Due to lack of time, this will be an abbreviated version. If VU can somehow pull out the win tonight, maybe I'll try to summarize some thoughts about what we've seen this week and where we are if you are a VU fan.
Basically, I'll just summarize in order of importance of what teams VU fans are rooting for tonight:
1A, 1B and 1C - Vanderbilt. This is a nothing to gain, a ton to lose game. The type you absolutely hate. Id rather them be playing a road game vs AL tonight. That said, how important is this game. If they lose I don't plan to do these posts any more (if they lose tonight then win vs FL and at KY, I'll reevaluate but if they can't win tonight I don't see them beating KY).
2 - Iowa (Iowa is probably in, WI is right on that bubble, with a similar type of resume as VU and I'd say 1/2 a step ahead of VU in almost all metrics, this is a huge game that WI has on its home court)
3 -Notre Dame hosting UNC - Most have UNC barely in or barely out. I kind of think they are farther out than most do. A loss on the road to a ND team that's struggled all yr, while maybe won't put a fork in them, it may have the fork just breaking the surface
4 - Florida - Hosts KY, if VU wants to finish 3rd, it probably needs UK to lose at least 2 of the last 4 (1 of which needs to be VU), so why not have UK lose this one
5 - Southern Miss - playing at a decent Old Dominion team, I don't know if Southern Miss can get back to a Quad 2 loss as they have recently fell to a Q3, but would be nice for VU if they could
6 - Syracuse - I don't think Clemson is ahead of VU at this point, so this is not that critical but might as well completely put a fork in Clemson
7 - Temple - at Cincy - maybe would help VU's computer rankings some if they can pull off a big upset as an 8 point dog?
8 - NC State - home vs Wake Forest - not sure where Wake exactly stands compared to VU, probably depends on eye of the beholder, but with NC state safely in and VU having lost to them, easy to root for NC State here
9 - Houston - home vs Tulane - Tulane is one spot ahead of VU in the NET, and I've actually seen a few Tulane fans saying Tulane should be on the bubble. VU doesn't need for Tulane to have any validity to that argument, which a road win against Houston might do (it will for sure push that NET up farther than one spot ahead of VU).
10. Illinois St - playing at Drake, This is almost for sure not going to happen as Ill St is not good and Drake is, but Drake may have a chance of an at large bid if they lost in their Conf Tourney. Currently first in MVC at 22-6 overall, 14-4 conference, and 1-0 in Quad 1 games (neutral over Mississippi St) with no Q4 losses. Getting a Q4 loss here would probably eliminate a chance for an at large bid.
? New Mexico at Boise St - As I've stated, I'm not a fan of any of these Mountain West resumes, but Boise with a high NET and a win early over TXAM seems to be decently safe at the moment, while New Mexico seems to be on the outside looking in, but not that far off. So I guess Boise here if you feel they are the closer to a lock of the two, and MW is almost for sure going to get at least 2, so might as well root for those 2 and against the others to limit it to two. MW getting 3-4 bids will not work in VU's favor
? Auburn hosting Ole Miss - I'm putting a question mark here, because Auburn losing could help VU finish higher in the SEC possibly and put Auburn in danger of missing out on NCAA Tourney all together. But with VU beating Auburn, it will help VU for Auburn to stay as a Q1 team, and losing at home to Ole Miss will probably clinch Auburn NOT being a Q1 win, so its whatever you think is the more important part of this is who you will root for.
Basically, I'll just summarize in order of importance of what teams VU fans are rooting for tonight:
1A, 1B and 1C - Vanderbilt. This is a nothing to gain, a ton to lose game. The type you absolutely hate. Id rather them be playing a road game vs AL tonight. That said, how important is this game. If they lose I don't plan to do these posts any more (if they lose tonight then win vs FL and at KY, I'll reevaluate but if they can't win tonight I don't see them beating KY).
2 - Iowa (Iowa is probably in, WI is right on that bubble, with a similar type of resume as VU and I'd say 1/2 a step ahead of VU in almost all metrics, this is a huge game that WI has on its home court)
3 -Notre Dame hosting UNC - Most have UNC barely in or barely out. I kind of think they are farther out than most do. A loss on the road to a ND team that's struggled all yr, while maybe won't put a fork in them, it may have the fork just breaking the surface
4 - Florida - Hosts KY, if VU wants to finish 3rd, it probably needs UK to lose at least 2 of the last 4 (1 of which needs to be VU), so why not have UK lose this one
5 - Southern Miss - playing at a decent Old Dominion team, I don't know if Southern Miss can get back to a Quad 2 loss as they have recently fell to a Q3, but would be nice for VU if they could
6 - Syracuse - I don't think Clemson is ahead of VU at this point, so this is not that critical but might as well completely put a fork in Clemson
7 - Temple - at Cincy - maybe would help VU's computer rankings some if they can pull off a big upset as an 8 point dog?
8 - NC State - home vs Wake Forest - not sure where Wake exactly stands compared to VU, probably depends on eye of the beholder, but with NC state safely in and VU having lost to them, easy to root for NC State here
9 - Houston - home vs Tulane - Tulane is one spot ahead of VU in the NET, and I've actually seen a few Tulane fans saying Tulane should be on the bubble. VU doesn't need for Tulane to have any validity to that argument, which a road win against Houston might do (it will for sure push that NET up farther than one spot ahead of VU).
10. Illinois St - playing at Drake, This is almost for sure not going to happen as Ill St is not good and Drake is, but Drake may have a chance of an at large bid if they lost in their Conf Tourney. Currently first in MVC at 22-6 overall, 14-4 conference, and 1-0 in Quad 1 games (neutral over Mississippi St) with no Q4 losses. Getting a Q4 loss here would probably eliminate a chance for an at large bid.
? New Mexico at Boise St - As I've stated, I'm not a fan of any of these Mountain West resumes, but Boise with a high NET and a win early over TXAM seems to be decently safe at the moment, while New Mexico seems to be on the outside looking in, but not that far off. So I guess Boise here if you feel they are the closer to a lock of the two, and MW is almost for sure going to get at least 2, so might as well root for those 2 and against the others to limit it to two. MW getting 3-4 bids will not work in VU's favor
? Auburn hosting Ole Miss - I'm putting a question mark here, because Auburn losing could help VU finish higher in the SEC possibly and put Auburn in danger of missing out on NCAA Tourney all together. But with VU beating Auburn, it will help VU for Auburn to stay as a Q1 team, and losing at home to Ole Miss will probably clinch Auburn NOT being a Q1 win, so its whatever you think is the more important part of this is who you will root for.
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