Let’s get nuts. Sit back, if you can, and enjoy.

Interestingly, Indiana kind of “looks like” Wichita State, when you look at this game from a planning perspective. The Hoosiers are experienced, an offensive juggernaut, can shoot the three, and their big man is their leading scorer. They prefer pretty.

Bullet stats that matter, before the flowery words:

• Indiana averages 77.3 points per game, top 20 nationally.
• Freshman big man Cody Zeller ( 15.5 ppg and 6.4 rpg), shoots 62.4% from the field. He is the younger brother of ACC Player of the Year Tyler Zeller of UNC.
• Indiana turns the ball over on 19.0% of its possessions (97th nationally)
• The Hoosiers hit 43.6% of their threes, second nationally.
• The winner of this game likely gets Kentucky, who Indiana beat earlier this year.
• Three games ago, Indiana guard Verdell Jones injured his knee and is lost for the year. Jordan Hulls has stepped up, averaging 19.3 points and shooting 68.8% from the field in Indiana’s three postseason games.
• Junior forward Christian Watford is a tough matchup as the big man can play inside and outside, averaging 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this year. He has connected on 45 treys on the year.
• Find Matt Roth. He’s 43-79 from the field on the year, but 41-74 from three (55.4%). He’s 15-15 from the line.

Jordan Hulls is VCUs new Joe Ragland. Hulls scores 11.9ppg on the year and leads Indiana with 110 assists. He also has 71 turnovers. The plan has to be similar–get Hulls tired, and take him out of the halfcourt offense.

This is where VCU must make Indiana pay for the loss of Jones. The cumulative effect of havoc makes a great player make bad plays, and tired plays. The Hoosiers, like the Shockers, are used to the assault–for 40 minutes–and will have to struggle. When they go option #2, that’s a tired option.

Swingman Victor Oladipo will matter. The 6-5 sophomore plays fast and loose–70 turnovers, and Oladipo will find the ball in his hands often in the open court if VCU is successful getting the ball away from Hulls.

The Rams are going to have to make Zeller earn his points. That means DJ Haley and David Hinton are going to have to use eight of their 10 available fouls. The Reddic vs. Watford matchup will be interesting to watch drift from three point line to high post to baseline.

Somehow I feel like this is going to come down to three-point shooting. VCU needs to hit a good percentage and make eight or more. They have to hold Indiana to less than its season percentage.

And again, the uglier the better for the Rams. Havoc must prevail.

Ken Pomeroy has Indiana winning 74-67 and gives VCU a 27% chance of winning. Interestingly, Pomeroy had Wichita State winning 72-64 and gave VCU a 26% chance of pulling off the upset.

Very similar, and that’s what we will do.

VCU 65, Indiana 62

In truth, there can be no better summary than what Luke Winn typed.

And here’s the boxscore.

And here’s a transcription from the VCU postgame presser.

***

It was a matter of tempo, and VCU made a mess of things for most of the night. We mentioned yesterday that we didn’t think Wichita State had seen the kind of unrelenting ball pressure VCU offers, and that played out early. The Shockers took numerous bad shots, rushed shots, that were outside their normal offensive flow.

You see, when Shaka Smart talks about rushing his opponent and making them play faster, he also means he wants them to think too quickly. Hasty decisions lead to bad shots and charging fouls. Both were huge in the first half, which ended with Wichita State making one free throw in the final 5:11 and VCU assuming a 34-25 lead.

The one item missed by Winn was the play of DJ Haley. The 7-0 Haley came to play last night, and made a difference. Haley drew two charges in the first half, and finished the game with four points and seven rebounds. That may not seem like a ton, but consider this: Wichita State’s leading scorer, Garrett Stutz, posted an identical 4/7 stat line. Haley neutralized Stutz.

Finally, Brad Burgess is getting–properly–heaps of praise for his Big Shot that put VCU back up 60-59 with 1:29 left. It came just after Toure Murry drilled what could’ve been a back-breaking three.

