Does this team even make the NCAA's

Defense is still there... still the 10th best in the nation according to Pomeroy.

They do need to win these next couple of games, though.
 
8-8 isn't going to get you guys in the tourney, in my opinion. The Big12 is BAD this year. OU might be the single most overrated #2 ranked team in the history of sport. I would take every other Top-10 team, straight up, if asked to lay a wager in the tourney.

I think you guys need 2 wins in the conference tourney to assure a NCAA bid, and even that bid will be around an #8/#9 seed.
 
Wow, thanks for being realistic OUEngineer. I have been saying this about OU ever since they cracked the top 10. Not a slam on OU or anything, I just see the other top 10 teams as having more overall talent. That being said, I do not count OU out in any games against the top 10 teams (except maybe UNC), just they would not be favored.
 
OUE, I think when fans such as us watch teams over and over, the flaws stand out and we take the good things for granted. In a losing streak, it's magnified.

All I heard about OU this weekend was how it was in line for a No. 1 seed. I understand that there's a certain randomness to results in particular games, but that's what makes the tournament what it is.

If you were talking about taking UConn against OU, I suppose I can understand that... but I don't think they should be in give-up mode against anyone else.
 
Also I think that OU doesn't maybe match what people have in their heads as a 'dominant' team, but what team is like that this year? Sure UConn is looking great, but they lost to a 12-9 Georgetown team that is in DIRE straits to make the tourney and got swept by Cincinnati.

UNC lost at home to a team that then lost at home to mid-200s ranked Harvard, who had NEVER beaten a ranked team.

Duke lost by 30 to Clemson, and was getting run out of their gym by Miami, and lost to a Michigan team that is out of the NCAAs.

Pitt's best win is West Virginia.

Michigan State lost at home to Northwestern and Penn State

Wake Forest lost by 30 to Miami and lost to Georgia Tech, who is last in the ACC.

I mean, I wouldn't be racing to bet money on OU to beat these teams, but I sure wouldn't race to bet against OU either. OU will have the best player on the floor every night, IMO, and the supporting cast is all capable of contributing. Pattillo's defense is really helping too.

Every team has flaws.
 
UNC is the team to beat. They have sick talent. They will turn it on in the tournament. The rest of the teams are playing for second, and second is the first loser.
 
Things that will get us into the tourney:
1. 9-7 conference record (plus Rick Barnes reputation). Sucks that we lost to Neb b/c now it gets tougher. I figure the wins are OSU, TT, @CU, and Baylor. Then, we ave to win @OSU or @A&M.
2. If we go 8-8, then we need one of two things to happen:
a) Signature win against OU.
b) 2 wins in the Big12 tourney. That'll push over 20 wins. Still on the bubble for sure. If there are a lot of unexpected conference tournament winners, we could get screwed. Otherwise, we sneak in on RB's reputation.
 
I suppose it's possible that reputation may help, but the committee's not supposed to consider anything other than what has happened this season.

Same with "20 wins." It's not a criterion. It's who you beat, where, and when.
 
There is no way in heck that any team from the Big 12 makes this year's tournament with an 8-8 conference record. I'd book that wager all day long. The league RPI just isn't high enough to support that. Texas' RPI is cratering with every loss not only by us to the perrenial also-rans of the conference, but also by Arkansas, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame. Texas can right the ship. This team can go 6-2 down the stretch, they stll play defense and rebound, but it sure looks like there is a well-scouted book on our offense at present, so I don't like the odds. I can handle NIT in a rebuilding year. I do fully accept that this was a rebuilding year from the get go, and my only hope has always been for them to keep the streak alive. I still have hope, but it's sure flickering at present.
 
Lunardi thinks an 8-8 record could get us in. He was on ESPN radio today and had 5 Big 12 teams in, including us. He also commented that because there were no (or very few) top end mid-majors, he thought anyone with a .500 record in the BCS conference would have a legit shot at the tourney. Especially given our non-conference schedule, I think 8-8 could get us in. Of course, I hope it doesn't come to that. I still think we can put together a good stretch and get comfortably in.

BTW, after their last 2 wins, he had Wisconsin back on the bubble (I think they were his first team out in the Big 10 right now).
 
Arkansas and ND are cratering, but Wisconsin has broken its losing streak and figures to win at least half of its remaining games, probably more than half. Villanova and UCLA also are playing well. It's probably a wash on the SOS front.

8-8 with wins over Villanova and UCLA is going to look OK if there are no bad losses (such as, say, at Colorado or home against Tech).

As poorly as this team has played in the last 10 days, it's going to bring the defense, and has always given effort. They're not going to be an easy team to beat anywhere. It's just hard to project where they pick up wins because the offense is so shaky.
 
TXSooner, I was on here a few weeks ago making most of the same points you are now.

1) Other teams have warts.
2) Other top teams have some bad losses.

After a few more weeks, though, I've decided none of that matters. It's all about matchups. And our lack of a true point guard would kill us against UConn, UNC, Louisville, Duke, etc. I say that fully appreciating how big AJ has been for us most of the year. He has surpassed most expectations anyone had for him pre-season.

As dominant as Blake is, that aspect of the game can be neutralized, somewhat, by teams with good athletes and solid defense. At that point, we'd need a playmaking distributor of the ball. Maybe WW can be that guy in a tourney game versus one of these other elite teams, but letting him play point has been hit-or-miss so far.

I think even If we can draw a favorable bracket, we may only advance to an Elite 8, at best. A great season, to be sure, especially given some of our deficiencies.

I think OU has a chance to advance further next year, actually, even with Blake gone. I'm assuming we see TMG start immediately, Willie mature into our go-to-guy, Juan Patillo develop further and Tiny Gallon make an instant impact down low.
 
I'll take Avery and Jordan against anything OU puts on the court next year (assuming BG is gone). This will be a one year hiatus for the Longhorns (that is until Avery and Jordan leave after next year).
 
Bob, your perception is probably pretty accurate. I will say this, though. Many of us thought WW would be a 'black hole' when he stepped on the court. That has hardly been the case.

There have been times when the staff has wanted him to be more selfish and not defer to others as much. He really has impressed me with his patience and willingness to distribute. The only games where he made it a point to take control were in games when the team really needed it (Iowa St. and Arkansas). Otherwise, he has gotten others involved and not forced the issue.

busterbrown, those recruits are definitely going to provide UT with a nice influx of talent, but you realize TMG and Gallon are also McDAA's? Capel isn't recruiting the 'Sampson way.' This will mark 4 All-Americans in 3 years for Capel. And 3 of them will be in the starting 5 during 2009-10 season (Warren, TMG, and Gallon). If Patillo develops as quickly as he has shown thus far, we will not see much dropoff, in my opinion, next season.

All those kids will be on television, here in a few weeks. It should be fun to see so many OU/UT kids in the game.
 
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