UC not looking like a quality win

[XU05and07]

Through 30 minutes of basketball tonight at South Florida...the UC Ragamuffins have scored 29 points. Their RPI going into the night was 47 and will fall the rest of the season as their collapse is complete.

With UC falling...we need Florida (RPI 61) and Kent State (RPI 63) to climb...and quickly. I love to watch UC collapse, but it is hurting X

[Xavier]

Through 30 minutes of basketball tonight at South Florida...the UC Ragamuffins have scored 29 points. Their RPI going into the night was 47 and will fall the rest of the season as their collapse is complete.

With UC falling...we need Florida (RPI 61) and Kent State (RPI 63) to climb...and quickly. I love to watch UC collapse, but it is hurting X

I figured with there remaining SOS it would stay top 50 regardless of winning or not? I feel like it will be in the 40's come selection sunday. I did not know Kent State was so close to the top 50- that would be a big surprise. And, I expect florida to be top 50 as well-They will be in the tournament.

bottom line-I love seeing UC lose and out of the tournament again.

[Snipe]

Mick would be fired, but the Department has already lost so much money they can't afford the alimony.

Man does UC Basketball suck.

[danaandvictory]

The Yellow-Toothed Gnome must have really pulled the strings at halftime, because his charges scored six goddamned points in the first eleven minutes of the half. In a must-win game. Maybe his dipshit brother can drop a C-bomb on Deonte Vaughn on Twitter again.

[THRILLHOUSE]

I figured with there remaining SOS it would stay top 50 regardless of winning or not? I feel like it will be in the 40's come selection sunday. I did not know Kent State was so close to the top 50- that would be a big surprise. And, I expect florida to be top 50 as well-They will be in the tournament.

bottom line-I love seeing UC lose and out of the tournament again.

Florida is gonna have to knock off Tenn and/or UK to get in the tournament as an at large.

And yes, I love the annual UC February tank job. Now that I feel very comfortable about our at-large chances, UC can go ahead and lose out and I will love every second of it.

[Xavier]

Florida is gonna have to knock off Tenn and/or UK to get in the tournament as an at large.

And yes, I love the annual UC February tank job. Now that I feel very comfortable about our at-large chances, UC can go ahead and lose out and I will love every second of it.

I think Florida will knock off UK.

[danaandvictory]

"You're going to tell me USF wouldn't win the Atlantic 10?"

Screw it, I'm tuning in for the postgame show. Machock's whining will make it all worthwhile.

[mr. zimpher]

Watch Cronin on the sideline tonight. Every single call and every single possession he's chastising the officials. He's screaming like a banshee at anyone that will listen. He just looks like a guy that knows his season and maybe his job is slipping away. God I love watching this tank job, again. My only question, if Mick is in Tampa right now, who's on the front of the Lucky Charms box?

[THRILLHOUSE]

UC radio team is losing it: "i can honestly say i've never been this frustrated with uc basketball" - Dan Hoard. BWAHAHAHAHA. Love it!

[danaandvictory]

Born Ready: 1-5 FG, 2-4 FT, 4 turnovers, 0 rebounds, 0 assists.

[THRILLHOUSE]

Born Ready: 1-5 FG, 2-4 FT, 4 turnovers, 0 rebounds, 0 assists.

I don't know if Born Ready is overhyped, or just horribly coached. I'm thinking a combination of both?

[xsteve1]

The Villanova and Georgetown games will determine UC's fate. With past history under Cronin they'll probably lose to DePaul though.

[The_Mack_Pack]

Guys come on, they lost to South Florida....SOUTH FLORIDA!! That team would eat the A-10 alive.

[RealDeal]

Mick can turn NBA talent into shit.

[JimCoker]

Prediction number 1 - Given the financial state of UC, I do not think they have the ability to dump Mick after this year. If you look at the halftime adjustments he made tonite, turning a one point halftime deficit into a double digit deficit before the first time out, I think the future continues to look abysmally dim in Clifton. And that is a good thing.

Prediction #2 - Stevenson probably has never endured a year like this. i don't think he will get a nibble in the NBA draft. He hasn't come across as someone mentally tough enough to overcome adversity, therefore my call is that he leaves school, possibly before the end of the school year, returns home, and ultimately signs to play overseas for a year. I think the odds of him returning to UC are almost zero.

I have been known to be wrong before......

