Here are the items discussed that are of interest to the B1G.
Daniel: Could all 4 west coast BIG 10 teams make regionals or would Washington have to win the conference tournament?
Aaron Fitt: With an RPI in the 90s and an overall record just one game above .500, I don’t see a realistic shot for Washington to get an at-large bid. But regardless, the Huskies have been one of the bigger surprise teams of the season for me — I don’t think anyone on our staff envisioned them being among the top 5 teams in the Big Ten at this stage of the season. Awfully loud debut for those West teams in the Big Ten this year. And kind of an indictment of the traditional Big Ten …
Eric Simmons: Can Oregon host a Regional if they go 3-1 against Oregon State and win the rest of their series?
Kendall Rogers: Oregon would need to get in that Top 25-27 range and also win the Big Ten to probably host at this point, but never say never.
Marc S.: With the addition of the PAC-12 teams, do you think we could see a situation where the “real” Big Ten teams get shut out of hosting a regional going forward? Could open up a void in that part of the country.
Kendall Rogers: That’s a great question. Is this a one-year outlier or will this be the norm moving forward? I’m not trying to bag on Washington here, I promise, but the fact the Huskies are right there near the top of the standings is not a particularly great look in a year when UW was supposed to be rebuilding. Perhaps Eddie Smith is just doing that awesome of a job. But yes, all of those West teams dominating the league sans Iowa is not a great look. Will it be the norm? Too early to tell — but great observation.
Poll Mechanics: Iowa (RPI 57) has not played a series against a team with a record above .500 in the Big Ten. That changes in their last three league series (Hoosiers, Huskies, Ducks), not to mention Oregon State. Is the B1G only getting west coast schools in this year?
Aaron Fitt: We’ll soon find out just how good Iowa is, but that road sweep of Michigan caught my attention. It is wild that the Hawkeyes have feasted upon teams that are largely nowhere near postseason contention, but I think that pitching staff might just be legit. And I like the way Iowa’s postseason resumé is trending. I think they wind up being a regional team, joining the West Coast wing.
Daniel: Do all 4 west coast BIG 10 teams get in the tournament or does Washington have to win the conference tournament for that to happen?
Kendall Rogers: Washington would need to win the B1G tournament as of today with such a poor RPI along with just a 1-9 record vs. Q1.
Eric Simmons: I think 4 Big Ten teams make the NCAA Tournament what do you think?.
Kendall Rogers: Four is a pretty good # for the Big Ten right now.
Ryan: What’s UCLA’s status to be a regional host now? Their RPI is probably going to fall a lot because of weak opponents down the stretch, will that tank their hopes even if they win the B1G? Will they also have to win the B1G tournament or will that maybe not be enough either? Would be tough if one losing weekend all season on the road to a ranked team is all it took, but it does seem tough for the metrics to hold up in a bad conference/west coast.
Kendall Rogers: I’ll need to see what Mark and Aaron think as well late tonight in our NerdCast, but the Bruins still check several boxes. Great league record, strong RPI (17) and 5-4 record vs. Q1 teams. Those are solid marks on top of non-conference SOS of 34. I would still have the Bruins as a host in my book today.
Hardball Fan: How and when will we know the number of scholarships each program is deciding to fund next season?
Kendall Rogers: Hardball — Once the house settlement is approved by Judge Wilken (hopefully in the next week?), we will have a lot more clarity. I think once that happens you’ll start to see those dominoes fall. I’m fascinated to see what each league allows. I do think there’s a groundswell of momentum toward the major leagues allowing their individual schools to do whatever the heck they want, which is good.
Daniel: Could all 4 west coast BIG 10 teams make regionals or would Washington have to win the conference tournament?
Aaron Fitt: With an RPI in the 90s and an overall record just one game above .500, I don’t see a realistic shot for Washington to get an at-large bid. But regardless, the Huskies have been one of the bigger surprise teams of the season for me — I don’t think anyone on our staff envisioned them being among the top 5 teams in the Big Ten at this stage of the season. Awfully loud debut for those West teams in the Big Ten this year. And kind of an indictment of the traditional Big Ten …
Eric Simmons: Can Oregon host a Regional if they go 3-1 against Oregon State and win the rest of their series?
Kendall Rogers: Oregon would need to get in that Top 25-27 range and also win the Big Ten to probably host at this point, but never say never.
Marc S.: With the addition of the PAC-12 teams, do you think we could see a situation where the “real” Big Ten teams get shut out of hosting a regional going forward? Could open up a void in that part of the country.
Kendall Rogers: That’s a great question. Is this a one-year outlier or will this be the norm moving forward? I’m not trying to bag on Washington here, I promise, but the fact the Huskies are right there near the top of the standings is not a particularly great look in a year when UW was supposed to be rebuilding. Perhaps Eddie Smith is just doing that awesome of a job. But yes, all of those West teams dominating the league sans Iowa is not a great look. Will it be the norm? Too early to tell — but great observation.
Poll Mechanics: Iowa (RPI 57) has not played a series against a team with a record above .500 in the Big Ten. That changes in their last three league series (Hoosiers, Huskies, Ducks), not to mention Oregon State. Is the B1G only getting west coast schools in this year?
Aaron Fitt: We’ll soon find out just how good Iowa is, but that road sweep of Michigan caught my attention. It is wild that the Hawkeyes have feasted upon teams that are largely nowhere near postseason contention, but I think that pitching staff might just be legit. And I like the way Iowa’s postseason resumé is trending. I think they wind up being a regional team, joining the West Coast wing.
Daniel: Do all 4 west coast BIG 10 teams get in the tournament or does Washington have to win the conference tournament for that to happen?
Kendall Rogers: Washington would need to win the B1G tournament as of today with such a poor RPI along with just a 1-9 record vs. Q1.
Eric Simmons: I think 4 Big Ten teams make the NCAA Tournament what do you think?.
Kendall Rogers: Four is a pretty good # for the Big Ten right now.
Ryan: What’s UCLA’s status to be a regional host now? Their RPI is probably going to fall a lot because of weak opponents down the stretch, will that tank their hopes even if they win the B1G? Will they also have to win the B1G tournament or will that maybe not be enough either? Would be tough if one losing weekend all season on the road to a ranked team is all it took, but it does seem tough for the metrics to hold up in a bad conference/west coast.
Kendall Rogers: I’ll need to see what Mark and Aaron think as well late tonight in our NerdCast, but the Bruins still check several boxes. Great league record, strong RPI (17) and 5-4 record vs. Q1 teams. Those are solid marks on top of non-conference SOS of 34. I would still have the Bruins as a host in my book today.
Hardball Fan: How and when will we know the number of scholarships each program is deciding to fund next season?
Kendall Rogers: Hardball — Once the house settlement is approved by Judge Wilken (hopefully in the next week?), we will have a lot more clarity. I think once that happens you’ll start to see those dominoes fall. I’m fascinated to see what each league allows. I do think there’s a groundswell of momentum toward the major leagues allowing their individual schools to do whatever the heck they want, which is good.
