I. WKU Lady Toppers Going to the NIT
One would think that a team with an RPI of 17 and an SOS of 45 would be safely in the bracket. Not so. WKU's Lady Toppers missed the NCAA Tournament, capping one of the most disappointing weeks in my decade as a Topper fan.
--Courtney Lee breaks hand, leaving WKU less than 100% for the Belt tourney
--WKU men drilled by 25 in the Belt Championship and just miss the NCAA Tourney
--Lady Tops lose to a good Middle Tennessee team in the Belt Final at MT
--Lady Tops are the only team in the top 39 of the RPI left out...with an RPI of 17! 17!?!?
The Lady Toppers also beat NINE top 100 teams and had just one sub-100 loss. They were projected as a 7-seed on ESPN.com and Jerry Palm had them in as an 11, but they were not in his last four IN. They were safe. Everyone except the selection committee had the Lady Tops in. Chew on this:
WKU
RPI: 17
SOS: 45
Record: 24-6
vs Top 50: 1-2
vs Top 100: 9-4
Sub-100 losses: 1
Last ten: 9-1
Road/neutral: 10-6
Texas A&M
RPI: 28
SOS: 50
Record: 23-8
vs Top 50: 1-6
vs Top 100: 12-7
Sub-100 losses: 1
Last Ten: 7-3
Road/neutral: 9-6
It would appear to me that these teams are VERY close. A&M got a 6-seed. WKU is going to the NIT. I'm not an expert on women's hoops, so someone please explain this to me.
Maybe the Missouri State men and the WKU women can meet for some mutual team counseling.
II. The One Stop Shop is now complete. Use the OSS to see who played well in their conference tourneys as you are making your bracket selections.
I will post my bracket picks later today or tomorrow.
