SOS 5) These 23 teams are fighting for the last 12 spots. Off the top, West Virginia seems to be in great shape with an RPI of 13 and SOS of 5. Florida State seems to be in great shape with an RPI of 20 and SOS of 26. There are unusual situations, like Georgetown having the SOS of 3 that inflates their RPI. Same for Baylor, Miami, and USC, as they look a lot better on paper then on the floor. Oddly, the committee usually rewards a team or two for playing a harder schedule. We shall see what happens this year. Here are some games that matter this week: Penn State @ Illinois Providence @ Louisville Miami @ Florida State Notre Dame @ West Virginia South Carolina @ Mississippi State Minnesota @ Michigan February 17, 2009 |
| NCAA Football | |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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| NCAA Basketball | |
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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