UT Arlington absolutely handling Texas in Austin...

[Danny J]

Up 15 with less than 4 to go...

[The_Iceman]

One day the Hog fans that are basketball ignorant that run their mouths will realize that just because the name on the jersey is the a traditional power, doesn't mean it isn't a good basketball team that is talented enough to beat just about anyone.

[ADavisTheGOAT]

Pretty clear the full court press doesn't work anymore.

[rude1]

So are you trying to say our schedule has actually been much better than our expert fans who watch very little basketball and occasionally browse through box scores thought it was?

[Jborohog09]

UTA wins it 72-61.

[PonderinHog]

Fire Shaka Strong!

[poloprince]

Gotem

[Tim]

So are you trying to say our schedule has actually been much better than our expert fans who watch very little basketball and occasionally browse through box scores thought it was?

How so?  Texas is trash. 

[Danny J]

So are you trying to say our schedule has actually been much better than our expert fans who watch very little basketball and occasionally browse through box scores thought it was?

I know you are being facetious and know this but for the others just a few years ago the SEC hired Greg Shaheen as a consultant to help get more SEC teams into the NCAAt by trying to schedule better teams. Now when I say better I don't mean elite programs but midmajor schools that are projected to be better than top 150 RPI schools. When added together that will keep us from playing mostly teams ranked higher than 200-250 in the RPI. Those teams on the schedule really killed SEC teams RPI. Schools like BYU were masters of RPI manipulation.

UTA and Fort Wayne both will not necessarily go down as key wins when the NCAAt selection committee is looking at our schedule BUT teams like that will keep our RPI and SOS from falling off the cliff.

[Big Nasty 34]

But hogville told me they were awful and it was a disgrace to be losing to them!!!

[hobhog]

So that's how we get our self worth these days? Minnesota got destroyed last night. So what?

Let's just win and take care of own business.

[Swinesong1]

So that's how we get our self worth these days? Minnesota got destroyed last night. So what?

Let's just win and take care of own business.

Since when is losing by 8 getting destroyed?

[Atlhogfan1]

But hogville told me they were awful and it was a disgrace to be losing to them!!!

http://www.hogville.net/yabbse/index.php?topic=620292.0

http://www.hogville.net/yabbse/index.php?topic=620251.msg10521670#msg10521670

At least 2 preseason threads mentioning UTA as a potential good opponent.

[hobhog]

Since when is losing by 8 getting destroyed?

You must have not watched the game.

[Swinesong1]

You must have not watched the game.

Part of it.  Minny was up at half.  Fell apart in 2nd half.  How does that change the margin of defeat tho?  On the road?  To a team that just fell out of the top 25?

[cardsNhogs]

We look awful on defense as usual. Not guarding the 3 point line and terrible in pickNrolls. Can't keep teams off the offensive glass. Constantly have bigs matched up on guards outside. Offensively there is very little movement. No doubt we are gonna beat these good mid majors at home but road games are a different story as always. 

[WBOBO]

IFPW beats Indiana on their home court and UT-Arlington beats Texass on their home court.  Parity is climbing leaps and bounds in college basketball.  Got to be good for our Power rating index though.  So far...

[Breems]

Fire everyone.

[upperdeck_hawg]

None of this matters if we don't make the tourney

[Nosboar Accubond]

Fify

[Rawker]

One day the Hog fans that are basketball ignorant that run their mouths will realize that just because the name on the jersey is the a traditional power, doesn't mean it isn't a good basketball team that is talented enough to beat just about anyone.

That will never happen.  Every time I think people en masse - in any aspect of life - are going to realize that their baseless conjecture gets them no where....it proves once again to be false.

[Rawker]

Since when is losing by 8 getting destroyed?

I watched the game full out.  It was tight as Hell.  Okay.  It wasn't after mid 2nd, but it was tight for a long while.

[Breems]

None of this matters if we don't make the tourney

True. It's just fun to talk about these things early on since we don't have the big picture yet.

[The_Iceman]

So that's how we get our self worth these days? Minnesota got destroyed last night. So what?

Let's just win and take care of own business.

1) they only lost by 8, and were winning at half.

2) Florida state is a good team with some NBA talent.

[Biggus Piggus]

The way things are headed, Arkansas will have no nonconference games against top 50 opponents. Houston also lost ugly to LSU last night.

