Final interview with Bruce Rasmussen committee chair

[muguru]

This is really interesting...extensive debate on the last number of teams to get in...When Katz asked him what they may have used to differentiate those teams, he emphasized that road wins were really important to them, and strength of schedule and how you did against other tournament teams also mattered a lot. Damn, that sounds like MU is a stronger possibility then some might think. That part of the interview starts at 1:05

https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/972817064544100352

[Marquette4life]

What was our record against tourney teams

[WindyCityGoldenEagle]

Thanks for sharing. Man, wish Vermont would’ve come through.

[peterpan]

Considering he said strength of schedule and record away from home against tournament teams were critical factors, who does that bode well/not so well for?

MU played a tough schedule and has 3 wins away from home against tournament teams. Can’t be a bad thing.

[#UnleashSean]

Thanks for sharing. Man, wish Vermont would’ve come through.

People didn't believe me when I said Vermont losing would hurt.

[SaveOD238]

What was our record against tourney teams

We beat:

Creighton x 2
Seton Hall x 2
Providence

We lost to:

Villanova x 3
Xavier x 2
Wichita St
Purdue
Butler x 2
Providence

So 5-10?  Woulda been 6-10 if Vermont had made the field.  Road/neutral we were 3-5.

This is a huge qualifier, of course, but against teams NOT in the top 10 of RPI we were 5-3, including 3 road wins.

[GooooMarquette]

Anyone know which SOS site most reflects the committee's criteria? I have seen our SOS anywhere between 14 (ESPN) or 16 (KenPom) at one end, and 30 (NCAA Team Sheets).  I'm assuming the latter(?).

Also of note: the Team Sheets overall RPI has us above Va Tech (projected 8 in Bracket Matrix), NC State (projected 10), Arizona State (projected 11).

Could we be this year's team that has everybody screaming foul? I can hear every excuse now, from "even Lunardi didn't have them in" to "7 teams from the Big East?".

[Norm]

Anyone know which SOS site most reflects the committee's criteria? I have seen our SOS anywhere between 14 (ESPN) or 16 (KenPom) at one end, and 30 (NCAA Team Sheets).  I'm assuming the latter(?).

Also of note: the Team Sheets overall RPI has us above Va Tech (projected 8 in Bracket Matrix), NC State (projected 10), Arizona State (projected 11).

Could we be this year's team that has everybody screaming foul? I can hear every excuse now, from "even Lunardi didn't have them in" to "7 teams from the Big East?".

We will have to ask our Syracuse friends how to handle that problem.

[MUBigDance]

I’m likin that “screaming foul” tag. Would be a great feeling to be “hated” then win a playin and a Th/Fr game...and get to the sweet-16 

Lot of wishing in that sentence. Can’t wait for 5pm.

[brewcity77]

Could we be this year's team that has everybody screaming foul? I can hear every excuse now, from "even Lunardi didn't have them in" to "7 teams from the Big East?".

The one that still irritates me most is VCU. They had no business being in the 2011 Tournament. Looking back at their resume I still can't believe it. One half decent win all season against an okay UCLA team.

And no, they didn't "prove they belonged" by making the Final Four. The only way to prove you belong is to earn it from November to Selection Sunday. Nothing you do after that can warrant inclusion.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Considering he said strength of schedule and record away from home against tournament teams were critical factors, who does that bode well/not so well for?