But rewind two minutes, when VCU was hanging on to a 54-53 lead and looking wobbly. Troy Daniels swished one of those rise-and-fire 22-foot threes to give VCU a four-point cushion. I believe that shot, at that point, served a heaping spoonful of confidence to the Rams and was critical in the late-game combat. Daniels also scored eight of VCUs final 14 points.

Indiana is next on Saturday at 7:10, and I need to get into info-gathering mode.

***

Didn’t want to hit send on this entry until I gave Drexel its due for sheep-crooking Central Florida’s season in its first round NIT game. The Dragons walloped UCF 81-56 the other night behind 18 points and 14 assists from Frantz Massenat.

Drexel plays Northern Iowa in the second round on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. at the DAC. Yes, they belonged in the NCAA tournament.

It’s about tempo. We established that yesterday–that VCU imposing its havoc will is critical, especially in this game where an outstanding offensive team like Wichita State can succeed or fail in equal amounts of splendor.

The numbers bear out the hot and cold reality.

Wichita State shot 41% or less in all five of its losses. The Shockers are 3-5 when they shoot 41% or less. They are 24-0 when they shoot 42% or greater. VCU translation: the Rams ball pressure must force Garrett Stutz into uncomfortable and unfamiliar spots, and they must challenge the Wichita State three-point shooters. Related, VCU has to rebound the basketball. The Rams were beaten on the boards by an identical 41-24 margin in both the CAA tourney semifinals and finals. Wichita State is better than George Mason and Drexel and will take better advantage of second chances.

The Shockers hit 44% or better 15 times from three, and 50% or better eight times. However they shot just 30% or less from three 12 times, and 26% or less nine times. VCU translation: the Shockers are a very hot and cold bomb squad. A key piece of VCUs defense is taking teams out of their rhythm. That is an absolute MUST in this game. Joe Ragland, Ben Smith, and David Kyles all hit 54 or more threes. Havoc has to keep them guessing, and have them grabbing their shorts. A big part of rhythm is concentration and feel. That’s what VCU must limit.

Only one team shot 50% against Wichita State–Utah State shot 54% on December 10. In nine games since 2/1, seven teams have not reached 40% and only Davidson topped 41%. VCU translation: the Rams, quite simply, have got to knock down shots. Threes, jumpers, whatever. VCU has to be efficient on the offensive end. This is where we tie together yesterday’s view on the importance of Juvonte Reddic. What’s more, Rob Brandenberg and Treveon Graham will slice the lane. They have to finish at the rim. Havoc layups created from steals will help that immensely.

In four of Wichita State’s last seven games, they have not forced more than eight turnovers. Wichita State has committed more than 14 turnovers just twice since January 4. VCU translation: This is the essence of how the game needs to play out for VCU. The Rams have to hurry up the Shockers while taking care of the basketball. Duh. But the numbers suggest VCU will have its opportunity to get shots. That leads to the earlier point of making shots. It also leads to the original point and the original goal of havoc: additional possessions for VCU.

And finally:

Somehow, I feel like foul trouble will come into play. By all reports it’s a problem for Garrett Stutz. Conversely, the VCU offense tends to bog down when Darius Theus is sitting next to Shaka Smart. and keep in mind a quick foul or two on Ragland changes the way Gregg Marshall can attack this game.

Ken Pomeroy has Wichita State winning 72-64, giving VCU a 26% chance of pulling off the upset.

You’ve got to believe, and what I believe is that the VCU ball pressure is not something Wichita State has faced. There’s a certain amount of havoc that is unquantifiable. It resides in fatigue, stress, and emotion created by the bigness of the moment. You saw it play out in the first eight minutes of the George Mason, and the middle of the first half against Drexel.

Honestly, it’s the eye test, and matters of the mind and heart. No stat measures that real impact on the basketball.

The more points scored the worse it becomes for VCU. We believe in rock fights.

Rams 62, Shockers 59.

