What Joe Lunardi has to say about OU.....

[scrybe]

All this does is fire the Sooners up and give them more incentive to improve with every game.

 

[WTSooner]

Honestly, we could miss the tourney at 10-8 and I'd be thrilled with this year. I love what Lon is doing and love the outlook for years to come.

Agreed.

I've been saying since the offseason that I thought this team's ceiling was something around a bubble team. 10-8, with what we did OOC, is a bubble team. Make it or not at that point, you have to be content with our season. Hopefully it won't come to that. I want the NCAA Tournament to mean something again.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

Agreed.

I've been saying since the offseason that I thought this team's ceiling was something around a bubble team. 10-8, with what we did OOC, is a bubble team. Make it or not at that point, you have to be content with our season. Hopefully it won't come to that. I want the NCAA Tournament to mean something again.

Yep. I believe it will mean something again SOON!!!!!!

 

[OklaSooners]

I think he will be eating his words. This team is pretty good and will finish in the top 4 in the big 12.

 

[coolm]

I agree with the people at the bottom here. I am happy with where the program and team is going no matter what. I still think they're a little short as an NCAA team.

 

[Big Old Booger]

I think he will be eating his words. This team is pretty good and will finish in the top 4 in the big 12.

The question though is if being in the top 4, or 4th place in the conference is good enough? KU is in unless they lose every game, which isn't happening. KSU is likely in with their non-con wins. Then you have OSU and us at this point.

We need to beat KU at home, because that could separate us from KSU providing we beat KSU at home too.

The Big 12 is so poor this year it would not surprise me at all if we only got 3 teams in the dance, and maybe even just 2, but 3 is likely. 4, IMO, is a reach.

Regardless, if we finish 10-8 or even 9-9, I will be happy because we are headed in the right direction and OU basketball means something again. I'd just hate it for Osby if we didn't make it to the tourney. He deserves to showcase his skills on the big stage.

 

[boksooner]

It is just as likely that the Big XII gets 6 teams (KU, KSU, OU, OSU, Baylor, ISU) as they get 3 teams. I think 4th place would be easily enough, because it would require several wins against the top half of the league to hold on to that spot. Reputation alone buys the Big XII 4-5 teams in the dance, unless several of the top 6 teams start to tank.

 

[Big Old Booger]

It is just as likely that the Big XII gets 6 teams (KU, KSU, OU, OSU, Baylor, ISU) as they get 3 teams. I think 4th place would be easily enough, because it would require several wins against the top half of the league to hold on to that spot. Reputation alone buys the Big XII 4-5 teams in the dance, unless several of the top 6 teams start to tank.

If KU goes 17-1 or even 16-2 and then you have KSU/OU/OSU/ISU all at 11-7 or 10-8, then only 3 and maybe 4 teams get in, IMO. If you have KU at 14-4 or 13-5 and then the others at 12-6 or 11-7, then more could get in. It all depends on if KU runs away with the league which many national people expect.

 

[Dr Sleep]

4th in conference should get in.
Going to have to beat some good teams for sure, and not lose the first B12 tourny game. Agree the SFA loss is going to be a drag on the RPI.
Some years the RPI is less important depending on the committee. I think OU owns the highest (best) RPI to not make the tourny IRRC. The committee does take into consideration of the record of the last 10 games, and since our last 8 games should be a relatively easier stretch that works in our favor too.

Hopefully this team will continue to improve then start to peak and we can get some quality wins.

 

[Ham]

If we make the NIT, that's going to be a succesful season.
That's all my expectations were and are.
The idea that we even have a crack at the NCAA in late January is fantastic.

Like almost anything else in life, people overreact.
After we lost to SFA, it seemed like hordes were jumping off the bandwagon.
Then, we beat a few decent teams and suddenly we're supposed to be offended by not being ranked or being left out of NCAA projections. Be reasonable, people.

This team is playing a little bit above their head right now.
And the Big 12 is crap. That can't help.

 

[lmg088]

4th in conference should get in.
Going to have to beat some good teams for sure, and not lose the first B12 tourny game. Agree the SFA loss is going to be a drag on the RPI.
Some years the RPI is less important depending on the committee. I think OU owns the highest (best) RPI to not make the tourny IRRC. The committee does take into consideration of the record of the last 10 games, and since our last 8 games should be a relatively easier stretch that works in our favor too.

Hopefully this team will continue to improve then start to peak and we can get some quality wins.

The loss to SFA is not a drag on the RPI. The loss to Arkansas is worse. STA is 17-1 right now and is ranked 67 on CBS's RPI. Arkansas is ranked 82.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/teams/rpi/OKLA

 

[skyvue]

Certain of our fans are having more trouble letting go of the SFA loss than anyone, including, thankfully, our coaches and players.

