For those that are griping about our NET (and AP) ranking compared to Arizona, it's important to note that Arizona had the following teams in their OOC schedule (current AP shown):
#10 Duke
Michigan State
#32 Wisconsin
#2 Purdue
#36 FAU
All of the above were ranked at the time that Arizona played them. When you look at our OOC schedule, we lost to two of the three decent teams on our schedule and #39 Mississippi State is our best loss. We did the right thing and scheduled a non-conference schedule that allowed our team to come together, but it's also the thing that's keeping us buried deep in the NET rankings.
Now, I will say that it's absolutely ludicrous that Arizona lost to both Stanford and Oregon State. Of course, our gack against ASU the other night kind of kills our moral high ground on that. Struggling to beat a bad USC team in front of our biggest crowd in four years also speaks to glass houses. The great thing about college basketball is that we are going to get our shot in the tourney this year. All whining about rankings aside, we can't lose to some scrub ass team in the tourney and then whine about our seeding. You either win or go home. If we can't beat a #10 seed as a #7 seed (or whatever other matchup we get), what does it really matter?
We are obviously not a team that can win the whole damned thing, but a Sweet 16 run would be a pretty nice season for these guys.
Isaac Jones was SICK, and playing while SICK, during the USC game. Not only that, but Isaac Jones did NOT even practice all week long because of his sickness.
Meanwhile about USC. USC was projected to finish #2 in PAC 12, and goto NCAA tournament. The reason why they haven't IS BECAUSE OF CONSTANT INJURIES TO MAIN PLAYERS.
USC IS FULLY HEALTHY NOW. And they were, are on a semi roll. They beat UCLA because of what I said about USC above, and because of that USC was EXTRA AMPED UP, PLAYED VERY WELL VS WSU.
USC is NOW ALMOST the equivalent of a ARIZONA, NOW, and WSU had to play that with Jones, and Kymany SICK.
You can't go by just WIN LOSS RECORDS, as that DOES NOT ALWAYS TELL THE WHOLE STORY.
USC while technically 11-17 is NOT A 11-17 team IN A WAY, IS NOT PLAYING LIKE A 11-17 team, and is the EQUIVALENT of a NIT 20-11 team NOW, or at least thats what USC is playing like NOW.
And WSU had to play that SICK, etc.
And WSU had to play ASU on the road, WHILE WSU was SICK, after 1 DAY of REST, after the ROAD GAME EXTREMELY CLOSE WIN VS ARIZONA TOOK EVERYTHING OUT OF WSU.
So because of that, IT's UNDERSTANDABLE , SEMI ACCEPTABLE that WSU lost on the ROAD to ASU.
You have to consider MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES, CONTEXT, and not just only look at the technical records.
So WSU struggling against 11-17 USC at home, given the MITIGATING above circumstances, is UNDERSTANDABLE, semi acceptable.
And WSU despite that still GUTTED OUT the win, found a way to win.
GREAT, AWESOME TEAMS DO THAT.