[Atlhogfan1]

The way things are headed, Arkansas will have no nonconference games against top 50 opponents. Houston also lost ugly to LSU last night.

I was holding out hope for Texas when the non conference was announced.  Maybe Ok St's RPI will get inflated by some early B12 games and they can squeak in there.

The conference may not provide many either other than UK and UF.  At least we get Florida twice. 

[Biggus Piggus]

OSU will have schedule strength working for them, but they have to win some too.

Their next two months include Maryland, Wichita State, West Virginia, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, K-State before Arkansas.

[Biggus Piggus]

BTW we've found a team that has worse perimeter defense than Arkansas has: Oklahoma State.

Their opponents have made 44% of their threes. At 39%, the Hogs are not good but not quite as low as OSU with their very short (and quick) backcourt.

[Dwight_K_Shrute]

The way things are headed, Arkansas will have no nonconference games against top 50 opponents. Houston also lost ugly to LSU last night.

Won't have many conference games against top 50 opps either.

[The Hogfather]

OSU is good, though.  And, they will be battle tested.  I scare.

[The Hogfather]

I don't think top 50 opponents are THAT important, as long as our other opponents are in the middle and not in the absolute bottom, like previous years.

[hogsanity]

http://www.hogville.net/yabbse/index.php?topic=620292.0

http://www.hogville.net/yabbse/index.php?topic=620251.msg10521670#msg10521670

At least 2 preseason threads mentioning UTA as a potential good opponent.

The OOC schedule looked pretty good. Not flashy, but not full of sub 300 rpi teams either. Road game at a p5 school. A handful of teams that should do well in their leagues, and then Texas and OSU. One thing that no one has any control over is how well these opponents actually turn out to be.

The thing is, when one of these teams turns out to not be very good, you have to beat them. While beating Texas may not be as good of a win as people thought, it could turn out to be a bad loss if you do not win.

[The_Iceman]

I feel we are going to have to win a lot of games to make the tournament. I'm just afraid Mike Anderson and this style isn't consistent enough to win enough to make it.

[Wisco Pig]

Has anyone here seen enough of Texas to say what's wrong?  I know Smart has a lot of new players this year.  Are they simply not fitting together well?

[razorhead94]

I don't think top 50 opponents are THAT important, as long as our other opponents are in the middle and not in the absolute bottom, like previous years.

This...what makes your RPI number good is avoiding playing teams with 250-300+ RPIs.  At this point they could have several wins in the 50-150 which the NCAA and RPI love.  Now you still need some top 50 wins to pad your resume but if you keep winning things will take care of themselves.

[Atlhogfan1]

NCAA resume is only relative to the season you are in.  But below is the last 4 in and out neighborhood for last season. 

Some of the teams who were snubbed last tourney:

Florida played 9 Top 25 opponents and SC 2.  Florida didn't win enough games and SC didn't play enough good teams. 

Florida - RPI 55 with a non conf SOS of 5 - 14 losses
St Marys - RPI 38 6-3 vs Top 100 but 18 games against Top 200 and only 5 Top 100 opponents
SD St - 3-7 vs Top 100


http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/top-mid-majors-headline-this-year-s-list-of-ncaa-tournament-snubs-233321207.html
4. SOUTH CAROLINA (24-8, 11-7): Just how dreadful was South Carolina's schedule? So bad that they played only two RPI top 50 teams — Kentucky and Texas A&M — even though they play in a power conference. The Gamecocks steamrolled to a 15-0 start this season but the best team they beat during that stretch was ... Hofstra? Tulsa? Maybe Vanderbilt? After that, South Carolina plummeted back to earth, especially during the last month when the Gamecocks went just 3-5 including losses to Mississippi State and Missouri. They had a solid 8-5 record against the top 100, but the committee wanted to send a message that a tougher schedule is a requirement.


Some of the last teams to get in and their ESPN guesses at their RPI's, SOS etc.:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/year/2016/teamId/2724

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/year/2016/teamId/130
Michigan had 10 games vs Top 25 RPI + 5 more 26-50  - non conf SOS wasn't good but it didn't have to be

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/year/2016/teamId/202
Tulsa had 9 games vs RPI Top 50

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/year/2016/teamId/238
Vandy - good non conf SOS, 8 Top 25 opponents and a total of 17 top 100 matchups



In 2014-15, we had 4 top 25 matchups + 3 more 26-50


SFA will probably be one of our lowest RPI opponents.  This isn't the SFA of recent seasons. 

