The College Basketball Post

[allen3xis]

Alabama coach Mark Gottfried is gone.

Gottfried, 45, has taken the Crimson Tide to five NCAA tournament appearances - but his downfall began with the injury to senior point guard Ron Steele.

Steele played through injuries two years ago and then sat out all of last season while rehabbing his knee. Alabama didn't make the NCAA tournament eitheryear.

Then Steele walked away from the team last week, according to sources, because he didn't want to play for Gottfried any longer.

``He quit because he couldn't deal with Gottfried any more," one source said.

Assistant Phillip Pearson will take over the team on an interim basis - beginning Thursday night at Arkansas.

However, don't be surprised if Alabama makes a run at Minnesota coach Tubby Smith - who spent plenty of time in the SECwith Kentucky and Georgia. Other names that could be in play are VCU's Anthony Grant and Alabama native Mike Anderson, who previously coached at UAB and isnow at Missouri.

Gottfried leaves Alabama with a 210-131 mark in 10-plus seasons. The Crimson Tide are 12-7 this season and 2-3 in SEC play.

 

[worldbeefreeg]

Originally Posted by Seymore CAKE

@!@!+%% Gody

It really deeply depresses me when he scores

It's sad the hate the guy gets because he is probably going to end up being one of the best college big men of all-time, statistically at least, he is justcaught in Mike Brey's crappy *** coaching system. I just wish they had another player worth !!@*, I underestimated Rob Kurz importance to this squad. AndRyan Ayers is the worst starting player in the BE.

 

[shuges]

Come on, I know you guys didn't bail on the Okla - Okla St game right??

 

[allen3xis]

LETS GO POKES!

 

[i nasmatic i]

Blake Griffin already has ten 20 point-15 rebound games this season

 

[shuges]

Originally Posted by I NaSmatic I

Blake Griffin already has ten 20 point-15 rebound games this season

Yo, and the crazy thing is that I'm still not feeling his game.

I was more impressed last year with Beasley.

Can't deny that Blake is putting in work though.

edit:
Johnson with the dagger.

 

[allen3xis]

Somebody tell Austin Johnson he already looked like...i dunno even know what...

then he adds this hair cut

 

[shannonscrooks]

That shot angered you, didnt it allen?

 

[i nasmatic i]

Oklahoma State got some goons

 

[worldbeefreeg]

Originally Posted by Seymore CAKE

Prolly a mid major... I honestly think they would've beat my alma marter Niagara University.

The ghost of pedo-bear, I mean Calvin Murphy would not allow it.

 

[seymore cake]

World,

I generally feel like that about Gody... I saw when his high school game was on espn and I was severely bothered by his game then so I knew it wasinevitable that I would hate him.

As far as Calvin goes... he's got one of thee fattest faces I've ever seen but that's neither here nor there... but he was at the games eyeing thefreshmen salivating like a starved man at a all you eat buffet... asking them if they wanted his autograph etc. Quite disgusting actually

 

[shuges]

Here you go j dot.

Luke Harangody & Dwight Burke

Jerel McNeal

McNeal

Wesley Matthews & Luke Zeller

Lazar Hayward

Taylor Griffin and Terrel Harris

Blake Griffin

Juan Pattillo

Austin Johnson

Austin

Blake

Marshall Moses and Taylor

 

[allen3xis]

ON TAP: There are a trio of quality 9 p.m. ET games - Texas at Baylor, Purdue at Wisconsin and Northeastern at VCU.


Other than Memphis.. Cousins says he's also considering Washington, Virginia Tech, NC State, Kansas State and Wake Forest.

 

[cadillacflow]

I really thought ND would win that one last night.

 

[allen3xis]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketologyhttp://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketology

 

[messiahchild]

Originally Posted by allen3xis

Other than Memphis.. Cousins says he's also considering Washington, Virginia Tech, NC State, Kansas State and Wake Forest.

