No SECT Title = no Big Dance this season

[Kevin]

There is validity to Blu's post. Not every regular season conference champ is guaranteed an automatic NCAA bid, as opposed to every conference tourney champ.

not saying it is not important. i am saying in the big conferences they are equal to importance to post season play.

conferences below that, it is all about the 3 or 4 day conference tournament.

as blu- correctly pointed out utah state won the wac & lost in the conference tournament, did not get in. it happens every year, those are the bubble busters.

i said big 6 conference regular season champs will make the tournament

[masshog2412]

So hypothetical here....say sec is down n viewed as bad league (not impossible) and lets say ark wins regular season at 12-6 or 11-7 (not likely) and four or five are bad losses (likely) then they lose their first game in sec tournament....your positive that ark gets a bid to big dance?

[Smithian]

Turn to ESPN right now and you'll see why we are what we are. These are not top 5 teams but they have great talent. We do not have that kind of talent. Not even close. This team is not a tournament quality team. Blame whomever you want but our players are not this caliber. Each of these teams has players who can shoot. Not just jumpingjack athletes. They are basketball savvy players also.

Fred Hoiberg inherited a team off four consecutive losing season, won 3 Big 12 games his first season, and then turned it on. Made the tournament the next two years, won a game each time, and now has a top 10 team.

Good time to be an Iowa State fan.

[HogBreath]

Ok, I'm looking at the remainder of the schedule.  This is my prediction based on what I've seen so far.... Is this not good enough to make the tourney?

Kentucy - W
@Georgia - W
@Tenn - L
Auburn - W
Missouri - W
@LSU - L
Alabama - W
@Vanderbilt - W
@Missouri - L
LSU - W
South Carolina -W
@Miss - W
@Kentucky - L
Georgia - W
Ole Miss - W
@Alabama - L

11-7 Conference Record 11-2 Non-Conference.  22-9 going into SEC Tournament.  First round bye in SEC Tournament.  Win second round game, lose in Semis.  23-10 going into selection Sunday.

I highly doubt an SEC team with 23 wins gets left out, and never been done before.

Key wins: Minnesota, SMU, Kentucky, Missouri, LSU, Alabama
Bad Losses: Texas A&M

So you really think this team is gonna win three games on the road?

[HawgAdvocate]

So hypothetical here....say sec is down n viewed as bad league (not impossible) and lets say ark wins regular season at 12-6 or 11-7 (not likely) and four or five are bad losses (likely) then they lose their first game in sec tournament....your positive that ark gets a bid to big dance?

Who can imagine an SEC landscape that changes SO DRASTICALLY to where Kentucky and Florida are no longer perennial 25 programs and the SEC no longer carries five to seven top 100 programs?

I don't do extreme hypotheticals. Is Whataburger illegal in this bizzaro SEC dimension you speak of?

[HawgAdvocate]

Fred Hoiberg inherited a team off four consecutive losing season, won 3 Big 12 games his first season, and then turned it on. Made the tournament the next two years, won a game each time, and now has a top 10 team.

Good time to be an Iowa State fan.

As Tom Crean was to Pelphrey, shall Fred Hoiberg be to Coach A?

[Smithian]

As Tom Crean was to Pelphrey, shall Fred Hoiberg be to Coach A?

I don't know why Hoiberg has succeeded more than Anderson at his dream job. I wouldn't have hired him over Anderson but I am jealous of the ISU program right now.

[masshog2412]

Lol ..i hope its not....im just saying its entirely possible (not probable albeit) for a regular season champ to get left out according to NCAA rules ...if u win conf tournament being left out is NOT a possibility. ..thats all there really is to it.  Anything's possible if u told me 2 years ago today we would win 2 conference games combined in football i wouldnt have thoight that was possible

[-Blu]

There is validity to Blu's post. Not every regular season conference champ is guaranteed an automatic NCAA bid, as opposed to every conference tourney champ.

Hatred makes you blind man.  A lot of these guys hate Anderson so much they can't think straight, and basic reasoning cannot be processed in their small minds.  Hawg Advocate is probably the worst... when we were winning during the non-conference no sign of the guy, then soon as we get a lost, he's probably the leading poster.  That's why he stays on ignore, don't agree with anything he says, and don't want to hear his opinion, because it's all hate motivated.  Why, I continue to see his name after I make posts baffles me.  This ignore feature on here sucks, I don't want to see his name/posts and don't want him to see mine.

But, my point is plain and simple, you can have the best record in your conference and be regular season champion, or co-champion or whatever, and be left out of the NCAA tournament.  Whether it's happened before in the SEC or not, does not matter it doesn't guarantee you a spot.  You can go 0-18 in conference play, and if you win your conference tournament your guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament.  Hence, the basic conclusion that the tournament is deemed more important.  If you can't grasp that basic concept, I don't know what to tell you.

