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We're still not going to talk about last night. Even as I type this, I hope that there are some people who are in that dark place of denial that last night didn't even happen (like me) and vote accordingly. And I'll have you know that I did not vote Villanova first - others did. It brought a sunny spot to an otherwise horrifying day.
As far as our pick'em, Ryan continues to dismantle the competition with a perfect 5-0 (plus the bonus) last week to extend his lead over Brian and Kevin. Let's hope the winds change.
| Contestant | Record | Tiebreak Points |
|---|---|---|
| rsaccoma2016 | 13-2 | 1 |
| Brian Ewart | 11-4 | 2 |
| kevin.pulsifer | 11-4 | 2 |
| novanation63 | 10-5 | 1 |
| MikeReilly | 9-6 | 1 |
| Ryan Irwin | 9-6 | 2 |
| Chris Lane | 8-7 | 1 |
| jeremy.menninger | 5-10 | 0 |
| MikeJ. | 5-10 | 0 |
| Ed Donohue | 3-12 | 0 |
This week we will be selecting the following games, along with the team who will score the least amount of points this week.
- Marquette @ Georgetown
- Butler @ Providence
- Seton Hall @ St. John's
- Xavier @ Providence
- Villanova @ Marquette
Here are the picks:
Chris Lane: Georgetown, Butler, St. John's, Xavier, Villanova - SHU (@ St. John's)
MikeJ.: Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, Xavier, Villanova - Marquette (@GTown)
jeremy.menninger: Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Xavier, Villanova - SHU (@ St. John's)
Brian Ewart: [no pick], Providence, St. John's, Xavier, Villanova - Butler (@ PC)
kevin.pulsifer: Georgetown, Butler, St. John's, Xavier, Villanova - SHU (@ St. John's)
MikeReilly: [no pick], Butler, St. John's, Xavier, Villanova - SHU (@ St. John's)
rsaccoma2016: Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, Xavier, Villanova - 'Nova (@Marquette)
Ryan Irwin: Georgetown, Butler, St. John's, Xavier, Villanova - GTown (vs. Marquette)
novanation63: Georgetown, Providence, St. John's, Xavier, Villanova - Marquette (@GTown)
Ed Donohue: [no picks]
Tyler Ricky Tynes: Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Providence, Villanova - SHU (@ St. John's)
And now, here are your VUhoops Power Rankings:
1. Villanova (5) - 16-2
"It took a historic performance for us to finally lose. I'm keeping us at #1." - jeremy.menninger
"At least we're ripping off the Band-Aid in one fell swoop rather than falling apart in gut-wrenching fashion like Georgetown. Side note- if Creighton shot "only" 40% from deep yesterday, it would have been a 7-point loss." - kevin.pulsifer
"Maybe if we ignore it, it'll go away?." - rsaccoma2016
"Nothing to see here, move along, move along." - Chris Lane
2. Creighton (4) - 16-3
"Wragge hit 8 of his 9 3-pointers from beyond NBA-range. Say what you want about leaving guys open, they still consistently hit Jimmer-like threes at a 60% clip." - kevin.pulsifer
"Welcome to the Big East. We saw them die by the 3 against Providence, and live by it against us." - jeremy.menninger
"You beat number 1, you take number 1." - rsaccoma2016
"That was biblical." - Chris Lane
"Honestly, I would have voted them #1. I wanted to. Then I thought to myself, 'didn't this team lose to Providence?' They shot 60% from three-point-land, with Wragge launching some from beyond the NBA line. They shoot 43.7% normally, but even that doesn't matter. They are a tremendous offensive team, but they were also lucky last night, and they were unlucky against Providence. It happens. So shoot me, because I'm leaving them #2." - Brian Ewart
3. Xavier - 13-4
"They just beat a halfway decent (did I just say that?) DePaul team and only lost to Creighton (in Omaha) by single digits. At least we're not the only ones giving up 95 to the Bluejays." - kevin.pulsifer
"Semaj Christon is on FIRE but what's it all worth when it comes at the expense of Matt Stainbrook?" - rsaccoma2016
"Still remind me of Villanova last year. Lots of good role players, but I wonder what happens when Semaj cools off." - Chris Lane
4. Providence- 13-5
"So you drug Doug McDermott before the game and tighten the rims. Next time let us know ahead of time." - Chris Lane
"They figured out Doug. We got run ragged by Wragge." - kevin.pulsifer
"How exactly did you defeat Creighton?" - rsaccoma2016
"I'm still high on this team and like their chances moving forward. Despite a number of injuries and eligibility issues, they compete in every game. With not one bad loss on their resume. I could see them finishing as high as fourth by season's end." - novanation63
"I feel really bad for them, they had so much promise, but now their season is a disaster." - MikeReilly
5. Marquette - 11-8
"LOL you were ranked at one point." - rsaccoma2016
"Bonus points for Buzz being absolutely jacked." - Chris Lane
"An overtime win at Georgetown used be a signature win. Now it's just... oh wait, that's actually their second best win of the year." - kevin.pulsifer
6. Butler - 11-7
"At what point is there no return from the losses?" - jeremy.menninger
"THEY FINALLY WON! Even if it did take overtime... again. Also they have a relatively easier stretch coming up." -kevin.pulsifer
"This team almost beat Oklahoma State, yet they need OT to beat Marquette, and only have 1 Big East win. This conference is nonsense.." - rsaccoma2016
"That Roosevelt Jones injury looms large. They coulda been a contender!" - Chris Lane
7. Georgetown - 11-7
"Reminds me of that scene in Superbad when McLovin' runs away from the cops. WHY, MCLOVIN, WHY?!" - Chris Lane
"'You can't argue with 3-1'... Well you can't argue with 3 straight losses either. Especially now with 3 double-digit losses on your record (including Seton Hall... blech)" - kevin.pulsifer
"Go to your room you're grounded for a while." - rsaccoma2016
"Marquette played an overtime game with Butler 48 hours earlier and then had to fly to the east coast for this game. Did they even have time to prepare? This is what Georgetown is this season, an enigma, wrapped in a riddle, wrapped in a team that loses three games in a row in conference." - Brian Ewart
8. Seton Hall - 11-7
"Fun with Stats: Seton Hall's BE wins come against teams with a 6-6 record. Their losses come to teams with a 14-5 record. They're actually a middling team this year." - kevin.pulsifer
"You always impress me with wins on the road but then it surfaces that those teams are so bad." -rsaccoma2016
"I don't buy the 'they're good when healthy' talk." - Chris Lane
"I kind of want to test Saccoman for psychotropic drugs after seeing him put Seton Hall 4th. I moved them up to 6, begrudgingly, and I think I voted them too high. They have two conference wins, kiddo, and Georgetown appears to have its heart set on losing at least once to every team in the new Big East (perhaps as a salute to their new conference?)." - Brian Ewart
9. DePaul - 10-10
"I know we annihilated them, but I'm impressed by the young talent. Too bad Melvin and Young leave after this season. We said the same thing about them 4 years ago." - Chris Lane
"Rude awakening with two losses in three days. Back to the depths of minor importance with ye." -kevin.pulsifer
"With you losing again, at least there's SOME order in the Big East again." - rsaccoma2016
10. St. John's - 10-8
"Wow you won against Dartmouth! Seriously you're turning into the new DePaul with the losses." - rsaccoma2016
"No more morals victories for you. You move up ONLY when you win. IF you win. Also: they currently have 0 Top 100 RPI wins." - kevin.pulsifer
"Hey Pico, can I come back on the Not Half Bad podcast again? I've got a few things to discuss with you." - Chris Lane