Bracketology

[Proud Griz Man]

interesting college basketball site

http://rushthecourt.net/category/checking-in-on/cio-big-sky/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tournament Glance

Everybody is assuming that Weber State and Montana will have a rematch in the conference championship game, but don’t be so sure about that. Portland State has the offensive talent to hang with the Wildcats on a neutral court, and Eastern Washington has given Montana some competitive games (those two teams are the favorites to advance past the quarterfinals).

That said, it would be a surprise if it is not Weber State and Montana in a rematch on Wednesday night. They have been the two best teams in the Big Sky all season, have the two best players in the conference, and have the best talent. It would be a great rematch, as each has won convincingly on their home court.

However, I think Weber State will reverse what happened last week, when Montana beat them to clinch the regular season championship. Nobody talked about this, but Weber State played their worst game of the season, and they were within five points late in the second half. They can’t shoot that poorly again, and I have to think that Damian Lillard will show why he has been the best player in the conference all year long. Look for a classic title game, with Weber State coming in and shocking the faithful at Dahlberg Arena to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Power Rankings
1.Montana (23-6, 15-1) – They earned this spot, having won 12 straight games and 18 of 19. After playing second fiddle in people’s minds all season long, they enter the conference tournament as the favorite, by virtue of their win over Weber State on Tuesday night. They are one of Wayne Tinkle’s best offensive teams, and they have a multitude of guys that can step up and hurt you offensively. Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar looked like the best guard duo in the Big Sky to close the regular season.

2.Weber State (23-5, 14-2) – They spent almost the entire season at the top of everyone’s radar, but they came up short in the biggest game of the year. Damian Lillard is an excellent player, but he has struggled in some of their biggest games this season. Look for them to come out strong in the conference tournament, because they know they have some unfinished business. In most years, 14-2 would win you the Big Sky, but this was not most years.
3.Portland State (16-13, 10-6) – Quietly they are playing very good basketball, having won six straight conference games. Charles Odum is playing at a very high level, and is matched only by Lillard in his scoring prowess. He gets to the line often, and shoots a very high percentage. He forms a nice duo with Chehales Tapscott, the best rebounder in the conference and perhaps the most versatile player. They are going to be a tough out.
4.Eastern Washington (14-16, 8-8) – They have had an up and down season, but end the year about where everyone predicted, in fourth place in the conference. On paper, they have the talent to give someone an interesting game in the tournament, but it is just a matter of not making mental mistakes. Cliff Colimon has ended the year strong, and has shown himself to be one of the best PGs in the conference.

Zach Hayes is an editor, contributor and bracketologist for Rush the Court.
■Last Four In: Xavier, Miami, BYU, South Florida
■First Four Out: Northwestern, VCU, Oregon, Arizona
■Next Four Out: St. Joseph’s, Dayton, NC State, UCF

(italics indicates auto bid)


1 Seeds: Kentucky, Syracuse, Duke, Kansas

2 Seeds: Michigan State, North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio State

3 Seeds: Baylor, Michigan, Georgetown, Marquette

4 Seeds: Indiana, Wisconsin, Wichita State, Florida State

5 Seeds: Vanderbilt, Louisville, Temple, Murray State

6 Seeds: Florida, UNLV, Notre Dame, San Diego State

7 Seeds: New Mexico, Creighton, Gonzaga, Purdue

8 Seeds: Iowa State, Saint Mary’s, Kansas State, Cincinnati

9 Seeds: Alabama, Memphis, Southern Miss, Saint Louis

10 Seeds: Virginia, California, Harvard, Seton Hall

11 Seeds: Long Beach State, West Virginia, Connecticut, Washington

12 Seeds: Mississippi State, Texas, Colorado State, South Florida, BYU

13 Seeds: Miami, Xavier, Oral Roberts, Iona, Drexel

14 Seeds: Middle Tennessee, Nevada, Akron, Davidson

15 Seeds: Belmont, Valparaiso, Montana, UT-Arlington

16 Seeds: Bucknell, LIU-Brooklyn, UNC-Asheville, Stony Brook, Mississippi Valley, Savannah State

»

 

[mtgrizrule]

Creighton had better win the Mo Valley championship. If not, that is one less spot available for rest the field. Come on Creighton, get the job done!!!

Griz & Weber fans should be pulling for Illinois St. as these type of wins will push us to a better seed #12, #13??

If you're thinking At-Large, the slim chance of that blew up after Weber's loss Tuesday.

