[Husker] Basketball comments

[Steve Reichenbach]

> Where will NU have to finish for an NCAA tournament bid?  With the
> automatic qualifiers, 46 won't be high enough to guarantee a bid by
> any means.

I think it will come down to how the conference shakes out.  It is
pretty well established that the Big 12 is one of the toughest
conferences and there are few (if any) non-conference games left.
Sagarin has 7 Big 12 teams in the top 50 (predictor).  The Big 10
also has 7 and the Big East has 11 (out of 16).  That is half of
the top 50 in those three conferences.

One poster thought that 8-8 wouldn't be good enough.  It wouldn't be
a sure thing, but it is possible.  Certainly, 9-7 would be better.
Last year, the Big 12 got 7 teams, including two 9-7 teams.  You'd
think the conference would get at least 6 teams this year.  I think if
an 8-8 team is in the top half of the conference, they have a good shot
at getting in.  I think a 9-7 team in the top half is almost a sure
thing, but would still have a shot as the #7 team in the conference.
A team that is 8-8 or even 9-7 and not in the top half would have some
pressure to make a run in the conference tournament.  I think 10-6 is
a sure thing even with a poor showing in the conference tournament.