[GK3]

FWLIW, ESPN's in-house projections unit (something called the ESPN Analytics' BPI forecast), gives NC State a better chance of making the NCAA tournament (5%) than Stanford (2%).

As of Tuesday, Stanford's chances down to 1%, per ESPN's BPI. 

I think it's a pretty flawed and thus silly forecast, as the BPI gives NC State a better chance at 3%, so I'm posting this for reference purposes just in case Stanford makes it in.

Stanford will have to go on quite the run to get in, and that probably has to include a victory over Duke or Clemson. The ACC is weak this year, so just finishing 5th or 6th isn't going to be sufficient. We are currently in the 80s in KenPom, and in a typical year you have to be in the high 30s to get in as an at-large due to all of the small conference auto-bids and other conference tourney upsets. The OOC losses to Cal Poly and GCU are killers.

But, I am enjoying watching this team for the first time since the Lopi.

This is just a wild you know what opinion, but I think our preseason schedule had a lot to do with Smith wanting to win games and build his team chemistry and to see what he really had. Next year I hope our preseason schedule is a bit tougher but not so tough we enter ACC play with a 50/50 record. The ACC is a great basketball conference but for Stanford and Cal it is pretty tough.  A road game an hour or so away, another maybe 1500 miles then all the rest twice as far. Late evening start times for home games doesn't help our crowd count.  If we get back to the dance under these conditions we have to give a lot of credit the team and its coaches.  I do really wish that we had somehow managed to keep MOC from going East.

[GK3]

FWLIW, ESPN's in-house projections unit (something called the ESPN Analytics' BPI forecast), gives NC State a better chance of making the NCAA tournament (5%) than Stanford (2%).

As of Tuesday, Stanford's chances down to 1%, per ESPN's BPI. 

I think it's a pretty flawed and thus silly forecast, as the BPI gives NC State a better chance at 3%, so I'm posting this for reference purposes just in case Stanford makes it in.

Stanford will have to go on quite the run to get in, and that probably has to include a victory over Duke or Clemson. The ACC is weak this year, so just finishing 5th or 6th isn't going to be sufficient. We are currently in the 80s in KenPom, and in a typical year you have to be in the high 30s to get in as an at-large due to all of the small conference auto-bids and other conference tourney upsets. The OOC losses to Cal Poly and GCU are killers.

But, I am enjoying watching this team for the first time since the Lopi.

This is just a wild you know what opinion, but I think our preseason schedule had a lot to do with Smith wanting to win games and build his team chemistry and to see what he really had. Next year I hope our preseason schedule is a bit tougher but not so tough we enter ACC play with a 50/50 record. The ACC is a great basketball conference but for Stanford and Cal it is pretty tough.  A road game an hour or so away, another maybe 1500 miles then all the rest twice as far. Late evening start times for home games doesn't help our crowd count.  If we get back to the dance under these conditions we have to give a lot of credit the team and its coaches.  I do really wish that we had somehow managed to keep MOC from going East.