He is going to be the biggest head case during his one year in college, he basically makes Derrick Character look like a choir boy. But his talentwould allow coaches to put up with his nonsense.

 

[rellnye]

Originally Posted by JamesOnNT

Good look RellNye.
I just gotta figure out what I wanna do with myself but Cuse seems to be an option. One last thing, how much you paying a semester?

PM me when you see this.

 

[allen3xis]

By Andy Glockner
Despite an interesting week of games, the impact on this week's bracket was less pronounced than expected. Some observations:

1) There appear to be six or seven realistic candidates for No. 1 seeds.
2) Only two at large teams were dropped from this week's bracket, as Texas A&M and Stanford were replaced by Virginia Tech and UNLV.
3) The back end of the bubble remains quite soft, with several very interchangeable parts in the mix on either side of the cutline.
4) Only five teams moved more than two seed lines, implying very few sharp moves and/or misestimates on initial seeding. Washington (up) and Ohio State (down)were the biggest movers.

The champions from one-bid conferences have their league name in parentheses. Here's the multi-bid conference bid breakdown:

Big East: 9
Big Ten: 7
ACC: 7
Big 12: 6
Pac-10: 4
SEC: 3
MWC: 3
A-10: 2
WCC: 2

No. 1 Seeds
Duke: Continues to have the best overall profile; Wake lurks on Wednesday.
Connecticut: If the Huskies' guards are playing well, they are almost impossible to beat.
Oklahoma: Like UConn, guard play is making Sooners very formidable.
Pittsburgh: Noticing a theme here after Duke? Another dominant frontcourt.

No. 2 Seeds
North Carolina: Looking like UConn 2004 here -- the two-seed that was picked to win it all.
Wake Forest: Size should bother Duke, but can Jeff Teague break down Nolan Smith?
Louisville: Cards can defend with the best. If their offense is just decent, they'll win.
Michigan State: Showing balance, patience and fortitude, but not on the level of the first six.

No. 3 Seeds
Xavier: LSU isn't great, but good job going into a tough environment for a W.
Butler (Horizon): When you win with seniors and then with freshmen, you are a legit program.
Marquette: Golden Eagles get respect for hot start, but the schedule gets tougher now.
Arizona State: Are N.C. State fans still happy about running Herb Sendek out?

No. 4 Seeds
Memphis (C-USA): Growing team gets revenge on the Vols for last year's only regular-season loss.
Syracuse: This feels a bit high given recent results, but hard to find replacements on merit.
Clemson: Got back on track against Georgia Tech; some good teams ready to take their place.
Illinois: The Illini are definitely for real and the schedule is set up for a good run.

No. 5 Seeds
Washington: Probably undershot them last week; Big jump rewards continued good play.
Texas: The second-best in the Big 12, but still seems to be missing that extra something.
UCLA: The so-so run continues. Time to get going with four straight at home.
Georgetown: Bad week for the Hoyas, and it doesn't get any easier.

No. 6 Seeds
Florida State: No one's talking about them; that could change Wed. vs. UNC.
Cal: Oregon State is improved, but that's still a bad loss at home.
Florida: Silly brain lock at South Carolina didn't linger at Vandy.
West Virginia: On-court efforts are starting to mesh with computer numbers.

No. 7 Seeds
Gonzaga: Only one Sweet 16 since '01; could pick off the right two-seed … or lose to a 10.
Tennessee: It's nip and tuck with Florida and Kentucky; need to take back home court.
Baylor: With the upcoming schedule, the Bears will move one way or the other.
Kansas: Defending champs are quietly growing and building some momentum.

No. 8 Seeds
Virginia Tech: From out to an eight-seed? Beating Wake and Miami on the road will get you there.
Kentucky: Can't put the Wildcats too far from Tennessee … or behind Tubby, right?
Minnesota: Recovered from first mini-stumble; After IU, the schedule gets much harder.
Davidson (SoCon): You pretty much know they'll end up in an 8-9 game, right?