Let’s get one misconception out of the way quickly: folks hear havoc and assume VCU likes to play fast. They see Wichita State averages almost 78 points per game and immediately figure the Shockers will be comfortable at VCUs fast pace.

Wrong.

Havoc plays neither fast nor slow. It’s about tempo, not pace. It relies on disruption, not speed. Oh sure, a steal and layup or steal and three represents havoc perfection. The Rams feed off of those turnovers, which seem to multiply like a 1970s shampoo commerical. It’s exactly why VCU blitzed George Mason with a 22-0 and 32-4 start in the CAA semis.

But Shaka Smart is looking for any turnover. It can come from backcourt traps, an uncomfortable big man in the open court throwing a pass to cheerleaders, or ball pressure creating a travel or charging foul. The true design of havoc is giving VCU extra possessions generated by turnover margin, which in turn gives his team more opportunities to score than the opponent.

That’s why it isn’t about pace. VCU can be disruptive and play havoc at any speed and from any spot on the floor. So it’s worth noting that in VCUs past six games, since the Mason Miracle, the Rams have forced 118 turnovers while committing just 56. VCU has 10 or more steals in nine straight games.

The easy way to frame this game is to talk about these turnovers, and in fact they matter more than anything. The turnover differential is the game’s most important aspect.

Wichita State is a devastating offensive team. Three Shockers have made 54 or more threes, and point guard Joe Ragland has made half his bombs. And we’re not talking 7-14. Ragland enters the Rose Garden a fragrant 57-114 from three. What’s more, their leading scorer was 7-0, 255-pound Garrett Stutz, who shot 55.6% from the field.

Statistical translation: the country’s 10th most efficient offense (AdjO of 116.8). Additionally, Wichita State turns the ball over on just 18.0% of its possessions, 47th nationally. Of course VCU leads the nation in steal percentage (16.2%) and turnover percentage (27.4%).

So there’s your top storyline. However what the mainstreamers won’t point out is the importance of Juvonte Reddic. It’s a tasty subplot for VCU fans.

Wichita State’s big man Garrett Stutz is just that–a big man. He stands 7-0 and is a listed 255 pounds. VCU big man DJ Haley is also 7-0 and listed at 250 pounds. Haley’s physical defense on Stutz matters, but those two will look like two brontosauruses wrestling for dead leaves before they turn to oil.

Who guards Reddic? Stutz can use brute force to limit Reddic on the block, but he certainly doesn’t possess the mobility to check Reddic out to 15 feet, where Reddic is comfortable and capable.

Six of the other seven players in the Shockers’ eight-man rotation are either undersized or guards who will not draw the assignment: Joe Ragland (6-0), Toure Murry (6-5), Ben Smith (6-5), David Kyles (6-4), Demetric Williams (6-2), Tekele Cotton (6-2).

(Side note: though that fact does throw me back to Joey Rodriguez guarding Gerald Lee in the CAA tournament. But I digress…)

This is where the chess match begins. Former VCU-commit but Wichita-land Carl Hall becomes vital. Sure, we can start with Stutz/Haley and Hall/Reddic, but DJ Haley will play in three-minute bursts.

What does Gregg Marshall do when Rob Brandenberg checks into the game? Treveon Graham? Sit his leading scorer to keep Hall on Reddic? In any case, who guards 6-6 Bradford Burgess? Wichita State goes just seven- or eight-men deep, and only Hall has the size/mobility to matchup with Reddic.

Now, let me be clear: I’m not saying Marshall doesn’t have those answers. That’s the kind of thing coaches are paid handsomely to know prior to tipoff. I’m certain he has that answer.

The point is that VCU has an advantage in terms of dictating substitution patterns, which is key to creating the “kind of game” you want to occur (i.e., havoc). The other undervalued aspect to havoc is how substitutions play a role. There’s fatigue, but then there’s VCUs ability to run bigger guys like Brandenberg, Burgess, and Graham at smaller guys.

And that’s where Reddic’s versatility comes into play.

