Bracketology 2024

With KU now down to a projected 4 seed, it is looking like the only chance we get knocked from Omaha is if Baylor beats us out. Our Q1 and Q2 win pct is higher than Baylor's, and it looks like we have 1 game for error in that area. If we lose on Thu and Baylor wins 2, they jump us. If we win Thu and Baylor wins, even if Baylor beats us on Fri and then loses Sat, I think we edge them out for Omaha. Us winning Thu and losing Fri also keeps the possibility of us getting a 2 and Baylor a 3 in Omaha. In short, we need a win on Thu for seeding, and even more so for momentum and confidence.
The committee has said they put less stock into the conference tournaments.
 
I think most "realistic" KU fans don't expect much of a run this year from this team, so I wonder how much their normal HUGE ticket demand will be. KU travels as good as anyone.
 
Creighton can’t play in Omaha - they’re the host of the Omaha site. That disqualifies them from playing there. The only thing that could screw us in this scenario is if Creighton jumps Marquette, putting Creighton in Indy and bumping Marquette to Omaha.

But none of that should matter because Baylor is going to Memphis and KU is well behind us now.
Right. Baylor’s first location is Memphis. Houston will go there, but Memphis has another slot for a top 16 team. Only Bama, Auburn, or Kentucky could potentially leapfrog Baylor into that spot, but I don’t think that’s likely.

Even so, there’s two slots for top 16 seeds in Omaha. So, even if Baylor were to be seeded there (which isn’t likely), we could still earn Omaha by staying ahead of them OR Kansas on the S-Curve, OR if Creighton doesn’t surpass Marquette on the S-Curve
 
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You're right. Working through this there is a decent chance we end up splitting Omaha with not KU now. Could be Baylor or Marquette.
KU is definitely reliant on us, Baylor and Marquette at this point. To me there’s a clear delineation of the ISU/Baylor/Duke/Creighton/Marquette group and Kansas
 
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I would love to see some of the posters who post hyperbole about Div 1 players go one on one with them to see just how stupid some of their posts are.

Kalscheur and Grill weren't point guards but that comment is plain stupid.
I played a lot of pick-up basketball with guys in the team as an undergrad and again as a grad student at ISU. Guys on the end of the ISU bench were all-world in pick-up games. The level of step up athletically is huge. Elmer Robinson, in his red shirt year, cost me an IM T-shirt in 3-in-3 basketball. I over played him knowing he wanted to go left…and he still blew by me!
 
Teams are putting smaller, quicker guys on him and it's bothering him on the perimeter. Got to get him in the post against those guys.
Also requires that our ball dominant guards look for him and give it to him. Lipsey loves to dribble to the baseline and clog everything up when MM is trying to post up.

Post entries and cutting (other than Watson) are weaknesses. Getting the ball to King and Jones on the block (not on the wing or 17 feet out on the baseline) puts pressure on the defense and alleviates some playmaking responsibilities that Gilbert and Lipsey struggle with at times.
 
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I played a lot of pick-up basketball with guys in the team as an undergrad and again as a grad student at ISU. Guys on the end of the ISU bench were all-world in pick-up games. The level of step up athletically is huge. Elmer Robinson, in his red shirt year, cost me an IM T-shirt in 3-in-3 basketball. I over played him knowing he wanted to go left…and he still blew by me!
i played some pick up games with Tinsley. i remember guarding him and he told me what he was going to do, asked me if i understood, i said yes, and he told me to repeat it back to him, i did and he said on three. he then did exactly what he said to me. even thought i knew what he was going to do i could not stop him. he was so fast. one of the steps was he was going to put the ball between my legs. i remember thinking why didn't i just put my legs together.
 
For my own amusement...

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Brooklyn = (2) Connecticut; (13) Kentucky
Charlotte = (4) Tennessee; (5) North Carolina
Indianapolis = (1) Purdue; (8) Marquette
Memphis = (3) Houston; (9) Baylor
Omaha = (7) Iowa State; (12) Kansas
Pittsburgh = (10) Creighton; (11) Duke
Salt Lake City = (6) Arizona; (14) Alabama
Spokane = (15) Illinois; (16) Auburn
 
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The committee has said they put less stock into the conference tournaments.
I've heard differently. They do consider conference tournament games. They treat them like any other game, which by conference tournament time is around 1/30th of the season. They just don't way overemphasize games at the end of the season like fans do.
 
The committee has said they put less stock into the conference tournaments.