No. 9 Seeds
St. Mary's: Hope the committee doesn't continue mid-on-mid crime trend in Round 1.
UNLV: The Rebels deserve this entry point for winning at BYU and beating Utah.
Missouri: A dangerous run-and-gun team that just feels like a nine.
Miami (Fla.): Can't keep wasting chances to establish cred in the ACC.

No. 10 Seeds
Dayton: Flyers keep on defending and winning, but so does Xavier.
Oklahoma State: By process of elimination, the Pokes settle here for now.
Purdue: Not-so-baby Boilers are starting to find their stride.
Utah State (WAC): Can we look past the SOS and realize they have size and balance?

No. 11 Seeds
Ohio State: Maybe this is too low, but the Buckeyes are under .500 in the Big Ten.
Siena (MAAC): Give them anyone but West Virginia and the Saints would be happy.
BYU: Lost twice at home in rapid fashion, lost kingpin status in MWC for now.
Notre Dame: A compromise for now between talent level and profile. Irish best get going.

No. 12 Seeds
Utah: The MWC squeaks a third team in, although you can argue in other directions, too.
Villanova: Starting to feel a bit like last season, but talent is there to be better.
VCU (CAA): In a dogfight in the Colonial with Northeastern and George Mason for one bid.
Wisconsin: Four straight losses have the Badgers on thin bubble ice.

No. 13 Seeds
Michigan: Last at-large in this week; elite wins give them the edge over others, for now.
Buffalo (MAC): If you watched MAC East leaders against UConn, you know they can play.
Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley): Other programs will be lining up to play in World University Games.
Western Kentucky (Sun Belt): Still the best of this bunch and has a neutral-site win over Louisville.

No. 14 Seeds
Stephen F. Austin (Southland): Lumberjacks stay, although TAMU-CC is 5-0 in the other division.
Cornell (Ivy): Ivy co-leader at 2-0 but far better than Yale and everyone else.
Austin Peay (Ohio Valley): There are actually five OVC teams in the RPI Top 200.
North Dakota State (Summit): Redshirting Woodside and Co. for this moment is paying off.

No. 15 Seeds
Vermont (America East): The best RPI (and talent) of the A-East teams with the fewest losses.
E. Tennessee State (Atlantic Sun): Beat co-leader Jacksonville, has a better RPI.
VMI (Big South): Congrats to the Choneses, the NCAA's all-time twin scoring leaders.
Navy (Patriot): Midshipmen beat Holy Cross which beat American, so Navy sails to the top.

No. 16 Seeds
Long Beach State (Big West): Losing to UC Riverside doesn't help, but still the league leader.
Weber State (Big Sky): Won at co-leader Portland State; helps with Utah bracket quota.
Robert Morris (Northeast): Still comfortably leading the league.
Morgan State (MEAC): Beat Maryland, might get a chance to do better than the Terps did against Duke.
Alabama State (SWAC): Dayton is about 600 miles from Montgomery, in case you're planning the trip.

OTHERS IN CONSIDERATION
South Carolina, Penn State, Illinois State, Providence, Temple, Arkansas, Stanford, Texas A&M, USC, UAB

 

[allen3xis]

It's hard to imagine a coach enjoying a more important week than the one Oregon State first-year head man Craig Robinson just had.

His Beavers, an 0-18 laughingstock in the Pac-10 last year, pulled off consecutive road upsets at Cal and Stanford for their second and third league wins,with 10 conference games left. Oh, and on Tuesday, Robinson attended the inauguration of his brother-in-law, Barack Obama.

Apparently, both on and off the court, yes, he can.

Why is this relevant to the Bubble Watch? Because upsets like these are happening every day, changing the texture of the NCAA tournament. Despite whatgridiron enthusiasts claim, every game in college basketball does matter. Teams like Oregon State won't be in this year's NCAA tournament, butthey will play a huge role in determining who will, and how favorable their seedings will be.