Look keenly at Reddic’s first five minutes. During the season a quick early foul or missing a couple shots has kept him stuck in second gear. However when he knocks down a jumper or two early and gets the motor going, Reddic has the ability to make a impactful difference in the game.

I’m not saying Reddic is the difference in winning and losing. Turnover margin and three-point shooting are the big tells.

But if you’re looking for that extra edge, that something that you may not have considered entering the game, look to Juvonte Reddic. If a motivated Reddic scores 16 points the real way–early jump hooks and free throw jumpers and not late garbage and layups–VCU becomes very difficult to beat.

Programming note: The real world is eating up my Thursday morning–mostly because “vacation” begins around 12:20. Then, there’s the ramp up for VCU/Wichita State. So check back later this morning/lunch for VCU perspective.

***

Last night in the CIT, Georgia State bombed Tennessee Tech 74-43 in the school’s first postseason game since 2002. In fact, last night was 10 years years to the day since its last appearance in tournament play–ironically a loss in the NIT to Tennessee Tech.

Devonta White led the way with 24 points. The Panthers dominated at both ends, shooting 52.7% from the field, including 9-for-15 from beyond the arc. Tennessee Tech shot just 28.3% on teh night, and were 2-22 from distance.

Said White: “The atmosphere and environment was different tonight. We were just trying to keep the pace up, play our game and get the win.”

***

Old Dominion slipped past Coastal Carolina, 68-66, behind 19 points from Richard Ross. ODU led by nine, 62-53, with about six and one-half minutes to play. A 13-3 Coastal storm gave the Chants a one-point lead with two minutes to play.

Ross followed a Donte Hill miss, then hit one of two free throws to give ODU its winning 68-66 margin. An Anthony Raffa three-pointer bounded away at the buzzer.

Next up for both teams: Who knows? Much like the old NIT, the CIT re-pairs winners after each round. If ODU hosts, they will try to play the game at Scope–The Ted is being used for the NCAA women’s first round games.

***

Here’s a re-run of the Drexel info from yesterday, since I struggle with “calendars,” as well as Delaware info:

Drexel gets started tonight at 7:15 on ESPN3 in the NIT. The Dragons, tabbed as a three seed, host Central Florida. The Knights (22-10) finished third in the Conference USA standings with a 10-6 mark. UCF beat Old Dominion 61-53 in Florida in December and have victories over Connecticut and Memphis.

UCF also has one of those Jordan kids, which is much ado about nothing.

Ken Pomeroy has Drexel winning 63-56, giving the Dragons a 78% chance of advancing. A win gets Drexel the winner of Northern Iowa/St. Joseph’s.

***

Delaware heads out midwest to play someone you may have heard of–the Butler Bulldogs–in the first round of the CBI tournament. Butler went 20-14 this season, finishing tied for third in the Horizon League. The Bulldogs lost to top-seeded Valparaiso in the conference tournament semifinals.

Our man Pomeroy has Butler winning 68-62, giving Delaware a 27% chance of pulling the upset.

The game will be televised live on HDNet. The winner of the Delaware-Butler game will take on the winner of the Quinnipiac-Penn game in the CBI quarterfinals on Monday, March 19.

[EDIT] Oops. Drexel is Wednesday, not tonight. We will add the Delaware game later today.

Drexel gets started WEDNESDAY at 7:15 on ESPN3 in the NIT. The Dragons, tabbed as a three seed, host Central Florida. The Knights (22-10) finished third in the Conference USA standings with a 10-6 mark. UCF beat Old Dominion 61-53 in Florida in December and have victories over Connecticut and Memphis.

UCF also has one of those Jordan kids, which is much ado about nothing.

Ken Pomeroy has Drexel winning 63-56, giving the Dragons a 78% chance of advancing. A win gets Drexel the winner of Northern Iowa/St. Joseph’s.

