NBC Sports - Seven Undefeated Teams

[Radbooks]

Interesting article on NBC Sports

The Zags are in the section called: They Can Win a National Title!

Gonzaga (10-0): Of the seven teams left without a loss, I think Gonzaga probably has the best chance to get to the NCAA tournament unblemished. Part of that is because they play in the West Coast Conference, a league every road game is their opponent’s Super Bowl but those opponents are decidedly mid-major competition. Gonzaga? They’re as high-major as high-major gets and have a roster that is stocked with talent.

Nigel Williams-Goss and Josh Perkins have played really well together in the back court, while Jordan Mathews works as a floor-spacer and Silas Melson has seemed to embrace his role within the team. But the front court is where this team is so exciting. Przemek Karnowski and Johnathan Williams III are veterans that fit well together, but there’s an argument to be made that their freshmen backups – Killian Tillie and Zach Collins – are the second-best front court pairing in the league. I think this is the best team that Mark Few has had in Spokane, and that includes the Adam Morrison and Kelly Olynyk years.

First loss will be 2/11 at Saint Mary’s, 25-0: This year is the first time that the Zags have reached 10-0 since joining Division I. They’ll have three real tests before their road trip to Moraga – they’re at Tennessee this weekend, they host the Gaels in mid-January and visit BYU in early February – but if they can get to this game unscathed, they’ll likely have a shot to be undefeated when the postseason comes around.

[SWZag]

I'd confidently venture to say that Tillie and Collins isn't just to be measured as the second best in the league, but could be measured against the west coast as a whole and they'd measure quite well. I would have been ecstatic if they were our starting two, but as backups, it's unreal.

[Zagger]

I'd agree with the whole story if it didn't have a Zag loss to SMC on 2/11. That's 2 months away! I suspect the Zags will be even more formidable by then. SMC may not improve as a team as much as the Zags might (being that they are a pretty new team - especially compared to all the returns on SMC's team). I really like the Zags chances (probability) of going undefeated through Feb. Mainly due to the team's depth. I can see a down game but not for 8-10 guys at once. Guess we'll find out
I'm really excited for the Tennessee game. I think the Vols will be very good - the Zags too. Being east of the Mississippi and undefeated should garner the game quite a bit of attention on the East Coast. It'll be a darn good test for the Zags! I hope there will be a few Zag fans in attendance!

[TravelinZag]

Don't believe any team is like to finish regular season and conference tournaments undefeated. Still believe that the NCAA should at least be able to choose between the regular season champ and the conference winner for the automatic bid.

That said, the WCC has at least five teams that should produce 10 "lock" wins for the Zags. (One is such an embarrassment they probably could not win a high school league.). There really are only three games (all on the road) in which the Zags will be as challenged as they are every day in practice. Nonetheless, they will lose at least one game, and I'll be pleased if they get that pressure off their backs before the NCAA tourney. If that loss comes in the WCC tournament, the Zags will still be the highest seeded team from this pathetic conference.

Go Zags. This will be the best season ever.

[Hoopaholic]

Don't believe any team is like to finish regular season and conference tournaments undefeated. Still believe that the NCAA should at least be able to choose between the regular season champ and the conference winner for the automatic bid.

That said, the WCC has at least five teams that should produce 10 "lock" wins for the Zags. (One is such an embarrassment they probably could not win a high school league.). There really are only three games (all on the road) in which the Zags will be as challenged as they are every day in practice. Nonetheless, they will lose at least one game, and I'll be pleased if they get that pressure off their backs before the NCAA tourney. If that loss comes in the WCC tournament, the Zags will still be the highest seeded team from this pathetic conference.

Go Zags. This will be the best season ever.

on your first wish...to have NCAA pick and choose who gets the auto bid.......isnt that decided by the league themselves? Why would a governing body made up of league representatives go against a leagues wish?

[gonzagafan62]

on your first wish...to have NCAA pick and choose who gets the auto bid.......isnt that decided by the league themselves? Why would a governing body made up of league representatives go against a leagues wish?

