quote:Originally posted by cheapseats:
Hawaii shared the regular season WAC conference title with Fresno State but came in second in the conference tournament. I guess I am more surprised that they did not win their tournament and gain an automatic bid than I am that they did not make the field of 64.
TPM - I think the 9th best in the SEC is still better than some of the conference champs. Tough conference. From the post selection show it sounds like they were definitely a bubble team that was considered.
Agreed. The SEC gets its share of bids, deservedly. A few factors played into LSU being left out. I've learned a lot of useless information in my years following college baseball. LSU probably beats conference tourney winners Belmont, U. Arkansas Little Rock and U. New Mexico more often than not, if they would just play them on the road.
A few bids are stolen each year, automatic entries won in conference tournaments. This year there were four "stolen bids", one or two more than normal. LSU slips a bit there.
LSU had a pathetic non-conference road record, in addition to their non-confernece home record full of cupcakes. LSU went on the road playing 4-50 U. New Orleans (transitioning to D3), Nichols State and Tulane (shadow of its former self).
The Committee had to look at LSU with an overblown SEC RPI, a (3-0) nonexistant non-conference road record, a crummy conference record and a home non-conference record of wins against many early season northern cupcakes. What therein tells them LSU will clean up on the road in a Regional?
Throw in the Committee's incessant desire to "grow the game" and include as many teams north of the Mason Dixon line as possible, and Voila...St. John's is in, leaving the Tigers home. There is nothing to grow in Baton Rouge.
I watched a few LSU games this year. Take them out of the SEC and put them in a mid-major conference and they were a 75+ RPI team, talentwise. Not so much this year. They had closers that couldn't close and hitters that couldn't hit.
Link to LSU Column.