Sound ridiculous to you? It does to me too, but they're on ESPN's Bubble Watch now. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">If the Spartans had made a few free throws late against Wisconsin, the Big Ten's postseason picture would be in focus. As it stands, the Spartans remain the only team in limbo. The others? Well, Purdue gave Illinois all it wanted in overtime, but lost 81-79 at home to fall to 17-11 overall. Purdue is looking at reaching the Big Ten tournament final just to feel like it has a chance to dance on Selection Sunday. Michigan? Well, the Wolverines also lost on Wednesday -- at Indiana, where the Hoosiers finally made the home fans happy. Michigan (16-10), like Purdue, can't do better than .500 in a Big Ten headed for an all-time low of NCAA bids. But to do so, they must do what Purdue couldn't -- beat the Wildcats, who are looking to earn NIT points by ending other's NCAA hopes on Saturday. Michigan State (17-10, 12-4; RPI: 37, SOS 23) The Spartans went from possible Big Ten champions to the bubble. That just about sums up the conference, doesn't it? Tuesday night's loss to Wisconsin leaves Michigan State 0-8 vs. the RPI top 50 heading into the Big Ten tournament. The Spartans can still claim a share of the title if the Illini stumble once this week and can back into the title alone with two Illinois' losses (at Purdue, at Ohio State). But the Big Ten title alone or shared may not be enough to convince the committee that these Spartans aren't the same group that went 5-6 against top competition in the regular season. Eight of those Big Ten wins came via sweeps of Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern and Penn State ... who combined to lose 46 conference games heading into the final week of the regular season. The Spartans may still get invited to the dance, but an early exit in the Big Ten tournament isn't advised.</div>Frankly, I think this is funny. It's to me quite ludicrous that a team with that RPI and that conference record could be on the bubble, and I think even ESPN knows that while they're taking shots at them, they'll get in. Eight of those wins came via sweeps of Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern and Penn State... so do those 8 wins not count now? Last I checked, Michigan and Northwestern were having a pretty good season. The 0-8 thing hurts, but honestly, I don't think it matters in the slightest when your RPI is top 40 and your conference record in the Big Ten is 12-4. By the way, they have Maryland not as a bubble team, but as a lock. Win or lose, they say, against Virginia, they are already in. Okay, say they lose. 6-10 in the ACC is a lock, 12-4 in the Big Ten is a bubble team? I know the ACC is strong this year, but come on. As ESPN would say, of Maryland's 6 wins, did you know that two came from a season sweep against Clemson; one was Florida State at home, and we all know how Florida State plays on the road; now take away that win against Virginia because Virginia isn't the greatest and all of a sudden, that 6-10 becomes 2-10!!
One week they are ranked... they lose one game and they become bubblicious? I think it's absolutely hilarious! Wisconsin is one of the best basketball teams in the nation and Michigan State WOULD have won if Paul Davis hadn't gone out with leg injuries. With four or five minutes left in the second half he went to the bench and didn't stop crying in pain 'till the game was over. With him they have the talent to be one of the TOP TEN teams in the nation. Hillarious find, Fast Luck. Maryland SHOULD NOT be in the tournament. The got their asses cleaned in their own conference. Only five teams should make it from the ACC - Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and maybe the winner of the ACC tournament. The Big Ten is just as good. The NCAA is ACC biased and it makes me sick. Besides, Michigan State, in my opinion, has one of the top five traveling fan bases in the country. Schools like Michigan State, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, etc. always get in because the NCAA loves to sell as many tickets as possible. Year after year Michigan State and other Big Ten teams prove that it doesn't matter what happened in the regular season; it's all about the postseason. Last year Michigan State was a low seed, but they smashed Colorado, Florida, Maryland, and barely lost to Texas in the Elite Eight. Michigan State has made the Elite Eight four out of the last five years, and the Final Four three out of the last five years. Infact, the year Michigan State won their national championship they faced Wisconsin, another Big Ten team, in the Final Four. If I recall correctly, Wisconsin had 13 losses that season.
they didn't lose one game! they keep losing games! that's the problem! every week they're in the air.. it's more along the lines of.. "ok.. if they don't lose again.. they're in".. but they keep losing! i don't know how they're going to do. i haven't seen them play recently, but caught a few early on in the year and they played tough. i think they need to win the big ten tourney to shut people up and solidify a spot.. if they go one and done, forget it. they just don't have any wins.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting okaforever:</div><div class="quote_post">they didn't lose one game! they keep losing games! that's the problem! every week they're in the air.. it's more along the lines of.. "ok.. if they don't lose again.. they're in".. but they keep losing! i don't know how they're going to do. i haven't seen them play recently, but caught a few early on in the year and they played tough. i think they need to win the big ten tourney to shut people up and solidify a spot.. if they go one and done, forget it. they just don't have any wins.</div> Get a clue. They are 12-2 in their last 14 games. What do you mean by, "every week they're in the air.. it's more along the lines of.. "ok.. if they don't lose again.. they're in".. but they keep losing!"?
every week they keep getting put on the bubble. for that reason alone.. they don't have the greatest record, and don't have many quality wins. if they're to keep losing, and aren't going to beat anybody of significance.. then their chances are low.. and vice versa. (basically pointing out the obvious). and plus you said this comment "they lose one game and they become bubblicious? I think it's absolutely hilarious!".. it wasn't because of one game that all of a sudden turned michigan st. into a bubble team, it's been going on since the beginning of the season when people questioned michigan st.
But he's right that they were in the Top 25 before that one loss. One loss sending you from top 25 to bubble is funny. They'll never not make it, even if they lose their first Big Ten tourney game. But they could end up being in the last 10 picked (just more around 6-10 than 1-5).
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Fast Luck:</div><div class="quote_post">But he's right that they were in the Top 25 before that one loss. One loss sending you from top 25 to bubble is funny. They'll never not make it, even if they lose their first Big Ten tourney game. But they could end up being in the last 10 picked (just more around 6-10 than 1-5).</div> Thank you, I was missquoted. Oka... all you want to do is bring negativity. Michigan State DOES have the best schedule in the nation. You can't look at the Strength of Schedule in the R.P.I., because that just gives every SEC team a top 50 S.O.S. and the average Big Ten team a S.O.S. below or at 100. Another thing that has to be taken into consideration that isn't, is how a team was doing when you played them. For example, when Michigan State lost in overtime to Oklahoma, Oklahoma had Bookout and J.Brown. Now they don't have either one so they've been losing games. It's not fair to count them as the same O.U. team that is on the bubble now, because when M.S.U. played them they were on top of the world. Infact, they were undefeated. The same kind of thing could be said for Kansas who was knocking off everyone, but has just slipped recently. I don't see how you can play at UCLA, Syracuse, Kentucky, nuetral with Oklahoma, Duke, at Kansas, and all the Big Ten teams then not have the best schedule in the nation.
ok.. i don't disagree with anything you said.. i wasn't arguing against that. i never said they didn't have a tough schedule, i said something along the lines not having any wins against the tough schedule.
