Wright State just stole WVU's spot

Yes, without question. Victories against Notre Dame, Indiana, Illinois, Purdue, Tennessee and Gonzaga to go along with a share of the Horizon regular-season title and a tournament finals appearance is good enough for me.

And unless that fifth SEC team wins the conference tournament, the SEC doesn't deserve a fifth team.

 

Fair enough. They just lost to some shitty teams. I guess it's all relative, and winning all those out of conference games ensured they were getting everyone's best shot in the regular season.

 

who is the fifth SEC team, Hammer?
A collection of mediocrity with 8-8 or 7-9 league records and RPIs in the 50s and 60s.

 

Would have said Bama but the Tide have gone from underachieving to dreadful without Steele. Would have said Georgia but without Mercer the Dogs have gone from above-average to mediocre.

But if any of those West teams get to the finals, they could be in. You could argue that all of them except Ole Miss and maybe Miss. State have drastically underachieved, but if something clicks in the Dome this week, I think they should get in. It's a tough league. I just don't think four is enough.

 

I agree, though, that you don't reward potential. Four of those West teams could win two games and go to the Sweet 16, but all of them could flame out in the first round by double-digits. It's tough. I just think you have to reward a league for being tough.

 

True, Hammer but the hard thing to determine is whether league is tough or just mediocre...SEC, Big East, Big 10???

 

It could very well be mediocre, and great athletes do not necessarily mean great teams. But I think if one of those West teams get hot this week, they should get in. I think you have to err on the side of putting five in with that league.

 

No worries about the SEC West making the NCAA Tournament. Only way that happens is if an SEC West wins it. Just making the finals won't be enough for that group.

 

Not saying it will happen. Saying it should.

 

Fixed.

The SEC is a league that somehow, someway has figured out how to screw with a computer. How else do you explain Kentucky's exceptionally high RPI when the Wildcats didn't beat a single top-25 team and don't have any outstanding road wins. The Cats' three best wins are Tennessee (without Lofton), Louisville (early in season) and Indiana (ditto). Neither Indiana or Louisville was ranked at the time.

No one in the SEC West was much better than .500 in conference. That's not tough, that's a meshing of a bunch of mediocre teams.

 

Butler is in because the Horizon League's commissioner (LeCrone) is on the NCAA selection committee. Since the Horizon office is in Indianapolis, he will never, ever be allowed to go home again -- kind of like Art Modell heading back to Cleveland -- if Butler is left out.

 

The SEC, like the Big Ten, deserves no more than four teams unless a cinderella story comes outta nowhere to win the automatic berth. Fuck Michigan, Purdue, Indiana, Iowa and the whole SEC West