Butler thoughts

[martyconlonontherun]

Worst RPI ever to get at large big was in the 60's. MU is 125

Hayward said we literally have a 0% chance in the Beast tourney if we are 7-10. Kryza said it is 'literally' like 5% since we are still in the tourney and could win multiple games agaisnt top 25 teams.

He wasn't implying we get an at-large bid. He was implying we have a 5% chance at winning the Beast tourney.

[PGsHeroes32]

Literally I believe the chances would be somewhere around 5% since we can still get an auto bid.

I literally believe you should re read what I said.

We have NO chance of winning 4 straight if we're the 7-10.

And it means we MUST play at least one of X or Nova

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

Not sure your logic. We also won about 5 games that could have gone the other way

Sure. But had those exact 15 seconds gone the other way, the record would be 17-5. It is what it is.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

No way we would be in the top 20 if that happened or a top 6 seed, but yes the record would be better, the RPI better, etc.

A 17-5 big east team in certainly in the top 25.

[MarquetteDano]

A little off topic but Bardo has turned into my favorite color guy.  Does a nice mix of explaining the game and keeping it entertaining.

[PGsHeroes32]

I'm over Belmont. It was a back and forth game and we were even down double digits. First game of the year.

DePaul was the inexcusable one. And 5-4 would be huge.

But we lost.

Need to steal SHU.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Worst RPI ever to get at large big was in the 60's. MU is 125

Almost

#74 New Mexico (1999)
#67 USC (2011)
#64 Marquette (2011)
#63 NC State (2005)
#63 Stanford (2007)

[Irishdawg]

Congrats on the win guys.  Better team won.  Sucks that this is the 2nd Big East game where a team that is normally a poor perimeter shooting team goes bonkers from 3 against Butler, but hey, Marquette made their open looks and you have to give them credit for that.

Butler has some nice pieces on the wing, but are severely lacking in talent everywhere else.  We'll see where the rest of the season goes.  Good luck the rest of the way.

[ChicosBailBonds]

A 17-5 big east team in certainly in the top 25.

If we had won those two games and win the rest of the games we are supposed to, our RPI would be around 98.

Wouldn't a 17-5 Pac 12 team also fit that bill?  USC is, but they aren't ranked

Indiana is 17-4, barely ranked...not in the top 20

Etc

With our schedule, beating DePaul and Belmont would not suddenly be the difference.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

What a fun game.  Good D - timely shooting - breakout games by HE & Traci.  Wish Traci was on the floor at the end for the press but what an effort by the team.  HE grew up a little more today -- love the aggression he showed a few times - taking it to the BU defender.

Let's go get one on the road!

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

If we had won those two games and win the rest of the games we are supposed to, our RPI would be around 98.

Wouldn't a 17-5 Pac 12 team also fit that bill?  USC is, but they aren't ranked

Indiana is 17-4, barely ranked...not in the top 20

Etc

With our schedule, beating DePaul and Belmont would not suddenly be the difference.

Uhh. Except Indiana is ranked 17/19 and USC is in the top 30 in both rankings and was ranked in top 25 in both polls last week. Terrible examples.

Those two loses are all the difference. RPI/SOS would still be low due to horrible buy games, but 3/5 losss to top 10 teams.

It doesn't work that way, to just dismiss the two worse losses of the season, but those two games are all the difference and MU could have easily have won both.

[79Warrior]

No way we would be in the top 20 if that happened or a top 6 seed, but yes the record would be better, the RPI better, etc.

Agreed. some folks getting a little carried away.

[WayOfTheWarrior]

Glad Henry was on his free throw game. 14-16 was big time in a game like this! Duane missed that front end when we were looking to put it away, but Sandy, although not having a good offensive day, hit two big throws afterwards.

I loved the ball movement, spacing of the floor, but also aggressive penetration against the zone! I've been waiting for us to show that kind of offensive execution for a while!

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

Agreed. some folks getting a little carried away.

