Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

[Luckycat]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

What a great game to get on your schedule. I was hoping UNI could get this game. Vanderbilt is always overrated.
Overrated might be harsh - They are consistently disappointing, I can say that for sure. People always expect them to do something and they just never do. In and out of the top 25 all season and then always on the tournament bubble. Like Minnesota or Illinois.

Ind St actually had a chance to put the game out of reach in the first half but only got up about 10. Vandy has long stretches where they just will not play defense.

The announcers were pretty good (SEC team). But before the game one guy did say "Indiana State could play very well and still get blown out tonight." I knew right then they would win this game.

I cheer for whoever is playing Vanderbilt. When head coach at Ill.St., Stallings or "Stareings" as I like to call him behaved like a 3 year old at the 1997 MVC Tournament and displayed such disrespect to Eldon Miller that I will never forgive or forget.

[CincyPanther88]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

The top four in this league are really going to get separation, that is great for multiple bids come March.

Yeah, I don't know. It could be a case where the top teams beat each other up and at the end of the season it doesn't look that great to the selection committee.

Always good to see Kevin Stallings get beat.

[TravelingPanther]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

Top teams in the league need to avoid losses to the bottom of the league if we want multiple bids.

[Kyle]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

The top four in this league are really going to get separation, that is great for multiple bids come March.

I hope you are right, but Evansville always seems to enjoy playing the spoiler.

We really need SIU to go 0-19 in MVC play.

[Hail Our Panthers]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

I get the feeling that ISUb joining the party (not that they weren't in it to begin with) is probably not the best thing. Overall its obviously better for the Valley, but I'm not sure its better for UNI. I don't see the Valley getting 4 bids, and I'm still not fully able to jump on to the 3-bid bandwagon either. I feel like it would be much easier for 3 teams to gain separation than 4.

Lets say, for instance, the Valley finishes something like this:
CU 14-4
WSU 13-5
UNI 12-6
ISUb 12-6

Is the committee going to want to pick a Valley team with 6 conference losses? Maybe, the conference is better than its been for a few years. But will they take 2? I just don't see it. Which one are they going to pick? We played arguably the toughest non-schedule in the league. But they played a pretty salty one themselves, and depending on how Vandy's season goes, they might have a signature win that we would be lacking. Maybe our run from two years ago and consistent tourney appearances from the past decade will help, but they made the tourney just one year ago with these same kids. Obviously other things will make a difference, like the Ohio game, the bracketbuster, and the MVC tourney.

Anyways I think we're capable of winning more than 12, but I think if we win fewer than that we'll be pretty nervous on selection Sunday.

[Panther-Sheik]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

6 losses in conference play won't get anyone in the Dance unless they win the MVC tourney IMO. I think we (or any of the other "top 4" mentioned above) will need to have no more than 4 losses to be on the bubble.

[ubuntuCAT]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

6 losses in conference play won't get anyone in the Dance unless they win the MVC tourney IMO. I think we (or any of the other "top 4" mentioned above) will need to have no more than 4 losses to be on the bubble.

We had 7 conference losses in both '04/'05 and '05/'06 in which both times we received at-large bids.

[achrist70]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

I think that the Valley has had as good of a non-conference as in 05 and 06 if we beat Ohio, and the Valley doesn't fall apart against bracketbuster opponents.

[Panther-Sheik]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

We had 7 conference losses in both '04/'05 and '05/'06 in which both times we received at-large bids.

I have no faith in the committee anymore. I would love to see it return to the "golden age of the mid-major" but it hasn't been that way for the past 5+ years. Hope it changes, though!

[achrist70]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

I have no faith in the committee anymore. I would love to see it return to the "golden age of the mid-major" but it hasn't been that way for the past 5+ years. Hope it changes, though!

I agree with you the selection committee has not been good the last few years, however, the Big East is a little bit down this year, I see them losing 4 bids from last year, the Pac 12 sucks, the Big 10 should get around the same number as the last few years, the SEC and ACC are the same. The CAA may not be a multi bid this year, so that helps us. There is a chance for the Valley to get 4 bids.

[Panther-Sheik]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

I agree with you the selection committee has not been good the last few years, however, the Big East is a little bit down this year, I see them losing 4 bids from last year, the Pac 12 sucks, the Big 10 should get around the same number as the last few years, the SEC and ACC are the same. The CAA may not be a multi bid this year, so that helps us. There is a chance for the Valley to get 4 bids.

Brought a smile to my face to read your post and I really hope you are right. Would be great to get a pack into the tourney and then actually make some noise. Long way to go, though, I guess.

[isu87]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

I think it may depend on how the BCS conferences fare this year, for example, the PAC 12 is downright AWFUL, so let's say they only get one bid, maybe 2, then that opens more spots for non-BCS teams to enter the fray. The Big 10 will get their share, we gotta hope the Big East doesn't get all their teams in. There is a lot to pay attention to. The ACC may be a little down this year also (other than Duke & UNC of course).

as for having 4 good teams at the top in MVC play, I think it's good, I think there is going to be a clear separation between the top 4-5 teams and the bottom 5. But some of those bottom 5 teams will upset the top 5 teams at some point

edit: I see achrist70 addressed what I just talked about 2 posts above mine

[PantherHawk]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

The conference is really, really good and come March we will have 5 teams tied at the top with 7 losses and the Valley will be judged to be no good.
The Big East will have 10 teams in the Tournament and half those will have a .500 conference record and they will be judged to have a well balanced conference.

agree 100%, its BS that these BCS conference teams get in with .500 records or below in conference. If their not above .500 in their conference they don't belong there, especially when there are teams in other conferences who have 12-6 or even 11-7 records in the MVC.

I think this year the Mid-majors get A LOT of teams in, it just seems like the Big Dogs are struggling this year. I think the mid majors have had some nice wins this year and will be rewarded with a few teams in the tourny.

[Kyle]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

6 losses in conference play won't get anyone in the Dance unless they win the MVC tourney IMO. I think we (or any of the other "top 4" mentioned above) will need to have no more than 4 losses to be on the bubble.

I highly doubt we finish with 4 loses or less. Even in 09 when we won the conference by a large margin, we ended up with 3 loses. The year before we won the conference with 4 loses.

I think 6 loses puts us on the bubble. 5 losses or less and we are in as long as those losses are not to bottom half teams.

Of course we also have the MVC tournament, which will factor into our at large chances.

[Hail Our Panthers]

Re: Indiana St. @ #25 Vanderbilt

Andy Glockner was going off today on how he thinks the Pac-12 is a one, maybe two bid league. They are 2-16 against the top 50 and 12-33 against the top 100. Lets hope others will share his opinion