"Best 3 Wins" of Various & Sundry NCAA Tournament Hopefuls

Some of these squads currently are assumed comfortably in the Field of 68, while others are considered squarely on or somewhat near the bubble (on either side). Thought it'd be interesting to look at each's "best 3 wins" (by RPI), my go-to criteria when all else fails when selecting the last few at-large teams.

ALL CAPS = home game
@ = road game
vs. = neutral-site game

Teams are listed in order of strongest to weakest best 3. I simply add up RPI totals of each team's best 3 wins. **Denotes at-large teams I have in my field this week. Obviously, quite a few of these I've either undervalued or overvalued and will need to give more scrutiny as Selection Sunday draws closer.

BEST 3
Georgetown (14-12) -- vs. Oregon (7), @ Butler (12), CREIGHTON (17) = 36
Georgia Tech (14-10) -- NORTH CAROLINA (8), FLORIDA STATE (11), NOTRE DAME (26) = 45 (Home-Court Hero)
Indiana (15-11) -- vs. Kansas (3), NORTH CAROLINA (8), MICHIGAN STATE (42) = 53
Syracuse (16-11) -- FLORIDA STATE (11), VIRGINIA (14), WAKE FOREST (30) = 55 (Home-Court Hero)
**Kansas State (16-9) -- @ Baylor (1), WEST VIRGINIA (29), @ Oklahoma State (31) = 61
Texas Tech (17-9) -- BAYLOR (1), WEST VIRGINIA (29), TCU (37) = 67 (Home-Court Hero)
Marquette (15-10) -- VILLANOVA (2), @ Creighton (17), SETON HALL (49) = 68
**Northwestern (19-6) -- @ Wisconsin (24), vs. Dayton (28), WAKE FOREST (30) = 82
**Iowa State (15-9) -- @ Kansas (3), @ Oklahoma State (31), KANSAS STATE (50) = 84
**Virginia Tech (17-7) -- VIRGINIA (14), DUKE (16), @ Clemson (54) = 84
**Michigan State (15-10) -- @ Minnesota (25), MINNESOTA (25), NORTHWESTERN (34) = 84
Penn State (14-12) -- MARYLAND (21), MINNESOTA (25), vs. Michigan State (42) = 88
**Minnesota (18-7) -- @ Purdue (19), @ Northwestern (34), TEXAS-ARLINGTON (41) = 94
Clemson (13-11) -- @ South Carolina (22), @ Wake Forest (30), NC-WILMINGTON (44) = 96
**Providence (15-11) -- BUTLER (12), RHODE ISLAND (40), SETON HALL (49) = 101 (HOME-COURT HERO)
**Miami (16-8) -- NORTH CAROLINA (8), VIRGINIA TECH (39), @ Pitt (55) = 102
**Oklahoma State (15-9) -- @ West Virginia (29), TCU (37), ARKANSAS (43) = 109
Tennessee (13-11) -- KENTUCKY (9), KANSAS STATE (50), OLE MISS (60) = 119 (HOME-COURT HERO)
**Seton Hall (15-9) -- vs. South Carolina (22), vs. Cal (35), @ Georgetown (62) = 119 (none on home court)
Ohio State (15-11) -- MINNESOTA (25), MICHIGAN STATE (42), @ Michigan (58) = 125
**Michigan (16-9) -- vs. SMU (18), MICHIGAN STATE (42), PENN STATE (70) = 130
**TCU (16-8) -- ILLINOIS STATE (33), @ Kansas State (50), IOWA STATE (56) = 139
**Arkansas (18-7) -- TEXAS-ARLINGTON (41), @ Tennessee (46), HOUSTON (59) = 146
**Saint Mary's (22-3) -- @ Dayton (28), NEVADA (45), @ Stanford (75) = 148
Middle Tennessee (21-4) -- vs. NC-Wilmington (44), @ Ole Miss (60), @ Belmont (64) = 168 (none on home court)
Georgia (13-11) -- @ Tennessee (46), @ Ole Miss (60), VANDERBILT (65) = 171
Houston (18-7) -- RHODE ISLAND (40), vs. Vermont (51), TEMPLE (82) = 173
**Cal (18-7) -- @ USC (32), vs. Princeton (69), STANFORD (75) = 176
Ole Miss (15-10) -- TENNESSEE (46), @ Vanderbilt (65), @ Auburn (66) = 177
Rhode Island (16-8) -- vs. Cincinnati (15), BELMONT (64), SAINT BONAVENTURE (101) = 180
**Wake Forest (15-10) -- MIAMI (52), @ College of Charleston (72), GEORGIA TECH (77) = 201
Texas-Arlington (17-6) -- @ Saint Mary's (20), ARKANSAS STATE (78), TEXAS SOUTHERN (118) = 216
Nevada (19-6) -- @ Boise State (61), @ New Mexico (83), NEW MEXICO (83) = 227
Illinois State (20-5) -- WICHITA STATE (47), NEW MEXICO (83), vs. Tulsa (113) - 243
**Wichita State (22-4) -- ILLINOIS STATE (33), @ Colorado State (109), TULSA (113) = 255
NC-Wilmington (20-5) -- @ College of Charleston (72), @ Towson (94), EAST TENNESSEE STATE (99) = 265
Utah (15-8) -- USC (32), COLORADO (107), @ Arizona State (132) = 271

