Illinois 66, Northwestern 50 POSTGAME
Nope, they will look at the whole season and nothing else (exception for major injuries). The obvious reason is some teams have stronger schedules or weaker schedules to end the season. One team going 4-6 against a tough schedule could be a lot more impressive than a team going 8-2 against an easy schedule. Also Let's say the Illini make it to Saturday and Malcolm Hill gets in foul trouble and they lose badly. Which is more fair? Penalizing them for a game that might have been a refs fault just because it's right before the tourney? Or looking at each game with equal weight?
The only way they would look at last 10 games or something like that is if there is only a couple spots left and a handful of teams are exactly identical. But with all the other data they have, that is almost impossible.
The committee has made it pretty clear they don't pay much attention to the conference tournament games. They have to get the field determined, do the seeding, figure out who goes to which location, etc. Can't be doing all that and try to take into account games that are being played at that same time.
In your example, there are other criteria they'd look at, like road /neutral records, strength of schedule, etc. When you get down to the last few teams, usually there's not much to separate them.
They don't take much into consideration the late games, especially Sunday, other than making contingency plans for team not in the field winning the tournament. But I have never heard that they do not pay attention to the entire tournament. I think they do consider the earlier games and how teams on the bubble fair.
Yeah, except that scenario as you described it will never happen where the resumes are identical to that degree.
I didn't mean the whole tournament, no. Especially not with the P5 leagues starting play on Tues/Wed now. But I do think anything past Friday isn't going to get much attention. And typically the early games are either 2 bad teams playing each other that have no chance or a bubble team trying to avoid a bad loss.
I think it does play a factor in seeding, but we don't have to worry about being a 2 or a 3
Yeah, but in his example where you have two bubble teams (even if their records are not identical) and one makes it to Sunday, whereas the other loses in the first round of the BTT, the one who makes it to Sunday will have a big advantage indeed in the eyes of the committee.
The BTT is actually more important for bubble teams than teams guaranteed to make the field, I think seeding is less influenced, especially in latter days. IIRC it was Bill Self who said that he did not care much about the BTT as it had not much influence on the seeding, if you were already in. But for bubble teams, I think the tournament is important.
That example isn't really realistic, IMO. The bubble will consist of dozens of teams with somewhat equally crappy resumes, picking out 2 and doing head to head compares doesn't make sense. Winning games helps, sure, but impossible to say how much.
Agree with that in theory, but it's also a reason why they are less important. The top teams may not be playing with the same intensity, so I think a win over them is given less weight. I think there are a lot of coaches who don't mind losing early if they are already in so that they can get their team extra rest or practice instead.
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They'll have to bring it the rest of the way to get in. Kinda a day late and a dollar short
The Dave
- CA
Everyone seems pretty high after this win. Of course we need to celebrate wins but this game didn't feel particularly good.
Our FT% was abysmal. Our 3PT% was only 33%. Obviously the D was really good.
However, it felt like the first half should have been just like the 2nd. The entire 1st half I felt like we were in control, but we could never pull away. That tight halftime score FELT wrong. Was I just imagining that or what did I miss in the 1st half?
Our FT% was abysmal. Our 3PT% was only 33%. Obviously the D was really good.
However, it felt like the first half should have been just like the 2nd. The entire 1st half I felt like we were in control, but we could never pull away. That tight halftime score FELT wrong. Was I just imagining that or what did I miss in the 1st half?
The Only difference I See from earlier in the season is better effort from the defense and Lucas.
The addition of Kipper has also helped, brings a lot of energy and has contributed more at both ends of the floor than AJ and DJW.
Illiniwek06
- N of I-80
Nice W. Super excited for Tejon and Kipper moving forward, they were fantastic.
Deleted member 29907
D
Guest
Kipper has been a nice surprise. Seems like a young RRice. His shooting seems to be improved and he's able to get the ball to the rim pretty effectively.
Can someone text LB and remind him he's a "catch and shoot from 15 ft" (and occasional wild dunk) shooter?
Can someone text LB and remind him he's a "catch and shoot from 15 ft" (and occasional wild dunk) shooter?
MainelyIllini
- uh, Maine
Being ahead of IU makes me happy, even with our difficult season.
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Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I joked about this in the pregame thread, but seriously: we played with a sense of PROGRAM pride last night. We simply weren't going to allow a Northwestern Wildcats basketball team to beat a Fighting Illini basketball team, much less in Champaign. Good win, boys!
Let's finish strong and get some momentum for next year/get these young guys to keep comin' along!
Let's finish strong and get some momentum for next year/get these young guys to keep comin' along!
I disagree here. The biggest difference I see, which I think is because of Lucas, is that we are running actual offensive sets now. the pick and roll with Morgan is working and we aren't playing iso basketball nearly as much as we were early.
I don't think that Groce deserves another year, but if he is retained it will be interesting to see if having the type of personnel (read PG) he's been trying desperately to get, has any effect on what the team looks like.
The team has a whole was far more aggressive and engaged last night. First and Second halves...Lucas spearheads the team with a swagger not seen for many years on the ILLINI imo. He seems to play as if he BELIEVES that he can lead them and prove by doing it that he can.
Hill and Morgan, both are playing as if they will soon be done, shame Hill will not get to NCAA and good for Morgan for becoming a better player than most, (included) would have ever given him credit for...
Groce is still Groce, he hasn't figured anything out. IF and I do mean IF, it is being considered by Whitman to retain him (I hope not), he is smart enough to know that NW/Nebraska/Rutgers will not be the final grade....MSU will be, so I fully expect a new hire in approx. 60 days or so.
Hill and Morgan, both are playing as if they will soon be done, shame Hill will not get to NCAA and good for Morgan for becoming a better player than most, (included) would have ever given him credit for...
Groce is still Groce, he hasn't figured anything out. IF and I do mean IF, it is being considered by Whitman to retain him (I hope not), he is smart enough to know that NW/Nebraska/Rutgers will not be the final grade....MSU will be, so I fully expect a new hire in approx. 60 days or so.
Really wish we had a competent coaching staff that knew the team was way better with a real PG on the floor in say, oh, November. We'd be worrying about a 5 or 6 seed instead of squinting real hard to see the bubble.
It's not hard to form a rotation earlier than February, but John Groce continues to bang our heads against the wall and make us wonder "what if"
It's not hard to form a rotation earlier than February, but John Groce continues to bang our heads against the wall and make us wonder "what if"
You do realize vs NW and at Neb are objectively more difficult games than vs MSU? Historically no but right now yes