It looks like Penn State is on track for an invitation to the NIT tournament....

[Ranger Dan]

Last Sunday, the below website had us ranked 88th and out of the NIT, but their updated projections have Penn State as a 3 seed in the NIT and ranked at 71st overall. Purdue is 14, Minnesota is 32, tOSU is 58, Iowa is 74, and Nebraska is ranked 83. Wins against Purdue or Minnesota would move us up a good bit, and I doubt that losing to them would hurt that much. If we can beat tOSU at home and both Iowa and Nebraska at their courts, then we get a higher seed in the NIT and maybe even get in the NCAA bubble conversation.

I guess if we go .500 for the rest of the year then we remain on track for the NIT. Then again Wisconsin is ranked #3 overall on this site and they were left off of the list of top 16 seeds that was released yesterday, so who knows...

http://www.dratings.com/predictor/bracketology/

 

[psuro]

Think we need to go deep in the conference tourney.

 

[fairgambit]

Here is a site that thinks we're in for now.
http://www.nycbuckets.com/current-nit-bracketology/

 

[kgilbert78]

Last Sunday, the below website had us ranked 88th and out of the NIT, but their updated projections have Penn State as a 3 seed in the NIT and ranked at 71st overall. Purdue is 14, Minnesota is 32, tOSU is 58, Iowa is 74, and Nebraska is ranked 83. Wins against Purdue or Minnesota would move us up a good bit, and I doubt that losing to them would hurt that much. If we can beat tOSU at home and both Iowa and Nebraska at their courts, then we get a higher seed in the NIT and maybe even get in the NCAA bubble conversation.

I guess if we go .500 for the rest of the year then we remain on track for the NIT. Then again Wisconsin is ranked #3 overall on this site and they were left off of the list of top 16 seeds that was released yesterday, so who knows...

http://www.dratings.com/predictor/bracketology/

NIT is a money tourney, which is why they now take teams with a losing record if the name is right.

 

[PSUMATT85]

Here is a site that thinks we're in for now.
http://www.nycbuckets.com/current-nit-bracketology/

Notice they have 13th in the big ten and lost to pay twice Illinois in at a 3?

 

[21Guns]

The goal this year was the NIT. With this very young team, ANY post season tourney will pay dividends next season. Home stretch and I think 8-10 and one win in the B1G tourney will do it, although some feel we need 9-9 to get in.

 

[Harbaughsleepovers]

Penn State has 5 games left.
5-0 Dancing
4-1 Likely Dancing
3-2 Need to win 2 games in Big Ten
2-3 NIT
1-4 Season Over

It's very difficult to predict the NIT because 1 bid leagues steal NIT bids if their regular season winner doesn't win the conference tournament.

Under the old rules Penn State would have been a NIT team the last two seasons. The upsets in the mid major conference tournaments play a big factor.

 

[21Guns]

Penn State has 5 games left.
5-0 Dancing
4-1 Likely Dancing
3-2 Need to win 2 games in Big Ten
2-3 NIT
1-4 Season Over

It's very difficult to predict the NIT because 1 bid leagues steal NIT bids if their regular season winner doesn't win the conference tournament.

Under the old rules Penn State would have been a NIT team the last two seasons. The upsets in the mid major conference tournaments play a big factor.

4-1 is not likely dancing. The only way that happens, is 5-0 and two wins in the B1G.

Young team just dug itself too big a hole and those two losses to Albany and Rutgers were too much. Can still do this NIT thing though, and get momentum for next year when EVERYONE comes back and we get our big man some help with the transfer coming in.

 

[Victor E. Bell]

Imagine if we won the IU game (should have, in regulation) and then took care of RU. You're at 8-5 in conference and looking at 20 wins. I didn't join in the threads too much with guys calling for Pat's head but I read them. I know it's hard to win, good teams get clipped every night. When we get "good" we'll get clipped too. We have been on the right side of that with some bad/mediocre teams. It's hard to win, damned hard. Keep an even keel and forget about past history.

Most people look at Illinois as a historically good program. Look at their boards after we beat them. Fans do what they do: panic. One guy on TOS said he was going to impose a self-ban if they (UI) lost.

