TLEF316 said:
State has been really impressive to me. They've got a lot of really nice pieces. Bracketology from last week had them as a 12 but if they climb into that 7-10 range range they could be a terrifying 2nd round matchup for a 1 or 2 seed.
State update:
Record = 17-11 (8-7)
RPI = 38
SOS = 2
3-4 vs. Top 25
6-9 vs. Top 50
Big wins: Duke (4), at UNC (17), at Louisville (18)
Bad losses: I would argue none, as their only loss to a team with RPI higher than 85 was to a long-time conference rival on the road -- Wake (127)
They should be solidly in as a 10 seed IMO, with opportunity to improve that seed.
Heck, they still have a shot at 4th place in the conference regular season. State has an easier remaining schedule (@BC, @Clemson, Syracuse) than UNC (@MIA, GT, Duke), Louisville (@FSU, ND, UVA), and Syracuse (@Duke, UVA, @NCSU). If State wins out, they will have 11 wins, with head to head tiebreaker over Louisville and Syracuse. Not sure how tiebreakers work if they end up tied with UNC, since they split their games.
(I'm not saying those games are easy wins for State. State fans know that no wins can be taken for granted. Ever.)
They seem to be peaking at the right time. And Cat Barber has transformed into the best PG in the conference. He showed that on the floor last night.