Teams it bodes well for:
Louisville: SOS 15, 3-8 away from home against possible tourney teams (Purdue, Kentucky, Clemson, Florida State x2, Miami (FL), Virginia x2, Duke, Virginia Tech, and NC State)
UCLA: SOS 48, 3-4 (Creighton, Michigan, Kentucky, @Arizona, Arizona State, USC, and Arizona)
Alabama: SOS 3, 3-6 (Arizona, Texas, Florida, Kentucky x2, @Auburn, @TAMU, TAMU, and Auburn
Syracuse: SOS 18, 2-5 (Kansas, Virginia, Florida State, Louisville, Miami (FL), and North Carolina
Texas: SOS 19, 3-9 (Butler, Duke, Gonzaga, Alabama, Baylor, West Virginia, Texas Tech x2, TCU, Oklahoma, Kansas St, and Kansas
Marquette: SOS 25, 3-5 (Wichita State, Providence, Villanova x2, Butler, Xavier, Seton Hall, and Creighton

Teams it doesn't bode well for:
St. Bonaventure: SOS 88, 2-4 away from home against possible tourney teams (Buffalo, Syracuse, TCU, Rhode Island, Davidson x2)
USC: SOS 39, 2-5 (Oklahoma, Middle Tennessee St, New Mexico St, UCLA, Arizona St, Arizona x2)
Middle Tennessee St: SOS 89, 1-4 (Murray State, Auburn, USC, Miami (FL), and Marshall)
Saint Mary's: SOS 165, 2-0 Harvard and Gonzaga
Oklahoma: SOS 27, 2-9 (Arkansas, USC, TCU, West Virginia, Kansas St, Alabama, Texas, Texas Tech, Kansas, Baylor)
Kansas State: SOS 67, 3-7 (Arizona State, Texas Tech, Kansas x2, Baylor, West Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma, @TCU, and TCU
Arizona State: SOS 74, 3-1 (Kansas State, Xavier, Kansas, and Arizona
Baylor: SOS 22, 2-8 (Creighton, Xavier, Texas Tech, West Virginia x2, Kansas, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, TCU, and Kansas State

The hardest one to place on this list was Arizona State, I decided to put them on the not good list because they have the lowest SOS of all the high majors on this list. But they won 3 out of 4 of their road opportunities against tourney teams and 3 of them were against top competition.

I also noticed that road wins in the B12 were very hard to come by....they all had a ton of opportunities but very few conversions.

That SOS for Saint Mary's is just so bad. Maybe we want Harvard to lose in the Ivy championship to take away half of their road wins against tourney teams

[peterpan]

Teams it bodes well for:
Louisville: SOS 15, 3-8 away from home against possible tourney teams (Purdue, Kentucky, Clemson, Florida State x2, Miami (FL), Virginia x2, Duke, Virginia Tech, and NC State)
UCLA: SOS 48, 3-4 (Creighton, Michigan, Kentucky, @Arizona, Arizona State, USC, and Arizona)
Alabama: SOS 3, 3-6 (Arizona, Texas, Florida, Kentucky x2, @Auburn, @TAMU, TAMU, and Auburn
Syracuse: SOS 18, 2-5 (Kansas, Virginia, Florida State, Louisville, Miami (FL), and North Carolina
Texas: SOS 19, 3-9 (Butler, Duke, Gonzaga, Alabama, Baylor, West Virginia, Texas Tech x2, TCU, Oklahoma, Kansas St, and Kansas
Marquette: SOS 25, 3-5 (Wichita State, Providence, Villanova x2, Butler, Xavier, Seton Hall, and Creighton

Teams it doesn't bode well for:
St. Bonaventure: SOS 88, 2-4 away from home against possible tourney teams (Buffalo, Syracuse, TCU, Rhode Island, Davidson x2)
USC: SOS 39, 2-5 (Oklahoma, Middle Tennessee St, New Mexico St, UCLA, Arizona St, Arizona x2)
Middle Tennessee St: SOS 89, 1-4 (Murray State, Auburn, USC, Miami (FL), and Marshall)
Saint Mary's: SOS 165, 2-0 Harvard and Gonzaga
Oklahoma: SOS 27, 2-9 (Arkansas, USC, TCU, West Virginia, Kansas St, Alabama, Texas, Texas Tech, Kansas, Baylor)
Kansas State: SOS 67, 3-7 (Arizona State, Texas Tech, Kansas x2, Baylor, West Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma, @TCU, and TCU
Arizona State: SOS 74, 3-1 (Kansas State, Xavier, Kansas, and Arizona
Baylor: SOS 22, 2-8 (Creighton, Xavier, Texas Tech, West Virginia x2, Kansas, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, TCU, and Kansas State

The hardest one to place on this list was Arizona State, I decided to put them on the not good list because they have the lowest SOS of all the high majors on this list. But they won 3 out of 4 of their road opportunities against tourney teams and 3 of them were against top competition.