Parity in college sports (basketball and football, at least) is now enough of a reality that you can no longer judge a team by its name. It used to be easy to dismiss directional schools and relatively unfamiliar, smaller institutions, but one does so at one's peril nowadays.

 

[152219]

The question though is if being in the top 4, or 4th place in the conference is good enough? KU is in unless they lose every game, which isn't happening. KSU is likely in with their non-con wins. Then you have OSU and us at this point.

We need to beat KU at home, because that could separate us from KSU providing we beat KSU at home too.

The Big 12 is so poor this year it would not surprise me at all if we only got 3 teams in the dance, and maybe even just 2, but 3 is likely. 4, IMO, is a reach.

Regardless, if we finish 10-8 or even 9-9, I will be happy because we are headed in the right direction and OU basketball means something again. I'd just hate it for Osby if we didn't make it to the tourney. He deserves to showcase his skills on the big stage.

There is absolutely zero chance the Big 12 only gets in 2. Doubtful they only get in 3 as well. I would argue there is >90% chance that 4 get in and about a 50% chance 5. Right now Lundardi has 6 Big 12 teams, as do most bracketologists. Now, I will agree with you if there is a large group of 10-8 teams in the Big 12 then it may get messy and the Big 12 may miss out on an extra bid.

 

[Big Old Booger]

There is absolutely zero chance the Big 12 only gets in 2. Doubtful they only get in 3 as well. I would argue there is >90% chance that 4 get in and about a 50% chance 5. Right now Lundardi has 6 Big 12 teams, as do most bracketologists. Now, I will agree with you if there is a large group of 10-8 teams in the Big 12 then it may get messy and the Big 12 may miss out on an extra bid.

You are probably right about the number of invites, but I've been listening to the KC sports media and the guys I listen to were saying 3 teams most likely, maybe 4.

 

[campbest]

Unless someone with a higher rank falls off the map, Big XII will get a definite four teams. The fifth is the big question mark.

 

[WTSooner]

This team is playing a little bit above their head right now.

Based on what? Who have we beaten that we're not better than?

You said it yourself, the Big 12 is crap. That provides a lot of winnable games, no?

 

[WTSooner]

Certain of our fans are having more trouble letting go of the SFA loss than anyone, including, thankfully, our coaches and players.

Parity in college sports (basketball and football, at least) is now enough of a reality that you can no longer judge a team by its name. It used to be easy to dismiss directional schools and relatively unfamiliar, smaller institutions, but one does so at one's peril nowadays.

Just how low does SFA's RPI have to get before you consider it a bad loss? Because it goes down every game they play from here out.

 

[skyvue]

Just how low does SFA's RPI have to get before you consider it a bad loss? Because it goes down every game they play from here out.

We were talking about poll rankings, into which RPI doesn't really factor. I've seen more than one national media figure defend that loss, because of SFA's record, which is the kind of thing the average poll voter takes into account.

 

[DenverSooner]

Just how low does SFA's RPI have to get before you consider it a bad loss? Because it goes down every game they play from here out.

OU should not have lost that game and I would call it a bad loss but I don't think it is the end of the world because SFA is winning all of their games. Wasn't Grooms out for that game?

 

[Ham]

Based on what? Who have we beaten that we're not better than?

You said it yourself, the Big 12 is crap. That provides a lot of winnable games, no?

Based on my expectations. Just as I said.
Winnable games is one thing. Winning them is another.
Kansas coming into Norman is a winnable game for OU.
If they actually win, they'd have to play above their head.
But some, I'm sure, might even argue that we were better if that happened.
I wouldn't. I am giving credit to OU for improvement above expectation.
I'm talking about success relative to MY personal expectation.

Until I see more of a sustained offensive performance from OU, I would comfortably say that OSU is better than we are, in my view. Clearly they have more talent than we have. But they didn't play great. We have a better coach. We were in Norman. We played well.

And I wouldn't say West Virginia is literally 'better' than OU, but I would say that OU went a little above their head and got that road victory. Especially falling behind like that. You can't say it was a good road win without at least implying OU played above an expectation. Otherwise, did anyone believe before the season that winning @Morgantown would be par for the course?

Any road win in the Big 12, outside of Fort Worth and Lubbock is going to be a solid (or above) road win. And I expect OU to do good to win 4 road games in conference. That's @TCU, @TTU, and @WVU...and one other. In other words, we are already basically there barring a collapse.

6-3 at home (easily doable), combined with 4-5 on the road and that's 10-8 or better in the Big 12 and 19-11 overall heading into the XII tourney.

19-11, in my view, is basically a baseline expectation on January 24th.
If you would have told me that in October, I'd have been ecstatic.
That's right on the NCAA bubble with the solid RPI.
And we are there because we won those two conference games, in my view, that we were not expected to win.

Otherwise 17-13 might not be good enough for the NIT.

My question to you - what is a reasonable expectation?
In other words, who remaining on our schedule are we "not better than"?