WHO'S EXCITED FOR PILOT'S ON SUNDAY!!!

I think with all the upsets like Butler and Xavier losing we can pretty much write off SMC getting an NIT bid... And there is NO way the NIT takes two WCC teams; and we lose that battle obviously... The CBI is going to be tough, the only regional team I could see us being paired up with is WSU, but again the NIT will likely snap them up. It's unfortunate that OSU and UO were both down this year (OSU improved obviously, but aren't QUITE post season material)... Them being a little bit stronger would have given us a much better shot.

I hate being a negative nancy, and really do hope for at least one more game this year.... But it will be a stretch

Remember, there is the new CollegeInsider.com tournament as well. Portland does have 19 wins and an RPI at or near 100, so I think they are definitely an option for the CBI and CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

A post-season game would be cool, but for me the important thing about would be playing a good team on the road or at a neutral site. For all the positive steps our team took this year, beating a quality team on the road was not one of them. So having another chance to do that would be a great opportunity and definitley something to build on heading into next season.

To be honest, I think we'll get into either the CBI or CollegeInsider tournament. Both are new (CBI is in its second year), so it's less of a prestige thing than something that can be used as a learning tool for the team. And hey... if we win a few games we'll have a nice feather in our cap!

And, of course, the guys deserve to be able to call themselves a post-season team, because they earned a reward after such a tremendous season.

The team is still practicing....maybe Rev./and or Williams know something we don't. I believe there is some "behind the scene's" ie political work that goes into getting bids to the 2nd tier tourneys....Who knows I could be wrong. However I'll put my faith in the Current coach and A.D. for a selection/bid It would look nicer on the Pilot's resume' if they have won those 2 stinkers toward the end of the year . 21 wins has a better ring to it doesn't it???

Mesa Alert Level:

up7587 wrote:Mesa Alert Level:

Well at least we know Angelo will live through the weekend... Or at least most of it...

Scratch my Wazzu NIT talk... Apparently they are getting the shaft or so says the chatter I've been hearing....

Yeah, one of the first teams to get an NIT invite might be Kentucky. The consensus is that they won't be going to the tourney. Meeks is a stud player, and the team travels well. I would think Arizona might be the type of team the NIT would like too... I'm not sure if we meet the mold...

We might go to the CBI or something, but, that's almost a let down in some ways. I don't think Rev knows anything that we don't know; he just thinks practice is important. Almost any postseason is a good experience. I agree that we still need to improve as road team... No time like the present.

While obviously the NIT or NCAA has the prestige and really is the "goal" per say... I think one of the other tournaments, if nothing else, serves as a commendation that yeah things are headed in the right direction. And if nothing else gets our name out there beyond the PNW and WCC...

Yeah, I like the fact that we're even having this conversation...eventhough I think that we are basically on the bubble of the bubble...and at best heading to an obscure tourney...

The Oregonian is reporting that OSU has received a CBI bid and will be hosting first round games. This could be good news for us.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindbeaversbeat/2009/03/beavers_to_host_first_round_cb.html

MESA ALERT LEVEL DOWNGRADED to Green it's safe for now.


Its all better now after that article was posted!

Feel free to bring Angela out of the closet,lol. Opps bad joke sorry


Calm Pilot1 aka MesaPilot1

Sigh. I need some Patron.

Haha, the UW/GU second round match would be pretty damn tantalizing...

Acronym possibilities for CBI:

Cannot Be In the other tourney...
Crying ABout SelectIion Sunday...
Coulda Woulda Been a Contenda If only...
Can Belch after DrInking Patron, Pliny the Elder...add your fave here...

[quote="DaTruRochin"]I think with all the upsets like Butler and Xavier losing we can pretty much write off SMC getting an NIT bid... And there is NO way the NIT takes two WCC teams; and we lose that battle obviously..

DTR - Not sure I follow your logic here. You say St Marys is pretty much an NIT write off ( I agree, they will most certainly get an NCAA bid tomorrow). So, if St Marys is no longer a factor in the NIT, then why would two WCC teams in the NIT be an issue? The WCC will get two teams in the NCAA. I think the tendencey for the NIT to pick very few west coast teams is more the issue than number of teams from the WCC in this scenario.

Joe Lundari has St Marys as a #12 seed in the west in today's updated ESPN bracketology. While it's not the Bible or anything, Lundari is on top of things and has a pretty good feel for who is on the bubble and who isn't. St Marys is in.. no worries at all. His tournamnet picks have been uncanningly accurate over the years.

I agree that the NIT will likely snub us, but it won't be due to St Marys crowding us out. The NIT snubbed us in 1995 when we had an even better resume, and I don't think they haven't changed their east coast stripes much over the years. The new CBI may be the best possibility.

NO, I see St. Mary's as not getting in.... I didn't proofread I guess. I see them not making the NCAA and if they don't, they are in the NIT. Too many upsets in the big and smaller conferences (A-10, etc.) have really cut out he borderline teams. And SMC, while good, really doesn't have any "signature wins"... The closest is prob Utah State, I just kind of wouldn't be surprised to see them on the outside looking in. Their only chance is the organizers wanting someone to be the next Stephen Curry, and Mills fits that mold (when he's healthy).

