Well then they have to be better than 7th. However I believe they have been around 8 -9 the last few seasons. There is nothing written in stone that the best we can be is only 7th
The big issue is how does the league does overall - if we are middle of the pack of the non P4 then yes at large bids will be hard to come by but if the league can be 7 or 8 then an at large bid is reasonable to expect even though I do agree that the final results of conf tourneys can up end it all.
Good teams will avoid this trap. We are fond of saying things like P4 schools that are 500 in the conference not being good enough to be in the Dance - well you are making their argument that it is OK that they don't excel in conference. The top schools in the A10 just need to take care of business.
I was unable to watch but I saw a clip on FB and I understand why you feel sick. I assume the player purposely missed the FT since it bounced so far out but that shot was one that is normally missed.