[Cheesehead]

I'm torn as I know it would help X if UC gets a few more Big East wins but I have to admit, I smiled when I saw the score tonight. I still like seeing them lose even if it hurts X.

What's up w/ Nancy Gates? 16 minutes tonight. Is he in Mick's dog house?

I could see Born Ready not coming back and not getting drafted and playing with Jimmie Binnie.

[awayfan]

i got this from another site "On the post-game show Mick said USF had to win tonight and they played like it. "

What did UC have nothing to play for ???? He is a joke

[Cheesehead]

I have never seen a coach who makes more excuses that Micky boy. Hey Mick, why don't just say you and your staff need to do a better job. It's clear to everyone else.

[Xman95]

UC absolutely has to be a quality win. I mean, there was just an AP article that talks about how tough the Big East is this year...maybe even tougher than last year. And Jim Blowheim even said that in most years the top six teams usually distinguish themselves, but this year it goes from about 1-12.

Really, Blowheim? Really? Last year was a great year for that conference, but I'm not buying it this year. The 2009-10 season is back to the Big East being all about hype.

Here are some of the best non-conference wins:

UC - Maryland
Syracuse - Cal, UNC, Fla (by 12 on neutral floor, X just did that at the O-Dome)
Villanova - Dayton, Mississippi
WVU - Mississippi
Pitt - Wichita St, Kent St
G'town - Butler, Duke, Temple (by 1 at home)
Marquette - Xavier
Louisville - ????
ND - St Louis
USF - Kent St, UVA
Seton Hall - ????
UConn - Texas
St. John's - Temple
Providence - ????
Rutgers - ????
DePaul - ????

Georgetown and Syracuse seem to have the best collection of legit non-conference wins, but those aren't exactly lists that blow you away. At least they're not the type that should get your league as much hype as it gets. Look, the Big East is solid and it has some good teams. But there is no way that this league has proven itself to be some dominant force in the college basketball world this season.

They beat up on themselves, just like most conferences do. But, as a league, it didn't really do anything out of the conference to distinguish itself or to become head and shoulders better than anyone else. The Big East beat some good teams from other conferences, just as those conferences beat teams from the Big East. It's just another conference, just like the rest of them. It just happens to get a lot more hype.

[THRILLHOUSE]

What's up w/ Nancy Gates? 16 minutes tonight. Is he in Mick's dog house?


The way Mick has been using Gates hasn't made much sense at all. There are times where Mick will have Gates and Stephenson on the bench at the same time for long periods of time even though its clear they are the most talented guys on that team. Mick simply is one of the worst coaches in major D1 college bball.

[Xpectations]

How do you finish a game -- against South Florida for crying out loud -- with only 5 assists?

Watched the entire game and for the life of me can't figure out what their offensive game plan was.

[Xman95]

I have never seen a coach who makes more excuses that Micky boy.

Are you telling me UC wouldn't win the A-10? (They wouldn't, I know that. But is that what you're telling me?:D)

[Xman95]

How do you finish a game -- against South Florida for crying out loud -- with only 5 assists?

Watched the entire game and for the life of me can't figure out what their offensive game plan was.

It should be to throw the ball at the redheaded midget.

[Cheesehead]

Are you telling me UC wouldn't win the A-10? (They wouldn't, I know that. But is that what you're telling me?:D)

I'm not sure UC could win C-USA.

[Espe]

I hope Cronin gets a lifetime contract. He takes five star recruits and makes them look like a one star.

[MHettel]

Say what you wish about the Big East, but it's a MONSTER.

Teams with Final 4's in last 25 years: UConn, Georgetown, St. Johns, Marquette, Louisville, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Providence, Villanova

Elite 8: WVU, Pitt, ND

Basically, there is at least 1-2 National Championship contenders, and another 2-3 Sweet 16 teams in conference every year, and they rotate among a handfull of teams.

Thats gotta be brutal. Imagine being challenged 9/10 nites at home, and having to bring the A game for EVERY conference road game.

Good for UC. I hate those ****ers. Let em rot.

[xavierj]

I'm not sure UC could win C-USA.

Uh, they couldn't. For evidence just look at the 20 point beating UAB put on them. Off the top of my head, in CUSA, UC would finish behind Memphis, UAB, Marshall, UTEP and Houston.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Uh, they couldn't. For evidence just look at the 20 point beating UAB put on them. Off the top of my head, in CUSA, UC would finish behind Memphis, UAB, Marshall, UTEP and Houston.




