Big East Power Poll-
1) Pittsburgh (16): 256 pts.
2) Georgetown: 239 pts.
3) Marquette: 221 pts.
4) West Virginia: 207 pts.
5) Villanova: 182 pts.
6) Notre Dame: 173 pts.
7) Louisville: 172 pts.
8) Providence: 136 pts.
9) Syracuse: 136 pts.
10) DePaul: 115 pts.
11) Connecticut: 90 pts.
12) St. John's: 85 pts.
13) Seton Hall: 60 pts.
14) South Florida: 56 pts.
15) Rutgers: 31 pts.
16) Cincinnati: 18 pts.
BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Roy Hibbert, Georgetown.
BIG EAST FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Eugene Harvey, Seton Hall.
ND Nationally-
28th Coaches' Poll
Pretty ridiculous that the Irish didn't even receive one vote in the AP poll. Must win to change that, however.
Ok, let's play Name-The-Important-Team-that-Will-Not-Make-the-Tournament!
Credentials-
Unranked in both polls
Received a total of 162 more votes than Notre Dame in the AP and Coaches
Record- 18-7
Conference Record- 5-6
RPI Ranking- 18 (courtesy kenpom.com)
Best Wins-
#15 RPI, Neutral
#17 RPI, Home
#21 RPI, Home
#19 RPI, Home
Worst Losses-
#56 RPI, Away
#34 RPI, Home
#35 RPI, Away
#33 RPI, Away
Ok, so it's Duke. Here's the kicker: with three more away games against Top 25 RPI schools and home against Maryland, that 5-6 ACC record could quickly balloon into 7-9. The Blue Devils have put up some good wins this year, but a team with a losing conference record (even the mighty ACC) does not deserve to be in the Big Dance. You think a 7-9 Duke team deserves a spot if a 9-7 Irish team doesn't?
Hey, I like the Dookies. Just not that much.
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3 comments:
How bout the "If these teams played on a neutral court test"? If ND played Duke on a neutral court, there is a decent chance that ND would lose by 30 pts...Sorry those are the facts...And this from an ND fan
As much as I dislike Duke, saying that if ND & Duke were the last 2 bubble teams, Duke's definately getting in over ND...Sorry...
Duke is not even close to the bubble right now, despite the losing the streak. The only way Duke doesn't get in is MAYBE 6-10, and even that sounds farfetched. Accept this and start comparing ND to real bubble team, like say, Providence, aka Brey's Alamo...
Knowing how the Irish have played at different venues, I'd say on a neutral court or at Cameron the Irish would lose by double figures (30's a bit farfetched). If the game was at the Joyce, I would think ND could win. Marquette beat Duke by 11 on a neutral court. Does that mean you think the Irish are 41 point underdogs on the 24th? For myself, I think the Irish have a really good chance to win.
To be perfectly honest, I doubt the Irish would have as good a record as Duke against the Blue Demons' schedule. However, a 7-9 Duke team does not deserve to get in over any bubble team that actually performed well in conference.
How about a team like Drexel? #6 RPI out of conference and 11-4 in the CAA. If someone else wins the conference tournament, I would argue that the Dragons deserve a chance to be the next George Mason over known quantity Duke. But that's why Selection Sunday is so exciting.
Funny thing about the Alamo, though. The Texans lost the battle and won the war.
...But why not find out for sure?
Check out www.bracketography.com (Bracketology without Joe Lunardi's coconut-sized ego). In the Midwest, David Mihm projects the Irish as the 11 seed, playing Duke.
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