In the interim, for other long-suffering basketball towns, Robinson's impact in Corvallis proves you just need the right coach at the right time toinspire basketball change you can believe in.

(Records listed are Division I only, per NCAA tournament selection guidelines. All RPI and SOS data are from Sunday's collegerpi.com RPIreport.)
[h3]ACC[/h3]
Locks: Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Clemson
Nothing's changed in this category despite Clemson's blowout loss at UNC last week. No team in the country would have survived thatsecond-half Heels surge. Anyone looking forward to Duke-Wake Wednesday night?

SHOULD BE IN
Florida State (16-4, 3-2; RPI: 18; SOS: 32) still looks to be next in line after splitting road games at Miami and Virginia. The Noles have ahuge chance on Wednesday against UNC to get the marquee win they lack.

IN THE MIX
Virginia Tech (14-5, 4-1; RPI: 38; SOS: 53) is coming off a huge week after winning at Wake Forest and Miami. Imagine how well situated theHokies would be if they had slightly better luck. Their first four losses were by a total of eight points, including a half-court buzzer-beater by Xavier.Unfortunately, Tech has nothing out-of-league to fall back on. Next up: Clemson at home Thursday night. Miami (13-5, 3-3; RPI: 29; SOS: 21)followed an important win over Florida State with a loss to Virginia Tech. Now the Canes must take care of road business at N.C. State and Maryland, becausethe next three after that (Wake, at Duke, UNC) are brutal.

Boston College (15-6, 3-3; RPI: 56; SOS: 5 ended its four-game skid by toppling league minnows Georgia Tech and N.C. State. The Eagleswill need more to go with the road upset of UNC, but the next three games are winnable. Maryland (13-6, 2-3; RPI: 65; SOS: 90) has two virtualmust-wins at home this week. The Terps didn't look like an NCAA-caliber team at Cameron.
[h3]Big 12[/h3]
Locks: Oklahoma
The gap is widening between Oklahoma and the rest of this conference as the teams below the Sooners continue to pick each other off. The separation will begood for OU's push for a No. 1 seed.

SHOULD BE IN
Texas (14-4, 3-1; RPI: 27; SOS: 4 is still next in the Big 12 pecking order after rallying past Texas A&M at home. Nonleague wins over UCLA,Villanova and at Wisconsin are losing some luster but remain solid.

IN THE MIX
After the Horns, it's close, but Baylor (14-4, 3-2; RPI: 35; SOS: 49), which hosts Texas on Tuesday, is coming on strong. The Bears have athree-game stretch that includes at Missouri and home to Kansas, so things could change quickly. You also could make arguments for those two teams, both ofwhom swept two league games and have taken advantage of fairly favorable league schedules. Kansas (15-4, 4-0; RPI: 34; SOS: 59) arguably hasbetter nonleague wins than Baylor but also has worse losses. Missouri (16-3, 4-1; RPI: 31; SOS: 76) has a less impressive nonleague slate buthas a solid two-point win at Oklahoma State (13-5, 2-2; RPI: 26; SOS: 11), which also has lost at Baylor. The Pokes continue to have adeceptively good computer profile with relatively little in it. Their best nonconference win remains fellow computer-monster Siena. Texas A&M(14-5, 1-4; RPI: 50; SOS: 75) is hurt by a brutal conference schedule and might not survive long enough to get to the softer final five gamesintact.
[h3]Big East[/h3]
Locks: Pitt, Connecticut, Louisville, Marquette, Syracuse
Early Sunday, it looked like the Big East would have six in this category, but Georgetown took a step back by losing at Seton Hall. Syracuse can stay, for now,and Marquette jumps up, too.

