After beating Marquette today, Irish hoops finished the season 4-0 against the Top 25 and undefeated (18-0) at home. Regardless of how the final games play out, they're off the bubble and in the tourney.
c-stone | Email | Homepage | 02.24.07 - 6:31 pm | #

c-stone... I agree. They beat a good Marquette team in a strong fashion, after fighting back from 13 down in the beginning of the game. No chance they miss the tourney this year (thank God.) In years past, I think they were literally 'on the bubble'... I don't think the football schedule has anything to do with it. My feelings are that they always started out strong and finished up weak. Give them the same record, but finishing up strong, and they make it every one of those years. Besides, if they remotely took care of their business at the end of the season in those years, they wouldn't have had to worry about being on the bubble.
rbingham'97 | Email | Homepage | 02.24.07 - 8:00 pm | #

I agree. Marquette moved them firmly off the bubble and back into the tournament. This year, the only doubt that was left about being in or out of the Dance was that stretch of road games where the Irish lost their identities (as well as gimme games). Now, they're looking strong...at home, at least. But, it's tough to win on the road in any league. Ask Paul Hewitt about that some time.
Matt J. | Email | Homepage | 02.24.07 - 8:27 pm | #

If we go into a funk and lose to Rutgers and in the first round at the Garden, we might not make it. There are a lot of teams hanging around this year. We still need one more.
AquajockND67 | Email | Homepage | 02.24.07 - 11:44 pm | #

This story is the reverse of the writers who like to pick on ND (usually football) knowing they'll draw avid readership. Anyway, what a piece of crap! If we've been slighted in the past, it's also gone the other way as many times. We're college basketball's all-time "Number 11" team (amazingly, we rank 11th in just about every all-time statistic). We are a nice program .. not in the walls to get much beyond that.

As for being on, or anywhere near, the "bubble" .. the tourney invite has been sitting on White's desk all week.

Go Irish
Bill H | Email | Homepage | 02.25.07 - 12:02 am | #

Even if they lose in the first round of the BET, ND is definetly in. They're talking about Florida State on the bubble and they've lost 9 conference games. NDs resume is much stronger than 95% of the bubble teams, even with the weak SOS and trouble away from the JC.
Schultz | Email | Homepage | 02.25.07 - 8:03 am | #

p.s. this is all a moot point if ND clinches the 4 seed and gets the first round bye. Then they are the innest of in as far as the tournament goes.
Schultz | Email | Homepage | 02.25.07 - 8:04 am | #

The only way ND isn't the 4th seed in the BET is if Syracuse beats Gtown and @ Villanova, and we lose to Rutgers. Possible, but not likely.
Bill | Email | Homepage | 02.25.07 - 12:45 pm | #

Let's see -- Lunardi's Bracketology on ESPN.com today has the Irish as a 6 seed. If Coffey's theory is accurate, would anyone be surprised if the Irish:

a)beat Rutgers, and locked down the 4th seed/1st round bye in the BET;
b)win their quarterfinal game, but lose in BET semis; and
c)still fall victim to the St. John's/S. Fla./SOS argument, and wind up with an 8/9 seed in the NCAAs?

I mean, what better way to screw a team that's clearly earned its way off the bubble, than to "guarantee" that they'll have no chance in hell of making it past the round of 32?
Jim | Email | Homepage | 02.26.07 - 10:49 pm | #

Hey look, the AP has us ranked BELOW Marquette...cause beating a team soundly means absolutely nothing. Ahh the power of logic
Matt | Email | Homepage | 02.27.07 - 8:51 am | #