Cougars are on the right track Ronnie Turner
If you would have asked me two weeks ago whether the Cougars had a shot to make the Big Dance without a win over Memphis, I would have said no. But given the Cougars’ recent string of victories, I believe they can, and will, pull this off. UH (18-4, 7-1 Conference USA) has won seven of its last eight games and has climbed to No. 53 in the RPI standings. The Cougars probably won’t win against Associated Press No. 1 Memphis on Wednesday, but that loss won’t hurt as much given their adversary’s RPI of 4. After Memphis, the two road games against UAB and UTEP are huge because those two have the third- and fourth-best RPIs in C-USA. Wins against them will do wonders for the Cougars’ RPI. Realistically, UH would need 24 or more wins to gain the interest of the NCAA Tournament committee. I believe the second-best team in C-USA will make it happen.
It’s a sure thing Eli Jabbe
The Cougars have a balanced team and the overall efforts are the reason they are going to be in the NCAA tourney. Ronnie, you have "fake UH fan" written all over you. You call yourself a UH fan? How dare you write off the Cougars automatically when everyone knows that anything can happen and no win is guaranteed – even for the mighty Tigers? Your lack of faith in the Cougars is disheartening to read for UH students. The Memphis game a few weeks ago at Hofheinz Pavilion proved that Houston can hang with the Tigers. Speaking of Memphis, it will not keep that unbeaten record alive (every true sports fan, such as Judge Dredd, knows that only the Miami Dolphins will ever be capable of that flawless athletic achievement), and will be handed a loss by Houston, which is playing with much grit: save all your numbers, we don’t need them. This is Fighting Words, this isn’t Stats Inc.
Maybe next year Chris Morrison
No, Cougar fans will need to put away those dancing shoes for at least one more year. Even if UH goes 7-1 from here on out, it would take winning the C-USA tournament if the Cougars wanted anything to do with March Madness – and that won’t happen. Losing the C-USA tourney would require an at-large bid for UH, which means its hopes would lie in the hands of the dreaded tourney committee. With 31 automatic bids, only 34 slots will be left for them to choose from conferences such as the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12, Pacific-10, Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten; all much deeper than the abysmal C-USA. UH’s lack of schedule toughness, combined with the depth of other conferences, will ultimately keep it out of the dance. Sorry Eli, even your Dolphins comment to impress Judge Dredd won’t win you this argument.
Have faith in the Judge Chris Elliot
Yes, Eli, Judge Dredd knows that the ’72 Dolphins were and always will be considered the best team in NFL history, but you kind of fell off with the whole fake UH fan thing. Ronnie said the Cougars would make the tournament if they keep winning the way they have been – based on the statistics. Everyone around here knows he’s not a UH fan. I think he’s even said it before. It’s one thing to have faith, but it’s another thing to go into Memphis and win. It hasn’t been done in more than three years. Anything is possible, but it’s highly unlikely. Even if the Cougars do lose to the Tigers, they will still be tourney bound if they can win against everyone except Memphis. That would put them at 27 wins at the end of the season, and considering Air Force made it in back in 2005 with a pathetic strength of schedule, the committee would be crazy not to let them in.
Verdict: Ronnie wins.
Facetime: It’s been a long time coming, but I’m back in business, baby!
