Here's how Cincinnati Bearcats basketball stacks up vs. Crown, NCAA tourney teams
College Basketball Crown fever may not yet have taken hold, but here are some basketball numbers to kick around while you're waiting for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats to play again, against DePaul in the Crown, or watching teams in March Madness that UC played this season.
The Big 12 sent seven teams to the NCAA tournament and it probably should have been eight given West Virginia's six Quadrant 1 wins which was more than 14 NCAA tourney teams who even had Quad 1 wins. Some, as we will show had none. As a reminder, a Quad 1 win is a home victory against a team ranked 1-30, a neutral game vs. a 1-50 team or a road victory vs. a 1-75 team.
Where does Cincinnati Bearcats basketball stand among Crown opponents?
Boise State has the best NCAA.NET at No. 44 and the most wins with 23. Nebraska has the most Quad 1 wins with five. Coach Wes Miller and the UC Bearcats have the second-best NET at No. 50 (as of Tuesday).
The Big 12 will send five teams to Las Vegas, the Big East four, the Big Ten two, the West Coast Conference two, the America Athletic Conference one, the Atlantic 10 one and Mountain West one.
Games don't begin until after the NCAA Elite Eight which will wrap up Sunday, March 30. The following day the College Basketball Crown begins on Monday, March 31 and the Bearcats don't square off with DePaul until the next day, April 1 at 3 p.m. (Eastern) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
UC's Bearcats have four more wins than the Blue Demons, three more Quad 1 wins to go along with their NET rating which may have earned them an NCAA bid with a few more wins down the stretch.
Those seeking 'one Crowning moment'
Utah – The Utes finished the season 16-16 (8-12 Big 12) with a No. 73 NET and were 2-12 in Quad 1 games. They split with UC.
Butler – The Bulldogs were 14-19 (6-14 Big East) with a No. 83 NET and 1-11 Quad 1 mark.
George Washington – The Revolutionaries (formerly Colonials) were 20-12 (9-9 A-10) with a 124 NET and 0-1 Quad 1 mark.
Boise State –The Broncos were 22-10 (14-6 Mountain West) with a tourney best NET of 44 and 3-6 Quad 1 record.
Nebraska – The Cornhuskers were 17-14 (7-13 Big Ten) with a No. 59 NET and a 5-10 record in Quad 1 games.
Arizona State – The Sun Devils were 13-19 (4-16 Big 12). UC won its lone meeting vs. Bobby Hurley's team which was No. 74 in the NET and 4-14 in Quad 1 games.
Georgetown –The Hoyas finished 17-15 (8-12 Big East) with a NET of 88 and 1-8 record in Quad 1 games.
Washington State – The Cougars were 19-14 (8-10 WCC) with a No. 112 NET rating and a 1-7 mark against Quad 1 opponents.
DePaul – The Blue Demns were 14-19 (4-16) with a No. 119 NET rating and were 0-11 against Quad 1 teams.
Oregon State – The Beavers finished 20-12 (10-8 WCC) with a No. 85 NET and a 1-7 record vs. Quad 1 teams.
UCF – Central Florida's Knights were 17-16 (7-13 Big 12) and lost their only matchup with UC. UCF is No. 71 in the NET and 3-11 in Quad 1 games.
Colorado –The Buffaloes finished 14-20 (3-17 Big 12) and lost their only game in Boulder vs. UC. Colorado is No. 86 in the NET and 2-15 in Quad 1 games.
Villanova –The Wildcats finished 19-14 (11-9 Big East) and handed UC its only non-conference loss of the season in December. Villanova is No. 55 in the NET and was 2-7 in Quad 1 games.
Tulane – The Green Wave was 19-14 (12-6 AAC). The former conference mates of the Bearcats had a NET of 145 and were 0-3 in Quad 1 games.
USC –The Trojans finished 16-17 (7-13 Big Ten) with a NET of 70 and a Quad 1 mark of 3-13.
