Bracketology

[PonyKris89]

I am rooting for winning as many games as possible, maximizing our seed, building team's confidence and taking all challenges as they come.

If we happen to draw a #1 seed in second round, so be it.

Win or lose, at least we get our shot at the big boy! It might even be better to get that shot early, before the #1 seed gets on a serious roll.

The good news is that if we do stay on a roll now, we have a good chance at avoiding that 8-9 seed.

Win or lose, playing a #1 early on, will pay dividends for the guys returning next season.

[Harry0569]

Joe Lunardi ‏@ESPNLunardi 5m

Into the field as No. 8 seeds (in order); VCU, UMass, SMU and Xavier. #MockSelection

[PonyPlayer4]

Anything but 8/9 uggghhhhh. But who are we to complain.

[SMU 86]

We just need to keep winning.

[Pony_Law]

We control our destiny for seeding. Yeas I want best possible situation for smu to make a deep run, but I had to take some perspective. At the start of the year I wasn't positive we would be a tournament team, then for a while we were a bubble, at this point we are a lock. Think about that smu a lock for the NCAA tournament, how awesome is that. No mater where they put us I know we will have a great chance to win a tournament game which will give us great momentum going into next year (where I'll be thinking sweet 16).

[Harry0569]

http://thepowerrank.com/visual/NCAA_Tou ... redictions

The odds of advancing in the tourney

For the last 2 years, The Power Rank has calculated the odds for each team to advance through the tourney. This starts with the college basketball team rankings, which imply a win probability for each game. The multiplication and addition of these numbers gives the odds for advancing through the rounds.

Usually, these results appear after the bracket is announced on Selection Sunday. However, I thought you might be interested in these results much earlier.

The interactive data visualization shows win probabilities based on ESPN's bracket projection. Hover over a team to see their probability to advance through each round. Hover over a game to see the odds for each team to win the game

[mathman]

Thanks for posting that. Fiddled with it a little bit and found we are the only 8 seed favored to win our first game. Also a better chance to win the whole thing than Texas and other higher seeds.

[photopony]

If I counted right, we're 21st most-likely to win it all. Much higher than I would put us honestly. That's pretty cool.

[SMU Section F]

I would love to get a shot at a #1 seed, even if we couldn't quite knock them off. I think we'd make it a hell of a game and get great experience/attention. (And it's not completely crazy to think we could win.)

[Harry0569]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology

9 seed playing VCU then Cuse. Yuck VCU is a terrible match up for us.

[sadderbudweiser]

Hah…I was watching VCU last week and thinking the same thing.

[PonyFan32]

Fortunately we can pretty much expect that anyone that they predict we'll play won't be our actual opponent. Too many games left, too much that can and will happen to shift seeding.

[SMUstangs22]

I would rather play a 1-2 seed then play VCU at anytime in the tourny. Their style is the antithesis of ours.

[SMU 86]

5 seed would be nice but if we don't get that I'll stick with a 12 or 13. 8/9 is a tough slot. If you win you get a 1 as your "reward." I'd rather have to upset a 5 and then a 4 than face a one in round two.

So you want us to lose so we will go down to a 12th or 13th seed and possibly have a play in game? No way. Give us the best seed possible and whatever comes with it. We need to keep winning and keep moving up in seeding.

Heck no I don't want us to lose. But chances are that the combination of a couple of losses...maybe more...between now and selection day AND the lack of respect we have been getting and will probably continue to get until we prove real in post season dictates a lower seed than we deserve.

I'm just trying to be realistic which I know is tough on a partisan message board.

All of us, including Lunardi, are speculating. I just prefer mine with a reality floater.

On the other hand...if we were to win out all the way through the AAC TOURNEY would we be deserving of a one seed? A two? Let's speculate THAT!

We looks like you might get your wish in wanting us at a 12th seed instead of a higher seed.

[Harry0569]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology

11 seed in Orlando vs. SLU