WKU smoking Marshall in CUSA tournament.
Portland State wins.
Liberty wins
Boston U wins
So far things are playing out well for us.
Tech eliminated by WKU in CUSA. WKU and UNT in finals
Oklahoma State beats Texas, Bedlam up next
So far it does not appear that there will be very many "stolen bids" in the NCAA tournament. The only one that could truly be classified as "stolen" would be if Liberty loses in the ASUN finals, as Liberty is pretty much a lock for an at large bid if they lose. There are a couple of others, but as has been pointed out earlier, neither Boston U in the Patriot nor Weber State in the Big Sky are likely to get at large bids if they lose today.
CUSA will be stolen only if Charlotte gets an at large, which is doubtful. Charlotte is a team whose RPI is elevated by playing a LOT of power conference teams OOC [they are 8-12 against top 50 RPI], but finishing the regular season in 7th place in CUSA then going 2 and Q in the tournament is likely to cost them an at large, even with an RPI of 32.
Some might consider the SBC stolen if we lose today, but it is likely that TxSt gets a bid even if they lose, based on their recent performance and a couple of notable wins against power conference schools, along with their win over Louisiana in the regular season.
I have a pretty high degree of confidence that the Bobcats beat the Chickens. They swept them in the regular season.
They'll have to use Mullins against the covid chickens. Should bode well for us if that happens.
I am not the coach, but I would start Karsen Pierce against the Chickens, but have a quick hook if she struggles. They need to save Mullins if they can. It is a tough decision either way.
The Chickens will ride Beasley-Poco. Volpe looked great in their first game yesterday, but that was the first complete game this year, and she threw nearly 150 pitches.
UNT up 3-0 on WKU, bottom 2
Now 5-0 UNT after 2
Liberty up 6-0 on N Florida in ASun championship game.
Weber St up 3-0 over Sac. St bottom 1 in Big Sky championship
It does look like most #1 seeds are leading in their conference tournaments, with few exceptions. Most of the upper rpi teams are rising to the occasion.
I don't see Charlotte as being a bid stealer. The committee looks at the overall body of work. While their placement in their conference standings can be a hindrance, all the other aspects of their resume overwhelm most of the competition. Even when you compare them to their main competition in CUSA, they are 2-2 against Western Kentucky and 1-3 against North Texas. They have 19 top 50 games (7-12), Western (3-7) and North Texas have 10 (3-7). SOS and Non-conference SOS are far above WKU and UNT. With UNT shellacking WKU right now, it's probable that all three are in.
I'm concerned about Texas State's at large status. After their loss to the Cajuns yesterday, they dropped from 49 to 53. They played, and beat, a team with a losing record in CC and now play the Cajuns in the championship game. I don't think they make it into the top 50 without beating the Cajuns and an at large would be superfluous for them then. Top 50 is not a requirement to being selected, but it puts them farther behind those who get first look.
And now UNT only needs 3 outs in the top of the 5th. 9-0.
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