Truth. We don't need the governing body to force things on people. We need the people to make decisions themselves... this makes it harder for a team not only to make the tournament but makes the games in March better too. We get the clutch teams that know how to win in the dance imo

[CDC84]

The Sporting News has a thing they call the .801 club. If you go back throughout the NCAA tournament's history, teams that have won more than 80% of their games prior to Selection Sunday have had an overwhelming amount of dominance in the NCAA tournament's first round. While most of the .801 club teams have been BCS powers, they have included a number of non-BCS teams who were fortunate enough to win their league. You will often see these .801 teams seeded on the 12 line, which is why you see so many 12/5 upsets. Those .801 non-BCS teams have no business being on the 12 line.

Conferences should be allowed to send in their automatic qualifier in any way they choose. Although it will never occur, there is a strong part of me that believes that non-BCS teams that win at the .801 level should automatically qualify for the NCAA tournament if they don't win their league tournament. I wouldn't include BCS schools in this because they have control over scheduling, and many programs would abuse the situation and play nothing but SWAC and MEAC schools at home during the non-league season to boost their winning percentage.

The .801 rule would eliminate ridiculous situations like the Murray State fiasco a few years ago where the Racers missed the tourney despite going 31-2. We're talking about maybe one or two teams per year. I'm fine with leaving behind some undeserving, mediocre BCS team and replacing them with an .801 team like Murray State. The tournament already has too many undeserving teams in it.

The conferences are going to put their conference tourney champ into the dance because they need TV exposure and money. The NCAA tournament committee are the people who could use some rules, based on evidence, to protect themselves from doing dumb things.

[DZ]

The Sporting News has a thing they call the .801 club. If you go back throughout the NCAA tournament's history, teams that have won more than 80% of their games prior to Selection Sunday have had an overwhelming amount of dominance in the NCAA tournament's first round. While most of the .801 club teams have been BCS powers, they have included a number of non-BCS teams who were fortunate enough to win their league. You will often see these .801 teams seeded on the 12 line, which is why you see so many 12/5 upsets. Those .801 non-BCS teams have no business being on the 12 line.

Conferences should be allowed to send in their automatic qualifier in any way they choose. Although it will never occur, there is a strong part of me that believes that non-BCS teams that win at the .801 level should automatically qualify for the NCAA tournament if they don't win their league tournament. I wouldn't include BCS schools in this because they have control over scheduling, and many programs would abuse the situation and play nothing but SWAC and MEAC schools at home during the non-league season to boost their winning percentage.

The .801 rule would eliminate ridiculous situations like the Murray State fiasco a few years ago where the Racers missed the tourney despite going 31-2. We're talking about maybe one or two teams per year. I'm fine with leaving behind some undeserving, mediocre BCS team and replacing them with an .801 team like Murray State. The tournament already has too many undeserving teams in it.

The conferences are going to put their conference tourney champ into the dance because they need TV exposure and money. The NCAA tournament committee are the people who could use some rules, based on evidence, to protect themselves from doing dumb things.

What a great post. Agree 100%

[Hoopaholic]

The Sporting News has a thing they call the .801 club. If you go back throughout the NCAA tournament's history, teams that have won more than 80% of their games prior to Selection Sunday have had an overwhelming amount of dominance in the NCAA tournament's first round. While most of the .801 club teams have been BCS powers, they have included a number of non-BCS teams who were fortunate enough to win their league. You will often see these .801 teams seeded on the 12 line, which is why you see so many 12/5 upsets. Those .801 non-BCS teams have no business being on the 12 line.

Conferences should be allowed to send in their automatic qualifier in any way they choose. Although it will never occur, there is a strong part of me that believes that non-BCS teams that win at the .801 level should automatically qualify for the NCAA tournament if they don't win their league tournament. I wouldn't include BCS schools in this because they have control over scheduling, and many programs would abuse the situation and play nothing but SWAC and MEAC schools at home during the non-league season to boost their winning percentage.

The .801 rule would eliminate ridiculous situations like the Murray State fiasco a few years ago where the Racers missed the tourney despite going 31-2. We're talking about maybe one or two teams per year. I'm fine with leaving behind some undeserving, mediocre BCS team and replacing them with an .801 team like Murray State. The tournament already has too many undeserving teams in it.