I just spoke with someone on the committee, a mid major athletic director. He spoke with Jamie this morning. Said we are still a two seed but our non conference schedule was terrible. Apparently Jamie told him we knew the team was basically rebuilding and needed an easier schedule to start the year
 
i played some pick up games with Tinsley. i remember guarding him and he told me what he was going to do, asked me if i understood, i said yes, and he told me to repeat it back to him, i did and he said on three. he then did exactly what he said to me. even thought i knew what he was going to do i could not stop him. he was so fast. one of the steps was he was going to put the ball between my legs. i remember thinking why didn't i just put my legs together.
I have some painful and good memories from playing pick-up with team members:
  • Stayed one summer in Ames working and every afternoon played fairly high-level (I was easily the weakest or second weakest player on the court most of the time) pick-up games on the big court in State Gym (way before the current renovation). You were allowed to stop and step outside and through up over the steps facing Beyer, but you had to come back right away and finish the game!
  • I had to guard Big Vick in one game in the post. What a laugher as I am only 6' 3" (in shoes) and that dude has a hind end as wide as an aircraft carrier. There was no way to get around him to stop the entry pass and he could reach about as high as I could jump. Thankfully he never used his patented chicken-wing hook on me.
  • Was playing with T-Woods and I was in the post. The defender overplayed me to the topside so I reverse pivoted on the baseline to be open right under the bucket. Before I was fully squared around, T hit me between the eyes with a bullet pass--new meaning learned about "keeping your eye on the ball".
  • Set up to take a charge from Ronnie Harris and he planted a knee in my chest, knocked the wind out of me, dunked and landed straddling me. He looked down and said, "Ain't no charges in pick-up white boy." Kindly he didn't step on me.
  • While I was not a great jumper, I had a quick release and high arch on my shot from the corner of the lane. Hit one over Lafester. Two trips down the floor later I got the ball (amazing because there wasn't a lot of passing in those games) in the same spot and he came flying at me with his long arms shouting and I got it off just over his finger tips. He turned to see it swoosh then looked quizzically back at me as we trotted down the floor and said, "Damn white boy!" Neither it nor Ronnie's comments were derogatory racially, just and identifier as one of the only caucasians on the floor.
  • One of the worst experiences was having to guard Ray Harris. For those of you too young to remember, he was about 6' 6" and super muscled, but he sweat more than anyone I have ever seen. He had to change shoes every couple of pick-up games because he would sweat through them! He was scary looking but had this very high pitched voice that didn't match the mean looking physique.
  • Broke my wrist playing in a game with Fred (not his fault). I got a rebound but was falling backwards so threw it towards the rim so I wouldn't travel and put my hand down to break the fall...big mistake!. I missed, but Fred rebounded and put it back in and we one the game but that was the end of my pick-up games for a few months.
 
I played a lot of pick-up basketball with guys in the team as an undergrad and again as a grad student at ISU. Guys on the end of the ISU bench were all-world in pick-up games. The level of step up athletically is huge. Elmer Robinson, in his red shirt year, cost me an IM T-shirt in 3-in-3 basketball. I over played him knowing he wanted to go left…and he still blew by me!
Elmer was a solid dude. Probably lucky he went by you rather than through you.
 
i played some pick up games with Tinsley. i remember guarding him and he told me what he was going to do, asked me if i understood, i said yes, and he told me to repeat it back to him, i did and he said on three. he then did exactly what he said to me. even thought i knew what he was going to do i could not stop him. he was so fast. one of the steps was he was going to put the ball between my legs. i remember thinking why didn't i just put my legs together.

Out of curiosity to those who played pick-up ball against ISU greats--was the dominant court still the front courts at Lied or were they elsewhere?

When I was at ISU during the final Orr/early Floyd years, I recall hearing people actually saying Jacy Halloway putting on a show there.
 
Elmer was a solid dude. Probably lucky he went by you rather than through you.
Absolutely! I didn't know who he was at first as that Championship game was the first I had played against him and he hadn't been on the floor for ISU yet. The other thing I remember about him is that you could get a pass around him as he had super long arms and was uber quick. After the game we were talking and we asked why he didn't try out for the Clones, and he let us know he was on the team but redshirting after giving baseball a try professionally first.
 
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Absolutely! I didn't know who he was at first as that Championship game was the first I had played against him and he hadn't been on the floor for ISU yet. The other thing I remember about him is that you could get a pass around him as he had super long arms and was uber quick. After the game we were talking and we asked why he didn't try out for the Clones, and he let us know he was on the team but redshirting after giving baseball a try professionally first.
For those who don't remember Elmer, think Tre King but 6'5"
 
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No idea how accurate this guy will be but I've been following his posts and he gives good updates and analysis.

His update today gives a good visual as to why you don't want to be on the bubble at this point.
He says his top 34 teams are all locks to be in the field.
Then there are another 24 conference champions that will be in the field.

That only leaves 10 spots for all those bubble teams.

 
I just spoke with someone on the committee, a mid major athletic director. He spoke with Jamie this morning. Said we are still a two seed but our non conference schedule was terrible. Apparently Jamie told him we knew the team was basically rebuilding and needed an easier schedule to start the year


Again, Iowa being terrible and a Terrible DePaul are out of Iowa States control. You swap those games out and our non con resume looks much different.