5 MVC games Saturday 12/15

[BradleyBrave]

OK... MVC ... Wichita lost, Mo St lost, SIU lost... UNI and E'Ville win...

But we picked up a couple of 'victories' today for BU.

Loyola beat N Illinois.
UIC WINS AT Depaul.

...and...

Wright State defeats Miami (Oh) on a last second shot!

BU's RPI went up 13 spots today to 63, and our SOS went up to 66. Bad day for the Valley, but a GREAT day for BU and our at-large resume. Wins over Butler and VCU could propel us into the 30's RPI-wise heading into the conference season. We can only control what we can control, and while SIU continues to be a league embarrassment, BU's opponents continue to prove their worth. All I want for Christmas is a couple wins...

[MacabreMob]

BBrave...

Re: SIU continues to be a league embarrassment....

I agree.

What's to come of it? (Wich St was #8 in one poll last year) The League or the Pollsters were an emarrassment? The MVC didn't do as great as hoped but SIU still got a good seed (better than I ever woulda thought, really) and got to the Sw16.

So does SIU discredit the MVC?

Or is the MVC established enough..... to get respect for the teams that perform well in the conference this season.

I don't know - but it would be a shame to see the MVC hang tuff in the Conf RPI (hoping Top 10) but yield only 1 (maybe 2) bid(s) because SIU let ESPN down.

[BradleyBrave]

BBrave...

Re: SIU continues to be a league embarrassment....

I agree.

What's to come of it? (Wich St was #8 in one poll last year) The League or the Pollsters were an emarrassment? The MVC didn't do as great as hoped but SIU still got a good seed (better than I ever woulda thought, really) and got to the Sw16.

So does SIU discredit the MVC?

Or is the MVC established enough..... to get respect for the teams that perform well in the conference this season.

I don't know - but it would be a shame to see the MVC hang tuff in the Conf RPI (hoping Top 10) but yield only 1 (maybe 2) bid(s) because SIU let ESPN down.

I think we have more friends on the committee this year (take that with a grain of salt), and I think league play will determine a lot. The league as a whole might be similar to last year in that it seems there's a lot of parity. However, I think after 18 games you may see 1, 2, maybe even 3 teams rise to the top, and a strong league finish could put a team over the top (similar to us in '06). SIU isn't done yet, despite their repeated putrid performances. They have, by far, the toughest non-con out of any MVC team. Wins over Butler and Western Kentucky will bring them back into the conversation.

[Guinness]

SIU seems to be fickle this year.