Tonight is our last shot to get a win against a conference opponent

[ChicosBailBonds]

We are still on the bubble. Cant lose out...

The soft bubble.....   

[Hards Alumni]

I think we're seeing the result of lowered expectations at the start of the year.

There isn't any good reason why we should be ranked behind Georgetown right now--we beat them head-to-head, we're ahead of them in the league standings by two games in the loss column, they can do no better than tie with us--and thats if we lose both remaining games and they beat Cincy.

Yet they are ranked significantly ahead of us, and the bracketologists collectively put them as a 4 seed and us as a 10 seed.

The only logical explanation is that those initial pre-season expectations--the ones everyone says don't matter--actually DO matter a lot more than people think.

All year long Georgetown has been given credit as a top 25 team (Preseason 20th AP, 21st ESPN), and right now people have actually improved their perception (19th AP, 20th ESPN). 

All year long we nave not been considered a top 25 team, and we are still not.

So its either those pre-season expecctations hold more sawy than anyone wants to admit, or they get more credit for beating three teams ahead of them (Pitt, VU, Louisville) than they get negatives for losing to the teams behind them (USF, Rutgers, Notre Dame)

One has to wonder if we would be a top 20 team/projected 4 seed if we had not lost to DePaul


I would say last year we got the benefit of the doubt given that we were 12-2 before James was injured, had already beaten Villanova, and hadn't played the other teams yet. 

uhhhh except that G'town has beaten

Pitt, Duke, Villanova, and Butler.

meanwhile MU has beaten... uhhhh..

Georgetown

[TJ]

I think we're seeing the result of lowered expectations at the start of the year.

There isn't any good reason why we should be ranked behind Georgetown right now--we beat them head-to-head, we're ahead of them in the league standings by two games in the loss column, they can do no better than tie with us--and thats if we lose both remaining games and they beat Cincy.

Yet they are ranked significantly ahead of us, and the bracketologists collectively put them as a 4 seed and us as a 10 seed.

The only logical explanation is that those initial pre-season expectations--the ones everyone says don't matter--actually DO matter a lot more than people think.

All year long Georgetown has been given credit as a top 25 team (Preseason 20th AP, 21st ESPN), and right now people have actually improved their perception (19th AP, 20th ESPN). 

All year long we nave not been considered a top 25 team, and we are still not.

So its either those pre-season expecctations hold more sawy than anyone wants to admit, or they get more credit for beating three teams ahead of them (Pitt, VU, Louisville) than they get negatives for losing to the teams behind them (USF, Rutgers, Notre Dame)

One has to wonder if we would be a top 20 team/projected 4 seed if we had not lost to DePaul


I would say last year we got the benefit of the doubt given that we were 12-2 before James was injured, had already beaten Villanova, and hadn't played the other teams yet. 

+1

Mostly the part: "they get more credit for beating three teams ahead of them (Pitt, VU, Louisville) than they get negatives for losing to the teams behind them (USF, Rutgers, Notre Dame)"

That's the whole point of Gottleib's statement that this whole thread is about - is that we don't have any notable wins like Georgetown's wins over Pitt and Nova (and Duke).  Those types of wins are key in improving perception/ranking/bubble status.  And tonight is our last scheduled chance to get one.