***

Speaking of Old Dominion, the Monarchs get Coastal Carolina (19-11) in the opening game of the CIT. The Fightin’ Chaucers finished second in the Big South (12-6) but lost six of their final eight games. Their biggest win was a 60-59 victory over Clemson two days before Thanksgiving.

Ken Pomeroy has ODU winning 69-56, with an 86% chance of being correct.

Side note: I’m not sure what it means, but here’s how Dave Fairbank described the tournament. It made me laugh: Think of it as March Madness’ nebbish cousin, a 40-something bookkeeper from Frederick, Md., who tries to overcome his chronic asthma with a bullhorn and season tickets to Mount St. Mary’s games.

***

The first two games pit the Dragons vs. the Knights and the Monarchs vs. the Chanticleers. Means nothing, but there you go.

***

Finally, tonight Georgia State tips off against Tennessee Tech (19-11), also in the CIT. The Golden Eagles were fourth (9-7) in the Ohio Valley. There are no notable wins or losses on their slate, but Tennessee does have a kid named Kevin Murphy who scored 50 points against SIU-Edwardsville this season.

Also, their point guard is a kid named Zac Swansey, who transferred from Georgia. Swansey drilled a buzzer-beating three to down Kentucky in the 2008 SEC tournament.

Ken Pomeroy has the Panthers winning 72-61, with an 86% confidence rate on that pick.

***

Both Georgia State and Old Dominion are playing at home, and are designated as #1 seeds. That gives them first right of refusal for home games as they progress throguh the tournament. Home teams are required to put up about $30,000 to host a game.

ODU has stated it needs around 4,000 fans to break even. In my opinion, the reward for this turnaround season is well worth the $30,000 for Georgia State.

Here’s a point that should not get lost in the run up to tipoff between VCU and Wichita State: these two teams played last year in Bracketbusters, won by VCU. Why does that matter?

The Shockers go seven deep (or eight, depending on your view of 10 minutes per game). Five of the seven are seniors and two are juniors. Outside of forward Carl Hall–who as a side note committed to VCU but then changed his mind and chose Wichita State–this is the same team VCU beat last year in the Roundhouse.

VCU, meanwhile, returns Brad Burgess and a tiny bit of Rob Brandenberg, Darius Theus, and Juvonte Reddic. The Rams are a defense-first team this season. This is a different VCU team to scout. Because of that, the Rams have a significant preparation edge.

And here’s why a significant preparation advantage matters: strength on strength. Wichita State is 47th in the nation in terms of protecting the basketball. They turn the ball over on just 18.0% of their possessions.

VCU leads the country in steal percentage (16.2% of opposition possessions) and turnover percentage (27.4% of opposition possessions).

The team that dictates its style of play–fast and pretty or choppy and havocy–will likely win. It’s even more critical to prepare to face a differing styles, so the preparation advantage for VCU is a big deal.

Another data point to put in your back pocket: when VCU played Northern Iowa in Bracketbusters this year, UNI was ranked 12th in the nation for fewest turnovers per game. VCU forced 19 turnovers in the Rams’ victory.

We got exacly what we wanted from the NCAA tournament selection committee last night, and it’s damned disappointing. They’ve chosen optics and messages. Planning and preening over performance. Mediocrity over meritocracy.

The message is clear: schedule tough in the nonconference. It doesn’t matter if you actually win these games, but you definitely have to play them. Said Jeff Hathaway, NCAA committee chairman, last night: “You have to be more aggressive in the scheduling. A wide range of schools are reaching out and they schedule very aggressively.”

Notice Hathaway didn’t say anything about winning basketball games. Just schedule aggressively.

Because of this message, the CAA coaches have a clear mandate: play them anywhere, anytime. You don’t have the luxury of counting on your conference to bring you top 100 games in droves, like major conferences.

What’s more, you know you’re too good to play home-and-home. It’s time to give up that ghost. Time to hit the road for the single game. The rules aren’t changing and no matter your belief of standing–no matter how legitimate–this is your corner lot. But don’t worry. You don’t have to win. Just play.

