How the "mighty" have fallen
by tf86 (2017-04-24 10:51:04)
Post Reply Return to Arlotta Stadium

I'm sure ShermanOaksND will enjoy this, if he hasn't already seen it.

Yesterday, Rutgers lost 13-7 at home to Penn State. The win for Penn State guarantees them the final bid in the Big Ten tourney. Conversely, Rutgers will now miss the Big Ten tourney.

This from a program that had been ranked #1 in the nation earlier in the year.

Of course, Rutgers is still eligible for selection to the NCAA tournament, and I don't mean to state or even imply that they won't be selected. But at this point, it would appear that at least six of the eight at-large bids are likely spoken for -- Duke, ND and Syracuse from the ACC (note that the ACC no longer has an AQ bid), as well as the three teams from the Big Ten tourney who don't get that conference's AQ bid. Competition will be fierce for the remaining at-large bids, and Rutgers likely will need some help if they hope to get one. At a minimum, they probably need either Denver or Albany -- if not both -- to win their respective conference tournaments. And if they have any remaining hope of making the NCAA tournament, they probably had better treat the Ohio State game next weekend as essentially a tournament game.

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