Wow, I wonder what would have happened...

...if we had lost our game on Saturday on the road.



ESPN's Joe Lunardi downgraded BYU, after a 2-game road sweep, and winning their 7th game in a row, from a 11 seed to a 12 seed. Did I miss something?



http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



He has us playing Indiana, the 5 seed.



Then Karissa Urry, a "KSL Contributer" calls us a 3rd place WCC team. Last I checked Karissa, BYU was tied for 2nd place with GU and if the season were to end today, according to the first tiebreaker, head-to-head contact, we'd be the 2nd seed in the WCC tournament. Pretty bad when your flagship station can't even get it straight.



http://www.ksl.com/?nid=968&sid=19296688&s_cid=rss-968" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



I guess it sucks to be us today.

This happens every year about this time. Somehow our accomplishments seem to diminish. SM and GU dropping out of the AP top 25 doesn't help. Then Conferences like the ACC, SEC, and even PAC12 start touting their "conference strength" and pushing for more and more of their under-performing teams to go to the Dance because after all they are Big Time Conferences...Right!!! Stick around it'll get worse, I promise. We better win out and do well in the tournament is all I can say.



Go Cougs!



L Hatton

Louisville, KY

So I love that the MWC 1st place team lost to Santa Clara AT HOME. Does that make the last team in WCC better than the best team in MWC?

Didn't our RPI plummet over the weekend with a number of our former opponents losing, including nearly all the marquee opponents?

We beat RPi #274 on Saturday--a win that punished us for taking the court.



Here's how former opponents did since the last Bracketology:

USU - lost to #123 UCSB

UNR - lost to Iona

Wisc - Lost to Mich St

Oregon - Lost to Cal

Virginia - Lost to #158 Clemson

Baylor - Lost to Kstate

Va Tech - Lost to Fl. State

St Mary's - Lost to Loyola Marymount and Murray St

Gonzaga - Lost to San Fran.



So, BYU got dinged for playing a cupcake, and all the teams that were buoying up our RPI lost, and many of them lost games they had no business losing. It was a bad week for our RPI, which is a big part of Lunardi's seeding once he puts you in the dance.

Problem is our best win on the season is against GU, which right now isn't looking all that marquee. Assuming we end up playing and beating SMC in the WCC tourney, even that accomplishment won't hold as much water as it did a month ago.



As nice as it is for GU and SMC to lose and give BYU a chance to finish tied for 1st in the WCC, it weakens the conference.



Our win over Nevada is looking better. We beat GU on the road and there really shouldn't be any reason to rank GU over BYU.



I'm beginning to wonder if the WCC will even get 3 bids. Thankfully the PAC12 is down and the MWC leaders appear to be slipping as well.

I think the best you can count on is a 2 bid league this year, and hope for a 3. But even with the Pac12 being down, they are a BCS :sick: league and unfortunately that carries weight. If I were BYU, I'd be considering the best chances to get to the Tourney are to win the conference outright, or win the conference tournament. There are possibilities of it happening other ways, but nothing for sure.

hawkwing wrote:
I think the best you can count on is a 2 bid league this year, and hope for a 3. But even with the Pac12 being down, they are a BCS :sick: league and unfortunately that carries weight. If I were BYU, I'd be considering the best chances to get to the Tourney are to win the conference outright, or win the conference tournament. There are possibilities of it happening other ways, but nothing for sure.

Don't concern yourself with anything other than winning the tournament. That's the only sure way in.

oldestlion wrote:

I think the best you can count on is a 2 bid league this year, and hope for a 3. But even with the Pac12 being down, they are a BCS :sick: league and unfortunately that carries weight. If I were BYU, I'd be considering the best chances to get to the Tourney are to win the conference outright, or win the conference tournament. There are possibilities of it happening other ways, but nothing for sure.

Don't concern yourself with anything other than winning the tournament. That's the only sure way in.

You're right, in that that's the only "sure" way in. But I believe that this year a team that wins the conference outright will get in, even if they don't win the tournament.

I think the WCC is a three bid league.

And most experts think 3 bids too. The thing that could hurt us is a lot of tourney upsets taking slots away.

scott715 wrote:
And most experts think 3 bids too. The thing that could hurt us is a lot of tourney upsets taking slots away.

And we (WCC) survive the crazy thoughts of putting 3 PAC12 teams into the action. Lunardi's Bracketology has that feature. It's just too close to tourney time for people not to start jacking up the PAC12 to save face that they have dropped as low as they have.