The conferences are going to put their conference tourney champ into the dance because they need TV exposure and money. The NCAA tournament committee are the people who could use some rules, based on evidence, to protect themselves from doing dumb things.

I like it in theory but would worry about the unintended consequences. Schools not willing to schedule tough games in out of conference competition

[soccerdud]

I like it in theory but would worry about the unintended consequences. Schools not willing to schedule tough games in out of conference competition

this. that would just take randy's strat and codify it.

[Zagdawg]

Seton Hall takes down #16 South Carolina --one less unbeaten.

[ZagNative]

From CBSsports.com:

Barely a month into the season, college basketball has only six unbeaten teams remaining.

We went from seven to six on Monday night; South Carolina took its first "L" in a 67-64 decision against Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden.

Asterisk? Kind of. The Gamecocks were playing without their best player, Sindarius Thornwell, who's facing an indefinite suspension. Thornwell violated university policy, and the details of the suspension have not and seemingly will not be revealed. So without Thornwell, the Gamecocks didn't have enough to get past a solid Seton Hall squad.

South Carolina was the last team to lose last season, starting 15-0 before ending in the SEC tournament with a 24-8 record and missing the NCAA Tournament.

With the loss by Frank Martin's team, the question becomes: Which unbeaten will lose next? It might be more than a week. It probably will, in fact.

Here are the remaining unbeaten teams in college basketball and the next game they play:

No. 1 Villanova hosts Temple on Tuesday night.
No. 2 UCLA hosts UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday night.
No. 4 Baylor hosts Southern on Wednesday night.
No. 8 Gonzaga plays Tennessee in Nashville on Dec. 18.
No. 10 Creighton hosts Oral Roberts on Saturday.
No. 24 USC hosts Troy on Saturday.

Five of those six games are at the home venue of the unbeaten team, and you'll notice almost all of those games are against lowly opponents. Perhaps Temple gives Nova a scare with the Big Five tilt, but really, Gonzaga is the only team seemingly -- maybe -- in danger of losing. Tennessee nearly won at UNC on Sunday night, but Gonzaga could be just as good as North Carolina this year, really.

[gonzagafan62]

I'm really worried about Tennessee. They've played well against quality competition. If we don't play a complete game we might lose

[CDC84]

I like it in theory but would worry about the unintended consequences. Schools not willing to schedule tough games in out of conference competition

That's a good point, but how man Randy Bennett's exist in college basketball? I think part of what has allowed SMC to "game the system" is Randy still being around when just about everyone else outside of Moraga and a few other places expected him to bail by now for another job. Whereas the Murray State coach wins 31 games and moves on to Iowa State. Brad Underwood had a chance to "game the system" at Stephen F. Austin, but it was only a matter of time until a job like Ok St opened up. I don't know if you can really "game the system" unless your coach sticks around or if you keep hiring geniuses from within like Butler did. At some point the BCS money becomes too much to resist for most of these folks.

Anyways, it'll never happen. The BCS administrators would protest that it's not fair that their mediocre, 13 loss ACC team that got beat by Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Radford but beat Duke at home and played North Carolina "tough" in the ACC quarters is being robbed of a spot in the dance by a MVC team that won 30 games.

[gonzagafan62]

That's a good point, but how man Randy Bennett's exist in college basketball? I think part of what has allowed SMC to "game the system" is Randy still being around when just about everyone else outside of Moraga and a few other places expected him to bail by now for another job. Whereas the Murray State coach wins 31 games and moves on to Iowa State. Brad Underwood had a chance to "game the system" at Stephen F. Austin, but it was only a matter of time until a job like Ok St opened up. I don't know if you can really "game the system" unless your coach sticks around or if you keep hiring geniuses from within like Butler did. At some point the BCS money becomes too much to resist for most of these folks.

Anyways, it'll never happen. The BCS administrators would protest that it's not fair that their mediocre, 13 loss ACC team that got beat by Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Radford but beat Duke at home and played North Carolina "tough" in the ACC quarters is being robbed of a spot in the dance by a MVC team that won 30 games.

Thanks for the post. That's absolutely true. Gotta love those 13 loss teams. Those teams never do make a run but yet still we get George mason and butlers.... coincidence I think not