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Marquette still has a couple of good games left, but the game vs 7-1 New Mexico on 12/21 in Las Vegas is a great opportunity for us to get a quality win which we sorely need. If there is one game left on your schedule that you *need* to win, which game is it?

The Friars play at UMass on the 28th. Big game.
Other than that OOC, we have Yale and Maine at home.

Nova has

LaSalle 12/15
Rider 12/21
@ Syracuse 12/28
@ Temple 2/1

LaSalle & Temple are important because of the Big 5
Syracuse is ... well Syracuse, a chance for another top 5 scalp

Some fun facts:

Jay Wright is 10-8 against J. Boeheim
Nova finishes with an overall record of 27-26 against Cuse in BE play
Nova is 14-14 @ the Carrier Dome

this for most teams is a real easy question
Butler- Purdue, though @ Evansville could be interesting
Creighton- Cal
DePaul- @ Northwestern
Georgetown- for the team, @ Kansas is huge. For the league, I think the game with Mich St on 2/1 is even larger.
Marquette- vs New Mexico
Providence- @ UMass
St John's- Syracuse
Seton Hall- none really, Ken Pom has Lafayette the toughest one left
Villanova- @ Syracuse
Xavier- vs Cincy

While the neutral site game against Cincinnati at US Bank Arena in downtown Cincy is obviously a big game for Xavier, the game at Alabama on December 21 is very important, too. It's the only chance for a non-conference road win this season. After the disaster in the Bahamas, Xavier really needs to win both games or one at the very least while also holding serve at home against Wake Forest on December 28.

As far as Creighton goes, I'd say every single game left in the OOC is crucial. After losing those two in Cali, I don't think Creighton can afford to lose anyone left on the OOC schedule. This is especially true because they are all home games. I realize that being in a big time conference now means that the Jays get chances at good wins all conference season long -- but I can't shake that old feeling that another OOC loss to anyone left on Creighton's schedule this month could spell doom come March, if not for getting into the tourney at least for getting a reasonably decent seed.

OutlawWales wrote:As far as Creighton goes, I'd say every single game left in the OOC is crucial. After losing those two in Cali, I don't think Creighton can afford to lose anyone left on the OOC schedule. This is especially true because they are all home games. I realize that being in a big time conference now means that the Jays get chances at good wins all conference season long -- but I can't shake that old feeling that another OOC loss to anyone left on Creighton's schedule this month could spell doom come March, if not for getting into the tourney at least for getting a reasonably decent seed.

While I agree with you, if you lost one of the other 2 games(Ark Pine Bluff, Chicago St)- it would be catastrophic quite frankly. The Cal game is the one that's competitive that is crucial.

stever20 wrote:

OutlawWales wrote:As far as Creighton goes, I'd say every single game left in the OOC is crucial. After losing those two in Cali, I don't think Creighton can afford to lose anyone left on the OOC schedule. This is especially true because they are all home games. I realize that being in a big time conference now means that the Jays get chances at good wins all conference season long -- but I can't shake that old feeling that another OOC loss to anyone left on Creighton's schedule this month could spell doom come March, if not for getting into the tourney at least for getting a reasonably decent seed.

While I agree with you, if you lost one of the other 2 games(Ark Pine Bluff, Chicago St)- it would be catastrophic quite frankly. The Cal game is the one that's competitive that is crucial.

I'm not sure I follow. Losing to Arkansas Pine Bluff or Chicago State would be catastrophic. The Cal game is crucial. So, like I said, every single one of them is basically crucial. I think you're just agreeing, but the "while I agree with you ... [then]" seemed to suggest you weren't -- but then you basically did agree. So I'm confused. But every one of those games is pretty crucial to the Jays. Like I said -- and you did, too. I think.

I take the question to be which game that is a competitive game is the most important one left for each school. Obviously for everyone games like Chicago St or Arkansas Pine Bluff are important- because a loss there is catastrophic. But, with 95+% certainty we can say we should win those games. The Cal game is the one for you guys that you could still lose OOC and folks wouldn't be shocked.

OutlawWales wrote:

stever20 wrote:

OutlawWales wrote:
I'm not sure I follow. Losing to Arkansas Pine Bluff or Chicago State would be catastrophic. The Cal game is crucial. So, like I said, every single one of them is basically crucial.

And the same is true for the rest of the NBE, as I read the opportunities, there aren't many but mixed with plenty of chances for bad losses (it comes with buy games). It's pretty much hold serve or bad loss, not many chances for good wins left.