[Atlhogfan1]

The OOC schedule looked pretty good. Not flashy, but not full of sub 300 rpi teams either. Road game at a p5 school. A handful of teams that should do well in their leagues, and then Texas and OSU. One thing that no one has any control over is how well these opponents actually turn out to be.

The thing is, when one of these teams turns out to not be very good, you have to beat them. While beating Texas may not be as good of a win as people thought, it could turn out to be a bad loss if you do not win.

Poor SWAC and MEAC.  SEC teams can't play them.  They should hope the SEC gets deeper with better teams and SEC's RPI's go up so it isn't such a killer to schedule them in the non conf.  They need the $. 

[Big Nasty 34]

http://www.hogville.net/yabbse/index.php?topic=620292.0

http://www.hogville.net/yabbse/index.php?topic=620251.msg10521670#msg10521670

At least 2 preseason threads mentioning UTA as a potential good opponent.

Oh, I know that. That's why I was excited to go watch the game. I was commenting on the many comments in the game and post game threads about how unacceptable it was to be losing to UTA.

[Swinesong1]

Has anyone here seen enough of Texas to say what's wrong?  I know Smart has a lot of new players this year.  Are they simply not fitting together well?

Youth and guard play.  However, they were ranked at one point. 

[GuvHog]

Oh, I know that. That's why I was excited to go watch the game. I was commenting on the many comments in the game and post game threads about how unacceptable it was to be losing to UTA.

Actually, I was more concerned about the close win over UTA than I was about the loss to Minnesota. Now that UTA beat Texas the way they did, I feel better about that close win.

[Letsroll1200]

Youth and guard play.  However, they were ranked at one point.

Also was picked to finish 3rd in the Big 12 conference.

[jry04]

NCAA resume is only relative to the season you are in.  But below is the last 4 in and out neighborhood for last season. 

Some of the teams who were snubbed last tourney:

Florida played 9 Top 25 opponents and SC 2.  Florida didn't win enough games and SC didn't play enough good teams. 

Florida - RPI 55 with a non conf SOS of 5 - 14 losses
St Marys - RPI 38 6-3 vs Top 100 but 18 games against Top 200 and only 5 Top 100 opponents
SD St - 3-7 vs Top 100


http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/top-mid-majors-headline-this-year-s-list-of-ncaa-tournament-snubs-233321207.html
4. SOUTH CAROLINA (24-8, 11-7): Just how dreadful was South Carolina's schedule? So bad that they played only two RPI top 50 teams — Kentucky and Texas A&M — even though they play in a power conference. The Gamecocks steamrolled to a 15-0 start this season but the best team they beat during that stretch was ... Hofstra? Tulsa? Maybe Vanderbilt? After that, South Carolina plummeted back to earth, especially during the last month when the Gamecocks went just 3-5 including losses to Mississippi State and Missouri. They had a solid 8-5 record against the top 100, but the committee wanted to send a message that a tougher schedule is a requirement.


Some of the last teams to get in and their ESPN guesses at their RPI's, SOS etc.:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/year/2016/teamId/2724

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/year/2016/teamId/130
Michigan had 10 games vs Top 25 RPI + 5 more 26-50  - non conf SOS wasn't good but it didn't have to be

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/year/2016/teamId/202
Tulsa had 9 games vs RPI Top 50

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/year/2016/teamId/238
Vandy - good non conf SOS, 8 Top 25 opponents and a total of 17 top 100 matchups



In 2014-15, we had 4 top 25 matchups + 3 more 26-50


SFA will probably be one of our lowest RPI opponents.  This isn't the SFA of recent seasons. 

South Carolina's problem wasn't necessarily the lack of big names, but the amount of awful teams they played. You can get away with a schedule like ours when all the teams finish at or near the top of their conference like expected UTA, SIU, IPFW, North Florida, North Dakota State, and Houston will all finish top 4 in their conference, and a few may outright win it. SC ended up with 7 teams with a 200+ RPI last year on their schedule. I believe all of their non-conference opponents missed the NCAAT, and 8 of them had losing records. A few didn't even reach 10 wins for the season. I know bracketology is irrelevant early in the year, but I believe I saw that 8 teams off our schedule are projected to the NCAAT in the first bracketology. Texas looks worse than expected, but OSU looks better. It isn't about scheduling top 25 opponents as much as it is about avoiding the 200-250+ opponents. I think we successfully did that. Need to beat Houston and Texas, because their schedule will likely put them in the top 100 RPI at the end of the year.