And what's even funnier about this is the same people trying to argue with me about this are the same people that got mad, because I said an SEC team has never been left out of the tournament with 23 wins.  Yes, 23 wins does not guarantee you a tournament bid, never said it did.  But an SEC team has never been left out with that many wins.  So, that's a number I gave them.  Can we still be left out with that number?  Most definitely, but I'd take a gamble on us getting in with that number of wins.

[The Hogfather]

Blu-

You crack me up.  You are ridiculous.

[masshog2412]

Unless of course your saying our basketball conference  resides in some parallel universe where endless possibilities dont exist...which of course is theoretically a possibility lol....alright fellow hog fans have a good night...beat UK

[-Blu]

So you really think this team is gonna win three games on the road?

I'm confident we can win out at home.  We play great at BWA.  Getting 3 wins on the road will be tough, but very doable, if this team can play to their potential on the road.  Miss State is pretty bad, Alabama is really struggling, Missouri showed they can be upset at home, Vandy has almost no team, Georgia hasn't been consistent.  There's plenty of opportunities, the team just has to go get them. 

I'm not going to be a hater and say they can't do it, and it's not possible, If I ever got to that point I wouldn't watch or care.  I don't waste my time on stuff I have no hope for.  That's why I find it weird we got so many guys still on these forums that have declared the season over, yet they are still here wasting their time talking about them.

[HogBreath]

Hawg Advocate is probably the worst... when we were winning during the non-conference no sign of the guy, then soon as we get a lost, he's probably the leading poster. 

Good point Blu...where was The Hawg Advocaterer when we knocked off High Point?

[HawgAdvocate]

Good point Blu...where was The Hawg Advocaterer when we knocked off High Point?

At the arena actually, enjoying cold ones in the suite until Guest Services booted us all out. Certainly not wasting my time over-analyzing a guaranteed rent-a-win against a team with a 274 RPI.

[HogBreath]

At the arena actually, enjoying cold ones in the suite until Guest Services booted us all out. Certainly not wasting my time over-analyzing a guaranteed rent-a-win against a team with a 274 RPI.

That game reminded me of 40 minutes of Pel!

[Smithian]

That game reminded me of 40 minutes of Pel!

These guys agree

[HogBreath]

These guys agree

I'm telling ya we're gonna get this thing going..if not this year or next, then probably the year after next.

[Kevin]

Possible & probable are two different words

It has & will never happen to a big 6 conference school

[masshog2412]

So a team finishes 12-6 with 5 bad losses but loses 1st game sec tourney although they won reg season....ur saying they absolutely get in no matter what? What if team like Alabama wins reg season this year at 12-6 or 11-7 ur telling me they r guaranteed a spot just bc they won reg season? Sorry but ur wrong on that...point still remains only automatic bids go to tournament winners...

[-Blu]

So a team finishes 12-6 with 5 bad losses but loses 1st game sec tourney although they won reg season....ur saying they absolutely get in no matter what? What if team like Alabama wins reg season this year at 12-6 or 11-7 ur telling me they r guaranteed a spot just bc they won reg season? Sorry but ur wrong on that...point still remains only automatic bids go to tournament winners...

That situation could have happened last year.  If Florida losses 2 more games, the SEC has a 4 way tie with teams 12-6.  If this happens only 2 of those 4 would have got in.  But, Coach Kev and his assistant coaches aren't going to admit their wrong. They sit on here and bring negativity and make hypothetical situations all day long and declare the season is over for us 2 games into conference, but you throw a situation out that can actually happen, that goes against their arguments and they will deny it up and down.

Just let them have their fun in their make believe land to where they are elite coaches that have coached Clemson, Duke, and Utah State players.  And have won national championships, yet still found the time to have over 12,000 posts on hogville 

[hawginbigd1]

9-2 non-conference, and 12-6 conference record is a 5star lock into the tourney as a 9-12 seed from one of the power conferences.

[The Hogfather]

That situation could have happened last year.  If Florida losses 2 more games, the SEC has a 4 way tie with teams 12-6.  If this happens only 2 of those 4 would have got in.  But, Coach Kev and his assistant coaches aren't going to admit their wrong. They sit on here and bring negativity and make hypothetical situations all day long and declare the season is over for us 2 games into conference, but you throw a situation out that can actually happen, that goes against their arguments and they will deny it up and down.

Just let them have their fun in their make believe land to where they are elite coaches that have coached Clemson, Duke, and Utah State players.  And have won national championships, yet still found the time to have over 12,000 posts on hogville 

If, if, if, if, if, if....then..........maybe.......possibly.  Bottom line is that winning a regular season championship means much more than winning 3-4 games in a conference tournament.  Let's be honest, a team that already has its NCAAT ticket punched is MUCH less likely to give full effort in a conference tourney.  Therefore, it gives an inherent advantage to those teams with work left to do to get in the NCAAT.  Now, there are teams that are still good enough to win their conference tournaments with less motivation than normal.  However, winning one of the top 6 leagues in the regular season means much more than winning a conference tournament.