I seem to recall last year there were several down "BCS" leagues that ended up getting 3 and 4 teams in.

It is difficult to imagine not getting to 24 wins. Iirc, we have 23 now with a very winnable home game left - very winnable.



It is possible that a 24 win team gets left out. The Zags must be favored, and if they prevail, it would seem that BYU would get either USF or a more beatable opponent in the tourney followed by a very difficult semi-final game.



If we do not lose to anyone not named SMC or Gonzaga, that gives us 25 or more wins. I cannot fathom a 26 win BYU team getting left out and would think a 25 win BYU team would also get in.



Were any 25 or 26 win teams left out recently?



If Hartsock's knee is not solid - we are in trouble.



[ Post made via Mobile Device ] http://cougarcorner.com/images/mobile.png" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

Cougarbib2 wrote:
It is difficult to imagine not getting to 24 wins. Iirc, we have 23 now with a very winnable home game left - very winnable.



It is possible that a 24 win team gets left out. The Zags must be favored, and if they prevail, it would seem that BYU would get either USF or a more beatable opponent in the tourney followed by a very difficult semi-final game.



If we do not lose to anyone not named SMC or Gonzaga, that gives us 25 or more wins. I cannot fathom a 26 win BYU team getting left out and would think a 25 win BYU team would also get in.



Were any 25 or 26 win teams left out recently?



If Hartsock's knee is not solid - we are in trouble.



[ Post made via Mobile Device ] http://cougarcorner.com/images/mobile.png" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

24 wins we don't make it. 25 wins...maybe. 26 wins and we've got a solid chance without winning the WCC tournament. 27 wins and we're win.

Cougarbib2 wrote:
If Hartsock's knee is not solid - we are in trouble.



[ Post made via Mobile Device ] http://cougarcorner.com/images/mobile.png" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

I would have thought we would have heard something on how it was on Monday, but thus far, no word. Art they wanting the Zags to practice believing he'll be there?

Unless there are 3 or more unexpected Dance participants (upsets in the tournies), I believe 25 wins will get us in. That would mean either a win over the Zags Thursday or at least one game in tourney, if we lose Thursday (I'm not even factoring in any possible loss to Portland Saturday). If 25 wins does not get us in, then we need to go indy in BB as well. Not a real serious statement, but come on.

hawkwing wrote:
I seem to recall last year there were several down "BCS" leagues that ended up getting 3 and 4 teams in.

BYU may have taken a bid with them from the MWC to the WCC this year, but the MWC may still put 3 in.



The WAC is also probably a 1-bid league and they have been a 2-bid league in the past as well. USU being down really hurts them.



Here are last year's multiple bid leagues:



The A-10 may not get 3 either. There'll be several A10 teams sweating out Selection Sunday.



The Colonial Athletic might get the 3 they got last year (Drexel, VCU & George Mason).



There are plenty of leagues that are down this year. Heck, HALF the ACC has at least 11 losses and only four teams have fewer than 9. They may only get the 4 they got last year.



The Big East has nine (of 16) teams with 10 or more losses, and six teams have 10 conference losses. There's no way they're getting 11 bids this year.



The Big 12 will likely get their same 5. I don't see them getting 6.



There are going to be several last minute adds by the B1G if they want to repeat last year's 7 as well.



There is NO way the PAC12 is getting 4 teams in this year.



There are bids available this year to be picked up by the WCC.

Spiff, you've given me some hope.



We'll need a good showing from the WCC in the dance if we hope to get 3 bids next season as well.



In 2013, SCU, LMU and USF will be more competitive. Not sure how much better GU will be as with SMC. Essentially, though, it will be more crowded at the top in the WCC and we need to show off our conference's strength. Can't get 3 bids this season and proceed to go 3 and out. Committee will be less inclined to dole them out.



[ Post made via Mobile Device ] http://cougarcorner.com/images/mobile.png" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

SpiffCoug wrote:
BYU may have taken a bid with them from the MWC to the WCC this year, but the MWC may still put 3 in.

From what I have read there are some that are saying the MWC is a 4 bid league! Are you kidding me! I remember in seasons past most of the experts were saying the MWC was only a 2 team bid league and it was huge news when they got 3 in. So now that BYU has left how does that happen? If any of you read the same reports I have they were saying the 4th would either be CSU or Wyoming?? How can a .500 conference team that will probably barely win 20 games overall from the MWC be picked ahead of a 3 conference loss 25 win overall WCC team?



Is it because the writers and bracketologist still don't know BYU is now in the WCC or has the MWC now been elevated to Big East status?