Kravitz latest Krap...

I just can't let this go without comment. The Blind love for Davis is unbelievable.

Unless the bottom falls out, IU's in NCAA Tournament - Indy Star

Barring a final-week Chernobyl -- that means losing at Wisconsin and then losing at home to Northwestern -- the Indiana University basketball team should hear its name mentioned when the NCAA brackets are announced two Sundays from now.

After watching IU pull off its most important victory of the season Sunday, 78-74 in overtime over 10th-ranked Michigan State, do I really have to spell it out?

So above is Kravitz premise... of course he has to spell it out... or it would be the shortest column ever... which might not be a bad thing.

• The Hoosiers should finish the season with 10 Big Ten victories, which, in the past, has been a virtual VIP pass to the NCAAs. Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, 28 Big Ten teams have had 10 or more conference victories, and 27 made the NCAA Tournament. The one that didn't was Michigan, and that was only because the Wolverines ruled themselves ineligible.

In the past, teams that were good enough to win 10 games in the B10, usually beat up on Non-Conference opponents and had 8 or 9 non-conference wins to go along with those 10 B10 wins... not 5 wins and 6 losses. Also, 10 wins in the B10 usually required 4 or 5 wins over top 25 teams. IU has 2 wins... all season.

• The Hoosiers are finishing strong, winning four of their past five and going 12-5 since the loss (or, as IU coach Mike Davis calls it, the win) against Charlotte.

Of those 4 wins, MSU was quality, Minnesota was semi-quality and Purdue and Michigan were not. 3 of those 4 wins were at home. The lone loss was the 44 point stinker at OSU. Prior to that 5 game stretch, IU lost to Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois, with a home win over Penn State their only win.

• Strength of schedule. The truth is, computer ratings experts Jeff Sagarin and Jerry Palm are the only two who understand how this whole thing works -- they've also got the quarterback rating covered, if you're interested -- but I've got to think there should be more merit in losing to a great team on the road than there is in beating a cupcake on the road.

Now that is brilliant logic. So if IU played 25 games against top 25 teams and lost every game, they would be a team with more merit than one that played 25 games against teams in the bottom 100, but went 25-0. If that is the case, then they should get rid of the automatic bids and only take the top 64 teams with tough schedules... and while they are at it... dump that 65th team.

And yet, 10 victories is no longer a sure thing, apparently. As this is being written, the guys on CBS are talking about how the Big Ten may send a mere three teams to the NCAA Tournament. Three. And that's from a conference that has led the nation with an average of 5.6 teams in the tournament since 1985.

From 1985 to 2002 the B10 was one of the premier conferences with some of the best coaches in the country. Now, they are an average at best conference with a bunch of young coaches. Outside of Illinois, MSU and Wisconsin, there are no other teams with the credentials to get an at-large bid.

According to the most recent Ratings Percentage Index rankings, the Big Ten is the sixth-best conference in the nation. Which is fine. But you wonder about the RPI's credibility when the Pac-10, the abysmal Pac-10, is ranked second.

Pac10 Abysmal huh? 80-24 non conference record vs B10's 97-41. Obviously Kravitz doesn't watch Pac10 BBall. Washington is 22-4 with wins over Utah, Alabama, Oklahoma, and NC State, Arizona is 24-5 with wins over Mississippi St, Marquette and Michigan, UCLA is 16-9 and just blew out that 6th place Big East team that beat IU in Btown, Stanford is 16-10 and has a record very similar to IU, Arizona St is 18-11 and blew out Northwestern by 35. I wouldn't rank the Pac10 2nd, but top to bottom, they are better than the B10.

One more, and the Hoosiers should be in.

Maybe if you wish hard enough, it will come true... I don't think so, but this post is long enough. I will start another post looking at the teams that will be IU's competition for those last few spots.