SHOULD BE IN
Being a schedule monster only takes you so far. If you're Georgetown (12-6, 3-4; RPI: 9; SOS: 1), it takes you as far as an inexcusableloss Sunday at Seton Hall. On the tails of getting destroyed at home by West Virginia, the Hoyas drop a category this week. They have beaten Memphis, UConn andSyracuse, so they're definitely capable, but the Hoyas have now lost five of seven. Next up is a test at Cincinnati on Wednesday before visiting Marquettenext weekend. West Virginia (14-5, 3-3; RPI: 15; SOS: 24) had a pretty solid week, throttling Georgetown before playing Pitt tough beforelosing at home. The Georgetown win aids a profile that should get some injury credit, too. The Mountaineers still have road games at Louisville and Syracusecoming up.

IN THE MIX
Villanova (15-4, 3-3; RPI: 28; SOS: 54) remains the Oklahoma State of the Big East, with solid computer numbers masking a veryhollow profile. The Cats played UConn tough and won at USF, but at some point, they need to beat someone in the league that's actually threatening to makethe NCAAs.

Would that include Notre Dame (11-6, 3-4; RPI: 69; SOS: 110)? There's no shame in losing at Louisville or Syracuse, or at home toUConn. That said, ND's profile is terrible right now. The Irish have an abysmal nonconference SOS and are 2-5 against the RPI Top 100. Monday night'shome date with Marquette looks crucial with a three-game trip to Pitt, feisty Cincy and UCLA up next before Louisville visits South Bend.

Providence (13-6, 5-2; RPI: 67; SOS: 73) is 5-2 in league play, with all the wins against the bottom of the conference and nothing innonleague play to fall back on. The next four (Syracuse, at UConn, Villanova, at WVU) are crucial. Cincinnati (12-7, 3-4, RPI: 59; SOS: 29)hangs on at the periphery, having been swept by Providence. With Georgetown twice, Notre Dame and Villanova in their next four, it's make-or-break time forthe Bearcats.
[h3]Big Ten[/h3]
Locks: Michigan State
The Spartans showed their experience and poise in rallying from a double-digit deficit to win going away at Ohio State, recovering nicely fromthe shocking home loss to Northwestern. They're still the best team in this league, but may have to settle for a 2-seed.

SHOULD BE IN
Illinois (17-3, 5-2; RPI: 16; SOS: 50) now looks like the second-best team in the league after downing Ohio State and Wisconsin at home. It's awonder what maturing talent and just average luck can do for a team compared to a year ago (scroll all the way down).

IN THE MIX
Right on the edge of this cutline, Minnesota (16-3, 5-3, RPI: 33; SOS: 66) held off Indiana to end its two-game skid. The Gophers hostIllinois on Thursday night in an important game ahead of a road trip to Michigan State and Ohio State. The Gophers are one of a few teams riding the "Webeat Louisville" gravy train at the moment, but they'll need to stay strong in the league. Ohio State (13-5, 3-4; RPI: 17; SOS: 25)let Michigan State off the hook on Sunday after getting smacked at Illinois, and now they're under .500 in the league. The Buckeyes have beaten Miami,Notre Dame and Butler in nonleague play, which is a nice fallback, but they need more. Are they still ahead of Purdue (15-4, 4-2; RPI: 39; SOS:72)? Their schedule has been much tougher both in and out of league. The Boilers grabbed a nice win at Minnesota ahead of upcoming trips to Wisconsin,Ohio State and Illinois.

That W gave the Boilermakers four straight in league play, which is the exact opposite of its next opponent, Wisconsin (11-7, 3-4; RPI: 23;SOS: 2). The Badgers' skid extends a season-long theme where they have lost to virtually every good team they have played. Tuesday'smeeting in Madison with Purdue is very important for Wisconsin as the Boilers already beat them in West Lafayette. Would Wisconsin even be ahead ofMichigan (13-6, 4-4; RPI: 42; SOS: 20)? Likely no, given league standing. Michigan has wins over UCLA and Duke and a split with Illinois. TheWolverines also did something Michigan State couldn't do: beat Northwestern at home. They now travel to Ohio State and Purdue, with a trip to UConn loomingin early February.

