Men’s hoops: Good losses and bad losses
By Scott Wright
As you’ll get a chance to read in Wednesday’s Oklahoman, OU currently has itself in a pretty good position to get into the NCAA Tournament. At 15-6 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12 Conference, the Sooners stand at No. 28 in the Ratings Percentage Index, though they’ve yet to begin getting any attention in the human polls.
One thing that can kill their chances at the Big Dance is a bad loss. And as surpising as it might sound, the Sooners really don’t have one of those yet. What about Stephen F. Austin, you ask? Well, even that loss isn’t as bad as it once appeared. Here’s a look at the six teams that have beaten OU this season and how they’ve fared in the rest of their seasons:
vs. Memphis (neutral court): No. 1 in the country, No 2 in RPI and the only unbeaten team left in the country. A 10-point loss to these guys certainly isn’t damaging.
at USC: 14-7 record and on the edge of getting back into the top 25. The Trojans’ RPI is 42 right now.
vs. Stephen F. Austin: As hurtful as it seemed at the time, this loss isn’t nearly that bad — except for the fact that it came at home. The Lumberjacks are 17-3 overall (13-3 for NCAA Tournament purposes, because of four wins over D-II teams) and are in the hunt for the Southland Conference title. Their RPI is 56.
vs. Kansas State: The Wildcats sat atop the Big 12 standings for a couple days after knocking off rival Kansas, but the loss to Missouri dropped them back to second place. They’re currently 15-5 overall and showing the talent everyone knew they had. They’re in both top 25 polls this week and their RPI is 32.
at Kansas: The Jayhawks are 21-1 with an RPI of 5. And despite last week’s loss to Kansas State, they might be the best team in the country.
at Texas A&M: Sure, the Aggies have been a Jekyll and Hyde team, but they’re playing well now, and the Sooners’ loss came at Reed Arena. The Aggies are 18-4 and ranked No. 18 in both polls with an RPI of 33.
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