If today was Selection Sunday, ...

[Bay Area Billiken]

and if the RPI was purely followed, here would be the conference breakdown of conferences getting multiple NCAA bids:

ACC 8

Pac 10 6

Big East 6

Big 10 6 (Illinois would be out with RPI of 50.)

SEC 5

Missouri Valley 5 (SIU, Mo. State, Bradley, Creighton, UNI)

Big XII 4

Mountain West 2

Every other conference,including the A-10, would be 1 bid leagues. I know the RPI is not the sole factor, but history has shown that it is pretty close, with about 3 variances per year. Also, the above list would probably be even more skewed for the BCS leagues because I don't see the NCAA leaving out Texas (RPI 57) and probably not K-State (RPI 49) and Illinois (RPI 50). The presence of those 3 schools, along with LSU (RPI 52) on the wrong side of the cut-off (currently at RPI 47) should be enough to make the MVC supporters nervous.

Also this RPI remains a mysterious concept. Look at the A-10, where Xavier (51), Dayton (60), UMass (65), and George Washington (78) all have records on par, and in some cases better than the MVC's Mo. State (31), Bradley (34), Creighton 42, and Northern Iowa (46).

The Billikens have work to do. SLU's RPI was 40 on Dec. 20; it is now 102, which would not even qualify SLU for the NIT. And yet, SLU's overall record is 12-7, the exact same record as Creighton (RPI 42).

This RPI review also shows the huge power of the BCS conferences. The A-10 overall is #10; the MVC is #5, ahead of the Big XII (#6).

[Bay Area Billiken]

SIU has an RPI of 11.

Does anyone think that SIU is the 11th best team in the country?

I saw SIU play and barely beat St. Mary's in a game that could have gone either way. I know that was only one game. Shaw had an off day that afternoon, but even with Shaw, SIU really only has 3 good players, Falker, Tatum, and Shaw. The rest are more akin to role players.

I don't think SIU would beat Illinois (RPI 50).

We know how the RPI is figured, and the MVC certainly has the system down. But, in my opinion, something still seems skewed with this RPI system.

[billiken_roy]

i think siu would beat illinois. the siu guards are far superior. i do not think they are a legit 11th in the country though.

[brianstl]

I have watched both play several times and I think SIU would beat them 8 out of ten times.

[Westy03]

They would beat UofI but thats not saying much this year. Ive seen SIU play about 5 times. They are a borderline top 25 team. The best on the ball defenders ive seen in years but I really feel that their lack of offensive firepower will hurt them. I would put them about 30th in the country

[Pistol]

I don't know about 8 of 10, but I'll give you 6. Illinois is more naturally talented, but seems to be a lot sloppier and more inconsistent this year. I watched them play Xavier, Mizzou, and parts of some Big Ten games this year, and haven't been that impressed. SIU is better, and would go further in the tournament.

As for 11th in the nation? No way, but top 30 is reasonable. But we all know that the MVC simply has the RPI figured out, and the A-10 doesn't. We also know that the MVC is currently the best it's ever been (and will not get any better) while the A-10 is currently about the worst it's ever been, and I sure hope it doesn't get any worse.

[billiken_roy]

other than randle, who on the illini is "more naturally talented"? i strongly disagree.

falker is more athletic than pruitt, and so is shaw compared to carter, however that match up is more intriguing.

smith can shoot, but skip can dribble as good as smith.

fraizer, not real sure where fraizer comes in compared to any of the siu guards. i would rather have all the siu guards than fraizer.

mcbride has nice size and can shoot, but tatum is far more athletic imo.

randall is the illini stud

[Bay Area Billiken]

I think the Illini front line would wear down SIU. Falker plays Center at 6'7". Illinois goes 6'8", 6'9", 6'10" up front. Shaw is listed at 6'7", but that might be pushing it an inch.

Tonight will be an interesting game in Champaign as Indiana visits Assembly Hall. There never has been much love lost in this one. I remember when a big issue was whether Bobby Knight and Lou Henson would even shake hands. Henson once went off about how Knight "raids our state." The coaches have changed, but the controversy remains, now centered on IU signing that big star guard after he had orally committed to U of I. Kelvin Sampson and his Hoosiers will no doubt get a nice Praire State "welcome" tonight amidst the Orange Crush in the Giant Mushroom rising from the Prairie.

We can also compare some scores. Indiana beat SIU in Bloomington. Illinois beat Bradley by 4 on a neutral floor, and Bradley beat SIU by 2 in Peoria.

[Pistol]

I guess we just have to agree to disagree here. I didn't necessarily say "better basketball players" or "harder working" or "more productive," but I still stand by my remark that Illinois is more athletically gifted than SIUC. I didn't say I would rather have one set of players or the other.