Top 20 may have been a bit much, but the point is that things would look very very different and MU would be safely in the field of the tourney started tomorrow. It's all moot anyway - unfortunately MU lost those games.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Probably because in the two lowest turnover games, MU got spanked and other issues might have lead to defeats.  10 against Xavier and 14 against Nova are the lows in conference.   

Today, there were at least four turnovers where the ball just came out of the hands of an MU player.

Also 10 against Georgetown. True, they were all losses but I don't think I'd qualify any of those as a spanking. Losing by 8 to a top 5 team, losing by 10 on the road to a good GTWN team that was closer than the score indicated, and losing to a top 5 team on the road when we were winning at halftime. I think MU played well in all three, we just didn't notice because of the L.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Anywhere I can find a full replay of the game?

[brewcity77]

A 17-5 big east team in certainly in the top 25.

This has absolutely zero basis in reality. Just because of a good record and a good league, it doesn't change that 11 of those wins would be pretty much worthless. The voters aren't so dumb to vote for us just because we beat Little Sisters of the Poor 10 times.

You keep acting like mere placement in this league is a divine right to a ranking or a NCAA berth. The reality is we played a sad schedule so we have to overperform to get the kind of recognition other teams in our league can get. 17-5 would do it had we played anyone of note in the non-con. We didn't. We need to win more games to get ranked and need to get 22+ wins to have a shot at the tournament. That's just reality.

[tower912]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=400840209

Box score. 

[Loose Cannon]

Not sure your logic. We also won about 5 games that could have gone the other way

Yep!  I think it's better to look out the front windshield.

[brewcity77]

Other thoughts...
.

• That was the toughest I have ever seen Henry play. His best defensive game (not just blocks, but actually making smart defensive plays), active on the offensive glass, and in attack mode.
  
• Continuing on Henry, I also love that 12 of his 14 attempts were inside the arc, and it would have been a higher percentage if you included the times he was fouled as attempts. He's at his best from 15 feet and in, and that's where he attacked tonight.
  
• Damn, impressive shooting from Treyci Carter. Or would Tra-3 be more accurate? Either way, good shootin', Tex.
  
• Butler went zone late in the game. We responded with Traci drilling a three right over it. That's how you beat a zone.
  
• Turnovers were still an issue. I love Haney, but man he makes some dumb turnovers. And he totally got away with what should have been two more turnovers when he almost lost it in the backcourt in the first half for no reason and when he was trapped in the corner and just threw it up in the air and we came up with it late in the game when Butler started pressing. His defense helped us win, but his turnovers almost cost us the game.
  
• Yeah, Luke and Hank combined for 16 boards, but our wings and guards pulled down 14. Haney, Duane, Traci, and Sandy all had at least 3 rebounds. That's what we need. Team rebounding. We are 3-0 in league play when we win the battle of the boards, and 1-5 when we lose. Providence was the only outlier.
  
• Still allowed too many offensive boards.
  
• When we play tough and play as a team, we can hang with anyone. This isn't a lost season yet. That said, when we play soft, we can lose to anyone. Need more of this and less of the past month.

[WarriorPride68]

Almost

#74 New Mexico (1999)
#67 USC (2011)
#64 Marquette (2011)
#63 NC State (2005)
#63 Stanford (2007)

I should have clarified in the last decade.

MU has 0% chance of making NCAA tournament. Period.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

MU has 0% chance of making NCAA tournament. Period.

That is statistically incorrect

[WarriorPride68]

That is statistically incorrect

as an at large bid it won't happen. Go complain to Broeker

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

I should have clarified in the last decade.

MU has 0% chance of making NCAA tournament. Period.

If they win 5 out of the next 6 (which is entirely possible) team bubble watch would be back in effect.

[BM1090]

I should have clarified in the last decade.

MU has 0% chance of making NCAA tournament. Period.

I'm sure this was said at times in 2010 and 2011 too.

In fact, after the UWGB loss in 2013 there were some posts here that we weren't a tournament team. We went to the elite 8.

It's a long shot. We all get that. But if the guys play like they did today they can beat a lot of teams. Let's see what happens Wednesday.