Side note: am I the only one bothered that the committee rewarded Iona for being on the road for the entire month of December? The “you have to play road games against quality competition” meme sent the Gaels to Denver, West Virginia, Richmond, Vemont, and then Williamsburg–all within two weeks and, I presume, during exams.

This isn’t an Iona problem. I credit them for doing what needed to be done. This is a committee problem and a standards problem.

And while it’s comforting to know the criteria, my biggest disappointment is that what the committee says and what they do don’t gibe. When you take a closer look, even the reasoning the committee provided for Drexel’s exclusion is a specious argument.

Mike Bobinski, who will be next season’s committee chair, said last night that ”…road wins are a big thing for me. I like to see teams that are willing to challenge themselves away from home. Teams that would take a chance really make a difference.”

…road wins are a big thing for me…

South Florida was 0-4 in nonconference true road games, including a 66-43 loss to VCU. BYU was 2-1 on the road. Iona was 4-2 on the road, including a loss to the CAAs 11th place Hofstra Pride. And Drexel was 4-1 on the road.

So South Florida plays one fewer road game than Drexel and doesn’t win any of them; BYU plays three times on the road total and once outside of Utah; and Iona plays one game more than Drexel. The average RPI of Iona’s six opponents: 159. Drexel’s five: 178. BYUs three: 177. Not exactly an earth-shattering, inclusion/exclusion difference.

Road games: check.

Bobinski, talking about Iona: “In their league, they were a dominant team throughout, they were aggressive. In general, they were a very good team during the course of the year.”

…they were a very good team during the course of the year…

Iona was 15-3 in the MAAC and lost in its conference semifinals at a true neutral site. BYU finished third in the WCC and lost in its conference semifinals. Drexel was 16-2 (and 25-2 since December) in the CAA and lost in its conference finals in what was really a road game, and missing a starter.

Dominant team throughout? Check.

***

I understand why Drexel was not selected, and my personal angst revolves not just around Drexel being left out–let’s be clear that this was a mistake–but also what it tells mid majors they have to do in order to make the tournament.

Here’s that: we want you to schedule games against teams who are ranked by an admittedly flawed metric, and it doesn’t matter that you win those games. You just have to show us that you’re willing to travel to far flung places and play games against teams that will play each other for two months.

It’s almost as if the nonconference season is a qualifying round for mid major basketball. So be it. Now we know the rules.

The NCAA tournament is about what you do. Win, and move on. As Shaka Smart said last year: “in sports, it doesn’t matter what anybody else says.”

Except it does. It’s a shame that competition takes a back seat to construction.

Much like last year with VCU, it’s time to lay out, in advance, what may make me angry this evening. The selection committee has most likely already made its decision on Drexel, so it’s pointless to dig deep into the damn lies.

Now, it’s about framing. For me, there will almost certainly be no grousing about who is selected and who is not. Every bubble team has its share of beauty and ugly. A reason exists for inclusion and exclusion, and you will hear that reason in every interview. Don’t get caught up in that.

Keep a wary eye on the process, the approach, the consistency of who. This selection isn’t really about numbers, it’s about the how. If a truly mediocre, oatmeal-with-no-flavoring Big East or PAC12 team makes the field over Drexel, every CAA coach now knows exactly how they need to schedule. Play ‘em anywhere and everywhere, and it doesn’t matter that you lose, it matters that you played.

And that would be disappointing.

I’ve long maintained that a team that’s 2-11 versus the top 50 RPI has proven nothing but the ability to lose to good teams. If the selection committee chooses a middling major team based on a flawed statistical measure, that’s on them. They are choosing mediocrity, and that’s unfortunate.

At some point winning has to supersede the vagaries of the damn lies. Last I checked, the NCAA tournament is played to decide a winner. I don’t think they gave VCU a trophy last year because the Rams played, and lost, to a good team.

