BU's chances

[jasonpeoria911]

I just checked out the Realtimerpi. BU is checked in at a rising 41 but surprisingly, #17 ranked Louisville is only at a rising 38. If BU can somehow rise a few spots, you'd have to like BU's chances. Having a higher RPI than a solid ranked team and not getting into the tournament is just plain wrong. Especially with BU having a main scorer on the injured list for 11 games of the season.

Jason

[IlliBraves]

Besides Michigan winning, we had a pretty good day. Both WVU and UMASS lost tonight. Don't know what Duke and Maryland losing really does for us, if anything.

[MacabreMob]

As much as I am I follower of the RPI... the RPI means NOTHING.

And this committee under C Littlepage (who took over last year and will be in control for I think 5 years) doesn't care at all for the RPI. He cares about the opinions of the committee members and encourages them to seek out info on all the teams on their own (viewing as many games as possible). He stressed last year of the importance of playing a solid NON-CONFERENCE schedule (that's why Florida St got left out last year).

What humors me the most about the RPI is that it was invented and created to explain why so-n-so got in over so-n-so. Basically... it was to explain why the BCS conferences got 6 bids and if a non-BCS team didn't get the automatic, it could be explained away why they didn't get an At-Large.

Now we come full circle. Those that praised the RPI don't understand it and don't know how it is calculated and think it is antiquated (and the 'code' has been cracked).

ALL WE WANT IS CONSISTANCY!

(when there is a bias, there will NEVER be consistancy)

[ER3]

Agreed...we all need to stop obsessing over this RPI garbage...It's just one number that enters the conversation for selection...(and it doesn't appear to be a very important one at that). It is nowhere near as important as many people on this board are making it out to be...Have we already forgotten what happened to Missouri State and their RPI (21, I think??) last year during the selection process?
Our RPI is in the upper 30's or low 40's and that is fine, but the fact that our RPI is better (on kenpom.com) than Virginia, Louisville, Texas Tech, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Stanford doesn't change the fact that all of those teams will almost certainly be ahead of Bradley when the whole at-large discussion is complete...Our RPI could end up at 20 and it wouldn't mean a thing...our resume is OK...and I sincerely do hope I'm wrong...but I just feel like we had an infinitely better resume last year and we were still one of the last 2 or 3 teams in when the dust cleared...

[romar]

Agreed...we all need to stop obsessing over this RPI garbage...It's just one number that enters the conversation for selection...(and it doesn't appear to be a very important one at that). It is nowhere near as important as many people on this board are making it out to be...Have we already forgotten what happened to Missouri State and their RPI (21, I think??) last year during the selection process?
Our RPI is in the upper 30's or low 40's and that is fine, but the fact that our RPI is better (on kenpom.com) than Virginia, Louisville, Texas Tech, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Stanford doesn't change the fact that all of those teams will almost certainly be ahead of Bradley when the whole at-large discussion is complete...Our RPI could end up at 20 and it wouldn't mean a thing...our resume is OK...and I sincerely do hope I'm wrong...but I just feel like we had an infinitely better resume last year and we were still one of the last 2 or 3 teams in when the dust cleared...

I'd be interested to know what you feel made last years resume "infinitely" better?

[thefish7]

Yeah, if anything I'd think our resume is in many ways better than last season-- especially with the Crouch injury.

[romar]

Yeah, if anything I'd think our resume is in many ways better than last season-- especially with the Crouch injury.

I know according to RealtimeRPI the season ending RPI was 32, but I'd be interested to know what it was at this same time last year. BU's season end SOS was 50, so this year would have it beat. This years team in #2 in 3pt attempts & leading the nation in 3pt %. As TF7 pointed out they were 8 games without Crouch & 3 games without Ruffin. That 1/3 of the season without at least one of your best players on the floor and on a team lacking depth, that's alot.

[Bravesfan]

I agree with the whole "RPI is overrated" argument. All I can say is that with W. Virginia, U Mass, Fresno St, Stanford, Clemson and especially Air Force, our chances are looking at least somewhat better than they did yesterday at this time. Hopefully Georgia Tech can lose and add to our chances!

