Wow, undefeated Gonzaga loses to BYU - Could threaten to steal a NCAA slot

[Alaskawildkat]

Just one game and one conference, but the potential is certainly there for BYU to slip into the NCAA Tournament if they win their conference.

Story:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...f735ee31334_story.html?utm_term=.6d4fc11287eb

 

[SmellyCat]

BYU hasn't really been close to the bubble in recent weeks, but given 21 wins and a victory against Gonzaga, they probably don't have a terrible resume. They currently have a 71 RPI and are not on the latest Bracket Matrix though, so I'd say they still have an uphill climb. Obviously, in conferences with a clear at-large team, we don't want any bid thieves like BYU to play themselves into the tourney. In the WCC, both Gonzaga and St. Mary's are safely in, so as long as one of them wins their tourney, there won't be any bid thieves.

 

[FeralFelidae]

BYU hasn't really been close to the bubble in recent weeks, but given 21 wins and a victory against Gonzaga, they probably don't have a terrible resume. They currently have a 71 RPI and are not on the latest Bracket Matrix though, so I'd say they still have an uphill climb. Obviously, in conferences with a clear at-large team, we don't want any bid thieves like BYU to play themselves into the tourney. In the WCC, both Gonzaga and St. Mary's are safely in, so as long as one of them wins their tourney, there won't be any bid thieves.

If BYU makes the finals in their tournament and loses, that PROBABLY means one more victory against either Gonzaga or St. Mary's (barring a huge upset in an earlier round). Another quality win and a couple more wins on their record, and I wouldn't count them out for an at-large bid.

 

[mikewebb68]

I don't see three WCC conference teams getting in unless BYU wins their tourney, which is highly unlikely. It's a fairly terrible conference, with 4 of the 10 teams having a below-200 (!!!) KenPom, and two more having a Kenpom below that of our worst (Rutgers), which is a terrible drag on SOS. Dance Card has them at 0% at this point, just below Ohio State, so you can see how much they probably need to do. And remember, Power-5 conference bubble teams are tremendously more likely to get in over mid-major bubble teams....