bierce

If you are really looking at "from a salary viewpoint," then Lloyd is the first to take off the list. Altman is probably second since he's in Nike backyard. I suspect we can afford any of the remaining coaches if CDC is willing to pay the money, but each has his sticking points. Dutcher is 65. McDermott is 60. I still think (or maybe I'm being too wishful) that CDC will look for a potential generational hire. Then again, Musselman is also 60. Jans most definitely does not excite me. Gard won't excite anyone who didn't really care for Bo Ryan ball. I found a lot of beauty in it, but a lot of people didn't. Wade is affordable, but not at all desired by our administration according to Gerry. Cronin seems to have a screw loose. Otzelberger is nearly deified in Ames, but his buyout is easily manageable. But I'm an outlier who thinks we should go for an up and coming coach rather than an established one. Otzelberger and Wade are the only guys on your list who really pique my interest.

By which standard is Musselman "familiar with the area?" He was an SEC coach for a few years, true. He got one great recruit from Texas (Anthony Black), but he never landed any other HS recruits from Texas, so I don't quite agree with the selling point of him being Texas-savvy.

Musselman lost a bit of luster with the craptastic season Arky had last year, calling into question his ability to integrate players from the portal. He seemed to do fine with it in 2022-23, but last year was a disaster. He spent part of his youth in San Diego, went to college in San Diego, and spent most of his adult life in California/Nevada/Arizona, and he seemed to be always looking to get back to the west coast. He's not really happy with the travel demands at USC, but he knew they would be there when he took the job. So I don't know if he is very interested in leaving USC, but give him another year of wondering if the entire state is going up in flames, then he might.

Would he be greeted with pitchforks?

One team beat Gonzaga, Louisville, and Michigan OOC. The other team didn't. Whole resume and all that.

And if we beat Georgia, then our second round game would be against Missouri or A&M. I'm not sure how tiebreakers work, but Mississippi lost to both, so I don't see it getting 5th seed even if it wins in Gainesville this weekend.

It is, but Florida is clearly in the lead now after going 3-1 against Auburn, Tennessee, and Alabama, while playing only Tennessee at home.

Brackets updated yesterday are nearly uniform in including Indiana, Arky, and tOSU, with Boise State leading for the one of the two remaining spots. The other is currently a toss up among OU, Nebraska, Xavier, and Texas with UNC leading the rest of the teams with a smattering of votes. OU has a pitiful conference record, but the win last night should put it back in the field according to the matrix, but we would likely pass it with a win Saturday. The question will be whether we can catch some others and pull away from the scrum.

I agree. The teams that were already out of it are getting even farther out of it, but the real bubble teams won. Nothing of interest on the schedule tomorrow, but things get interesting on Friday. MVC tournament starts, VCU can maybe wrap up an at large bid by beating Dayton, and Colorado State goes to Boise State.

Porter Moser has gotten serious. He's wearing a suit and tie instead of a stretchy shirt showing off his man-boobs. OU wins ninety something to eighty something after all the unnecessary fouling and free throws are over.

There are times when I think a coach would be better off losing than using his use it or lose it timeout. I just saw one. Louisville was on a complete roll against Cal, on a 7-0 run to build a 15 point lead, got a stop with less than 30 seconds left and started walking up the floor, the players obviously knowing they had the last possession. So Kelsey called a timeout. I mean, you have to, right? Uh no, you really don't. Louisville ran a play and was whistled for an offensive foul on a screen outside the arc. Cal missed a couple shots at point blank range, so no real harm done, but when your team is on a roll, you have a big lead, and the opponents are on their heels, then why stop the action to let the other team regroup? And that is where coaches like Self beat all hell out of a lot of coaches. He has absolutely no qualms about calling a timeout at any point in the first half if he thinks he needs to get his guys on the right page. He knows that holding that thing in his pocket until the last possession of the first half is really f'ing dumb.

In another game with no bubble impact, Michigan lost at home to Maryland. That is Michigan's third straight home loss to a tournament caliber team after announcing the extension and raise for Dusty May. Indiana succeeded with the major psyche job there.