Yeah, I was about to say I am positive they couldnt.

[stophorseabuse]

UC absolutely has to be a quality win. I mean, there was just an AP article that talks about how tough the Big East is this year...maybe even tougher than last year. And Jim Blowheim even said that in most years the top six teams usually distinguish themselves, but this year it goes from about 1-12.

Really, Blowheim? Really? Last year was a great year for that conference, but I'm not buying it this year. The 2009-10 season is back to the Big East being all about hype.

Here are some of the best non-conference wins:

UC - Maryland
Syracuse - Cal, UNC, Fla (by 12 on neutral floor, X just did that at the O-Dome)
Villanova - Dayton, Mississippi
WVU - Mississippi
Pitt - Wichita St, Kent St
G'town - Butler, Duke, Temple (by 1 at home)
Marquette - Xavier
Louisville - ????
ND - St Louis
USF - Kent St, UVA
Seton Hall - ????
UConn - Texas
St. John's - Temple
Providence - ????
Rutgers - ????
DePaul - ????

Georgetown and Syracuse seem to have the best collection of legit non-conference wins, but those aren't exactly lists that blow you away. At least they're not the type that should get your league as much hype as it gets. Look, the Big East is solid and it has some good teams. But there is no way that this league has proven itself to be some dominant force in the college basketball world this season.

They beat up on themselves, just like most conferences do. But, as a league, it didn't really do anything out of the conference to distinguish itself or to become head and shoulders better than anyone else. The Big East beat some good teams from other conferences, just as those conferences beat teams from the Big East. It's just another conference, just like the rest of them. It just happens to get a lot more hype.

how many of them wins are true road wins? with less teams the a-10 got:A-10 racked up: , Nova, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Providence, Boston College, Sienna, Oklahoma St., Missouri, Miss. St., Louisville. Florida twice, Kent. If we count quality CAA teams like Kent was counted from the MAC it just gets better.

[Xavier]

Say what you wish about the Big East, but it's a MONSTER.

Teams with Final 4's in last 25 years: UConn, Georgetown, St. Johns, Marquette, Louisville, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Providence, Villanova

Elite 8: WVU, Pitt, ND

Basically, there is at least 1-2 National Championship contenders, and another 2-3 Sweet 16 teams in conference every year, and they rotate among a handfull of teams.

Thats gotta be brutal. Imagine being challenged 9/10 nites at home, and having to bring the A game for EVERY conference road game.

Good for UC. I hate those ****ers. Let em rot.

BE is very overrated this year..Syracuse, Nova..maybe WV/GT and then everyone else. Those 4 will prolly be in the sweet 16, but would not be surprised to see huggins choke again and GT not get there.

[stophorseabuse]

UC absolutely has to be a quality win. I mean, there was just an AP article that talks about how tough the Big East is this year...maybe even tougher than last year. And Jim Blowheim even said that in most years the top six teams usually distinguish themselves, but this year it goes from about 1-12.

Really, Blowheim? Really? Last year was a great year for that conference, but I'm not buying it this year. The 2009-10 season is back to the Big East being all about hype.

Here are some of the best non-conference wins:

UC - Maryland
Syracuse - Cal, UNC, Fla (by 12 on neutral floor, X just did that at the O-Dome)
Villanova - Dayton, Mississippi
WVU - Mississippi
Pitt - Wichita St, Kent St
G'town - Butler, Duke, Temple (by 1 at home)
Marquette - Xavier
Louisville - ????
ND - St Louis
USF - Kent St, UVA
Seton Hall - ????
UConn - Texas
St. John's - Temple
Providence - ????
Rutgers - ????
DePaul - ????

Georgetown and Syracuse seem to have the best collection of legit non-conference wins, but those aren't exactly lists that blow you away. At least they're not the type that should get your league as much hype as it gets. Look, the Big East is solid and it has some good teams. But there is no way that this league has proven itself to be some dominant force in the college basketball world this season.

They beat up on themselves, just like most conferences do. But, as a league, it didn't really do anything out of the conference to distinguish itself or to become head and shoulders better than anyone else. The Big East beat some good teams from other conferences, just as those conferences beat teams from the Big East. It's just another conference, just like the rest of them. It just happens to get a lot more hype.

