First Bracketology- MU a 5 seed

[TVDirector]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology

St Loo 8
Nova 9
Georgetown 8
Creighton 8

Rodents- 6

meaningless, but fun to see what 'experts' think of the team's potential.

[Coleman]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology

St Loo 8
Nova 9
Georgetown 8
Creighton 8

Rodents- 6

meaningless, but fun to see what 'experts' think of the team's potential.

Hard to believe the big east champ would only be a 5

[ChicosBailBonds]

Hard to believe the big east champ would only be a 5

This isn't your father's Big East....not yet anyway.  Have to prove ourselves.

[brewcity77]

This isn't your father's Big East....not yet anyway.  Have to prove ourselves.

It doesn't have to be, when the MWC champ is usually a 2 or 3 seed and the Big East as is is a step up from that. Quite simply, the league champ will likely have a high RPI, SOS, and ranking. I'd be surprised if we didn't have at least one 3-seed or better.

[ChicosBailBonds]

It doesn't have to be, when the MWC champ is usually a 2 or 3 seed and the Big East as is is a step up from that. Quite simply, the league champ will likely have a high RPI, SOS, and ranking. I'd be surprised if we didn't have at least one 3-seed or better.

We agree when it all comes down to it in the end, but today when it's merely prognostication season, no RPI data, not SOS data, people relying on ridiculous AP top 25's, etc, then it's just a perception game right now.  When the data comes in, hopefully all that stuff rings true.

[source?]

I'm hoping St. John's, Providence, or Xavier sneak in as well. I think they all have a great shot at the tourney, just need a few games to go their way.

[Lennys Tap]

This isn't your father's Big East....not yet anyway.  Have to prove ourselves.

It probably never will be. That said, I'd be willing to wager a tidy sum that the top Big East team gets better than a 5. Interested?

[RideMyBuycks]

It probably never will be. That said, I'd be willing to wager a tidy sum that the top Big East team gets better than a 5. Interested?

What kinda odds you givin'?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

With the non-conference schedule we have, I would argue it would be impossible for us to win the Big East and get lower than a four seed.

Others have made great points about their being no real data yet but assuming that most teams do generally as well as they are supposed to, the Big East Champion with a non-conference like ours will most likely be a three seed or higher.

[ChicosBailBonds]

It probably never will be. That said, I'd be willing to wager a tidy sum that the top Big East team gets better than a 5. Interested?

As my post said, it's all perception game right now and no data yet, thus the conference will have to earn it.

I would think the Big East will get a top 5 seed at the very worst, so no thanks.  I would be disappointed if the winner has a seed worse than a 3.

[brandx]

I'm hoping St. John's, Providence, or Xavier sneak in as well. I think they all have a great shot at the tourney, just need a few games to go their way.

Near impossible to get more than 5 teams in from a 10 team conference. It's not strong enough yet to get a team with a .500 league record in the tourney.

[brewcity77]

Near impossible to get more than 5 teams in from a 10 team conference. It's not strong enough yet to get a team with a .500 league record in the tourney.

That's where RPI will come in. If you have 5-6 teams in the top 40-50 of RPI, it will make it harder to leave them out. That's why I'm disappointed in Creighton...we need teams to have strong non-conference SOS if we want to get more than 3-4 bids.

[jsglow]

Frankly this first beauty contest bracket looks kind of lazy to me.  I see no chance that the BEast champion doesn't at least earn its own pod thereby necessitating no less than a #4. The comments about the Mountain West above are spot on.  Candidly, the MW would need to be markedly superior to the BEast to earn equivalent given the push Fox is going to make.
 

[ChicosBailBonds]

It doesn't have to be, when the MWC champ is usually a 2 or 3 seed and the Big East as is is a step up from that. Quite simply, the league champ will likely have a high RPI, SOS, and ranking. I'd be surprised if we didn't have at least one 3-seed or better.

