SMU - Are they in trouble or not?

[jncuse]

SMU is one of the more intriguing resumes right now. Before yesterday I thought they were lock, but after losing to Houston (bad loss) I looked a little closer.

On the surface they look good - 23-9, accomplished in decent conference with 5 (4?) tourney teams, 4 top 50 wins (Cincy, Memphis, UConn (2) ).

One could wonder why the RPI is only 53... it's the schedule which is horrible.

They have played 10 top 100 games, and they performed OK for a bubble team.
- Beat UConn Twice
- Split with Memphis
- Split with Cincy
- Lost Twice to Louisville
- Lost to Virginia
- Lost to Arkansas

But only 10 top 100 games? How did that happen? Even Wichita St played 10, and they played in the crappy MVC.

1. The AAC has no middle class - 5 good teams and 5 sub 150 RPI teams that get destroyed by the other 5. That leads to many easy wins. 11 of the 19 AAC games SMU played was against these teams.

2. SMU went 11-2 in OOC. Looks good. But the top RPI win was 124. And six of the wins were sub 260.

So basically 22 sub 100 games... 19 of them sub 150. And SMU managed to go 19-3 in those games (including a 224 RPI loss). Is 19-3 really that impressive against that group. All bubble teams have proved they could go as good or better.

Not that hard to get 23 wins against that schedule.

4 top 50 wins... no middle class quality wins (51-100),,,,and 3 bad losses. They scheduled exactly like the committee does not want a bubble team to schedule.

Are they really safe?

 

[SU2NASA]

They should be safe. They've received some help by fellow mid-major teams like Georgetown losing to dreck like DePaul.

 

[orange79]

I see them as squarely on the bubble. One of the last 4 teams in, so an 11 or 12 seed.

 

[Orangello]

I see them as squarely on the bubble. One of the last 4 teams in, so an 11 or 12 seed.

Agree. They will likely make one of the play in games.

 

[bpo57]

I'd be very surprised if SMU were left out. May not mean anything but I can't recall a team ranked in the top 25 not getting invited into the field of 68. They deserve to go. Larry Brown is a marquee guy and the story is one of the more intriguing ones of this year.

 

[Jasoncuse]

They're a lock.

Their seed might not be what they want, but those 4 wins listed are pretty darn good.

And of course, the bubble is WEAK

 

[bpo57]

SMU is like Nebraska this year. Besides clearly being deserving of a bid you have to let them in. Neither one has had much basketball glory in the last half century. Why not reward them now that have decent squads.

 

[Briancuse]

SMU is like Nebraska this year. Besides clearly being deserving of a bid you have to let them in. Neither one has had much basketball glory in the last half century. Why not reward them now that have decent squads.

They will get in but its not the selection committee's job to give a school with a lousy history a break, or put a team in because they have a legendary coach, as all of us know all to well.

 

[anomander]

Those 4 quality wins have them safe. You could question how they would have fared in the ACC or B10 though. I think they get an 11 seed

 

[bpo57]

They will get in but its not the selection committee's job to give a school with a lousy history a break, or put a team in because they have a legendary coach, as all of us know all to well.

What I said is just the icing on the cake. Both teams deserve to get in regardless. Not even debatable.

 

[Briancuse]

What I said is just the icing on the cake. Both teams deserve to get in regardless. Not even debatable.

I agree, both teams have done enough to get bids.

 

[jdubs30]

I've seen them a few times, they don't pass the eye test for me; but the resume should be enough to get them in, but I wouldn't say their a 100% lock

 

[two3zone]

They're in. The fact Larry Brown is their coach i think takes them off the bubble.

 

[jncuse]

I have them as in, and not last four either.

But I will not call them a lock because I think there is a chance the committee can make an example of them.

I guess the committee now has the last 4 to make an example of teams now if they so choose.

 

[jncuse]

They're in. The fact Larry Brown is their coach i think takes them off the bubble.

They have left out major schools on bubble. I don't think brown would be a factor.

 

[jncuse]

It helped all bubble teams that mizzou and fla st lost today as well. They could have stole a spot.

 

[Chris02M]

just good enough for me for Nebraska and smu

 

[jncuse]

No one has really pushed themselves upwards this week so that helps teams like SMU/BYU.

Providence is the closest, but wins over St. John's and Seton Hall are not going to really shoot you up.

As I said think SMU is in, but I do like having discussion about bubble teams -- identify teams that are maybe not as comfortable as they seem.