Road... Road... Road...

[thefish7]

... and the fact that we'd be a returning NCAA team (which the selection committee seems to favor).

Sorry Fish, each season stands on its own - last year has nothing to do with this year.

I'm not saying I disagree that each year should stand on its own... But I've read and observed that teams that were there before have a better chance of being there again.

(edited for clarity, as I didn't actually say what I meant to the first time, hehe)

[Bravesfan]

On this date last year, just after winning in OT at Evansville, we moved up to 54 in the RPI.

This year, we are currently 40th.

Agreed! It seems that several of the newer members of this board don't realize that there is more to the selection process than just quality wins on the road. If winning against quality teams on the road is the only criteria, than how did Air Force get into the tourney last year? The head of the selection comittee even admitted in an interview with ESPN that they chose the second team out of Mountain West Conference because it was the eighth ranked conference in the RPI last year. That's why I don't buy this argument that conferences don't produce selections, but teams do. That's why even the third or fourth place team out of the Valley (possibly Bradley) will have a shot at an at-large bid, IF they win out at home and finish relatively strong through their last ten games.

I'd say for Bradley to have a chance at an at-large bid, they need to win out at home, and at the very least, beat ISU on the raod. That would give them 11 conference wins and 20 wins overall. A win in the Valley tourney should come close to clinching a bid. Not a guarantee for a bid, but a decent enough resume that they should at least warrant serious consideration.

[BTID]

One thing to keep in mind is how we finish compared to last year, which I know doesn't hold water to what we do this year. Last year, we got a win at Northern Iowa. It wasn't just a win, but we torched the Panthers that February night. In St. Louis, we beat Creighton to claim the rubber game of the match between the two teams, then we topped regular season champ Wichita State who had beaten us twice. If things stay as they are and we assume to win the rest of our home games and split our final 4 road contests, I think we've got to win 2 times in St. Louis to feel good about our chances, and one of those wins better come against a team like Missouri State which have already swept us in the regular season. This week's game with Creighton and later with Northern Iowa are "must wins" if the Braves have NCAA aspirations without winning the tournament in St. Louis outright. Anything less than 2 wins in St. Louis would put us off the bubble and into the NIT, assuming we go 6-2 in our final 8 regular season tilts.