Shaw is definitely very athletic, but I think you're overrating Tatum and Falker. I'm not sure why you're comparing Shaw to Carter- they're completely different players. Pruitt is deceptively athletic, and Smith is too- he just doesn't capitalize on much besides his incredibly smooth shot.

I think the reason that a lot of these guys are at SIUC instead of Illinois is because of how college coaches perceived their athleticism. They are undersized, hardworking, and a great team, but if they were blue chip athletes, a lot of them would be playing at bigger schools.

[courtside]

>and if the RPI was purely followed, here would be the

>conference breakdown of conferences getting multiple NCAA

>bids:

>

>ACC 8

>Pac 10 6

>Big East 6

>Big 10 6 (Illinois would be out with RPI of 50.)

>SEC 5

>Missouri Valley 5 (SIU, Mo. State, Bradley, Creighton, UNI)

>Big XII 4

>Mountain West 2

>

>Every other conference,including the A-10, would be 1 bid

>leagues. I know the RPI is not the sole factor, but history

>has shown that it is pretty close, with about 3 variances

>per year. Also, the above list would probably be even more

>skewed for the BCS leagues because I don't see the NCAA

>leaving out Texas (RPI 57) and probably not K-State (RPI 49)

>and Illinois (RPI 50). The presence of those 3 schools,

>along with LSU (RPI 52) on the wrong side of the cut-off

>(currently at RPI 47) should be enough to make the MVC

>supporters nervous.

>

>Also this RPI remains a mysterious concept. Look at the

>A-10, where Xavier (51), Dayton (60), UMass (65), and George

>Washington (78) all have records on par, and in some cases

>better than the MVC's Mo. State (31), Bradley (34),

>Creighton 42, and Northern Iowa (46).

>

>The Billikens have work to do. SLU's RPI was 40 on Dec. 20;

> it is now 102, which would not even qualify SLU for the

>NIT. And yet, SLU's overall record is 12-7, the exact same

>record as Creighton (RPI 42).

>

>This RPI review also shows the huge power of the BCS

>conferences. The A-10 overall is #10; the MVC is #5, ahead

>of the Big XII (#6).

Too bad the selection isn't today, I would clean up on those MVC picks.

SIU and MO St would be the only locks this week. Much Much more work to do for others.

RPI can be achieved a variety of ways. It took the MVC a while to figure it out how to try to beat it. And to their credit they did to some extent.

SIU, a good club, chose to go on the road early and often in non-conference against mostly not so great teams...winning on road helps RPI, winning against not good but not 200 or worse RPI level teams, keeps it from falling. If the league can win just a few games against Big Conference bottom dwellers...what happens? Well..the MVC plays an 18 game schedule with only ten league teams. all beating each other keeps the RPI afloat. And what else happens? I do not care what league...at some point even a league bottom dweller will win a few games against the better teams in its league. Get the whole league to schedule this way...and what do you get? a league RPI that is not going to fall too far.

Now if MO St wants to lose more games to Evansville like this weekend etc...they will be in trouble. Wichita St. did the dirty work by winning two games on road...and if you beat Wichita St...in league keeps the RPI afloat. They have the system down. To Wichita St's credit and MO St...in a one game deal they won their early season game....the Super Bowl for the MVC....and just another non-conference game before the real deal in big conference play.

That is how it is done. However, last year MO St's 20 something RPI was not an invite. And all of these Valley teams beating each other helping keep RPI afloat but hurting their invite chances.

People are not going to look at Creighton and say they have blank RPI...they get in....no...they will fist say, wow, this team's best con-conference win is Xavier. And this team isn't dominating its conference.

What does Creighton have going for it? Years of domintating the conference and especially conference tourney. What does SIU have going for it? Bruce Weber took Illinois to National Title game very recently. SIU has a better resume than Creighton right now...if it ended today...Creighton is in the NIT.

Bradley, hoping that by winning conference tourney and winning in last year's tourney will carry over, before people forget them forever again like all the years prior to conference tourney title....the biggest thing going for it right now. Bradley will need to make a run to top of conference.

If the A10 was having merely a decent season, it would not get less teams than the MVC. It's not having that year. I agree with Bilas, the A10 is a two bid league this year. I do not see the MVC getting more teams this year than last year.

The NCAA does not just pick teams based on RPI. Or MO ST, Cincinnati etc would have gotten in last year.

The best thing the MVC can hope for is SIU steamrolling the rest of the season so it can be the one team with a good seed from the MVC.

RPI is one factor of getting an invite. Teams would be seeded and selected right down the list...but it doesn't work that way.