Playing the What If Game...

[reinko]

I was having this debate in my head, and was going back and forth, and thought I would ask the board their opinion.

So what if MU wins the three heartbreakers at the start of the season, @WVU, Nova, @Nova, but loses these three OT games on the road.  Any takers?

On one hand we would most likely be in the drivers seat for a tourney spot with these quality wins, but I think both of these scenarios MU is still unranked, with an RPI between 40-55, but the major difference is that the team right now is peaking and playing great ball, while the fake MU in an alternative universe would be tanking.  All other things being equal (losses to Cuse, Depaul and Pitt, and wins over Rutgers, G'Town, Depaul, and PCx2)

SO.  The question is this, anyone willing to take the alternate universe situation?  I can't decide, because imagine running the gauntlet the first 4 games, blowing out PC, then still losing to Depaul.  I feel like the Scoop would have exploded.  Then, 3 straight OT losses, imagine all the cliff jumpers on here, saying "Those early wins don't mean sh!t, we can't close out games." 

So gun to my head, I take the real life situation, I think.

[Hards Alumni]

A tough one no doubt... do you take the 3 QUALITY wins at the start of the year over the bubble beating last 3 games.

I take what we have, but I am very unsure.

Losing 3 on the road in OT isn't a big blemish. 

If you could guarentee me that MU would beat UL and ND this week, id consider taking the alternate MU.

[NersEllenson]

I was having this debate in my head, and was going back and forth, and thought I would ask the board their opinion.

So what if MU wins the three heartbreakers at the start of the season, @WVU, Nova, @Nova, but loses these three OT games on the road.  Any takers?

On one hand we would most likely be in the drivers seat for a tourney spot with these quality wins, but I think both of these scenarios MU is still unranked, with an RPI between 40-55, but the major difference is that the team right now is peaking and playing great ball, while the fake MU in an alternative universe would be tanking.  All other things being equal (losses to Cuse, Depaul and Pitt, and wins over Rutgers, G'Town, Depaul, and PCx2)

SO.  The question is this, anyone willing to take the alternate universe situation?  I can't decide, because imagine running the gauntlet the first 4 games, blowing out PC, then still losing to Depaul.  I feel like the Scoop would have exploded.  Then, 3 straight OT losses, imagine all the cliff jumpers on here, saying "Those early wins don't mean sh!t, we can't close out games." 
So gun to my head, I take the real life situation, I think.

Given the bolded part above, I definitely would take our season exactly as it unfolded (so long as we get in the tourney of course).  That said, if we had one our games against Villy, and WVU..and lost the other ones to Cincy, St. Johns and Seton Hall - we basically would be Georgetown right now..still ranked fairly high, and still likely to be a 4 seed in tourney...which certainly would seem the better path, but I like the under the radar, low seed approach for this team. 

[MR.HAYWARD]

what if we lose to ND and Loserville.  if "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts we'd all have a merry Christmas

[shiloh26]

I could go a complete 180 on this depending on the ND/Louisville outcomes, but it seems like we are playing the best at the right time.  If we can say anything about this year its that the boys have trended upward as the season moved along, and that includes the ability to finish games.  That said, three quick BE wins against top 10 teams would have been pretty awesome, and I don't think we're even talking about the bubble. 

I guess the tiebreaker is not having to deal with the deflation of losing to 3 equal-to-inferior teams in OT.  As much as it sucked to lose those early games, this message board was filled with hope after those losses.  We lose these last three and not a person here feels we can win a close one.