A few things to consider:

[Chairman Moe]

1. The committee has rarely been "fair" to Pitt when it comes to seeding - too many examples to list
2. We didn't have a stellar OOC resume/SOS
3. We finished the season tied for 8th place, mid-pack in the ACC with Syracuse, who is probably going to the NIT
4. We finished the year 4-6
5. Our RPI is in the low 50's
6. We've only won 2 games vs top 25, and last two regular season games were losses
7. We didn't make the tournament last year (not sure that matters, but after missing one year, and then coming back with a 21-11 record isn't an overwhelming "statement")

Doesn't this seem like a perfect recipe for a play-in game?

So if it is, and the committee does make us play for an 11 or 12 seed in Dayton, who would we possibly play? Who would be a likely opponent?

Not trying to be pessimistic; should this happen though, who would be our best opponent? Who's the bubble team we'd want to face? Serious questions ... Thoughts?

 

[Pittbaseball11]

First Four, matched up with Wichita State (who has a really bad resume but is pretty freaking good). That is what is happening because Pitt.

 

[UPitt '89]

1. The committee has rarely been "fair" to Pitt when it comes to seeding - too many examples to list
2. We didn't have a stellar OOC resume/SOS
3. We finished the season tied for 8th place, mid-pack in the ACC with Syracuse, who is probably going to the NIT
4. We finished the year 4-6
5. Our RPI is in the low 50's
6. We've only won 2 games vs top 25, and last two regular season games were losses
7. We didn't make the tournament last year (not sure that matters, but after missing one year, and then coming back with a 21-11 record isn't an overwhelming "statement")

Doesn't this seem like a perfect recipe for a play-in game?

So if it is, and the committee does make us play for an 11 or 12 seed in Dayton, who would we possibly play? Who would be a likely opponent?

Not trying to be pessimistic; should this happen though, who would be our best opponent? Who's the bubble team we'd want to face? Serious questions ... Thoughts?

Thoughts on your thoughts:

1. This is a myth. There has only been one time in the previous 12 trips to the dance where Pitt's seed was lower than it deserved.... and that was in 2004. You could make an argument that the 5-seed in 2006 was too low, but it really was in the right range. The committee has been more than fair with Pitt over the years. In '02, '03, '05, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '13, and '14... our seed was appropriate.

2. The Gonzaga non-game really hurt. If that game was played, our OOC is right in line with most teams.

3. Because of the unbalanced league schedules, coming in 8th instead of 6th or 7th doesn't mean anything. VT and GT had easier league schedules than Pitt.

4. Committee doesn't look at how teams finish anymore. They only consider the overall resume.

5. Low 50s is good enough.

6. Pitt is 8-1 against teams ranked between 20 and 100.

7. Past years have absolutely zero impact on the selection committee for this year.

 

[Saboteur]

Moe:
"Fair"? Really?
Jostling for bragging rights as to whether one is 68th best in the country or 64th is humiliating.
Merely engaging in that argument shows a total lack of self respect but to then claim that we have historically been treated unfairly is the worst of the worst.....excuses are for losers.
If Pitt/we don't make the dance there is no one to blame but ourselves.
End of discussion.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Moe:
"Fair"? Really?
Jostling for bragging rights as to whether one is 68th best in the country or 64th is humiliating.
Merely engaging in that argument shows a total lack of self respect but to then claim that we have historically been treated unfairly is the worst of the worst.....excuses are for losers.
If Pitt/we don't make the dance there is no one to blame but ourselves.
End of discussion.

Unfair characterization to say we are jostling as to whether we are 64 to 68 best in the country. Many teams get left out of that 68 who are actually far better than that because the weak leagues with auto bids process guarantees a number of teams who are really in the top 68 will be supplanted and quite often by teams not even in the top 100.

On top of that, the RPI is a highly flawed system that overemphasizes W-L records while under emphasizing the competitiveness factor. This is why a team Sagarin's computer has #35 can be in the 50's in RPI and sweating getting into a field of 68 instead of being a solid #3 9-seed.

 

[cabe23]

The committee is different every year, the members aren't the same.

 

[Chairman Moe]

Thoughts on your thoughts:

1. This is a myth. There has only been one time in the previous 12 trips to the dance where Pitt's seed was lower than it deserved.... and that was in 2004. You could make an argument that the 5-seed in 2006 was too low, but it really was in the right range. The committee has been more than fair with Pitt over the years. In '02, '03, '05, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '13, and '14... our seed was appropriate.

2. The Gonzaga non-game really hurt. If that game was played, our OOC is right in line with most teams.

3. Because of the unbalanced league schedules, coming in 8th instead of 6th or 7th doesn't mean anything. VT and GT had easier league schedules than Pitt.

4. Committee doesn't look at how teams finish anymore. They only consider the overall resume.

5. Low 50s is good enough.

6. Pitt is 8-1 against teams ranked between 20 and 100.

7. Past years have absolutely zero impact on the selection committee for this year.

Fair points; as for #1, while it may have been the correct seed position, sending us to Milwaukee as a 3 to then have to play U Wisc in second round as the higher seed was unfair, IMO

All I was saying in the original post is, that should the committee feel we need to prove we belong, who would be our best match up. If we aren't going to Dayton then my question is moot.

 

[Scruffy the Panther]

First Four, matched up with Wichita State (who has a really bad resume but is pretty freaking good). That is what is happening because Pitt.

Chances the team we lose to goes to the championship game?

 

[Chairman Moe]

If Pitt/we don't make the dance there is no one to blame but ourselves.

Totally agree with this; we beat either VT or GT at season's end, plus the Syracuse win in the ACCT, and this post doesn't exist. I will gladly eat crow if Pitt is not one of the play-in games, but right now I think it's 50/50

 

[Saboteur]

Totally agree with this; we beat either VT or GT at season's end, plus the Syracuse win in the ACCT, and this post doesn't exist. I will gladly eat crow if Pitt is not one of the play-in games, but right now I think it's 50/50

I think a play in game is the best way to decide when the margins are so close.