Carolina passes the eye test, they just have an absurd amount of close losses that hurt their resume. Definitely wouldn't want them in my regional, same with Mississippi State.

A win over LSU might do it. I hope that doesn't get put to the test. Despite last night, we match up much better with Carolina than Kentucky.

The Sun Belt tournament is also worth keeping an eye on for a potential bid-stealer.

Th bubble seems to be getting smaller each day.

Carolina finished in 11th place in the conference standings and got to play the 12th, 13th, and 14th place (Alabama) teams in the league. That is a lot of regular season mediocrity to overcome in one weekend. Ole Miss should be ahead of the Gamecocks in the bubble pecking order.

I'm hoping there is room for 8 SEC teams (A&M) much less 9 or 10 with all the bid-stealers still alive in the various tournaments.

I chuckle at the SEC network commentators that have everybody getting in. There won't be enough room

Speaking of the Sun Belt, defending national champs Coastal Carolina are bounced from the tournament by Texas State. Will likely be the first defending national champs in a while to miss the tournament. Only 2-8 vs. the Top 50 and RPI likely outside the Top 50 when it's all settled. ULL and South Alabama could both make it.

West Virginia eliminates tech from the BDF tourney. The tards blow a 6-4 lead in the 9th allowing WV to tie the game at 6. In the 10th WV plates 5 and goes on to win 11-7. West Virginia needs to win twice tomorrow in order to keep potential at-large bid stealer Okie State from making the BDF Championship Game.

what's crazy is that despite another full day of baseball...things are getting muddier as opposed to clearer.

So many #1 seeds are struggling...and right on cue...West Virginia knocks out Tech.

have to like Oklahoma State's chances to win 1 from WVU

Coastal Carolina is surely dunskies. RPI at 61, they don't need to reach that far.

twk said:

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South Carolina might get in, but they aren't getting in ahead of A&M. Frankly, I think they have to win the tournament to get in.

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I wouldn't predict they get in over A&M.

If everyone inside the top 50 for the SEC got in, that's 10 teams. That leaves Missouri out. But the SEC has kind of shaped itself up like the ACC last year where 10 teams were in out of a big clump of flawed resumes.

I just think it's a tough call. Wouldn't be shocked if they get skipped and the SEC puts 9 in the tournament, but they've got to fill the field somehow.

Just a quick numbers check/update. Always think it interesting to keep up with last RPI in if they went straight down the list.

33 at larges. #1 Oregon State and #19 LBSU with automatic berths.

#35 gets in.

Either Miami or Duke could steal a bid with ACC

Oklahoma State in BDF

And those are just the power five bids

With 4 or more teams still alive in many (most) tournaments, there are lots of "bid stealers" alive.

Whether at-large candidates are and are not alive in some certain leagues as of around 9pm Friday.

Big East: #37 St. John's still alive. Only team inside top 89.

C-USA: #10 Southern Miss still alive. Only team in top 43.

Missouri Valley: #24 Missouri State still alive. Only team in top 64.

South land: #29 SE Louisiana eliminated. #40 McNeese State eliminated. No other team inside top 61.

Brett Rooker finishes the 8th inning on the mound, and does a respectable job.

Did I hear right....State has used 20 pitchers in the tournament?

Arkansas has a really nice team. The Hogs may bracket their postseason miss (2016) with 2 Omaha appearances

UCLA (29-25) loses game 2 of their series with Oregon. RPI down to #55. Can't quite make the Bruins an at-large lock yet

Basketball and Chain said:

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Did I hear right....State has used 20 pitchers in the tournament?

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Inflated by giving up an 11-spot in the 8th against UF earlier today.

#44 Gonzaga is in the winner's bracket of the West Coast tournament. Just needs to avoid the double dip tomorrow to win the title & auto bid. That would be good for A&M to keep the West Coast as a 1-bid league

Cajuns are in a crazy one. UL was up 5-1 against 5-seed Georgia Southern in the 9th. Gave up a run and then a GS to make it 6-5 GSU. UL tied it on an error in the B9 but had a runner thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

Top 10 now.

Crap. GSU wins in 11 7-6. The 1,2, & 4 seeds have been eliminated in the Sun Belt. Definitely going to be a stolen bid.

Yeah, that was surprising. Possibly might knock the Cajuns off the bubble. South Alabama has to win the tournament to avoid a stolen bid.

with almost all of Friday's games finished, here's how things look. Coming into today there were 24 of 33 at-large spots claimed...leaving 9 still available.

