2016-2017 Bracketology Thread

[Harry0569]

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket ... acketology

Up to a 6 in INDY

would play winner of Cuse/Marquette; would play UK in second round

[MFFL02]

5 appears to be our ceiling...if we win out.

[Pony_Law]

5 appears to be our ceiling...if we win out.

If we win out we should be a 3 or a four, but given the selections committee's treatment of the AAC I'd expect us to be 6 or a 5 if they are feeling generous.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Up to a 6 in INDY

would play winner of Cuse/Marquette; would play UK in second round

That feels like a tough draw, although if your gonna get Kentucky this is the year

[mrydel]

I really want us not only to advance after the first game but then play a marquee team. It is time to either make a statement or find out how far behind we may be.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

I really want us not only to advance after the first game but then play a marquee team. It is time to either make a statement or find out how far behind we may be.

Sounds good to me. But yeah I really just want to win a game for the first time since I was in school.

[Harry0569]

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/bubblewatch

Teams that should be in: Cincinnati, SMU
Work left to do: Houston

Cincinnati hangs tight, SMU hangs on, and Houston joins the fun -- but for how long?

Cincinnati [23-3 (12-1), RPI: 15, SOS: 87] Four of Cincinnati's last five regular-season games come against teams with RPIs between 102 and 122 (as of Thursday's RPI update). Such is life in the American, where most of the league isn't terrible and most of the league isn't very good. Cincinnati is very close to lock status as is; as long as it takes care of Tulsa on Saturday (and maybe Memphis next week, though we'll see), the Bearcats will move up.

SMU [23-4 (13-1), RPI: 21, SOS: 109] On Sunday, SMU beat Cincinnati, avenging its only conference loss, notching its first marquee win, and fully announcing its previously ignored presence to a national audience. On Wednesday, at home against a 4-20 Tulane team with a sub-250 RPI, SMU trailed 42-27 at the half. Yeah. Gulp. Then Semi Ojeleye scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half, and SMU crawled away from what would have been an unmitigated disaster. Meanwhile, did you know that Mike Dunleavy Sr. -- the longtime NBA coach last seen during his seven seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers -- is in his first year at Tulane? True story! And so it was that "Thunder Dan" Majerle and Grand Canyon University were unseated from the "Most Random Combination of Div. I School and Former NBA Personality" throne. The king is dead; long live the king.

Houston [18-7 (9-4), RPI: 59, SOS: 116] A warm Bubble Watch welcome to the Cougars, who have been on our wait-and-see radar for a minute. Houston's resume lacks top-end wins -- its best is either a neutral-court victory over Vermont or a home win against Rhode Island -- and is weighed down by four sub-100 losses. If the bracket was seeded today, Houston wouldn't have much of a chance of getting in. The Cougars are worth noting for two reasons: After five wins in a row, they boast the American's second-best per-trip offense behind SMU and slightly ahead of Cincinnati. What's more, SMU visits Saturday, and a win would at least keep Houston in the Georgetown/Texas Tech/Providence/Utah faction of bubble long shots that can get in with a big push over the next two weeks.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Very telling intro to the ESPN bracketology update today and so so true:

In the past couple weeks, you've likely heard that the 2017 NCAA tournament is going to be glutted with mediocre power-league teams. It will be. This is why, but it's not the whole answer.

The other reason? Lots of leagues just aren't that good.

The Mountain West is a good example. From 2009-10 to 2014-15, the MWC grabbed 18 NCAA tournament bids. Seven of those teams were No. 5 seeds or higher. During that span, the Mountain West was frequently the equal -- and sometimes the superior -- of the Pac-10 and/or 12. Now look: Nevada and Boise State are the only two teams who are in the tournament conversation, and neither would be an at-large selection if the tournament was seeded today.

Or look at the American. Cincinnati and SMU are excellent, yes. But Memphis? One-time powerhouse Connecticut? Temple? Barring a late push from Houston or a surprise tournament outcome, the American will be a two-bid league. The same looks likely of the Atlantic 10, where Rhode Island is the only team with a real chance to join Dayton and VCU on the bubble before the end of the regular season.

The Mountain West, American and A-10 aren't mid-majors by any stretch. Their members spend too much money on sports (on average, anyway) to earn that distinction. But they aren't power-conference leagues, either. They're somewhere in between -- and, theoretically, they should be sending a healthy chunk of teams to the NCAA tournament. Or, at the very least, onto the bubble.

They aren't. So, sure, if you want to blame realignment for Georgetown's ongoing proximity to the bubble, by all means do it. But don't overlook the tweeners, who -- at least this season -- simply aren't pulling their weight.

[mathman]

Lunardi has us as a 5 seed now. Possible rematch with UCLA if we win first game against Vermont.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket ... acketology

[skyscraper]

Not sure if I'm emotionally prepared for a UCLA rematch

[SMUstangs22]

Not sure if I'm emotionally prepared for a UCLA rematch

I am not unless we win on a ridiculous last second call

[BleedSMUPride]

I also would hate playing in Sacramento. That would basically be a UCLA home game for them

[indianmustang]

We got to win where we lost

[smupony94]

We got to win where we lost

Please don't send me back to Louisville that town stinks

[MFFL02]

Cincy also a 5-seed.