Lunardi/Palm

[bac2therac]

Still too early right now for me to go into in depth bracketing, will probably have something up midweek with a rough look and then the complete BACATOLOGY will start the 2nd week of February.

Here is what the two biggest names have to say. I will say that Lunardi seemed to have had his bracket done not including last nights RU game because he still has us on the last 4 byes line which is absurd. Although I saw someone asked him a question on twitter, if RU beats Northwestern are they up to a 8/9 and Joe said a 9.

11 seed playing 6 seed Oklahoma....EDIT he has already moved RU up to a 9 seed in his twitter update..wtf?

The transfer dust is settling and Kansas is Bracketology's new No. 1

Late player movement has a ripple effect across Bracketology, and it is affecting the top line and the teams slipping in and out of the projected 68.

www.espn.com

Palm

Palm has RU as a 9 seed playing 8 seed USC in the Gonzaga bracket..yes!

Bracketology 2026 - NCAA Tournament Predictions

CBS Sports is helping you get ready for March Madness with the latest news, picks, and predictions for the 2026 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket.

www.cbssports.com

Moral of the story just keep winning, the metrics shot up like a rock last night in the NET. RU is now 4-5 in Quad 1 games and have 3 left, all on the road, a win in any of them along with probably as little as 3 additional wins could seal the deal. I really see 9-11 being enough

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

While I'd rather not face Gonzaga that quickly PLEASE give us a game against a PAC12 (Conference of Chumpions).

 

[bac2therac]

I am all for it. Great spotlight and challenge

 

[jordkap]

Lunardi just updated his on twitter, he says we are a 9 also right now

 

[shields]

Seton Hall has beaten Xavier that is it.

 

[kcg88]

9-11 or top 9 in the Big Ten at 8-12 gets it done.

 

[bac2therac]

Lunardi just updated his on twitter, he says we are a 9 also right now

yep thats a big move up...dont know why he released a bracket just this morning, actually at odds with what he just posted

 

[Scarlet Shack]

Win the next two and we should be solidly on the 7 line heading to Iowa ...

 

[G- RUnit]

The dreaded 8-9 game. I would oddly rather be seeded lower. Nice problem to have! ;-)

 

[knight82]

Still too early right now for me to go into in depth bracketing, will probably have something up midweek with a rough look and then the complete BACATOLOGY will start the 2nd week of February.

Here is what the two biggest names have to say. I will say that Lunardi seemed to have had his bracket done not including last nights RU game because he still has us on the last 4 byes line which is absurd. Although I saw someone asked him a question on twitter, if RU beats Northwestern are they up to a 8/9 and Joe said a 9.

11 seed playing 6 seed Oklahoma....EDIT he has already moved RU up to a 9 seed in his twitter update..wtf?

The transfer dust is settling and Kansas is Bracketology's new No. 1

Late player movement has a ripple effect across Bracketology, and it is affecting the top line and the teams slipping in and out of the projected 68.

www.espn.com

Palm

Palm has RU as a 9 seed playing 8 seed USC in the Gonzaga bracket..yes!

Bracketology 2026 - NCAA Tournament Predictions

CBS Sports is helping you get ready for March Madness with the latest news, picks, and predictions for the 2026 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket.

www.cbssports.com

Moral of the story just keep winning, the metrics shot up like a rock last night in the NET. RU is now 4-5 in Quad 1 games and have 3 left, all on the road, a win in any of them along with probably as little as 3 additional wins could seal the deal. I really see 9-11 being enough

I watched USC yesterday against Oregon State. They looked horrible. We would blow them out of the building

 

[bac2therac]

Win the next two and we should be solidly on the 7 line heading to Iowa ...

possibly a 6 in that scenario knocking Minnesota down but one game at a time. Its amazing how things look brighter with a win or two

 

[superfan01]

@bac2therac including BIG tourney is it safe to say that 5 more wins regardless who they are between now and the end of the big tourney is our magic number for a ticket tot he dance?

 

[bac2therac]

I think 5 more wins and 10-10 in league would be lock city

 

[Knights 1212]

I am just looking at one game at a time. We CANNOT look beyond Northwestern. This league is brutal and if we take a game for granted we could hit a slump again. I don't think any of us want that to happen. Just stay healthy, focus and play well every time we take the floor.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

I will say again since it keeps getting repeated in different threads....there is no rule that says you have to be. 500 in your league to make the NCAAs.

Case in point.....Maryland....they had a game canceled with I think Nebraska earlier in January and scheduled some Division 2 team named Wingate....I don't know if that is better than Caldwell or not but they won 100-58....Maryland in as a 12 seed and has a 3-7 B1G record.....that for those counting at home is FOUR games below .500 in league....that means that if they finish 8-12, they would still remain 4 games under. 500 in the B1G...

Obviously they have 3 huge road wins but overall, the strength of their schedule and league is going to carry at least 9 bids minimum, probably 10.

