Rankings

Almost ......

 

THIS CLOSE!

 

With the Horns beating No.3 UNC, beating a top-15 ISU, beating a (now) top 10 WVU at Morgantown, sticking with a top 3 KU at the Phogg, beating a top 15 BU in Waco, leading a No.3 (recent No.1) OU at Norman for essentially the whole game to lose on a last-second 3 pointer, I just don't see this team fading.

At least not from fear of running into a top-tier team.

They've already played, and beat or stayed with, seemingly every top team outside of Villanova and Maryland.

Damn fine job of Coach Smart molding them into a feisty team.

Ibeh's gonna owe Coach a steak dinner after the NBA draft. A BIG steak dinner. With all the sides he wants.

Hook 'em

 

Still a 5-seed in this one (USA Today)

 

I think a 5-seed is highly unlikely at this point. ESPN Bracketology and USA Today seem to be operating under the assumption that out of our 6 remaining games, we'll win 4 (and potentially 2 more W's in the conference tourney).

WVU and BU at home are no slouch games. Although I think it's probable that we'll go 1-1 in those, I could see W's in both.

KSU in Manhattan on Big Monday isn't a guarantee, but it's about as close as we'll get to a likely Big Monday road win. I'm not concerned about OK State to finish out the regular season.

I'm obviously concerned about the Saturday/Monday turnaround playing OU and KU. Yeah, they're at home. But with good teams figuring out how to get Ibeh in trouble, it's entirely possible to lose both of these games. I'm kind of expecting it. So theoretically, we could win every remaining conference game except OU/KU, then maybe string together some W's in the conference tournament. I still think we end up as a #6 seed at best in that scenario.

I'm secretly hoping for a 6/7 so that we can avoid a #1 immediately.

 

Stayed the same in both polls despite going 0-2 last week. Kansas a universal No. 2, and OU No. 3 in both polls with zero first place votes

 

We can win every game on the schedule or we could lose every game on that schedule there are no gimme's.........WVU will be coming at us like a crazed dog......

 

The East bracket is going to be brutal if it holds up.

 

Last I checked Texas had the #3 strength of schedule in the nation this year. I would expect a savvy bracketologist to understand that we are going to lose games, especially to top 25 teams.

 

I think the RPI is the biggest ranking indicator the committee looks at rather than the AP poll and especially the Coaches poll.

Texas is currently 21 in the RPI, which mathematically sets them as a 5. If Texas can just split these next three games, I think a 19-12 record with the schedule the Horns have had should leave them around the same spot, if not higher

 

I suppose our only hope is to not play Felix and Lammert.

 

I don't get why people still rip on Felix. He's height-challenged but a solid player. He's our 3rd leading scorer with a solid .441 FG, .827 FT, and 2.2-1 turnover ratio. Further, he has hit big shots down the stretch to win several big games.

Connor, on the other hand, is much more inconsistent. He can just as easily go 5 for 5 from downtown and then go '0'fer the next game. He can at times be a maniac on the board, but a complete liability against a stronger PF.

Despite their downsides, I think the are crucial to our success down the stretch and into the post season. I don't think we can totally rely on the freshman, regardless of the potential that they have shown.

 

Buddy, don't bring facts and logic onto this board.

 

I'm not ripping on them. Trust me. Check some threads from earlier in the season.

 

A 21 in the RPI is mathematically a 6-seed. I don't think the committee will lean as heavily on SOS as others do. We've been burned by the process more than once, especially once things got rolling under Penders and continued success under Barnes at a perceived "football school."

And there have been teams with 20+ wins in the NIT before. I don't think a .612 winning percentage "looks" like a 6-seed on paper. Teams with records like that typically get between a 9-11. We're obviously being rewarded for keeping it close against great teams right now, but I'm not certain that will be the case if we get swept by OU/KU, lose tonight, or lose to BU.

I also think this team has the inner workings of a team that can make a serious run in the conference tournament, but we're definitely not going to have home court advantage up there. I know the Old Timers don't like it, but a rotation out of KC would do wonders for my psyche.

 

May not have to worry about this on Monday next week

Probably a blessing in disguise

 

Surprised we managed to hang in both polls after Saturday's ugly loss

 

We're still being rewarded for SoS, Big 12, 12 games against RPI top 25, and beating UNC. I think we hang out at a #6 if we go 1-1 this coming weekend and Big Monday. 0-2 would certainly drop us to a #7. Beating OK State would keep us at a #7, losing to them would drop us to an 8 or 9. I'm still holding out for a #6 and hoping we can work some magic against OU/KU. I don't really want a #5 because then we have to play a #1 in the Sweet 16 immediately.

 

Then again, per Lunardi, this is the weakest set of one seeds ever. None of the projected one seeds this year allegedly would not have been one seeds at this time last year. In other words this could be one of the most unpredictable tourneys ever.

 

Could be a final four like 2011:

8-seed Butler vs. 11-seed VCU
3-seed UConn vs. 4-seed Kentucky

Four pretty legendary coaches in that final four if you ask me

 

Maybe Cam being back will be the impetus for a shocking Shaka streaking Horns into the '16 final four.

 

I like Horns11 assessment. We were 3 sos before the Big Monday games. 5 now I think. We've been hovering top 5 sos all year. That holds a ton a weight with the selection committee.

I think we'll beat KU or OU and drop one to Okie lite. 10-8 conf, pick up a tourney win, finish 20-13, lock up the #6 in the West and head to Spokane.

These guys have a Sweet 16 run written all over them. I don't know what getting Cam back by then will do for us. I don't know that it would actually help us.

 

Depends on which Ibeh we have - the good Ibeh we saw after Cam went down or the one who's reverted to his fouling ways. If the latter, we definitely need Cam back to make that run

 

So you're asking "are you a good Ibeh or a bad Ibeh"? Prince I don't think we are in Norman or Lawrence anymore. We need the good Ibeh to show up over the rainbow, in the emerald, but still kept weird city of Austin.

You must drop a house on both those evil witch teams and make their toes curl up. We had to drop a last second house on their evil purple sister KSU, the wicked witch of Manhattan; without you, for the most part. We even dropped a house, in a storm, on that purple wizard of theirs earlier this year.

So they will be out to get you and your little bearded Felix too.



If the good Ibeh, Felix, Taylor, Lammert, and freshmen all show up then wer're out of the Big 12 woods and into the light of the big dance.

 

Well, we don't have the Wizard of Westwood (aka John Wooden - UCLA), but we do have the Wizard of Aus.

 

If the good Ibeh shows up, his play will elevate the three young ones (Mack, Davis, Roach); and give Felix and Taylor lots of fast break opportunities off rebounds.

I am dreaming of the day that the Wizard of Aus magically transforms Ibeh into a 10 point a game scorer.
Since the 10 points a game is likely an undoable request, then how about the dream of Cam coming back and picking up where he left off in December. Wishing for miracles right? But then again, we are talking about the Wizard of Aus.

 

Follow the orange brick road ....

 

Sooners, and Jayhawks, and Bears, oh my!

 

Blondthang, I think this tag for Shaka is genius. I hope it sticks.
Or goes viral, as they say nowadays. (yikes, this last sentence sounds like an old man talking)