Season Predictions

[GangGreen]

You can't really complain about conference anyway.

Every conference will have their weak team, middle of the road teams, and the high level teams. Where strength of schedule really comes into play is the OOC schedule.

As for At-Large bids to the NCAA Tournament with less then 20 wins:

2011 - #9 seed Tennessee SEC 19–14 At-large, #10 Penn State Big 10 19–14 At-large, #9 Illinois Big 10 19–13 At-large, USC Pac-10 19–14 At-large (had to play in the play in game), #10 Michigan State Big 10 19–14 At-large

2010 - #9 Wake Forest ACC 19–10 At-large

2009 - #12 Wisconsin Big Ten 19–12 At-large, #12 Arizona Pac-10 19–13 At-large

2008 - #10 Arizona Pac-10 19-14 At-Large, #11 Kentucky SEC 18-12 At-Large, #9 Oregon Pac-10 18-13 At-Large

2007 - #11 Stanford Pac-10 18-12 At-Large

2006 - #6 Indiana Big Ten 18-11 At-Large, #10 Alabama SEC 17-12 At-Large, #10 Seton Hall Big East 18-11 At-Large, #8 Arizona Pac-10 19-12 At-Large, #9 Wisconsin Big Ten 19-11 At-Large

I think I made my point.

Did it really take you almost a month to come back with that reply or did you forget to hit send?

[CMJ]

You didn't make you point at all. As far as any at large selections go...we were done in by our CONFERENCE play last year, not our OOC play. I don't care if we had beaten Kansas last year in the non Belt slate....you're not getting an at large to the Dance going 8-8 in the Sunbelt.

[UNT90]

Seriously dude, you should have left this one alone. UTA spanked us by 30 and we barely beat SHSU by 3 at home.

It's pretty clear that we are a below average Belt team right now. Tougher competition would have destroyed the confidence of this fragile, young team.

Thank God JJ was smart enough to role out this schedule

[TheTastyGreek]

You can't really complain about conference anyway.

Every conference will have their weak team, middle of the road teams, and the high level teams. Where strength of schedule really comes into play is the OOC schedule.

As for At-Large bids to the NCAA Tournament with less then 20 wins:

2011 - #9 seed Tennessee SEC 19–14 At-large, #10 Penn State Big 10 19–14 At-large, #9 Illinois Big 10 19–13 At-large, USC Pac-10 19–14 At-large (had to play in the play in game), #10 Michigan State Big 10 19–14 At-large

2010 - #9 Wake Forest ACC 19–10 At-large

2009 - #12 Wisconsin Big Ten 19–12 At-large, #12 Arizona Pac-10 19–13 At-large

2008 - #10 Arizona Pac-10 19-14 At-Large, #11 Kentucky SEC 18-12 At-Large, #9 Oregon Pac-10 18-13 At-Large

2007 - #11 Stanford Pac-10 18-12 At-Large

2006 - #6 Indiana Big Ten 18-11 At-Large, #10 Alabama SEC 17-12 At-Large, #10 Seton Hall Big East 18-11 At-Large, #8 Arizona Pac-10 19-12 At-Large, #9 Wisconsin Big Ten 19-11 At-Large

I think I made my point.

I really don't think you did.

If there's an example of a non-Big 6 team making the tournament as an at-large with 17-18 wins, no matter what schedule they played... I don't know about it.

Every single one of those schools you listed with less than 20 wins came from a Big 6 conference. No non-power conference schools there.

If anything, I think you made *my* point.

[All About UNT]

I really don't think you did.

Every single one of those schools you listed with less than 20 wins came from a Big 6 conference. No non-power conference schools there.

If anything, I think you made *my* point.

[TheTastyGreek]

Flipside: Utah State in 2004. They finished 25-3 as a Big West team.

One OOC loss, on the road at Utah, a team that would win 24 games and make the NCAA tournament.

One conference loss, on the road at Pacific, a team that would win 25 games and make the NCAA tournament.

Then, they lost in the conference tournament semi-finals. On a 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds left.

They were nationally ranked for a month and a half at that point. They had an RPI of 35. They dominated, in conference and out.

And they were left out of the NCAA tournament.

[gksmith]

Those teams with 17, 18, 19 wins took a spot away from a 20+ win team outside of the Big 6.

Again, an RPI better then 50 is more important then 20 wins. You get that RPI from strength of schedule. The Sun Belt conference is "discounted" because it is not a Big 6 conference. That makes it even more important to have a strong OOC schedule to boost the RPI.

[CMJ]

Having everyone in your league not suck in the non conference is more important than having your team play a tough OOC schedule. Denver's RPI is incredibly high right now, but it's gonna nose dive when they have to play ULM and the like.