My only nit to pick on the MWC reference is bids aren't given to conferences, neither is seeding.  See Gonzaga, New Mexico, UNLV of old, Memphis, etc.   The WCC isn't better than the ACC or Big Ten or Big East of old, yet Gonzaga got a 1 seed.  UNLV used to get them playing in the horrible Big West.  Conversely you can have a really good league where a few teams at the top can't totally separate themselves so they collectively get "good" seeds, but not elite seeds.

Imagine for a second if Creighton wins the conference by one game.  Creighton's out of conference schedule is poor.  That could be a situation where the conference winner doesn't get a great seed.  If MU wins the conference, with out non-conference schedule, then I would think a high seed is possible.  

[source?]

Near impossible to get more than 5 teams in from a 10 team conference. It's not strong enough yet to get a team with a .500 league record in the tourney.

Mountain West says otherwise, and we are a much better conference than them. In my opinion Marquette, Georgetown, Nova, and Creighton are all locks. Xavier, St. John's, and Providence are all bubble teams. One of those three getting in gives us 5 bids. If St. John's beats either Wisconsin or Syracuse in the non-conference and has a decent showing in their other non-con games, combined with a middling finish in the Big East, I think that gets them in. Xavier is a completely different team than they were last year (at one point I think they were playing with 8 scholarship players), and will be much more competitive. Providence was a team on the rise last year, and I see no reason that won't continue this year. What we need are Butler and DePaul to be absolute doormats, and Seton Hall to struggle. That will probably net us 5 bids.

[bilsu]

I think MU being predicted as a 5 seed is based on them being ranked 17th to 20th and not on MU winning the Big East. MU would probably be ranked highr than 17th, if they won the Big East outright thus getting a higher seed.

[hoyasincebirth]

Final Bracketology:

Georgetown 2 seed
Marquette 3 seed
Creighton 5 seed
Villanova 6 seed
Providence 9 seed
St. John's 12 seed

[jsglow]

Final Bracketology:

Georgetown 2 seed
Marquette 3 seed
Creighton 5 seed
Villanova 6 seed
Providence 9 seed
St. John's 12 seed

6 teams; I like it. 

[Coleman]

Final Bracketology:

Georgetown 2 seed
Marquette 3 seed
Creighton 5 seed
Villanova 6 seed
Providence 9 seed
St. John's 12 seed

Flip the top 2 around and you're gold

[Lennys Tap]

What kinda odds you givin'?

2-1.

[brewcity77]

Final Bracketology:

Georgetown 2 seed
Marquette 3 seed
Creighton 5 seed
Villanova 6 seed
Providence 9 seed
St. John's 12 seed

I'd be surprised if the 3rd place team in the conference got a higher seed than the conference champs.

[brandx]

Mountain West says otherwise, and we are a much better conference than them. In my opinion Marquette, Georgetown, Nova, and Creighton are all locks. Xavier, St. John's, and Providence are all bubble teams. One of those three getting in gives us 5 bids. If St. John's beats either Wisconsin or Syracuse in the non-conference and has a decent showing in their other non-con games, combined with a middling finish in the Big East, I think that gets them in. Xavier is a completely different team than they were last year (at one point I think they were playing with 8 scholarship players), and will be much more competitive. Providence was a team on the rise last year, and I see no reason that won't continue this year. What we need are Butler and DePaul to be absolute doormats, and Seton Hall to struggle. That will probably net us 5 bids.

I agree 5 bids are very possible - but I said almost impossible for more than 5.

[MU82]

A 5 seed? With everything we have accomplished this season?

I'm outraged!

Outraged, I tell you!!!

[leever]

A 5 seed? With everything we have accomplished this season?

I'm outraged!

Outraged, I tell you!!!

We'd have a higher seed if we only had some 5 star bigs

[LAZER]

Final Bracketology:

Georgetown 2 seed
Marquette 3 seed
Creighton 5 seed
Villanova 6 seed
Providence 9 seed
St. John's 12 seed

Another 15-2 upset for the Hoyas too?