SelectionSunday
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EDEN PRAIRIE, MN –On the doorstep of college basketball’s penultimate month, the Iowa Hawkeyes and their sparkling NET ranking go under the microscope this week as the calendar turns to February.
Though their current inflated #23 ranking (analytics, cough cough) would be more than enough to reserve a spot in the Field of 68, I only have the Hawkeyes slightly above my “last 4 in” at-large teams. Let’s consider it a warning that their resume still needs significant work. Here are a few things I (surprisingly) discovered while working on this week’s at-large “nitty gritty” board:
The Hawkeyes sport just a 2-5 record vs. teams in the top 73 of the NET, which I generally consider the ranking threshold for at-large caliber teams. In addition, their #254 non-conference SOS ranking lands in the bottom 30% of Division I and includes zero wins vs. non-conference opponents currently receiving at-large consideration.
Most glaringly, the Hawkeyes have only two wins vs. opponents in this week’s Field of 68 projection (see below), and one of those is #140 Longwood. The other came in Iowa City vs. #30 Indiana. And that’s pretty much their resume.
The week ahead for the Hawkeyes could be pivotal. Three games in 7 days, two vs. bottom-end Big Ten opponents: @ Penn State (Monday); @ Ohio State (Thursday); and Minnesota (Feb. 6). A win in Columbus would do wonders to alleviate any concerns about the Hawkeye resume. Losing to the Nittany Lions and/or Gophers would not.
Now, on to this week’s projection. …
Automatic qualifiers are the team with the best conference record or, in the event of a tie, the best NET ranking. NET rankings are noted in parentheses.
IN-SEASON FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION #11 (through games played Jan. 29)
Multiple-Bid Conferences (9): Big XII (8), Big East (7), B1G (7), SEC (6), ACC (4), Pac 12 (4), WCC (4), Mountain West (3), OVC (2)
Automatic Qualifiers (32)
America East: Vermont (70)
American: Houston (2)
ACC: Miami (61)
ASUN: Jacksonville State (112)
Atlantic (10): Davidson (46)
Big East: Providence (31)
Big Sky: Weber (123)
Big South: Longwood (140)
B1G: Illinois (15)
Big XII: Kansas (9)
Big West: Hawaii (163)
Colonial: UNC-Wilmington (195)
Conference USA: North Texas (54)
Horizon: Cleveland (145)
Ivy: Princeton (129)
MAAC: Iona (57)
MAC: Toledo (60)
MEAC: Norfolk (142)
Missouri Valley: Loyola (25)
Mountain West: Boise (32)
NEC: Wagner (84)
OVC: Murray (28)
Pac 12: UCLA (10)
Patriot: Navy (137)
SEC: Auburn (6)
SoCon: Chattanooga (39)
Southland: New Orleans (256)
SWAC: Southern (196)
Summit: South Dakota State (77)
Sun Belt: Appalachian (151)
WCC: Gonzaga (1)
WAC: Seattle (120)
At-Large Selections (36)
Arizona (3)
Baylor (4)
Villanova (5)
Purdue (7)
Kentucky (8)
Texas Tech (11)
Tennessee (12)
LSU (13)
Duke (14)
UConn (16)
Texas (17)
Michigan State (18)
Xavier (19)
Wisconsin (20)
Ohio State (21)
Alabama (22)
Iowa (23)
Saint Mary’s (24)
Iowa State (26)
USC (27)
Marquette (29)
Indiana (30)
Oklahoma (33)
BYU (34)
Wyoming (35)
Colorado State (36)
North Carolina (37)
San Francisco (38)
Seton Hall (41)
Wake Forest (42)
Belmont (44)
Arkansas (45)
TCU (51)
Oregon (58)
West Virginia (63)
Creighton (73)
_____________________
Last 4 In: Wyoming (35), North Carolina (37), West Virginia (63), Creighton (73)
First 4 Out: Florida (40), UAB (43), VCU (56), Notre Dame (69)
Bottom of the Bracket (last 4 automatic qualifiers): Hawaii (163), UNC-Wilmington (195), Southern (196), New Orleans (256)
8 to Watch: Mississippi State (48), San Diego State (50), SMU (55), Saint Louis (62), Texas A&M (65). Cincinnati (66), Missouri State (68), Memphis (71)
Non-Power 6 At-Large Bids (6): Saint Mary’s (24), BYU (34), Wyoming (35), Colorado State (36), San Francisco (38), Belmont (44)
New to the Field (8): Appalachian, Belmont, Cleveland, Hawaii, Longwood, Navy, North Carolina, North Texas
Dropped from the Field (8): Arkansas State, Cal State-Fullerton, Colgate, Florida, Florida State, Oakland, UAB, Winthrop
___________________________
Ineligible for NCAA Tournament (9): Oklahoma State (59), Bellarmine (166), Tarleton (190), Cal Baptist (236), Dixie (262), UC-San Diego (264), North Alabama (269), Saint Thomas (280), Merrimack (312)
Though their current inflated #23 ranking (analytics, cough cough) would be more than enough to reserve a spot in the Field of 68, I only have the Hawkeyes slightly above my “last 4 in” at-large teams. Let’s consider it a warning that their resume still needs significant work. Here are a few things I (surprisingly) discovered while working on this week’s at-large “nitty gritty” board:
The Hawkeyes sport just a 2-5 record vs. teams in the top 73 of the NET, which I generally consider the ranking threshold for at-large caliber teams. In addition, their #254 non-conference SOS ranking lands in the bottom 30% of Division I and includes zero wins vs. non-conference opponents currently receiving at-large consideration.
