SMU's Bennett asks for a BCS style system.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/13/SPT51IA7QV.DTL

I'm sorry Bennett, but, I just honestly don't think you're being objective here. As much as I enjoy WCC play, your team had only 1 victory over top 50 RPI teams. There was the victory over St. John's and little more. Yes, the season ending RPI was high at #46, but, you're competing with teams that have 4-7 wins over top 50 RPI teams. The only way you could be surprised by this would be completely ignoring what the experts were projecting on ESPN...

So, now college football fans want a tourney to determine their national champion, and Bennett wants a BCS-like system for determining which teams get into the college basketball tourney...

Randy...

Careful what you wish for. When's the last time a mid-major got seeded in a BCS championship?

Thanks to this college basketball stats site we can see the same thing the committee saw when considering St. Mary's:

http://www.bbstate.com/schools/SMC/sheet

First, there's the matter of the average RPI W of 171 and average loss of 73. Not really an attention-getter. Also toward the top we see a SOS of 100 and a non-conference SOS of 173. Again, doesn't say "at-large" to me.

Now let's move to the bottom. The two columns on the left (opponents in the RPI top 50 and 51-100) have a lot of red (losses), not to mention very many entries in them to begin with.

Looking at the sheet, I have to say SMC did not do enough against their quality opponents. It's true they were not able to schedule very many but that's a fact of life for most mid-majors.

The best way to get in is to win the automatic bid. Next season they'll have another shot.

I agree with you guys, those stuffed shirts meeting in the locked room know best who should in in the tournament. How unmerican can you get.

But hey, at least there is a 64+ team tournament.

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote:
The best way to get in is to win the automatic bid. Next season they'll have another shot.

Absolutely, and losing Mickey will be huge, but having Steve Holt (with a summer of improvement, and undoubtedly countless Arrested Development references) and Jordan Page back from injury, (not to mention that shaggy guy with the 2 tone mouth piece), their backcourt is still in very good shape...

I guess the bigger question for me (and for all the Gael followers) is does this snub inspire Bennett to come back stronger, or adopt a "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" kind of mantra? Should be very curious (and anxious for SMC fans) in the very near future....

As for a BCS style selection, I guess it adds a bit more transparency, but I already kind of see the RPI as a real crutch, one that doesn't necessarily separate the good from the bad (cough VCU cough cough), so I don't really see how a series of computer rankings are really that much of an improvement of what already exists. I hate to say this, but the incusion of more "basketball people" might be a good idea as the ESPN crew seemed to want in the committee (although their opinions could also be sour grapes for being out bid for the right to broadcast the tourney...). Maybe Jay Bilas has a evil hipnotic trance over me, but it clearly something is inefficient when UAB, VCU, or Georgia is getting a nod over Colorado, SMC, or heck, even Harvard!

BCS transparency?

Quick, give me the formulas for the computer ranking.

You can start with the formulas for the Sagarin, Massey, and Billingsley rankings...

hahaha as soon as I posted that I kind of realized it was complete hogwash... Unfortunately I don't know if there really is a perfect system, it seems to me that while the RPI does quantify winning and losing, it also seems to be more a reward of your scheduling prowess as opposed to your ability to play the game...

I think this year is kind of funny because aside from your Dukes and Kansases (woo, making up words!) there is a lot of parity between the "rest of the group", there isn't really a big discrepancy between the 20th team in the country, and say the 83rd... Any team has a chance to win on any given night. Exciting? Heck yes! But it makes the committee's job that much more difficult.

I'd be curious what the scheduling process was like for SMC last year, what kinds of teams they refused to schedule, who they were rebuked by and whatnot. I know it is hard year to year, but it really seems like they should have been given more opportunities to shine given the talent they had returning...

I think if SMC had beaten San Diego, or perhaps if they'd beaten us, they'd be in. Don't like being on the bubble? Win your games!

Bennett may have to decide if he wants to coach at a mid-major, where there is zero margin to get in, or move to a high-major, where if you don't get in you'll likely get fired pretty soon.