I lived in Omaha for 10 years, so I root for every team from Nebraska anyway. Unless they are playing a Montana team. :thumb:

 

[Proud Griz Man]

Randy Rahe has been around college basketball long enough to know what gets a coach all kinds of wins and what gets him too many losses, what gets him tossed out the door. He doesn’t even have to play the games. In a general sense, he’s already aware.
“Talent you can trust is what you need,” he says. “Kids who don’t show up every day get you beat. Soft kids and knuckleheads, guys who are into their own deal get you beat. I want guys who practice their butts off.”
That last thing is pretty much what he’s gotten at Weber State, where Rahe’s piled up a record of 118-66. In six seasons, his teams have gone 74-21 in Big Sky play, winning three titles. He’s won 20 or more games four times, including this year’s 23 victories, a total that could and should increase Tuesday night in the conference tournament. “I want our guys to be tough, to compete hard and play together, to share the ball and get everyone involved,” he says. “We’ve been fortunate to get those kinds of players, guys you can trust every day.”

Foremost among them, Damian Lillard. In the case of the junior point guard, Rahe admits he blew past Weber’s norm: “He’s above our level. We’re talking about an NBA guy here.” Lillard is, indeed, ridiculous. The kid out of Oakland has lit up most opponents, landing among the nation’s scoring leaders. Eight NBA scouts were on hand at one recent Wildcat game. And what causes Rahe to beam the most … Lillard is still ascending. “Damian’s got a lot of ability,” he says. “But his intangibles are off the charts. In 22 years of coaching Division I basketball, he’s the hardest-working player I’ve ever been around. It’s almost a sickness. He’s addicted to getting better. We have to kick him out of the gym.”

... After graduating from Iowa’s Buena Vista College, Rahe coached the small prep school circuit in Colorado, also working college camps. He assisted at Colorado College, Colorado and Denver University before Stew Morrill hired him at Colorado State. Thirteen years later — seven at CSU, six at Utah State — Rahe’s apprenticeship under Morrill was complete. “Stew taught me how to coach, how to recruit, how to run a program,” Rahe says. “He’s had the greatest influence on me.” When Morrill (6-foot-8) and Rahe (5-foot-7) were together at CSU, while playing a game at Utah State in Logan, Aggie fans started calling the duo Yogi and Boo-Boo. True story.

After all that time, Rahe sought a new experience somewhere else. When Ray Giacoletti offered him a lead assistant’s job at Utah, he took it, saying that leaving Morrill was “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
A couple of years later, Weber State hired Rahe as its head coach. After 17 years of working and waiting, he jumped. That first year in Ogden demonstrates what you need to know about Rahe. He kept only three players, scoured the country for “high character” guys, and brought in 10 fresh recruits. “They were kids who were hungry,” he says. “They came in with great attitudes. They learned to fight and got tougher and tougher.”

Rahe’s team won the Big Sky title in that first season before getting blown out by UCLA in the NCAA Tournament. And that’s where his program remains now — almost always in the fight for a league championship, trying to win the big game, often dancing on the edge of the biggest dance.
Rahe is hopeful this is the year the Weebs return, with his once-in-a-generation player, although having lost the chance to host the conference tournament to Montana makes the task much harder.
“We want to get back, bad,” he says. “I want it for my guys. You want to have the ultimate success. … We had a bad game [against Montana] the other night, but we feel we’re good enough to beat anyone on any court.”

GORDON MONSON hosts “The Gordon Monson Show” weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on 97.5 FM/1280 AM The Zone. Twitter: @GordonMonson.

 

[Nearlydone11]

Alright, check this out...

2002 finished 16-14 and had a (15) seed
2005 finished 18-12 and had a (16) seed
2006 finished 23-6 and had a (12) seed, and should have whupped BC.
2010 finished 22-9 and had a (14) seed, and also should have whupped NM (or NEV?)

2012 might finish 30-6. Can we actually get (12) or higher if we win out convincingly?

 

[Nearlydone11]

OK, 25-6 potentially for this year. My bad.

 

[GrizMusician]

Check out this simulation of our region.

http://www.compughterratings.com/NCAATournament/2011-2012/South" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[becker2117]

Alright, check this out...

2002 finished 16-14 and had a (15) seed
2005 finished 18-12 and had a (16) seed
2006 finished 23-6 and had a (12) seed, and should have whupped BC.
2010 finished 22-9 and had a (14) seed, and also should have whupped NM (or NEV?)

2012 might finish 30-6. Can we actually get (12) or higher if we win out convincingly?

alright...we could have beat NM, that game was ours for the taking, but we to say we should have whupped em might be a little much, well a lot much....and i was at the 06 game in Salt Lake City against BC, and we were totally over matched in that game...their smalls were too quick and athletic, and there bigs were way too physical and long and athletic ..the final score was about where it should have been..no way we should have whupped that team...

This year, this is the best team out of our last 3 tourney runs but i think the conf being even weaker than normal is hurting us for getting nething better than a 12 seed...i think a 13 is where we would be, and im confident with us going and playing a 4 seed...given the fact this team is so used to winning, they will just go out there and get it done...we are a very dangerous team, we just gotta battle up these last 2 games, cuz nothing is going to be given to us

 

[becker2117]

Check out this simulation of our region.

http://www.compughterratings.com/NCAATournament/2011-2012/South" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

this is pretty cool, other than there is no way we will be playing a 2 seed in the opening round, i would bet the farm on that!