Most glaringly, the Hawkeyes have only two wins vs. opponents in this week’s Field of 68 projection (see below), and one of those is #140 Longwood. The other came in Iowa City vs. #30 Indiana. And that’s pretty much their resume.
The week ahead for the Hawkeyes could be pivotal. Three games in 7 days, two vs. bottom-end Big Ten opponents: @ Penn State (Monday); @ Ohio State (Thursday); and Minnesota (Feb. 6). A win in Columbus would do wonders to alleviate any concerns about the Hawkeye resume. Losing to the Nittany Lions and/or Gophers would not.
Now, on to this week’s projection. …
Automatic qualifiers are the team with the best conference record or, in the event of a tie, the best NET ranking. NET rankings are noted in parentheses.
IN-SEASON FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION #11 (through games played Jan. 29)
Multiple-Bid Conferences (9): Big XII (8), Big East (7), B1G (7), SEC (6), ACC (4), Pac 12 (4), WCC (4), Mountain West (3), OVC (2)
Automatic Qualifiers (32)
America East: Vermont (70)
American: Houston (2)
ACC: Miami (61)
ASUN: Jacksonville State (112)
Atlantic (10): Davidson (46)
Big East: Providence (31)
Big Sky: Weber (123)
Big South: Longwood (140)
B1G: Illinois (15)
Big XII: Kansas (9)
Big West: Hawaii (163)
Colonial: UNC-Wilmington (195)
Conference USA: North Texas (54)
Horizon: Cleveland (145)
Ivy: Princeton (129)
MAAC: Iona (57)
MAC: Toledo (60)
MEAC: Norfolk (142)
Missouri Valley: Loyola (25)
Mountain West: Boise (32)
NEC: Wagner (84)
OVC: Murray (28)
Pac 12: UCLA (10)
Patriot: Navy (137)
SEC: Auburn (6)
SoCon: Chattanooga (39)
Southland: New Orleans (256)
SWAC: Southern (196)
Summit: South Dakota State (77)
Sun Belt: Appalachian (151)
WCC: Gonzaga (1)
WAC: Seattle (120)
At-Large Selections (36)
Arizona (3)
Baylor (4)
Villanova (5)
Purdue (7)
Kentucky (8)
Texas Tech (11)
Tennessee (12)
LSU (13)
Duke (14)
UConn (16)
Texas (17)
Michigan State (18)
Xavier (19)
Wisconsin (20)
Ohio State (21)
Alabama (22)
Iowa (23)
Saint Mary’s (24)
Iowa State (26)
USC (27)
Marquette (29)
Indiana (30)
Oklahoma (33)
BYU (34)
Wyoming (35)
Colorado State (36)
North Carolina (37)
San Francisco (38)
Seton Hall (41)
Wake Forest (42)
Belmont (44)
Arkansas (45)
TCU (51)
Oregon (58)
West Virginia (63)
Creighton (73)
_____________________
Last 4 In: Wyoming (35), North Carolina (37), West Virginia (63), Creighton (73)
First 4 Out: Florida (40), UAB (43), VCU (56), Notre Dame (69)
Bottom of the Bracket (last 4 automatic qualifiers): Hawaii (163), UNC-Wilmington (195), Southern (196), New Orleans (256)
8 to Watch: Mississippi State (48), San Diego State (50), SMU (55), Saint Louis (62), Texas A&M (65). Cincinnati (66), Missouri State (68), Memphis (71)
Non-Power 6 At-Large Bids (6): Saint Mary’s (24), BYU (34), Wyoming (35), Colorado State (36), San Francisco (38), Belmont (44)
New to the Field (8): Appalachian, Belmont, Cleveland, Hawaii, Longwood, Navy, North Carolina, North Texas
Dropped from the Field (8): Arkansas State, Cal State-Fullerton, Colgate, Florida, Florida State, Oakland, UAB, Winthrop
___________________________
Ineligible for NCAA Tournament (9): Oklahoma State (59), Bellarmine (166), Tarleton (190), Cal Baptist (236), Dixie (262), UC-San Diego (264), North Alabama (269), Saint Thomas (280), Merrimack (312)
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