Michigan State must love us right now for the gift we gave them in the Big ten opener

JimmyJamesMD said:

Michigan State must love us right now. ...

Click to expand...

Have mentioned that to my father (a MSU grad) several times in the last month. Other than taking care of their own business by winning games, told him the Gophers are Sparty's best friend. With each Gopher win, Sparty's resume gets a bump. They need it, because take away those 2 wins and MSU's resume is mostly naked, wins vs. Northwestern (home) & Wichita State (neutral site).

SS, you consistently post most of my favorite content on GH. From this to the pick 2/3, to the projections through the season, it's all fantastic. Well done, and thank you.

JGopher said:

SS, you consistently post most of my favorite content on GH. From this to the pick 2/3, to the projections through the season, it's all fantastic. Well done, and thank you.

Click to expand...

Seconded, Selection. Appreciate the time and effort to keep us informed.

I look at this and think there is no way Wichita can make it. Pretty low RPI and not great wins. This might be a reputation invite if the Illinois State can't hold on in the Missouri Valley.

Also surprised G-town has the quality wins they do. Every time I see them, they appear to be struggling. Are they going to make it.

JGopher said:

SS, you consistently post most of my favorite content on GH. From this to the pick 2/3, to the projections through the season, it's all fantastic. Well done, and thank you.

Click to expand...

You're welcome, and thanks.

Holy Man said:

Seconded, Selection. Appreciate the time and effort to keep us informed.

I look at this and think there is no way Wichita can make it. Pretty low RPI and not great wins. This might be a reputation invite if the Illinois State can't hold on in the Missouri Valley.

Also surprised G-town has the quality wins they do. Every time I see them, they appear to be struggling. Are they going to make it.

Click to expand...

Thanks Holy Man.

Georgetown, though only two games above .500, is one that stuck out as one I've undervalued. In a year with a terrible bubble, teams who have lost a lot of games like Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, etc., have a real shot because of their top-end wins. I know that Brooks was out when the Hoyas beat Oregon, and I think Watson Jr. was out when they beat Creighton, but still that's a pretty nice trifecta of top-end wins.

As much as I won't want to, I'll probably take Wichita State if they win out and then lose to Illinois State in the MVC title game. I'm not much of an eye-test guy, but when I've seen the Shockers they look like a tournament team. In a crappy bubble year like this with a lot of pedestrian resumes, my hunch is we'll probably get a few more "eye test" teams in the field. Cal is another one. When I watch the Golden Bears I really like 'em, the way they play, their talent, but their resume screams, "Blech".