Will Northwestern (finally) make the Big Dance?

<p>giterdone not only have I judged your character, but I have also decided if you were to rush my fraternity I would vote against you getting a bid</p>

<p>hahaha - frats are for losers.</p>

<p>giterdone, that’s quite a dismissive attitude and comes off as pretty immature. Can you try to be a more constructive poster if you’re going to insist on hanging out in the NU forum to deride the school constantly?</p>

<p>I again reflect on the amazing fact that only NU seems to have this problem of people coming here just to hate on the school. I’ve never seen NU boosters do the same in other subforums.</p>

<p>Giterdone, a little bit of tact and class can go a long way. Are you really a dad?</p>

<p>Cheeeeese and Rice! you guys are uptight. Read the back and forth, and if you still don’t get it? stick to verbal communication, 'cause this medium escapes you.</p>

<h1>Gopherswag</h1>

<p>Iona in and NU out? REALLY? :rolleyes:</p>

<p>They had an awful record against the nation’s top-50 RPI teams and shot themselves in the foot with losses to Michigan (twice in OT), Ohio State (recently), and then what turned out to be a catastrophic loss to Minnesota. They were competitive all year, but outside of their one “signature” win, they accomplished very little. Most importantly, they had absolutely no post presence and relied far too much on their perimeter game, something that dooms teams come March Madness time. The committee was right in this case.</p>

<p>Northwestern: Beats #1 seed, doesn’t qualify in top 68</p>

<p>CentralFC,
I agree that they had a catastrophic loss to Minnesota. That’s what cost them a bid, not losing close games to powerhouse teams like Ohio State and Michigan. I think they would have been in had they won the first round game. They had no post presence, correct, because Luka Mirkovic was injured for most of the year.</p>

<p>Safe to say Northwestern was this year’s Virginia Tech?</p>

<p>Eh. We were every year’s Northwestern, we just Northwesterned harder than usual.</p>

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<p>That whole 1-10 against the top 50 RPI is a red herring; 9 of the 11 games were against the top 25 RPI and 7 against the top 20.</p>

<p>Iona had zero top 50 RPI wins (best win being against #66 Nevada) and there was all this talk about VCU being more deserving of a bid (before they go their auto bid), but VCU didn’t have a top 50 win as well (best win being against RPI 52 South Florida) and they lost in the 1st round of the Charleston Tournament which NU won.</p>

<p>And teams like NC State were 1-8 against the top 50 (only win just making it - a win over #49 Texas) or not much better; South Florida was 2-9 (best win being over #13 Louisville) and had a few bad losses (while NU had none), Cal had zero top 50 wins.</p>

<p>If the top of the B1G hadn’t been as strong this year (or if the 'Cats had played IU at home instead of away) or if the 'Cats had played “weak” top 50 RPI teams like Ohio, Harvard, Iona, Marshall, etc. instead of Baylor and Creighton (or had played Creighton at home), the 'Cats would be in.</p>

<p>Also, while it didn’t help that Mirkovic regressed this season, forcing Shurna to play the post and making the 'Cats even more undersized, the biggest loss was not having Cobb healthy for much of the season (he’s still getting back in game shape) since he was supposed to the the 3rd scorerer, as well as being the best defender at the top of the 1-3-1.</p>

<p>A healthy Cobb and the 'Cats would have won some of those close B1G games (but once again, the injury bug bites the 'Cats - Coble and Shurna before hand).</p>

<p>Let’s just hope that some new faces in the frontcourt - Cerina, Olah, Abrahamson and Turner give the 'Cats much needed post play and improved rebounding and that other new faces like Demps (only saw a little but of time before opting for surgery) and Lumpkin add more depth to the backcourt.</p>

<p>I can see the 'Cats regressing a little next season due to all the young faces (maybe a low NIT seed; btw, the 'Cats got toally jipped on their NIT seed), but another run at the NCAAs seem doable for the 2013-14 season.</p>

<p>Anyway, not saying that the 'Cats deserved to be in after losing to Minny in the B1G Tournament, but the committee this year seemed to have been enthralled by overall win totals (even if it was against weak competition) and how teams did on the stretch run - which goes against what past committees have stated.</p>

<p>Selections like Iona were a real eye-scratcher.</p>

<p>In a radio interview, the NCAA committee chair defended the choice of Iona despite the fact they had no Top 50 wins.</p>

<p>His argument: “Well, they played Purdue really well. They lost on a buzzer-beater.” (Doh!).</p>

<p>Couple coworkers and I talked about this briefly and they wondered why Duke is a powerful house but Northwestern can’t even get to dance once. Most people have no idea Northwestern has a much higher academic standard when it comes to recruiting for basketball players. </p>

<p>The following article shows academic standard is not a myth:
[Men’s</a> Swimming: Wildcats go international to grab top recruits - Sports - The Daily Northwestern - Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/sports/men-s-swimming-wildcats-go-international-to-grab-top-recruits-1.2708413]Men’s”>http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/sports/men-s-swimming-wildcats-go-international-to-grab-top-recruits-1.2708413)<br>
These swimmers need 100 or above on TOEFL, just like other internationals at NU.
So how good is 100? Well, Berkeley requires 80 even for non-athletes.</p>

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<p>This.</p>

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<p>[Stanford</a> vs. Duke basketball: The difference in admissions standards | College Hotline](<a href=“http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports/2008/11/05/stanford-vs-duke-basketball-the-difference-in-admissions-standards/]Stanford”>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports/2008/11/05/stanford-vs-duke-basketball-the-difference-in-admissions-standards/)</p>

<p>NU’s admissions for revenue sports is right up there w/ Stanford’s.</p>

<p>And here’s a story that has long been something that has been floating around the athletic dept.</p>

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<p>[The</a> Last Wallflower | Tobacco Road Blues](<a href=“http://tobaccoroadblues.com/2012/03/13/the-last-wallflower/]The”>The Last Wallflower | Tobacco Road Blues)</p>

<p>Glad NU didn’t end up getting Amaker tho.</p>

<p>And what a great decision it was to put Iona in the tournament. <cough, choke,="" cough=""></cough,></p>

<p>no…sorry</p>

<p>A bit late to the boat, there, champ.</p>