[HawgAdvocate]

If, if, if, if, if, if....then..........maybe.......possibly. 

Exactly.

Meanwhile, in the real world, we're no longer projected to make the Big Dance this season.

[Kevin]

You talk about me being hypothetical. I am stating a proven fact. No big 6 regular season champ has been left out of the tournament.

You are the one with all the if's.

There is not one if, when stating facts

When it happens, come back and make a valid point

[CDBHawg]

Exactly.

Meanwhile, in the real world, we're no longer projected to make the Big Dance this season.

Which means.......nothing. A projection is exactly a bunch of "ifs".

Kentucky is the only focus as it should be.

[HawgAdvocate]

Which means.......nothing. A projection is exactly a bunch of "ifs".

Kentucky is the only focus as it should be.

When the projection is based on the *fact* that we've still got no road wins whatsoever and very few (5) opportunities left to add to our limited collection of just one win over a top team, it counts for far more than a bunch of "ifs."

[Hawg Red]

Which means.......nothing. A projection is exactly a bunch of "ifs".

Kentucky is the only focus as it should be.

Well, you have to take into account what it's going to take to get us back into the projected field. Can't keep blowing opportunities. We haven't won a meaningful game in over a month. We completely blew a golden opportunity to pick one up at home.

[Justifiable Hogicide]

Mike don't dance.

[HF#1]

We beat Kentucky, we still have a shot.  We'll have to back it up with a W at Georgia and win 4 more road games plus the rest of the home games.  Add a good/great showing in the SEC tournament. 

We need to get on a serious run. That's for sure.

[Breems]

We beat Kentucky, we still have a shot.  We'll have to back it up with a W at Georgia and win 4 more road games plus the rest of the home games.  Add a good/great showing in the SEC tournament. 

We need to get on a serious run. That's for sure.

Aint happenin'. UK and Florida are the types of teams that hope to win 5 SEC conference road games. I'm hoping for 3, and that's a stretch.

I predicted the NIT before the season started and gradually began to believe we had a shot at the Big Dance. We still do, but blowing the Florida game sucked and made our job 10x's harder. If we're on the bubble at the end of year, I'll consider it a great end to the season.

[The Hogfather]

Aint happenin'. UK and Florida are the types of teams that hope to win 5 SEC conference road games. I'm hoping for 3, and that's a stretch.

I predicted the NIT before the season started and gradually began to believe we had a shot at the Big Dance. We still do, but blowing the Florida game sucked and made our job 10x's harder. If we're on the bubble at the end of year, I'll consider it a great end to the season.

This is how I feel as of right now.  Like you, I thought we'd have a chance to go to the NCAAT, but I didn't envision us going 0-2 to start the conference portion of our schedule.  I thought at worst, we'd be 1-1, with a win over a top 10-15 team (Florida).  We let that Florida game slip away.  That was a big loss.

[Smithian]

Aint happenin'. UK and Florida are the types of teams that hope to win 5 SEC conference road games. I'm hoping for 3, and that's a stretch.

I predicted the NIT before the season started and gradually began to believe we had a shot at the Big Dance. We still do, but blowing the Florida game sucked and made our job 10x's harder. If we're on the bubble at the end of year, I'll consider it a great end to the season.

I need you go out of your way to be overly optimistic on Jump Ball, but don't tell me you think an NIT appearance is "great" in year 3. I don't think the average fan nor any of those coaches is going to think, "NIT! That's GREAT!"

It'll be a step in the right direction but there are bigger goals.

[The Hogfather]

I need you go out of your way to be overly optimistic on Jump Ball, but don't tell me you think an NIT appearance is "great" in year 3. I don't think the average fan nor any of those coaches is going to think, "NIT! That's GREAT!"

It'll be a step in the right direction but there are bigger goals.

Yes, when I said I felt the same as Breems, I meant everything except for the last sentence.  At no point will I ever consider being on the bubble at the end of the year a "great end to a season".  If we are on the bubble and get into the NCAAT, I'll consider it a decent season. 

I'll be content where Selection Sunday consists of watching the selection show to see what seed we are, not whether we're in or not.

[CPO Hog]

I'm optimistic. We're 2 games out of 1st place with 15 games to play. We lost to the #1 team to OT, and beat the #2 team in OT last night. Last year we learned to win at home. This year we will learn to win on the road. I think the HOGBALLERS gained a lot of confidence last night, and that will take them a long way.

[dgfclt]

I'm optimistic. We're 2 games out of 1st place with 15 games to play. We lost to the #1 team to OT, and beat the #2 team in OT last night. Last year we learned to win at home. This year we will learn to win on the road. I think the HOGBALLERS gained a lot of confidence last night, and that will take them a long way.

There will be only two teams from the SEC in the tourney in my opinion, UF and UK.  The good news is the lower end teams are getting better and the conference appears to be getting stronger but not this year.