 

[rmclion]

Last Sunday, the below website had us ranked 88th and out of the NIT, but their updated projections have Penn State as a 3 seed in the NIT and ranked at 71st overall. Purdue is 14, Minnesota is 32, tOSU is 58, Iowa is 74, and Nebraska is ranked 83. Wins against Purdue or Minnesota would move us up a good bit, and I doubt that losing to them would hurt that much. If we can beat tOSU at home and both Iowa and Nebraska at their courts, then we get a higher seed in the NIT and maybe even get in the NCAA bubble conversation.

I guess if we go .500 for the rest of the year then we remain on track for the NIT. Then again Wisconsin is ranked #3 overall on this site and they were left off of the list of top 16 seeds that was released yesterday, so who knows...

http://www.dratings.com/predictor/bracketology/

Doubt it. The NIT these days is more directed to the mid majors, as it should be. Teams barely 500 don't belong in any tournament.

 

[Erial_Lion]

NIT is a money tourney, which is why they now take teams with a losing record if the name is right.

That's very much false. If anything, the NIT is now skewed more toward "quality of teams" and away from the old days of taking a power conference team if they had a pulse.

 

[psugisher]

4-1 is not likely dancing. The only way that happens, is 5-0 and two wins in the B1G.

Young team just dug itself too big a hole and those two losses to Albany and Rutgers were too much. Can still do this NIT thing though, and get momentum for next year when EVERYONE comes back and we get our big man some help with the transfer coming in.

You really think if we go 11-7 in conference that we'll still need two wins in the conference tournament? It's a 68 team tournament.. the last few teams in have bad losses. 11-7 and we'll avoid the play in game. 10-8 and we could be a first four game. Gotta take care of a tough Nebraska team on the road on Tuesday. I'm not sure who's goal it is to be in the NIT. I doubt Chambers or the players came up with that goal.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Imagine if we won the IU game (should have, in regulation) and then took care of RU. You're at 8-5 in conference and looking at 20 wins. I didn't join in the threads too much with guys calling for Pat's head but I read them. I know it's hard to win, good teams get clipped every night. When we get "good" we'll get clipped too. We have been on the right side of that with some bad/mediocre teams. It's hard to win, damned hard. Keep an even keel and forget about past history.

Most people look at Illinois as a historically good program. Look at their boards after we beat them. Fans do what they do: panic. One guy on TOS said he was going to impose a self-ban if they (UI) lost.

This could easily be Groce's last season at Illinois.....the chair is rapidly getting warmer and warmer. Being SWEPT by PSU may be ultimately listed as the cause of death!

 

[Ian]

The redo's for this team are Albany, Michigan, two Indiana games, and Rutgers....

 

[Harbaughsleepovers]

You really think if we go 11-7 in conference that we'll still need two wins in the conference tournament? It's a 68 team tournament.. the last few teams in have bad losses. 11-7 and we'll avoid the play in game. 10-8 and we could be a first four game. Gotta take care of a tough Nebraska team on the road on Tuesday. I'm not sure who's goal it is to be in the NIT. I doubt Chambers or the players came up with that goal.

He has no idea what he's talking about and isn't doing his homework.

If Penn State were to win the next 5 games it would make the NCAA Tournament with a single digit seed. It wouldn't even be close.

Just look at the resumes of the teams who are projected to just make or just miss right now, they are barely better than Penn State's current resume.

Penn State would have to win 9 (won 2 already, win 5 more regular season, win 2 Big Tournament games) in a row in the Big Ten to "maybe" make the NCAA Tournament? That's laughably horrible analysis.

 

[harjeff]

He has no idea what he's talking about and isn't doing his homework.

If Penn State were to win the next 5 games it would make the NCAA Tournament with a single digit seed. It wouldn't even be close.

Just look at the resumes of the teams who are projected to just make or just miss right now, they are barely better than Penn State's current resume.

Penn State would have to win 9 (won 2 already, win 5 more regular season, win 2 Big Tournament games) in a row in the Big Ten to "maybe" make the NCAA Tournament? That's laughably horrible analysis.

9 in a row...just like the football team....Go Lions

 

[kgilbert78]

That's very much false. If anything, the NIT is now skewed more toward "quality of teams" and away from the old days of taking a power conference team if they had a pulse.

They still have to get people to actually attend their games. That tends to leave a Penn State out as compared to other programs.