Wait, Penn State (16-5, 5-3; RPI: 75; SOS: 183) is in fourth place? Three straight wins have the Nittany Lions in the Watch, but theschedule really stiffens now, with a two-game swing through Michigan kicking off five road games in their next seven, all against NCAA-caliber foes.Northwestern (10-7, 2-5; RPI: 41; SOS: 10) really could have used a win at Michigan to back its upset of Michigan State. That said, six of thenext seven (including a nonleague game) are at home, so the Cats could make a push.

PAC 10

Locks: Arizona State
The Sun Devils survived a trip to Tucson and continue to look well positioned, even though their overall schedule isn't great. They get theWashington schools at home and then travel to the Oregon schools, so they have a solid chance to solidify they position.

SHOULD BE IN
It's hard to separate the next three teams at this point. The nation cast a wary eye on California (16-4, 5-2; RPI: 35; SOS: 64) after theBears lost at home to Oregon State. Cal handled Oregon, but its lack of defense in the past three league games is a concern. You can't make threes forever,even though Cal seems to try. Are the Bears ahead of surging Washington (15-4, 6-1; RPI: 30; SOS: 26)? Maybe not, even though Cal beat theHuskies in overtime in Seattle. The Huskies, who have beaten Oklahoma State, looked good in handling UCLA (15-4, 5-2; RPI: 40; SOS: 106). TheBruins were a missed Wazzu three away from a damaging washout of a weekend. Still, 5-2 in the league is OK and they now have four straight at home (Cal,Stanford, USC, Notre Dame) to improve their credentials.

IN THE MIX
Like Cal, Stanford (13-4, 3-4; RPI: 64; SOS: 174) felt the SOS impact of playing the Oregon schools, and the RPI impact oflosing to Oregon State at home. Beating Cal remains their best win, so the Cardinal wasted an important chance to get above .500 in league play. They'relikely now behind teams like USC (13-6, 4-3; RPI: 54; SOS: 62), which lost at Washington and won at Washington State. Beating Houston inovertime doesn't make up for Arizona (12-8, 2-5; RPI: 73; SOS: 60) having wasted a chance to beat Arizona State at home. Beating Kansasand Gonzaga will only go so far.
[h3]SEC[/h3]
Locks: None
It's become harder to separate the league's top three teams, and it's a virtual certainty that the league will get at least three teams into anyNCAA tournament, so let's address them together this week.

SHOULD BE IN
A last-second vapor lock at South Carolina cost Florida (17-3, 4-1; RPI: 32; SOS: 99) its perfect SEC mark, but the Gators rebounded well,hammering Vandy on the road on Sunday. Their profile seems similar to but slightly better than Kentucky's at this point, mostly due to the lack ofa VMI-type loss. Florida's nonleague losses are to Syracuse and Florida State.

Memphis avenged last season's home loss to Tennessee (12-6, 3-1; RPI: 19; SOS: 3) by winning by two in Knoxville. The Vols have lostthree of their last four at home, which usually is RPI poison, but Tennessee's schedule is so strong, it's offsetting a lot of the harm. Are the Vols,with wins over Georgetown and Marquette, still ahead of Kentucky (16-4, 5-0; RPI: 48; SOS: 103)? That's a tough question. TheWildcats' lone nonleague helper is beating West Virginia and four of their five SEC wins are against the bottom of the league, albeit with three on theroad. That said, they're playing better basketball right now and the one "up win" in SEC play was Jodie Meeks' destructionof the Vols in Knoxville. One game does not a profile make, but that's certainly a plus for the Cats. Speaking of one game, the truth is, if Kentuckydidn't lose at home to VMI, the Wildcats' RPI would be in the low 30s. Tennessee probably would still be seeded ahead of Kentucky at this point, butit's close.