Also, we don't have a large enough following, little financial clout and a few questionable losses which all make the NIT pretty much an impossibility (That and our geographic distance from Bristol, Conn and NYC).

Obviously I'd like to see 2 WCC teams in there, I'm just not holding my breath...

I really have to disagree DTR. I really think they're in the NCAA's. Most of the credible national people who do this for a living think they're in as well. Given the NCAA's trend towards liking more mid-major St Marys type stories that people can get emotionally attached to, I think they're a shoo in because they really do deserve to be there regardless of the emotional part of it. While they didn't play that difficult a non-conference schedule, they did beat Utah State which is a very good win considering they are 30-4, the WAC regular season champions, as well as the WAC tournament champions. That win will help the Gaels tremendously. They also beat SDSU who will also be a tournament team.

Remember, the NCAA can factor in the Mills injury to their analysis. It's a specifically mentioned criteria that they can take into consideration. With Milss in the lineup they were 18-1 before the Gonzaga losss in the WCC finals. Bottom line, it's extremely difficult to believe that there are 64 better teams than St Marys out there.

Not According to Joe Lunardi:

Saint Mary's [26-6 (10-4), RPI: 47, SOS: 156] Instead of sitting and watching other bubble teams try and win at-large bids, the Gaels played a regular-season game Friday night, beating Eastern Washington 85-65. Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett didn't schedule the game until last week, and wanted to use it to showcase point guard Patty Mills. Mills missed his team's final nine regular-season games after breaking his right hand, and he looked shaky in the Gaels' two games in the WCC tournament. Mills scored 19 points on 6-for-14 shooting against Eastern Washington, a 12-18 team from the Big Sky Conference. The Gaels probably still face long odds in getting an at-large bid. They have two victories over RPI top-50 opponents, having beaten Utah State at home and San Diego State on a neutral court. They lost to Gonzaga three times, including an ugly 83-58 defeat in the finals of the WCC tournament.

And Bracketology 101...

Bracket Breakdown
In This Bracket
Maryland, Temple

Out This Bracket
South Carolina, Creighton

Last Four In
San Diego State, Maryland, Penn State, St. Mary's

Last Four Out
Creighton, Arizona, USC, Auburn

Next Four Out
Providence, South Carolina, Florida, New Mexico

While it shows SMC as the last one in... Uhhh look at the third one out... I'm just saying it's going to be VERY close....

DTR, look at Bracketology. Lundari has St Marys in as a #12 seed in the west. If I'm not mistaken, Lundari was 65/65 last year. They've beat Utah State, SDSU, and Providence. The Utah State win will be HUGE in their favor.

Tell you what, I'll buy you a beer in Vegas next year if I'm wrong (and if I'm right, I'll buy you a drink anyway)

Haha I saw the 12.... But that doesn't explain the quote I posted on my last post. It's easier to go 65/65 when you predict both ways i guess

It is a Fluid situation,changing almost every meaniful game or every two hours.Wow,wow!!!

The amazing deal about all this is the fluid nature of picking the teams,every expert in the World can claim this and that. But,what happens when they meet behind those closed doors on Selection Sunday is akin to "regular folks" waiting for a Supreme Court decision. We college fans wait with "baited breath" to mull over their choices and fill out our brackets. (No hitching thread to gamblin' talk , I swear some of you belong in GA.)

As AthleticJames already mentioned the Mens Pilot Basketball even being mentioned in tournament talk is incredible. I believe the nature of the Cinderalla story Pilot's will help their cause for NIT or CBI. I believe Larry William's is working behind the scenes to make something good happen for the Pilots.

I think it is going to be tight for SMC today. If UT wins the SEC, I think they will get in. But if MSU wins, I think SMC will be the first team on the outside looking in.

The conference tournament upsets have been pretty brutal this year to bubble team, but you know what is even worse? The stupid Big-10. Except for Michigan State, all of the teams are the same. And that is not a compliment. I don't know whose #$*% the Big 10 commissioner $&@*%^ but they are overrated in EVERY sport and it just kills me. Seriously, how is that conference going to get the most teams in the dance?

I agree with Rochin, most of the ESPN guys have SMC being one of the last 4 teams in. Using the EWU game to showcase that Mills is back is risky at best. Even with a win that game would cause SMC's RPI to drop further down that it was after the loss to Gonzaga. SMC's RPI rose 10 spots to #45 after their victory over us in the WCC tourney, but, I'm assuming that it's dropped a bit since then... Adding EWU weakens what was already a weak strength of schedule for their RPI. IMO that was a bad move.

You have a point. But, if you watched Patrick Mills during the tourney he was a shell of himself. Even though most of the time he's a streak shooter he shot like a 5 yr old girl against us,and GU.

Obviously most of his other aspect's were back,ie..speed,quickness,etc.... Maybe RB felt it was worth it to get him so more "live action" then make the NCAA tourney and be a one and done like the Zaggette's. He may have thought it was worth rolling the dice.
I personally think he came back at least one and posible 2 games to early.It has affected his shooting confidence, and hence his overall court confidence.In the NCAA's ST Mary's is a firstor second round loser without Patty Mill's at FULL STRENGTH