[ER3]

Agreed...we all need to stop obsessing over this RPI garbage...It's just one number that enters the conversation for selection...(and it doesn't appear to be a very important one at that). It is nowhere near as important as many people on this board are making it out to be...Have we already forgotten what happened to Missouri State and their RPI (21, I think??) last year during the selection process?
Our RPI is in the upper 30's or low 40's and that is fine, but the fact that our RPI is better (on kenpom.com) than Virginia, Louisville, Texas Tech, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Stanford doesn't change the fact that all of those teams will almost certainly be ahead of Bradley when the whole at-large discussion is complete...Our RPI could end up at 20 and it wouldn't mean a thing...our resume is OK...and I sincerely do hope I'm wrong...but I just feel like we had an infinitely better resume last year and we were still one of the last 2 or 3 teams in when the dust cleared...

I'd be interested to know what you feel made last years resume "infinitely" better?

"Infinitely better" may be a stretch on my part...but last year we had an RPI of 32 at the end of the year...we won 7 of our last 8 games (5 of our last 8 this year...)...we were 7-6 against top 50 teams (vs. 2-8 this year...). I just think there are more glaring holes in our resume this year that the BCS proponents can zero in on, I guess...
I would agree that there are also things that may help us this year...SOS is better, Crouch's injury, etc...but I just don't see us being talked about nearly as much this year...who knows, maybe we'll pull an Air Force or Utah St. and get in out of nowhere...but it will be a shock to me if we get in...where as I would have been shocked if we didn't get in last year...just my opinion...

[BI_Brave_alum]

Well on the bracket buster page for s.i. the amount of 'bubble out' teams is increasing, we just have to figure out how to bump BU into the 'bubble in' teams.... at least the Braves are in slight consideration in S. Davis's eyes

btw for espn's bracketology, Missouri St is off the board, leaving mvc w/ two teams...

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

[romar]

Agreed...we all need to stop obsessing over this RPI garbage...It's just one number that enters the conversation for selection...(and it doesn't appear to be a very important one at that). It is nowhere near as important as many people on this board are making it out to be...Have we already forgotten what happened to Missouri State and their RPI (21, I think??) last year during the selection process?
Our RPI is in the upper 30's or low 40's and that is fine, but the fact that our RPI is better (on kenpom.com) than Virginia, Louisville, Texas Tech, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Stanford doesn't change the fact that all of those teams will almost certainly be ahead of Bradley when the whole at-large discussion is complete...Our RPI could end up at 20 and it wouldn't mean a thing...our resume is OK...and I sincerely do hope I'm wrong...but I just feel like we had an infinitely better resume last year and we were still one of the last 2 or 3 teams in when the dust cleared...

I'd be interested to know what you feel made last years resume "infinitely" better?

"Infinitely better" may be a stretch on my part...but last year we had an RPI of 32 at the end of the year...we won 7 of our last 8 games (5 of our last 8 this year...)...we were 7-6 against top 50 teams (vs. 2-8 this year...). I just think there are more glaring holes in our resume this year that the BCS proponents can zero in on, I guess...
I would agree that there are also things that may help us this year...SOS is better, Crouch's injury, etc...but I just don't see us being talked about nearly as much this year...who knows, maybe we'll pull an Air Force or Utah St. and get in out of nowhere...but it will be a shock to me if we get in...where as I would have been shocked if we didn't get in last year...just my opinion...

Interesting & I agree to a certain extent. The only difference in our thoughts are that I just see this years team as very similar to last years team when it comes to NCAA resume. My thought is that last year we got in by the narrowest of margins & there was this huge BCS outcry of no fair. Even though the so-called Mid-Majors made a great showing in last years tournament, my fear is that this year's BU team gets excluded as result of the overreaction by the selection committee to appease the BCS conferences. I know everyone wants to see BU make the dance, I just have a feeling that the planets are going to have to be in perfect alignment for that to happen. Even though it would go against recent history to have the 5th or even 6th rated conference not have 4 teams make the dance (assuming MVC holds onto that ranking).

My fingers are crossed that BU will get in, but my mind keeps telling me when it comes to BU & the NCAA, expect the worse to happen.