IN THE MIX
After that, this league is a complete mess. It was worth listing all of these teams this week just to paint a proper picture.

Mississippi State (13-6, 4-1; RPI: 80; SOS: 7 is the leader in the SEC West, but the Bulldogs did virtually nothing out of conference andtheir one league loss is by 24 at LSU (15-4, 3-1; RPI: 81; SOS: 180). How about those Tigers? They lost at home to Xavier on Saturday, failingto add anything to an empty nonconference profile that includes a 30-point loss at Utah. South Carolina (14-4, 3-2; RPI: 62; RPI: 170) beatFlorida and lost by three at Tennessee, but didn't do anything in nonconference play besides earn a solid win at Baylor. The Gamecocks still barely missedthe bracket this week. South Carolina is the anti-Arkansas (12-5, 0-4; RPI: 86; SOS: 109), which has wins over Oklahoma and Texas, and now is0-4 in SEC play after getting destroyed at home by Auburn. Mississippi (10-9, 1-4; RPI: 77; SOS: 15) is done without point guard ChrisWarren.

You'd think someone would emerge from this to at least give the league four teams into the NCAAs, but who knows.
[h3]Atlantic 10[/h3]
Locks: Xavier
The Musketeers keep rolling after winning at LSU on Saturday. The only question with them, like last year, is how high a seed can they land.

IN THE MIX
Dayton (17-2, 3-1; RPI: 45; SOS: 221) keeps winning against so-so competition and pays for it in sliding computer numbers. Theschedule improves soon, but the Flyers need to make sure they keep tailing Xavier. Routing Saint Louis and Charlotte at home did nothing for the computers, butit does keep Temple (11-7, 3-1; RPI: 49; SOS: 45) in the mix. The Owls did beat Tennessee and Penn State but, like last year, have a series ofquestionable losses. Saint Joseph's (11-7, 4-0; RPI: 68; SOS: 5 is perfect in the league but way too imperfect outside it.
[h3]Mountain West[/h3]
Locks: None
Crazy. This league effectively has six teams tied for first with two losses apiece. What looked a couple of weeks ago to be heading toward amulti-bid year has devolved into a parity-driven mess. Unless a couple of teams can separate, there might not be an at-large if the regular-season champ alsowins the automatic bid.

IN THE MIX
The concern after the beating at New Mexico may have been warranted for BYU (14-4, 3-2; RPI: 36; SOS: 39), which followed thatby losing at home to UNLV. The Cougars did come back to beat San Diego State, but without any real nonconference heft, they need to do better. UNLV(16-4, 4-2; RPI: 46; SOS: 100) is next in the pecking order. The Rebels' win at Louisville keeps looking better and they look like they havebounced back from early league losses at TCU and Colorado State. Utah (12-5, 3-2; RPI: 25; SOS: 14) lost its only game of the week, but itsTeflon computer profile stayed mostly intact due to its nonconference schedule which included wins over Gonzaga and LSU (along with a couple of terriblelosses). San Diego State (11-5, 3-2; RPI: 58; SOS: 61) almost certainly needs to win the league to have an at-large chance.
[h3]Others[/h3]
Locks: Memphis, Butler
Memphis (by outlasting Tennessee) and Butler (by waxing its two closest Horizon challengers) consolidated their positions. Beyond that, there arethree teams that are solidly positioned and a whole mess behind them. Forced to choose at this point, the odds are that no other league besides Conference USA,the Horizon, WCC and the SoCon have a chance for multiple bids -- and three of those four are contingent upon the heavy favorite losing in the conferencetourney.