This is precisely why Drexel belongs in the field. You’re about to see a blitzkrieg of numbers from me, but I want you to read them in the same spirit I hope the selection committee reads them. You don’t need the numbers for decision-making. Use the numbers to help you think, to be part of the story.

For instance, the numbers can tell you anything you want about Virginia. The Cavaliers have a solid-looking case, if you go strictly by those numbers. But consider Virginia is missing two of its key players and stumbled to a 4-6 end to the season. Think about what those numbers allow you to project.

Like every team, Virginia had its ups and downs. They were very good in November but have tailed off markedly. They fail that “eye test” about which everybody makes such a big deal.

Here’s the thing about that “eye test.” Nobody mentions it in November. It isn’t even considered. Why is that? I’ll tell you: because everybody wants to have teams playing well in February, so that the national championship is decided by teams on an upward arc, not a downward spiral. You know, WINNING teams. The eye test is all about winning, whether you play fast or slow.

It’s quite the paradox. We talk about teams playing their way into the tournament. We hold conference tournaments for automatic bids at the end of the season, not in November. Yes, body of work matters–but most assuredly it matters less than how you are playing in February.

The committee notes that it does not look at the last 10 games in any specific way. I’m saying the last 10 games are defining mediocrity, and that matters. As I said, at some point winning has to take precedence over cockamamie stats, and Drexel was 19-1 in its last 20 games and 27-6, winning the CAA regular season title. That has to matter more than a mediocre major conference performance.

The committee also says it does not specifically look at teams one-on-one. And that’s fine. (However I will note that if Washington or Northwestern makes the field and Drexel does not, I will be very unhappy.) So of the teams and numbers listed below, who has most played their way into the tournament?

Drexel: 27-6, 1-2 vs. top 50, 9-1 in last 10, RPI 67

Ole Miss 20-13: 1-7 vs. top 50, 6-4 in last 10, RPI 61

Miami 19-12: 2-8 vs. top 50, 5-5 in last 10, RPI 60

Northwestern 18-13: 1-10 vs. top 50, 5-5 in last 10 RPI 63

Washington 21-10 0-5 vs. top 50, 7-3 in last 10, RPI 71

Oregon 22-9, 0-4 vs. top 50, 7-3 in last 10, RPI 64

Virginia 22-9, 2-6 vs. top 50, 4-6 in last 10, RPI 52

Seton Hall 20-12, 3-7 vs. top 50, 5-5 in last 10, RPI 68

South Florida 19-13, 2-9 vs top 50, 7-3 in last 10, RPI 53

I briefly spoke to Bruiser Flint a few minutes ago. I avoided asking anything having to do with “do you think you are in the NCAAs” or “do you think you should be in the NCAAs.” (Mostly because those are dumb questions.)

But here’s what Flint had to say:

On watching the games yesterday impact his team’s chances, and what this weekend will be like for him, Flint started laughing:

“Actually we’ve been through this before (in 2007). I try to learn from my experiences. Last time I was up until 3:00, 4:00 in the morning watching games, west coast games, everything. Now it’s more like ‘Bru why are you bothering yourself with that?’

I like watching games anyway. We grabbed a bite to eat yesterday and I’m laughing at them ‘why are you cheering? It doesn’t matter, you know? There’s nothing you can do.’ This is a coaches dream, though. You can watch basketball from noon ’til midnight and I like just watching the games.”

On his practice schedule:

“Our first day (back) was yesterday and we didn’t go too hard, did some shooting. We’ll go hard today, get some running in, conditioning, and go from there. Scrimmaging tomorrow and do more drills, four-on-four, three-on-three, that kind of stuff.”

On what they will do Sunday afternoon:

“We’ll hang out and wait like everybody else. We’ll get together as a team and watch it in the locker room, and they set something up in case we do make it. If not we’ll wait to see who we play in the NIT.”

[EDIT] Per Drexel University, the charges against Derrick Thomas were withdrawn and Thomas’s interim suspensin was lifted today.

On availability of Derrick Thomas:

“I can’t comment on that.”