 

[GrizMusician]

Check out this simulation of our region.

http://www.compughterratings.com/NCAATournament/2011-2012/South" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

this is pretty cool, other than there is no way we will be playing a 2 seed in the opening round, i would bet the farm on that!

Yeah, but you can manipulate it too. It has us pulling off a narrow win in the Big Sky against Weebz.

 

[putter]

Lunardi has Montana ranked #62 out of the 65 teams getting into the Dance.....

 

[GrizMusician]

Lunardi has Montana ranked #62 out of the 65 teams getting into the Dance.....

That's what we want everyone to think...

 

[becker2117]

Lunardi has Montana ranked #62 out of the 65 teams getting into the Dance.....

that is a joke...lunardi doesnt know shit about the griz or ne of the lower conf teams..this fool obviously has not done his HW on us.

 

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

If Duke gets a 1 seed I am done with watching the tournament...they shouldnt even be considered before the beating they just took from NC.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[GrizLA]

The win over LBSU was huge, but unfortunately, Long Beach got beat today which dealt them a pretty heavy blow. Let's hope they win their tournament so they stay in the top 50. If they do, that's a pretty serious feather in UM's cap.

Long Beach made the headlines when they went to Pitt and up set them. In looking at the seasons of both, the hype is over rated. UM knocked off LB, but so have others..not such a great win at home, after all...sad to say...the UM loss to Oregon State, San Fran, North Dakota have hurt...and that is why UM will be lucky to get above a 15 seed, PROVIDED THEY BEAT EWU AND WEBER....

 

[EverettGriz]

Lunardi has Montana ranked #62 out of the 65 teams getting into the Dance.....

WTF????

I always knew that guy was a complete idiot. I guarantee this: There won't be a coach of any team in the Dance that will view them as the 62nd best team....

What a crock of shit. I remember why I stopped paying attention years ago to that clown.

 

[GrizLA]

Lunardi has Montana ranked #62 out of the 65 teams getting into the Dance.....

WTF????

I always knew that guy was a complete idiot. I guarantee this: There won't be a coach of any team in the Dance that will view them as the 62nd best team....

What a crock of shit. I remember why I stopped paying attention years ago to that clown.

it is easy to understand why...look at the conference ratings, look at UMs losses, and where are the meaningful wons out of conference? Next year will an entirely different scenario. But a 15 seed is about right. I hope it is better but not counting on it...of course, the Griz have two more games to win so to get excited now is foolish.

 

[EverettGriz]

Lunardi has Montana ranked #62 out of the 65 teams getting into the Dance.....

WTF????

I always knew that guy was a complete idiot. I guarantee this: There won't be a coach of any team in the Dance that will view them as the 62nd best team....

What a crock of shit. I remember why I stopped paying attention years ago to that clown.

it is easy to understand why...look at the conference ratings, look at UMs losses, and where are the meaningful wons out of conference? Next year will an entirely different scenario. But a 15 seed is about right. I hope it is better but not counting on it...of course, the Griz have two more games to win so to get excited now is foolish.

Ehhh.

The BSC has had much, much worse teams with far, far lower RPIs who don't have anything APPROACHING a win over a team in the top 35 RPI who have gotten 13 and 14 seeds. It's not often the winner of the BSC has an RPI in the double digit range. Even the year the Griz got a 12 I don't think there RPI is as low as Weber's is now, and not substantially different than our current RPI.

Six auto bid conferences have lower RPIs than the BSC.

 

[wildkyle]

I agree that both of us should be seeded higher than 15. I can not wait for the games. I wish I was coming up but I won't be.

 

[Word]

Montana or Weber will get better than a 15, but not because of their resumes. Some good mid-majors always lose in their conference tournaments, allowing the projected 14-16 seeds to move up a little.

Iona, a projected 13 seed, lost in their semis today. Middle Tennessee St., projected 14 seed, also lost, in their championship game. Montana could be a 14 in the next bracketology because of this. Not because Lunardi is finally seeing the light, but because the field is getting weaker.

I always want to see conferences send their best team, but when Montana has good years (06 and 12, even 10), I always root for slip-ups so we get a good seed. Have to take care of business against EWU though; that's going to be a tough game and I hope that win is all the team wants at this point and nothing more.

Nevada, Colorado St (if they can get in) and Long Beach State were important games and will stand out when/if the committee tries to seed us. These 3 teams will be in the 11-14 seed range. LBSU is a good win, but they're going to have a hard time justifying giving Montana a better seed than Nevada or Colorado St, who very well could end up as a 13 or 14.

 

[AZDoc]

The NCAA also does regional games as much as they can so we or Weber would probably be in West or Midwest Regions. We would be in Portland or ABQ before Omaha. That makes us prob a 13 or 14 on that alone. Linardi is a doofus and just put us in somewhere.