I also noticed that road wins in the B12 were very hard to come by....they all had a ton of opportunities but very few conversions.

That SOS for Saint Mary's is just so bad. Maybe we want Harvard to lose in the Ivy championship to take away half of their road wins against tourney teams

Nice, thanks!!! I’d agree with you on st Mary’s but committee chair said they have the teams already except in the case of a Davidson win. It would give us more to complain about, however.

[muguru]

Teams it bodes well for:
Louisville: SOS 15, 3-8 away from home against possible tourney teams (Purdue, Kentucky, Clemson, Florida State x2, Miami (FL), Virginia x2, Duke, Virginia Tech, and NC State)
UCLA: SOS 48, 3-4 (Creighton, Michigan, Kentucky, @Arizona, Arizona State, USC, and Arizona)
Alabama: SOS 3, 3-6 (Arizona, Texas, Florida, Kentucky x2, @Auburn, @TAMU, TAMU, and Auburn
Syracuse: SOS 18, 2-5 (Kansas, Virginia, Florida State, Louisville, Miami (FL), and North Carolina
Texas: SOS 19, 3-9 (Butler, Duke, Gonzaga, Alabama, Baylor, West Virginia, Texas Tech x2, TCU, Oklahoma, Kansas St, and Kansas
Marquette: SOS 25, 3-5 (Wichita State, Providence, Villanova x2, Butler, Xavier, Seton Hall, and Creighton

Teams it doesn't bode well for:
St. Bonaventure: SOS 88, 2-4 away from home against possible tourney teams (Buffalo, Syracuse, TCU, Rhode Island, Davidson x2)
USC: SOS 39, 2-5 (Oklahoma, Middle Tennessee St, New Mexico St, UCLA, Arizona St, Arizona x2)
Middle Tennessee St: SOS 89, 1-4 (Murray State, Auburn, USC, Miami (FL), and Marshall)
Saint Mary's: SOS 165, 2-0 Harvard and Gonzaga
Oklahoma: SOS 27, 2-9 (Arkansas, USC, TCU, West Virginia, Kansas St, Alabama, Texas, Texas Tech, Kansas, Baylor)
Kansas State: SOS 67, 3-7 (Arizona State, Texas Tech, Kansas x2, Baylor, West Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma, @TCU, and TCU
Arizona State: SOS 74, 3-1 (Kansas State, Xavier, Kansas, and Arizona
Baylor: SOS 22, 2-8 (Creighton, Xavier, Texas Tech, West Virginia x2, Kansas, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, TCU, and Kansas State

The hardest one to place on this list was Arizona State, I decided to put them on the not good list because they have the lowest SOS of all the high majors on this list. But they won 3 out of 4 of their road opportunities against tourney teams and 3 of them were against top competition.

I also noticed that road wins in the B12 were very hard to come by....they all had a ton of opportunities but very few conversions.

That SOS for Saint Mary's is just so bad. Maybe we want Harvard to lose in the Ivy championship to take away half of their road wins against tourney teams

You can easily make the argument that MU has the 3 most impressive road wins on that list..Louisville's certainly don't compare.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

You can easily make the argument that MU has the 3 most impressive road wins on that list..Louisville's certainly don't compare.

I would say Arizona State's are the most impressive by far probably followed by UCLA's. I'd put Marquette 3rd.

[muguru]

I would say Arizona State's are the most impressive by far probably followed by UCLA's. I'd put Marquette 3rd.

You're right, I wasn't even looking at the bottom column...only used the "teams it does bold well for" column