ESPN Bubble Watch

by Guest Mon Feb 01, 2010 1:31 pm

There are a couple WCC teams on the list:

Gonzaga [17-4 (6-1), RPI: 29, SOS: 83] The Bulldogs were probably close to locking up an NCAA at-large bid, until they lost at San Francisco 81-77 in overtime on Saturday night. That loss ended Gonzaga's nine-game winning streak. The Bulldogs have three high-quality victories, beating Wisconsin (neutral court), Cincinnati (neutral) and Saint Mary's (road). They also lost at Michigan State by four points and to Wake Forest by two points at home. The only real blemish was a 76-41 loss to Duke at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 19, which was Gonzaga's lowest point total in 25 years. Gonzaga plays at Memphis on Saturday and then plays the rematch against Saint Mary's at home on Feb. 11, which might decide which team wins the West Coast Conference regular-season title.

and

Saint Mary's [19-3 (6-1), RPI: 35, SOS: 113] The Gaels have won nine of their past 10 games to stay right on Gonzaga's heels in the West Coast Conference race. Of course, the only Saint Mary's loss during that stretch was an 89-82 loss to the Bulldogs at home on Jan. 14. SMC plays home games against Santa Clara and San Francisco this week, before traveling to Gonzaga for the Feb. 11 rematch. Gonzaga has a much better computer profile than Saint Mary's, so there should be no doubt what the NCAA pecking order is in this league. The Gaels' only win over an RPI top-50 opponent was an 80-58 victory over San Diego State at home on Nov. 17. The Gaels also lost to Vanderbilt 72-70 at home on Nov. 20.

Seems like they are overlooking another common opponent who will hopefully give them trouble. Twisted Evil

Gonzaga (fandom, at least) is concerned now about their tournament seeding; getting in is a given. After all, they always win the WCC tournament. And they are focusing on beating Memphis on Saturday to enhance their profile. Doubt they'll overlook those spunky Pilots, but they do have a lot of things on their mind. Let's aim to misbehave.

by onetouchfutbol Mon Feb 01, 2010 6:44 pm

I don't think you can say that getting into the tournament is a given for Gonzaga. There's no guarantee that they will win the WCC tournament, and they aren't a 20 win team yet. They aren't the only team in the WCC with quality wins either. The more games they lose, the more doubters there will be.