Cincinnati Bearcats compared to other conferences
UC's 50 NCAA. NET wasn't good enough to make the field of 68, but here are some other comparisons with other leagues that conclude, mathematically, they weren't terrible.
Disappointing would probably be the more appropriate word.
ACC – UC had a better NET rating than Pitt, Wake Forest, Stanford, Florida State, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, California, North Carolina State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Boston College and the Miami Hurricanes who ranked anywhere from 61-225.
Atlantic 10 – Only VCU had a better ranking at No. 37. Dayton was next closest at No. 67.
Big 12 – The Bearcats finished with a better NET than West Virginia, UCF, Utah, Arizona State, Kansas State, TCU, Colorado and Oklahoma State who fell in anywhere from 51-96.
Big East – St. John's, Marquette, Connecticut, Creighton and Xavier had better NET numbers, the rest fell behind UC anywhere from 55-211.
Big Ten – Nebraska, Iowa, Penn State, USC, Rutgers, Minnesota and Washington all fell behind the Bearcats finishing 59-117.
Conference USA –Top team Liberty was at No. 60, 10 slots below UC.
Mid-American Conference – Top team Akron was at 91. The runner-up Miami RedHawks were No. 147.
Miami Valley Conference – NCAA team Drake is at No. 56, six below UC.
SEC – It was clearly the better conference this season but South Carolina (87) and LSU (89) were below UC.
The American (AAC) – For those liking the old days, league champ Memphis was one better than UC at No. 49. The rest of the league finished 65-271.
Western Athletic Conference – NCAA team Grand Canyon has the best NET at 92.
West Coast Conference – Only Gonzaga and St. Mary's had better numbers than UC, the rest of the league fell between 57-324.
Just for aggravation, here are teams with inferior numbers to UC's Bearcats that made NCAA's bracket
Note that all these teams with the exception of San Diego State made the field by winning the automatic bid in their conferences.
Saint Francis (PA) – 16-18, 297 NET, no Quad 1 wins (lost to Alabama State Tuesday)
SIU-Edwardsville – 19-11, 216 NET, no Quad 1 wins
Norfolk State – 21-10, 182 NET, no Quad 1 wins
Omaha – 20-12, 160 NET, no Quad 1 wins
Bryant – 21-11, 141 NET, no Quad 1 wins
Robert Morris – 25-8, 139 NET, no Quad 1 wins
Wofford – 17-15, 131 NET, no Quad 1 wins
UNC-Wilmington – 25-7, 102 NET, no Quad 1 wins
Troy – 21-10, 99 NET, no Quad 1 wins
Grand Canyon – 25-7, 92 NET, no Quad 1 wins
Akron – 26-6, 91 NET, no Quad 1 wins
Lipscomb – 23-9, 84 NET, no Quad 1 wins
High Point – 27-5, 82 NET, no Quad 1 wins (none played)
Yale –21-7, 72 NET, no Quad 1 wins
Liberty –25-6, 60 NET, no Quad 1 wins (none played)
McNeese – 25-6, 58 NET, no Quad 1 wins
Drake – 28-3, 56 NET, two Quad 1 wins
San Diego State – 20-9, 52 NET, three Quad 1 wins (lost Tuesday vs. North Carolina)
Were Cincinnati Bearcats undeserving of NCAA bid?
Under the current system, when 31 spots are taken by automatic bids, many from inferior conferences, 37 at-large bids are left. Fair and square, UC didn't qualify when the door and welcome mat were laid out for them.
The Big 12's Brett Yormark has advocated an expansion to 76 teams, which would have added West Virginia this year, but probably not UC as ESPN's Joe Lunardi moved them beyond "next four out" in his final prognostications. Like it or not, the College Basketball Crown has the potential to replace the NIT with it's partnership with three of the Power Four conferences and Fox Sports and the possibility of reward money.
As historical as Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse is from "Hoosiers", some feel the NIT has lost its luster by no longer finishing at Madison Square Garden. The allure of Las Vegas awaits for the Crown participants.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Comparing UC Bearcats basketball with Crown, NCAA tourney teams
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