Nebraska claimed one tonight by being eliminated from the B1G tournament. The Huskers were the regular season champion. And SELU remained in the RPI top 30 despite being eliminated. The Lions have a solid all-around resume. SELU will be in.

so that leaves 7 at-large spots among these teams:

#32 Maryland*
#34 South Alabama*
#35 St. John's*
#38 UConn*
#39 Miami*
#40 FGCU*
#41 McNeese
#44 Gonzaga*
#45 A&M
#46 LaTech
#48 Old Dominion
#51 FAU*
#53 San Diego
#54 UCLA

the teams marked with an asterisk (*) can still win the auto bid in their respective tournaments. In some cases it's in A&M's best interest for those teams (like St. John's and Maryland) to go ahead and win their tournament and get off the at-large list. In other cases (like UConn and Miami), A&M needs them to be eliminated because the Ags would likely get in before those teams

looking at all 14 teams, I think UCLA and Gonzaga would receive bids before A&M.

then it's a toss-up as to whether the Ags would get in before Maryland, St. John's, or ODU.

I think A&M is ahead of McNeese, LaTech, UConn, and the rest of those teams.

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need Missouri State, Southern Miss, Gonzaga, St. John's, and Maryland to keep winning tomorrow

I now think the SEC gets nine with Ole Miss being the ninth. There is just not enough to differentiate between the Ags, Ole Miss, and Auburn to take take one and not all three. I think the only way South Carolina can get in is to win the tourney and if they do they will not take any SEC team's spot, they will be the tenth SEC team.

Am I missing something here....W isn't even showing ole miss and auburn on his list and you say they're all getting in. What gives?

sellthefarm said:

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Am I missing something here....W isn't even showing ole miss and auburn on his list and you say they're all getting in. What gives?

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He has Auburn in...not Ole Miss.

Auburn's resume is better than A&M's in quite a few categories: SoS, top 50, top 100, non-conference SoS. Not by a whole lot but I think enough that Auburn is getting in before the Ags and the other bubble teams.

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I'm going to be at graduation activities most of the day, feel free to post results of the various tournaments

And we won the series vs Auburn. Baseball America on its 5/26 thing had Ole Miss as one of the last four in.
I also think that some of the non power conference teams with higher rpis than us will be left out before teams from power conferences like us, Auburn, and Ole Miss.
We shall see.

LSU Baseball Fan said:

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Carolina passes the eye test, they just have an absurd amount of close losses that hurt their resume. Definitely wouldn't want them in my regional, same with Mississippi State.

A win over LSU might do it. I hope that doesn't get put to the test. Despite last night, we match up much better with Carolina than Kentucky.

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I think you could say the same for A&M as far as the close losses go. Had both TCU and Baylor beat until the 9th. One of those 2 alone would make Aggies feel a lot better, but that's the breaks. Not sure how closely the committee looks into that.

One thing we can say for sure is the ACC will have 9 tops, 8 tops if Duke doesn't win the tournament.

They won't have 10 as they did last year and that shifts the math for any other non-ACC at-large teams.

Another thing we know is that with the Big 12 as the top conference RPI, for whatever that actually matters, they can only have so many teams with the small league. Which again changes the situation for the rest of the leagues.

I don't know how to post a link but Baseball America has an excellent summary up going into today called "Bubble Wrap" if anyone is interested.

It is by conference. A little summary.

Miami is in now.
Kansas made a little run but and at 59 RPI is still bubble worthy.
St. John's (34) is probably in making the Big East a 2-bid league.
Big 10 is complicated- Nebraska in, Indiana toss up, Maryland bubble, but 3 of the 4 still playing are bubble busters.

Conference USA - Two best teams Old Dominion (49) and La Tech (45) are on the bubble. The teams left (including Rice) are all bubble busters but COULD just be stealing from their own league.

South Carolina needs to still at least beat LSU and that's probably still not enough.

Southland - Upsets have probably turned this from a 2-big league to a 3-bid league.

And we are not even considered part of the bubble and safely in.

Quote:

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Southland - Upsets have probably turned this from a 2-big league to a 3-bid league.

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The Southland is usually a one bid league. I would be very surprised to see the 12th best conference by RPI get three teams in the field.

Looks as if LSU is going to burst South Carolina's bubble. 9-0 kitties Top of 3.