Xavier spanked Butler 91-78. If it beats Providence Saturday and wins its first game in the Big East tournament, it will get a bid, but here is the kicker--it is now guaranteed to finish either 4th or 5th in the conference. It would get a bye and have to play the other team that finishes 4th or 5th in the second round. So that means a game against UConn, Marquette, or Creighton. It split the season series with each of those teams, but that won't be an easy game. The real question is whether Xavier will get in if it loses that second round conference tournament game and finishes the year with just one q1 win. OU leads Missouri 55-39 with 17:53 left. Ridiculous longshots to get back in Cincy and Pitt both lost. Florida just beat Bama in Tuscaloosa to pretty much wrap up second seed in the conference tournament and more importantly get a huge leg up in the race for the fourth 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Mike Wacker blowing out his knee in Waco.

There are a few outliers, but the brackets that updated today not only agree we are either first four out or last four in, most put us in the first two out or last two in. We are the paradigm of a bubble team.

Vinson sighting on the bench maybe. He didn't get in the game. I loved the expression we saw on Presley celebrating what was going on at one point. I don't think we have to win the SEC tournament if we lose to OU Saturday. Making the finals should be enough. That would mean we beat in succession Arky or Georgia, Missouri or A&M, and then Auburn. That would not only get us to 8 q1 wins, it would mean we have 6 wins over top 20 teams. Of course, beating a rested Auburn team in our third game in 3 days, um . . . right.

SDSU might have to face UNLV in the second round of the MWC tournament. Teams 1-5 get a bye. UNM has clinched the 1 seed. Boise State, Utah, State, and Colorado State could wind up in a 3 way tie for second. The only way SDSU climbs out of fifth place will be if it wins against Nevada and Utah State loses at home to Air Force. Not happening. UNLV has already clinched 6th place. It will play Air Force in the first round then draw SDSU in the second round, barring a major upset by Air Force. I bring this up only to discuss whether SDSU might get left out. It beat Houston, UC SD and Creighton in non-conference games, so I think it should feel somewhat safe, but an 0-3 against UNLV could be a significant black mark for a team that is only 4th in the conference in NET ranking. I still don't think Colorado State will get in, but it will have a chance if it wins in Boise on Friday and doesn't lay a bad egg in the conference tournament against the winner of Nevada-Wyoming. On a side note, let me mention that Utah State is treated very differently by NET (40) than Pomeroy (57). Every other team in the top 40 in either ranking system has no more than a 4 spot difference between rankings.

Give the man some slack, Jordan. He had to stew for 12 hours after Texas won last night before he could come up with a gratuitous dig at the coach. That win must had gnawed at his soul badly. But as I said after the Georgia loss, I don't see Texas going on to make the tournament. Chances are much better now after our win last night, but I still think it is less than a 50-50 proposition because at the very least we still have to beat a bubble team in Austin and a bubble team in the SEC tournament, and we maybe will have do more than that. We are not yet on a majority of brackets updating today. I don't think making the tournament will save Terry's job. As I said in the first half of the Auburn game, I don't think he will be retained at the end of the season; however, I do think it is sad that we have so many fans who respond to a great win not by cheering for the team but by crapping on the coach. That off my chest, I will get back into the purpose of the thread, which is as you say--a bubble watch thread. Nebraska lost in 2OT last night. I said after it managed a huge rally to beat Northwestern in Evanston that it was safe so long as it didn't reel off 5 straight losses. Well, it just managed 4 of them. Lose at home to Iowa this weekend and it is out. San Diego State lost at UNLV, giving UNLV a season sweep and SDSU a q2 loss to go with the earlier q3 loss. Cincy still has a prayer. Hosts KSU tonight. OU hosts Missouri. Xavier at Butler. Not a q1 game for Xavier, but it's close.

We still need to win against OU and the SEC tournament first round game. Winning both isn't a 50-50 proposition.

Oregon 73 IU 64, so we just passed the Hoosiers. Nebraska and tOSU in double OT WVU beat Utah by 2

Indiana down 4 with 1:03 left in Salem. tSOU and Nebraska going to OT. Home loss would kill tOSU. Indiana missed and fouled Oregon. Made both to go up 6 with 55.6 left. Arky up 43-37 over Vandy at the half.

And the dynamic just changed to a remarkable degree by our win in Starkville. WVU down 49-48 with 8:00 left. Boise State winning by zillions over Air Force. tOSU 77 Nebraska 71 in a zero sum game Vandy leading arky 29-26 late in first half. UNC won by 32.

Georgia 73 So Car 64 final UNC 60 Va Tech 35 with 13:35 left.

Georgia 40 So Car 29 at the half. It looks like one bubble team knew it had to take of business in Columbia.

Ahh, but the super secret science of jockeying teams around to avoid second round conference intramural and to create compelling storylines for announcers and audiences who don't really know enough about what is happening on court.