Can the Zips finish the MAC un..uhh...unde...???

[jeaglet1]

Its going to come down to two games. @OU and @Buffalo. Not worried about Can't at home at all.

I'd be more worried about Can't trying to play spoiler than UB. I expect them to play over their heads. Their strengths are the same as the Zips, and Zeke / Tree are much better. The game in Athens is the only hurdle, the rest are speed bumps. Of course, one could be tripped up by a speed bump too.

[zippy5]

I'd be more worried about Can't trying to play spoiler than UB. I expect them to play over their heads. Their strengths are the same as the Zips, and Zeke / Tree are much better. The game in Athens is the only hurdle, the rest are speed bumps. Of course, one could be tripped up by a speed bump too.

If we head into the Can't game undefeated, I'd actually be more afraid of them than any other game along the way.

[akronzips71]

If I understand the system, a win Saturday locks in the #2 seed no matter what.

With 5 games remaining, the only team that could challenge is WMU with 4 losses.

But we already beat them head to head, so advantage Akron.

So I think a win on Sat sends us to the BracketBuster with a #2 seed guaranteed.

If I don't have this right, DIG please chime in.

[MDZip]

If I understand the system, a win Saturday locks in the #2 seed no matter what.

With 5 games remaining, the only team that could challenge is WMU with 4 losses.

But we already beat them head to head, so advantage Akron.

So I think a win on Sat sends us to the BracketBuster with a #2 seed guaranteed.

If I don't have this right, DIG please chime in.

I'm no D.I.G. but you have it right.

[johnnyzip84]

I'm no D.I.G. but you have it right.

I thought you were going to say "I'm not a REAL doctor", but.....

[Dave in Green]

I think someone already did the math in another thread. You guys have it right. If the Zips are 12-0 in the MAC after Saturday's game, the worst they can finish is 12-4. OU is the only one that could beat that and WMU is the only eligible team that could tie it. But the Zips own the tie-breaker with WMU, so a top two seed would be locked in. Thinking about this scenario is a giant leap back from the one I just painted in another thread about the Zips winning out through the MAC tournament championship game, going 28-4 and entering the NCAA tournament on a 24-game winning streak.

[akronzips71]

I don't think of it as a leap back, but rather one more piece of the puzzle that comes together with a trip to the dance. One step at a time, and in the end it all comes together.

If OU would just accommodate us and lose a game we would soon be in a position to lock up the NIT bid. One step at a time, that one gets decided before the dance cards go out.

[MDZip]

There are a total of 7 undefeated teams in conference left (including the bizarre MEAC situation where those two teams will not play each other) but Montana getting beat is a little too eerily close to what the Zips wil be facing on Feb 27th. Weber State is a good team, was right behind Montana in the standings (and is the only team that could catch them, the rest of the conference is mired in mediocrity) and they were playing the game at Weber State less than a month after beating them at home. Even a weeknight game. Don't like the parallels.

[skip-zip]

I must answer this two ways.

1) On paper, there is only one game left that I would consider "tough" to win.

2) It's just so, so difficult to win every game. We've narrowly escaped defeat during this streak several times already. The odds are just so against it, and luck only stays on your side for so long.

[Dave in Green]

Most of the ranking projection systems use metrics that account for upsets. For example, if a team has 8 games remaining on its schedule and is favored to win all 8 of those games against weaker opponents, the stats project that the team will go 7-1 in those games because teams usually don't win all the games they're favored to win. RPI Forecast currently shows the Zips favored to win all of their remaining 6 regular season games except for the OU game in Athens, where the Kitties are a slight favorite. Yet RPI Forecast also projects that the Zips are likely to lose 2 more regular season games.

[MDZip]

The list is down to five now with Miami (FL) losing. If the Zips can get past Ohio and not suffer the letdown game at Buffalo, I like their chances a lot with only two remaining homes games vs. Miami and Can't.