CHARLIE CREME ARTICLE & VOTES IN POLL!

[jburket]

Check out ESPN contributor Charlie Creme's article on potential at-large bid teams for the NCAA tournament. Be sure to scroll down to the "Welcome to the WNIT" section.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/columns/s ... id=3847139

Bottom line: we MUST win the MAC tournament to go dancing.

He also has a new Bracketology prognostication, and amazingly - - Kent State is nowhere to be found! Interesting Golds tidbit provided when you scroll over BG's name: http://proxy.espn.go.com/ncw/bracketology

FINALLY, we get some votes in the ESPN/USA TODAY coach's poll: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/rankings

[bgsufalcon24]

Allow me to comment on a few of these things.

Bracketology - Creme says that last year's 25-7 mark wasn't good enough for the NCAA tournament, true. But if I remember correctly, our RPI was in the 50s, and our SOS wasn't great (though it was probably better than this year's SOS). If we go 15-1 or 16-0 in league play and get tripped up in the MAC tournament for a record of something like 28-3 or 27-4, I think the committee will have to take a much stronger look at us than they did a year ago.

Above all else, we cannot lose to any teams outside of the RPI top 100 (Basically any conference foe outside of Miami, Kent, or Ball State). Last year, we had a loss to Western Michigan (RPI of 214) that absolutely killed any chance we had at an at-large bid.

Oh, and I don't think its amazing that Kent State has been replaced by us in the actual Bracketology prediction. Kent lost to us at home, they are 2-2 in the MAC and we're 4-0. That was a no-brainer.

As for the votes, we're just starting to break in. I think if we don't lose again the next 3 weeks or so, which would include a quality win over Ball State (RPI of 62), I think we'll break into the top 25 around middle of February. Even if we lost to BSU, victories over Kent and Miami at the end of February/beginning of March would probably get us there by that point too.

[gmartin]

Have to agree with Charlie. We need to win the MAC Championship to make the NCAA. Not sure of the team, but in 2005 a team went 28-2, with a SOS in the 200s and did not make it it. If we run the table our record will be close to that heading into the MAC Championship.

Only thing I can say is if we keep winning and get ranked to about 20th and then happen to fall in the Championship game we may still get the invite. If we don't make it to the Championship game then we don't have to worry. Plain and Simple we had a very WEAK schedule this year. The bottom of our league is bringing us down. So if it is going to bring us down then we need Kent, Miami, Toledo and Ball State to win as much as possible, avoid the upsets and do their best to keep their RPI up there so that when we beat them we get a better RPI.

I believe with us only losing Golds next year, and having 2 incoming freshman, plus the walk-on ELI from Genoa, and Nurse who is sitting out, this team will be even stronger next year. I believe Miller will schedule a few more challenging games.

[jburket]

Hey there bgsufalcon 24 - - the use of the word "amazingly" was sarcasm, implying that I wasn't too thrilled with Charlie choosing Kent State over us in the FIRST place.

[falconfan1]

gmart, don't forget St Louis University transfer Maggie Hennigan. Quite a player in her old conference and looking very good in practice I hear.

A lot of depth. No question about that.

Go Falcons!

[Dukefann9er]

Keep winning keep winning i sounds like history wont help us.... Plus who wants more bid majors in the field anyways wouldn't want any more upsets then already happens.. what a joke..


And like it was said above... If you think this team is good now boy oh boy wait for these last 2 years.

[bgsufalcon24]

Our RPI dropped from 58th to 64th following our 75-52 win over Buffalo on Wednesday.

Another drop is expected, win or lose against lowly EMU on Saturday. Their RPI is 274.

[Redwingtom]

Oh, and I don't think its amazing that Kent State has been replaced by us in the actual Bracketology prediction. Kent lost to us at home, they are 2-2 in the MAC and we're 4-0. That was a no-brainer.

Make that 2-3. They lost to Akron on Wednesday.

[bgsu93]

People I Have have found and I am watching a better RPI Pole. This pole is out of Indiana and is very close to the RPI Poll the NCAA uses. In this RPI Pole we are rated at 48 with a strength of schedule of 248.
This RPI pole also list the rating of Mid-American conference against all other Division One Conferences!!! At the the present time the conference is listed as the Eleven (11th) best in the country. That is pretty good since the conference was listed fithteen (15th) all of last year.
The other thing this RPI poll lists is how each ranked team performed against top twenty five (25) and against top fifty (50) teams. This one thing that the NCAA will be looking at. Sad to say Coach Miller did not schedule to play any teams in the Top twenty five (25) or top fifty (50) this year. Where as the rest of the Confernce except Toledo has played either a top twenty five (25) or fifty (50) team.
To some it up our strength of schedule could hurt us in the long run when it comes to the NCAA tournament seeding.

Here Check it out for yourselves:

http://www.rpiratings.com/womrate.htm

[Dayons_Den]

You would think after three and half years a senior she'd be given a diploma and graduate already!

[Jacobs4Heisman]

People I Have have found and I am watching a better RPI Pole. This pole is out of Indiana and is very close to the RPI Poll the NCAA uses. In this RPI Pole we are rated at 48 with a strength of schedule of 248.
This RPI pole also list the rating of Mid-American conference against all other Division One Conferences!!! At the the present time the conference is listed as the Eleven (11th) best in the country. That is pretty good since the conference was listed fithteen (15th) all of last year.
The other thing this RPI poll lists is how each ranked team performed against top twenty five (25) and against top fifty (50) teams. This one thing that the NCAA will be looking at. Sad to say Coach Miller did not schedule to play any teams in the Top twenty five (25) or top fifty (50) this year. Where as the rest of the Confernce except Toledo has played either a top twenty five (25) or fifty (50) team.
To some it up our strength of schedule could hurt us in the long run when it comes to the NCAA tournament seeding.

Here Check it out for yourselves:

http://www.rpiratings.com/womrate.htm

Troubling homophone usage aside, those are the Sagarin ratings. It's a completely different formula than the RPI. The numbers can be close to the RPI numbers the NCAA uses during the selection process, but often are not.

[bgsufalcon24]

People I Have have found and I am watching a better RPI Pole. This pole is out of Indiana and is very close to the RPI Poll the NCAA uses. In this RPI Pole we are rated at 48 with a strength of schedule of 248.
This RPI pole also list the rating of Mid-American conference against all other Division One Conferences!!! At the the present time the conference is listed as the Eleven (11th) best in the country. That is pretty good since the conference was listed fithteen (15th) all of last year.
The other thing this RPI poll lists is how each ranked team performed against top twenty five (25) and against top fifty (50) teams. This one thing that the NCAA will be looking at. Sad to say Coach Miller did not schedule to play any teams in the Top twenty five (25) or top fifty (50) this year. Where as the rest of the Confernce except Toledo has played either a top twenty five (25) or fifty (50) team.
To some it up our strength of schedule could hurt us in the long run when it comes to the NCAA tournament seeding.

Here Check it out for yourselves:

http://www.rpiratings.com/womrate.htm

Troubling homophone usage aside, those are the Sagarin ratings. It's a completely different formula than the RPI. The numbers can be close to the RPI numbers the NCAA uses during the selection process, but often are not.

Well regardless, it's good to see we're a little better off in the Sagarin rankings than we are in the RPI.

As for the top 25/50 argument, yes we did not play anybody in the top 25 this year. Hartford is ranked 38th in the RPI however.