State of the Conference

[ahunte1]

Me too. Disconnecting on every page load on mobile.

++

I'm a huge Loyola fan and have sometimes had blinders on, but even I know that the words Loyola and at-large shouldn't be in the same sentence. If we had closed out the game at NC State, then maybe the door would still be open, but even then we'd probably have to go 14-4 in conference at worst, which is unlikely.

That said, I'm all for getting the #3 seed and stealing a bid in St. Louis

[bigdawg]

No issues for me today but think I lost a post or two over the weekend.

[ACECARD]

I'm using AOL from my PC, and having trouble even getting connected at times, lots of disconnects at other times. Lots better when I use Chrome.

[Blers]

At least one person on the national scene might agree with my new best friend from Evansville though... Ramblers received a single AP top 25 vote

[Snaggletooth]

I admit it will be difficult for Loyola for an at large but they still can't be ruled out at this point. Their 2 losses are not bad at all at.

But they don't have any good Non-conference wins. Their OOC SOS will be 300+. Not a recipe for being rewarded an at-large.

[Cdizzle]

I admit it will be difficult for Loyola for an at large but they still can't be ruled out at this point. Their 2 losses are not bad at all at.

But they don't have any good Non-conference wins. Their OOC SOS will be 300+. Not a recipe for being rewarded an at-large.

Not from the Valley, anyway. Lville and Pitt haven't had trouble with it.

[2livewu]

I'm not sure on what planet Loyola is alive for an at large. I suppose run the table, MAYBE 17-1 share the title with WSU gives them enough of a gaudy record to overcome a terrible non-con with losses to St Josephs (a team that's 2 baskets from being 2-6) and NC State who is really not good at all and neither will be considered for an at large.

I admit it will be difficult for Loyola for an at large but they still can't be ruled out at this point. Their 2 losses are not bad at all at.
The fact is St. Joe's is 4-4 and not 2-6. They're coming off a tournament bid and a 28 win season and could very well finish in the top 4 of the A-10. The 2 point loss @ NC State could end up being a "good loss" if the 7-2 Wolfpack do well in the ACC.
The more concerning fact is they are playing without 2 key players. Matt Chastain is out for the season. Dante Ingram is out 4-6 weeks.
So for now I will back off my stance on how good I think they can be but am still not ruling them out for the tournament

Yes, their 2 losses ARE bad. St Joe's is not good. They have a 1 point win at home over a bad Toledo team, 4 losses to middling teams Ole Miss and NC State, a decent team in Temple and clearly were overmatched (as most are) against 'Nova. They aren't turning heads with that 1 point win over Drexel either. Drexel is AWFUL.

Just because something hasn't happened doesn't really mean it still may happen.

Valley mentality. Go ahead and keep the faith just because it hasn't happened yet. Also, wear the 1 in 10 like a badge of honor. Yeah team!

[ahunte1]

Yes, their 2 losses ARE bad. St Joe's is not good. They have a 1 point win at home over a bad Toledo team, 4 losses to middling teams Ole Miss and NC State, a decent team in Temple and clearly were overmatched (as most are) against 'Nova. They aren't turning heads with that 1 point win over Drexel either. Drexel is AWFUL.

They aren't bad based on where Loyola is coming from, but if you're looking for at-large consideration, I agree those losses don't cut it. But nobody on this board expected Loyola to schedule up for at-large consideration this year. That's the reason it's not going to happen. It's a decent schedule, and we had chances for a couple nice wins (got one of them), but we've also lost two of the three best games on the schedule.

Having said all that, I have a new favorite AP writer! Thanks for the vote, whoever you are.

[Cdizzle]

They aren't bad based on where Loyola is coming from, but if you're looking for at-large consideration, I agree those losses don't cut it. .

I think this is important. I think it's OK to say Loyola is off to a pretty good start this year while also being realistic that at-large bid is not in the cards.

[Stickboy46]

They aren't bad based on where Loyola is coming from, but if you're looking for at-large consideration, I agree those losses don't cut it. .

I think this is important. I think it's OK to say Loyola is off to a pretty good start this year while also being realistic that at-large bid is not in the cards.

This .. While they wont get an At-large, I'm extremely happy and impressed with Loyola this year. That is a good trend in the right direction. They even received a vote in the AP Top 25 today. Who would have saw that coming at the beginning of the year?