TheWatShot

It was 68. Their SOS was 39 and their NCSOS was 122.

As we get ready to ride the roller coaster known as the Tom Crean Tower of Terror for the next six weeks, I thought it would be interesting to look at our current numbers vs. two years ago when we made the tournament as our lowest seed in program history. RPI and SOS and NCSOS are usually included when discussing a team's postseason chances. Here are our numbers (pre-PSU). I'll try to update when I can. (Updated: 2/13/17) RPI: 93 SOS: 44 NCSOS: 159 Here is what our respective numbers were in 2014-15, when we earned a 10 seed: RPI: 61 SOS: 23 NCSOS: 97 As you can see, quite a way to go in all three categories, and not a favorable schedule for doing it. Some trivia: 1) Lowest RPI to earn an at-large bid: 72, by Syracuse last year. 2) Most losses to get an at-large bid: 14, by Arizona in 2008. We had 13 losses two years ago. KenPom is projecting us to go 18-13 pre-BTT. We would tie this record if we got an at-large in this case. 3) Fewest wins for an at-large: 17, by Alabama in 2006. Don't think this one will factor into anything, because if we have only 17 wins on Selection Sunday we're not anywhere near the discussion. So there you have it…9 years of Tom Crean and we're stuck comparing one crappy team to another. What fun!

Crean is probably wondering what he has to do to get fired. No matter how hard his team tries to choke, the other team either chokes harder or someone bails him out. Luckiest coach I've ever seen. From riding the coattails of a future NBA All-Star, to doing just enough to get by, to always having excuses and people always having his back…it's nuts.

Meanwhile, Purdue is manhandling Northwestern. Next week is going to be painful.

If this goes to OT, at least we'll cause Purdue fans to miss the first few minutes of their game.

It's like Chuck Pagano clapping and patting guys on the butt when they let a team go 75 yards in 6 plays.

We may still win, but collapses like this are usually a sign of a team that's given up on its coach.

Again…early second half of a conference game, and a walk-on is getting minutes over Grant Gelon. #RecruitingFailure

He has to be. I guarantee this is killing him.

I'm a horrible fan…I'm kind of hoping the game is close in the final minutes and PSU presses us so we can see Crean sweat bullets while his team panics and finishes the game with 3 timeouts.

You can't make this up…after scoring with 1:41 left in the first half, Illinois gave up 5 offensive rebounds and Wisconsin scored to end the half…they missed a shot with 1:42 left in the game, and Wisconsin got 3 offensive rebounds and ran out the clock.

LOL at Illinois rolling the ball across halfcourt every possession.

Illinois made a shot with 1:41 to go in the half. They never got the ball back. There was a graphic showing tomorrow night's games. Northwestern has a number by their name and we don't. Strange times.

Is that recruiting class that Groce somehow put together with his back to the wall going to be enough to overcome 4 straight years of no NCAA tourney? Getting absolutely throttled at home by Wisconsin.

Continuation is just silly now. That junk needs to go back to the NBA and stay there.

I hate it when the broadcasters talk about a completely different sport. During a timeout, Dakich going on and on about what a great class OSU football is about to sign, saying they have the best coach in the country, etc. I wasn't aware Nick Saban was coaching the Buckeyes now. But I guess they have to talk about football classes, since Matta doesn't sign elite recruits anymore.

PLAY FASTER!!!!

That's their job. They aren't allowed to be critical of the teams they cover, at least not on the air. It's all PR.

FWIW, I don't think he's back either. Glass is too smart to think that another year is going to change anything (I think…).

I really feel bad for him, because I can't think of anything more frustrating than being in an opposing arena when your team is getting killed, having to hear opposing fans wildly cheering and having a grand old time, and having literally no escape from it except the final buzzer. We can always turn off a game or skip it altogether, but he's stuck there. And he's had to do this for years. Awhile back (early in Crean's tenure or maybe even before it) I thought I saw that he was chastised for being "negative" during his broadcasts, or at the very least implying that he didn't like what he was seeing, and was told to knock it off because it wasn't what people wanted to hear. So now he harps on things like injuries and whatever excuses Crean comes up with. I could totally see him talking about how the injuries have hurt this team and how things will get better and Crean just needs more time, then during a commercial break, taking off his headset, throwing it on the table and saying "when are we finally going to fire this clown?"

I'd rather hear it from Ballard himself. Irsay has lied multiple times throughout this saga, and the media would go nuts if he tried to dodge questions about Pagano's future. It's easy for Irsay to say "he's our coach" for the time being, and later make the move. It's what he did with Grigson; there were a handful of widely respected NFL sources who believed Grigson was safe the day before he was fired. There was no way Ballard was canning Pagano less than 24 hours after getting the job, and Pagano is trying to get everyone on board with the idea he'll be back next year. It's why he issued that cliche-filled statement last night, and it's also why he (or someone close to him) told ESPN he was safe awhile back. When Grigson was hired, it took a week before Caldwell was removed, although that happened much earlier in January. Irsay really effed this up by waiting as long as he did.

Their women's basketball team beat us, too.

Well, guess I jumped the gun. Colts have already announced Pagano is staying. Get ready for another season of slow starts, hilariously awful game management and press conferences full of cliches and platitudes.

Prepare for the meltdowns today after the press conference when a reporter will ask Irsay about the status of Pagano and he says he's still the coach. I'm hoping Ballard just needs a few days or a week to make his decision. No GM with half a brain would want to be saddled with Pagano as his coach.

He's at the end of his rope and he knows it. Glass knows it. Most drawn out firing ever.