How many solid OOC wins were road games (not neutral)?

By this measure A10 has wins over: Missouri, Kent, MSU, NOVA, Louisville,, Georgia Tech, Sienna, Cincinnati, and Florida twice. Im sure I'm missing some CAA schools too that would qualify.

G-Town is the only team that can reaally toot their horn about that OOC.

[DoubleD86]

Just for the sake of objectiveness, that list of OOC wins left off UC's best win, Vandy.

[Masterofreality]

For USMC that comes on here and disputes that Nancy Gates is lazy, this from the UC Blogger in the Enquirer:

"Was it me or was Gates even lazier than usual? He didn’t even bother to jog passed the perimeter and when he was in the paint he didn’t bother trying to find an open teammate when double or even triple covered."

It's 6:49 am, Wednesday February 17, 2010- and uc still SucKS!

[Xman95]

Just for the sake of objectiveness, that list of OOC wins left off UC's best win, Vandy.

You are correct...I missed that one. Of course, we could dive into Vandy's non-conference schedule and wonder if they're really THAT good. The throttling of Lipscomb was impressive, but...

Ultimately, I don't think any team or conference has done so much OOC that it should be considered so much better than any other. Obviously I haven't looked at all the teams, but many of the "heavyweights" haven't done much to earn that label this year. Even with teams like UK, KU, Syr, etc., It's not like any of them notched four or five huge wins out of the conference.

For the best 30-35 (just guessing on the figure) teams in the land, there's not a whole lot of difference. I mean, would anyone be totally shocked if Xavier were to bump off one a team currently in the Top 5? I know I wouldn't be. Hell, I wouldn't be totally floored if Dayton beat them. What separates most of the teams is hype and perception.

[DC Muskie]

Say what you wish about the Big East, but it's a MONSTER.

Teams with Final 4's in last 25 years: UConn, Georgetown, St. Johns, Marquette, Louisville, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Providence, Villanova

Elite 8: WVU, Pitt, ND

Basically, there is at least 1-2 National Championship contenders, and another 2-3 Sweet 16 teams in conference every year, and they rotate among a handfull of teams.

Thats gotta be brutal. Imagine being challenged 9/10 nites at home, and having to bring the A game for EVERY conference road game.

Good for UC. I hate those ****ers. Let em rot.

You forgot to mention Seton Hall, by the way.

The Big East is a great conference, no doubt. But a lot has changed in over 25 years. Look at the teams that have actually won a title in those 25 years.

UConn (two)
Syracuse (1)

Compare that to the ACC:
Duke (3)
UNC (3)
Maryland (1)

Or the SEC:
Kentucky (two)
Florida (two)
Arkansas (1)

I would agree that is a more balanced league, but I get tired of hearing how brutal the league is. Remember the league hasn't produced a national champion since 2004.

[RealDeal]

If UC wasn't across town, would we schedule a home and home series with them? I say we don't go to the Shoe ever again. The series should be at Cintas and then at USB.

[XU05and07]

I figured with there remaining SOS it would stay top 50 regardless of winning or not? I feel like it will be in the 40's come selection sunday. I did not know Kent State was so close to the top 50- that would be a big surprise. And, I expect florida to be top 50 as well-They will be in the tournament.

bottom line-I love seeing UC lose and out of the tournament again.

realtimerpi.com has UC at 52 after last night...and it can't better with losses that will be coming in the near future for the Bearcats (Marquette, DePaul, @West Virginia, Villanova, @Georgetown...UC goes 1-4 and RPI drops further)

[Xavier]

realtimerpi.com has UC at 52 after last night...and it can't better with losses that will be coming in the near future for the Bearcats (Marquette, DePaul, @West Virginia, Villanova, @Georgetown...UC goes 1-4 and RPI drops further)

Dang. I thought because of there SOS coming up it would raise the RPI no matter what. Though, UC should beat Depaul...frankly i want UC to be top 50 RPI and not make the tournament. is that too much to ask?!?!?

[Masterofreality]

Dang. I thought because of there SOS coming up it would raise the RPI no matter what. Though, UC should beat Depaul...frankly i want UC to be top 50 RPI and not make the tournament. is that too much to ask?!?!?

It's all part of the Yellow Toothed Gnome's (thanks Surf) devious master plan to destroy his own world to destroy Xavier's.

As Joe Walsh once said- "You can't argue with a sick mind."