Matt Norlander's Top 353

[Stickboy46]

It will maybe pay a dividend if the Shox aren't as talented as they have been the last 5-8 years. Playing in the MVC didn't hurt Wichita in any way, shape or form. Will moving to the AAC help? Maybe? Maybe not. To claim one way or another at this point is foolish. Didn't help them at all in year one.

Preseason polls are what they are...but 8th place? No one would be happy with that right?

It did hurt WSU when it came to seeding. Without a doubt. We made the best of it, but we absolutely got punished in seeding due to the MVC.

Yeah


That 1 seed was a real bitch.

You really aren't that dumb to use that argument are you?

Having to go undefeated in order to get the only seed better than we got in our one year in the AAC. (Looking at the last decade). A year in which we didn't even win our own conference.

So yes the MVC hurt our seeding. There is NO arguing otherwise.

[MissouriValleyUnite]

Shocker fans must have a Google alert set for anytime someone talks about the MBB team on this site

It’s Stickboy. He polices MVC boards like UNI’s for whenever his team is mentioned. It’s his identity. Please let him have this one. It’s all he has.

[Rambler63]

Even almost two years after they've left the conference, they still manage to hijack almost every thread to be about them.

But one thing I'd like to talk about is seeding. Could Loyola have reached the Final Four as a 5 seed, which might have been a proper seeding for an MVC regular season and conference tournament champion who went 28-5 team with a win on the road over Florida?

A lot of people have said the 11 seed is a sweet spot, and by extrapolation, so is a 6. No coincidence a few 11s have made it to the Final Four. Worse than the seeding problem is not getting in at all with a damn good resume like ISU in 2016.

I feel like WSU might end up finding that being the Gonzaga of the MVC would have been better than being another Temple. The Temple Owls made the NCAA Tournament six straight years in the A-10 before bolting to the AAC. Since leaving the A-10, they've had one tournament appearance in five years, losing in the first round as a 10 seed. They had seedings of 5, 7, 5, and 9 their last four years in the A-10.

[tribecalledquest]

You really aren't that dumb to use that argument are you?

Having to go undefeated in order to get the only seed better than we got in our one year in the AAC. (Looking at the last decade). A year in which we didn't even win our own conference.

So yes the MVC hurt our seeding. There is NO arguing otherwise.

You are assuming you wouldn't have gotten the same seed had you stayed in the MVC. There is no way of knowing that. One season in the AAC and the results on the court haven't been any better for the Shox. Of course this may change but I doubt this is the year it happens.

[Snaggletooth]

For those who care (few) Wichita State is at 99.

That move to the American is looking better and better by the day for the Shox.

WSU is where it is at in the preason rankings (and still probably overrated) is because of what they lost from last season. We will see if Marshall is overpaid or not (e.g, will this be a rebuilding or reloading year). Most prognosticators say they feel they are ranking WSU to low (based on WSU history) but logic won’t allow them to put them higher because they only return 1 player of any significance.

Why the American matter is for WSU is that they will get ample opportunity to build an at-large resume due to their non-conference schedule and conference schedule.

How many teams in the MVc will have a chance to build an at-large resume?

[Dean Wormer]

Did Norlander pick UNI so low out of fear or jealousy?

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

Did Norlander pick UNI so low out of fear or jealousy?

153 is reasonable. Some have them as high as 4th and some have them as low as 7th. Norlander picked them 6th and 6th in the MVC is about 150. Pretty spot on.

[BEARZ77]

How many teams in the MVc will have a chance to build an at-large resume?

I'll let other team posters speak for themselves, but in looking at the Shox noncon vs MSU's we compare pretty favorable. Now we probably are not gonna be good enough yet to make it pay, but we have 3 top 50 games possible[ 2 for sure] which is more than WSU, another 3 top 100 and then some lesser opponents. I would say the bottom end of WSU's noncon is better, but our top end is more certain as I don't think your Purdue game is a certainty as I think you have to beat Davidson. We get Nebraska and Western Kentucky for sure and either Texas Tech /USC, plus Oregon State and Murray state who is undervalued in this poll which the guy even notes in his assessment on them.
Obviously the Shockers benefit from their conference schedule more if things go as expected, although the MVC could easily have 4 top 100 teams , so 8 games in our schedule as well. So yeah, while we probably aren't up to it yet, MSU has a schedule that could get an at large bid if we were.

[tribecalledquest]

For those who care (few) Wichita State is at 99.

That move to the American is looking better and better by the day for the Shox.

WSU is where it is at in the preason rankings (and still probably overrated) is because of what they lost from last season. We will see if Marshall is overpaid or not (e.g, will this be a rebuilding or reloading year). Most prognosticators say they feel they are ranking WSU to low (based on WSU history) but logic won’t allow them to put them higher because they only return 1 player of any significance.

Why the American matter is for WSU is that they will get ample opportunity to build an at-large resume due to their non-conference schedule and conference schedule.

How many teams in the MVc will have a chance to build an at-large resume?

I think ISU and SIU for sure have schedules that could help them. Loyola did a crappy job for a team that might need it. Those are the only three that have realistic at large chances anyway. The Valley is going to be pretty good this season.

[VUGrad1314]

We're probably not ready for an at-large either, but this is pound for pound the best schedule Valpo has ever had. WKU WVU and A&M all guaranteed. We may even get WVU twice. Plus possibly 8 top 100 games in conference. It's hard to argue Stickboy's point, though the extent to which the conference actually hurt them is up for debate given the undeniable implicit bias against schools outside the top 7 conferences. However I would call the WSU-MVC split a mutually beneficial divorce. More than one year on, how can you not argue that everyone is better off? The Shockers left a conference they had clearly outgrown and got into a conference that affords them better seeding, The remaining MVC members all feel like they can breathe again and compete and build their program, Valpo left a conference they had outgrown and now find themselves in a conference that will give them better seeding when they make it, better competition on the court, a better shot at an at-large bid and more like-minded universities in conference. Even IUPUI is probably happy because they saved a bundle on travel and are with like-minded universities.