SHOULD BE IN
Gonzaga (13-4, 5-0; RPI: 51; SOS: 129) rolled past terrible Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount teams and saw their RPI drop 14 spots. Gonzaga has solidnonconference wins, including Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Washington State. A home loss to Portland State hurts. Davidson (15-3, 9-0; RPI: 37; SOS:121) also won twice last week and saw their profile weaken. That's what happens when you play in the SoCon, where nine of the 12 teams haveoverall records of .500 or worse. The automatic bid is still the safest route for the Wildcats, who have beaten West Virginia. Looking for something to doThursday night? Settle in for the first of two meetings between Gonzaga and WCC co-leader Saint Mary's (16-1, 5-0; RPI: 52; SOS: 286). TheGaels probably need the regular-season crown more, since their OK-at-first-glance schedule gets battered by the computers.

IN THE MIX
Two things are working for Siena (15-5, 9-0; RPI: 20; SOS: 23) at the moment. The Saints are sweeping through a decent MAAC and theirnonconference opponents (Tennessee, Pitt, Oklahoma State, Kansas ... even Boise State and Cornell) are also doing quite well. Remember, though, Missouri Statewas left out of the NCAAs with an RPI of 21 in 2006, and deservedly so, since their profile was empty, much like Siena's. On the contrary, UtahState (18-1, 7-0; RPI: 44; SOS: 231) is being held back by its schedule. The Aggies should continue rolling in the WAC, but similar to Kent State lastseason, they really need a desirable matchup in BracketBusters to give themselves a shot at a late-season win that resonates. (More on this later thisweek.)

ON THE PERIPHERY
Losing John Vaughan to a concussion late in a one-point loss at Northeastern clearly didn't help George Mason (14-5, 7-2; RPI: 53;SOS: 122) against VCU (15-5, 8-1, RPI: 57; SOS: 137), either. The Rams are now the conference co- leader along withNortheastern (13-6, 8-1; RPI: 60; SOS: 111), but none of the three looks to be in great shape for an at-large. Neither does IllinoisState (17-3 (6-3), RPI: 55; SOS: 247), which had a very weak nonconference schedule and continues to drop games in the balanced Missouri Valley.UAB (13-7, 3-2; RPI: 47; SOS: 3 won three times last week, but the Blazers' at-large hopes probably went up in smoke in four days afterChristmas when they lost to Louisville and Butler. They also have already lost at Memphis, so the return game is the only regular-season game of value left.Miami, Ohio (10-7, 3-2; RPI: 41; SOS: 19) has a solid list of opponents and not much else.

 

[scuse7]

A 4 or 5 seed is with me.

Just don't want Ok St

 

[craftsy21]

Penn State listed in both "in consideration" lists

it's good to be back.

Next 3 weeks are hell for us though.

 

[worldbeefreeg]

Originally Posted by allen3xis

ON TAP: There are a trio of quality 9 p.m. ET games - Texas at Baylor, Purdue at Wisconsin and Northeastern at VCU.


Other than Memphis.. Cousins says he's also considering Washington, Virginia Tech, NC State, Kansas State and Wake Forest.

Is UAB completely out?

 

[dacomeup]

Originally Posted by worldbeefreeg

Originally Posted by allen3xis

ON TAP: There are a trio of quality 9 p.m. ET games - Texas at Baylor, Purdue at Wisconsin and Northeastern at VCU.






Other than Memphis.. Cousins says he's also considering Washington, Virginia Tech, NC State, Kansas State and Wake Forest.

Is UAB completely out?

He said that he'd look at going to a different school if Mike Davis got a new job. With UAB not agreeing to release him if Davis is fired or gets a new jobthey essentially took themselves out of the race.

 

[shuges]

Ouch, he totally ripped G'Town to shreds there.

Definitely didn't realize that you guys have lost 5 out of 7 though.
Cuse has lost 3 out of 4. But all 4 games were against top 15 teams (with one being to G'Town

).

 

[jamesonnt]

PM'd you Rell.

That Patillo #12 kid on Oklahoma was major last night .. looks like a great addition to that team. DARKHORSE.

edit: after pm'ing rell and it leading me to his yuku page ..

at X-Men coming to DVD!!!