Is Houston getting screwed?

GovGus

GovGus

< 25 Posts
Last night over a few too many beers I had the first of what is sure to be many in-depth pre-Selection Sunday debates, and while there was the obvious banter here and there on seeding, there was certainly some lively discussion regarding UH. The outstanding question is whether Houston deserves an at-large or not, and I have to think at this point they do.

Obviously I'm in the tiny majority right now, but I do not understand why. Granted, I've only seen them play twice this year, but how this team doesn't make the final 65, I have no idea. Despite losing by 2 to UAB, this team is still 2nd in Conference USA (behind undefeated & consensus #1 Memphis), sitting at 19-6.

Their RPI isn't awful (47th prior to the UAB loss), although their SOS certainly isn't helping them (112th). But SOS isn't standing in the way of Butler getting a top 4 seed (142nd), St. Mary's (167th) and BYU (111th) sitting somewhere around a 7, or Rhode Island (103rd) sneaking in to the dance.

I understand they don't have a marquee win, but they're losses are legit: (twice to #1 Memphis, once to the Colonial league's best in VCU, on the road at UMass, to Arizona, and then yesterday to CUSA's co-#2 UAB). I'm not saying they only lost to great teams, but they surely haven't had a bad loss yet (e.g. Missouri). So what gives?
 
Resumes for the March Dance are built with quality wins, not avoiding 'bad' losses. In a 30 game season, every team has a game when the entire team is cold or the other team shoots lights out, particularly on the road.

If you're on the bubble, it is more important to have a signature win that show at least have a chance of beating the quality team that you'll face in the first round as a lower seed -- rather than some meaningless statistic that 'at least we didn't lose to so-n-so.'
 
Beat me to it.

UH has to beat someone at some point. Granted, if UK can finish strong maybe that helps at the end but right now UH has nothing that distinguishes them outside of a string of unspectacular wins over bad teams.

Losing to UAB really hurt last night.
 
No they are not getting screwed because there is no signature win. Arizona, UMass on the road, Memphis (2 games) 0-4.

If they want to get in they need to win the CUSA tourny.
 
To answer the question posed in the thread title, no. UH, assuming they don't get in, will not be getting screwed. They will be getting what they deserve given their lack of quality wins. With that said, it still wouldn't surprise me to see them squeeze in as a 13 or 14. You just never know what the committee is going to do with those last few teams.
 
The sad thing for UH is they didn't have to have it be this up in the air. Penders has a senior-laden team, easily his best in his four years there. And what does he do? Schedule only three marquee non-conference games - Kentucky, Arizona, and at UMass. Obviously he couldn't have figured UK would be so poor in December, but why hinge your season on those few games? Schedule a couple of more toughies instead of make UH champion of the SWAC before conference play. You have a better chance of winning 1 of 5-6 tough games to make your point for a NCAA bid instead of winning 1 of 2.

They also lost to VCU in the first round of the San Juan Shootout in November, which was a killer. Win that game and they would have played Miami, who may get back on the bubble after beating Duke. Instead UH played Marist and College of Charleston.

So it's really UH's fault. Not because they play in CUSA and not even because they lost at UAB last night. It's because Penders *****-scheduled.
 
The committee could put them in as a 15 and match them up against UT, in Houston no less.
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I appreciate the responses...And as a sidenote, I am in no way a UF fan. Certainly the lack of a quality win is obvious and apparent, but *having seen this team play*, I still think they are better than most give them credit for. Obviously some here still hold a grudge against Penders (noted from some of the posts), but I could care less who the coach is.

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Good answer...thanks for contributing
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Prior to their loss to UAB there was certainly a stronger argument behind their inclusion--now UAB has popped up in many a bracket (in Houston's place, IMO). It'd take a miracle for Houston to make the tourney now if they don't either 1) win out or 2) win the conference tourney.
 
Although I held my breath from the time Dexter Cambridge got to campus and I have issues with the way Penders left and his insipid comments to this day , I still don't hate him. He did get us untracked from a very dark era. I kind of hope UH gets in (but I live in DFW and don't have to listen to Tommy very often).
 
Penders overall was a great hire by Texas. Of course Tony Barone or Melvin Watkins would have looked like Adolph Rupp next to Bob Weltlich.

I agree with this : If they want to get in they need to win the CUSA tourny. It's a shame the Coogs laid an egg on National TV vs. Arizona (at home). It was a very winnable game and would have given them another "name" (like KY) on their resume - even though both schools are down this year and on the bubble themselves.
 
The loss to UAB is what killed UH's chances. So you screwed yourself.

Now have same formula as many other teams -- win out + show up big in conference tourney
 
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