The interesting one (and a team traditionally in a similar position) will be to see what happens with Northwestern in the Dance. They should be a lock. But, I'm recalling what happened to PSU in 2009 where two teams below them in the conference standings were selected for the Dance when PSU was not.

 

[Erial_Lion]

The interesting one (and a team traditionally in a similar position) will be to see what happens with Northwestern in the Dance. They should be a lock. But, I'm recalling what happened to PSU in 2009 where two teams below them in the conference standings were selected for the Dance when PSU was not.

Those teams should have been in before PSU. Minnesota had an RPI of 42, and Michigan 44. Ours was 70. With unbalanced conference standings, you need to look deeper than simply looking at the standings. Plus, we played a horrific non-conference schedule and had no quality non-conference wins (best were the home win over Mount Saint Mary's (118) and the road win at Georgia Tech (139)). Both of those teams below us had non-conference wins over top 5 teams. Us not getting in had everything to do with our resume and nothing to do with our name.

People often talk about this "name" school bias, but for those that follow this stuff, the most shocking additions to the tourney in recent time have been Middle Tennessee State and New Mexico. Last year, Tulsa was the shocker. You think those teams are getting in because of their "name"?

 

[kgilbert78]

Those teams should have been in before PSU. Minnesota had an RPI of 42, and Michigan 44. Ours was 70. With unbalanced conference standings, you need to look deeper than simply looking at the standings. Plus, we played a horrific non-conference schedule and had no quality non-conference wins (best were the home win over Mount Saint Mary's (118) and the road win at Georgia Tech (139)). Both of those teams below us had non-conference wins over top 5 teams. Us not getting in had everything to do with our resume and nothing to do with our name.

People often talk about this "name" school bias, but for those that follow this stuff, the most shocking additions to the tourney in recent time have been Middle Tennessee State and New Mexico. Last year, Tulsa was the shocker. You think those teams are getting in because of their "name"?

Tulsa's has had a better rep in basketball than Penn State has--with more tournament appearances--recently too. PSU split with both Minnesota and Michigan head to head in 2009.

 

[Erial_Lion]

Tulsa's has had a better rep in basketball than Penn State has--with more tournament appearances--recently too. PSU split with both Minnesota and Michigan head to head in 2009.

And Tulsa was right on the bubble with Florida and Clemson. You think reputation played a part in Tulsa getting in? Hell, the NCAA had a perfect chance to send a message and leave Frank Haith out if the committee was into looking at things other than resumes.

I also forgot about Air Force as another team that was a head-scratching addition to the field back in the late 00's.

Yes, PSU did split with those teams. If we swept them, maybe something like our horrid RPI wouldn't have hurt us quite as much when being compared to them. Are you trying to argue that PSU had a better resume than those teams, simple because we finished a game ahead of them in the standings? And that us getting left out was due to "tradition", and not all of the other obvious reasons?

 

[greenmanRD]

4-1 is not likely dancing. The only way that happens, is 5-0 and two wins in the B1G.

Young team just dug itself too big a hole and those two losses to Albany and Rutgers were too much. Can still do this NIT thing though, and get momentum for next year when EVERYONE comes back and we get our big man some help with the transfer coming in.

In the event that this team would win out, I think they'd go dancing if they just won their 1st round tourney game. Winning out would require wins over Purdue and @ Minnesota, they'd already have wins over Minnesota, Michigan State and Maryland. They'd be 11-7 B1G, sub-50 RPI. That's NCAA Tourney resume so long as they don't get a bad loss in the BTT.

That won't happen though, this team isn't going to the tournament.

 

[greenmanRD]

Imagine if we won the IU game (should have, in regulation) and then took care of RU. You're at 8-5 in conference and looking at 20 wins. I didn't join in the threads too much with guys calling for Pat's head but I read them. I know it's hard to win, good teams get clipped every night. When we get "good" we'll get clipped too. We have been on the right side of that with some bad/mediocre teams. It's hard to win, damned hard. Keep an even keel and forget about past history.

Most people look at Illinois as a historically good program. Look at their boards after we beat them. Fans do what they do: panic. One guy on TOS said he was going to impose a self-ban if they (UI) lost.

If we would've beaten Albany, George Mason and Rutgers, we'd be looking at the bubble right now.