[ErieHog]

Has anyone here seen enough of Texas to say what's wrong?  I know Smart has a lot of new players this year.  Are they simply not fitting together well?

There's nothing fundamentally wrong with Texas.   They're in the second group behind Kansas in the B12-- but night to night, this happens all across the country.     They are young, have no settled PG, and need to set their rotations still-- I  think Smart is a bit like Mike, in that he can be a little hard-headed regarding his system and substitution.

More troubling than the loss to UTA, was their loss to Northwestern, the preseason #10 in the Big Ten.    The lack of PG play showed up by them getting absolutely housed in Brooklyn.

[Captain Morgan]

Also was picked to finish 3rd in the Big 12 conference.

Preseason polls are as useful as used toilet paper. Tx is not a basketball school. They are more concerned with Tom Herman's favorite dress store than hoops.

[Atlhogfan1]

South Carolina's problem wasn't necessarily the lack of big names, but the amount of awful teams they played. You can get away with a schedule like ours when all the teams finish at or near the top of their conference like expected UTA, SIU, IPFW, North Florida, North Dakota State, and Houston will all finish top 4 in their conference, and a few may outright win it. SC ended up with 7 teams with a 200+ RPI last year on their schedule. I believe all of their non-conference opponents missed the NCAAT, and 8 of them had losing records. A few didn't even reach 10 wins for the season. I know bracketology is irrelevant early in the year, but I believe I saw that 8 teams off our schedule are projected to the NCAAT in the first bracketology. Texas looks worse than expected, but OSU looks better. It isn't about scheduling top 25 opponents as much as it is about avoiding the 200-250+ opponents. I think we successfully did that. Need to beat Houston and Texas, because their schedule will likely put them in the top 100 RPI at the end of the year.

Names don't matter as we know in the RPI.  SC was also hurt by their SEC schedule which it was obvious before the season it was going to be soft relative to other SEC teams.  Their conf schedule compounded the ooc problem they created for themselves. 

When it comes down to the committee, we aren't sure year to year what they will value.  Top 25, top 50 opponents and wins may matter when the final teams being considered are compared.  They have to use criteria of some type to make decisions.  It may or may not matter this season.  The mention earlier was in reference to Biggus' post about top 50 ooc opponents and how we may not have any and comparing this to the resumes of some bubble teams last season. 

We've discussed the dropping of teams from our schedule from conference like the SWAC and MEAC and their +250 +300 RPIs.  Good job of eliminating the liabilities. 

We avoided both top 25 and +250 opponents. 

[Wisco Pig]

There's nothing fundamentally wrong with Texas.   They're in the second group behind Kansas in the B12-- but night to night, this happens all across the country.   They are young, have no settled PG, and need to set their rotations still.

After finally getting to see Texas play tonight at Michigan, I'd agree the Horns will be fine.  They just need more experience and more time together.   What an ugly, ugly game, though.   

[Rirruto]

The way things are headed, Arkansas will have no nonconference games against top 50 opponents. Houston also lost ugly to LSU last night.

No.

RPI Forecast shows us with 3 games against projected Top 50 RPI teams in the non-conference. Certainly things can change, but the way things are headed, we're in excellent shape. http://www.rpiforecast.com/index2.html

We lost to Minn (27), beat Houston (29), and have a game to go against OK St (50). UT Arlington is projected at 56.

[Hogberry Snortcake]

No.

RPI Forecast shows us with 3 games against projected Top 50 RPI teams in the non-conference. Certainly things can change, but the way things are headed, we're in excellent shape. http://www.rpiforecast.com/index2.html

We lost to Minn (27), beat Houston (29), and have a game to go against OK St (50). UT Arlington is projected at 56.

We play the 'Pokes in Stillwater, right?

[Wisco Pig]

We play the 'Pokes in Stillwater, right?

Yes.

[Biggus Piggus]

I'll warn you about the Texas game - Arkansas plays that game immediately after finals week. The Hogs will get little practice next week. From Nolan through MA, Arkansas has a tradition of scheduling easy games after finals week. Not this season. This will be a hard game for the Hogs to win. Limited practice time affects them a lot, because MA teaches what amount to read/react systems. Arkansas might look completely out of sorts.