As long as fans don't get ridiculously silly when RU loses a game, I don't set the rules, I am not a "bacatologist".....just need the fans to not wildly overreact when things hiccup.

RU is in prime position to do one thing......play Northwestern on Sunday night....one game at a time, nothing more, nothing less.

 

[bigmatt718]

While I'd rather not face Gonzaga that quickly PLEASE give us a game against a PAC12 (Conference of Chumpions).

Make it so. Pac-12 is trash in both major sports.

 

[RU-ROCS]

I will say again since it keeps getting repeated in different threads....there is no rule that says you have to be. 500 in your league to make the NCAAs.

Case in point.....Maryland....they had a game canceled with I think Nebraska earlier in January and scheduled some Division 2 team named Wingate....I don't know if that is better than Caldwell or not but they won 100-58....Maryland in as a 12 seed and has a 3-7 B1G record.....that for those counting at home is FOUR games below .500 in league....that means that if they finish 8-12, they would still remain 4 games under. 500 in the B1G...

Obviously they have 3 huge road wins but overall, the strength of their schedule and league is going to carry at least 9 bids minimum, probably 10.

As long as fans don't get ridiculously silly when RU loses a game, I don't set the rules, I am not a "bacatologist".....just need the fans to not wildly overreact when things hiccup.

RU is in prime position to do one thing......play Northwestern on Sunday night....one game at a time, nothing more, nothing less.

Sign me up for a 10 seed in Nova’s bracket. I would love to get them in round 2!

 

[RUTRINI_rivals]

I am just looking at one game at a time. We CANNOT look beyond Northwestern. This league is brutal and if we take a game for granted we could hit a slump again. I don't think any of us want that to happen. Just stay healthy, focus and play well every time we take the floor.

Bingo...Let's focus on being 1-0 tomorrow. This North Western team scares me.

 

[Mr_Twister]

Northwestern is on a 7-game losing streak. The college basketball gawds are setting us up ... [your turn to complete the sentence].

 

[shields]

Game scares me. Get ball to Myles early.

 

[RuNutz]

Sign me up for a 10 seed in Nova’s bracket. I would love to get them in round 2!

Knocking out Jay Wright would be sweet.

 

[Mr. Magoo1]

I will say again since it keeps getting repeated in different threads....there is no rule that says you have to be. 500 in your league to make the NCAAs.

Case in point.....Maryland....they had a game canceled with I think Nebraska earlier in January and scheduled some Division 2 team named Wingate....I don't know if that is better than Caldwell or not but they won 100-58....Maryland in as a 12 seed and has a 3-7 B1G record.....that for those counting at home is FOUR games below .500 in league....that means that if they finish 8-12, they would still remain 4 games under. 500 in the B1G...

Obviously they have 3 huge road wins but overall, the strength of their schedule and league is going to carry at least 9 bids minimum, probably 10.

As long as fans don't get ridiculously silly when RU loses a game, I don't set the rules, I am not a "bacatologist".....just need the fans to not wildly overreact when things hiccup.

RU is in prime position to do one thing......play Northwestern on Sunday night....one game at a time, nothing more, nothing less.

Houston is a nice team but is ridiculously over-rated.

 

[jordkap]

New Lunardi seeds, we are a 7

 

[RUtrumpet92_rivals498139]

That Lunardi bracket shows a first round matchup against #10 seed Oregon.... that would draw some interest!

 

[bigmatt718]

That Lunardi bracket shows a first round matchup against #10 seed Oregon.... that would draw some interest!

Lunardi bracket I have would be RU vs Clemson in 7/10...but a possible albeit unlikely chance to send Little Brother home in a Sweet 16 game? To quote Barney Gumble in the Simpsons, "Just hook it to my veins!!!"

The transfer dust is settling and Kansas is Bracketology's new No. 1

Late player movement has a ripple effect across Bracketology, and it is affecting the top line and the teams slipping in and out of the projected 68.

www.espn.com

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Seems like there’s not much margin right now at all between 5 and 7. Check out FSU as a 5 seed. Same number of wins as RU. Haven’t beaten anyone as good as Illinois. Losing at home to UCF is worse than anything on Rutgers resume.

The only thing really better about their resume is they have 3 less losses, having played 3 less games. But they also haven’t played the 2 best teams in their league yet. 3 games to go vs. the Virginia schools.

 

[wheezer]

That Lunardi bracket shows a first round matchup against #10 seed Oregon.... that would draw some interest!

Been quietly hoping we get Oregon...... if we were to beat them, a bit of satisfaction for sure

 

[bac2therac]

Seems like there’s not much margin right now at all between 5 and 7. Check out FSU as a 5 seed. Same number of wins as RU. Haven’t beaten anyone as good as Illinois. Losing at home to UCF is worse than anything on Rutgers resume.

The only thing really better about their resume is they have 3 less losses, having played 3 less games. But they also haven’t played the 2 best teams in their league yet. 3 games to go vs. the Virginia schools.

Currently Rutgers isnt a 5 because of that 5 game skid..win next 3 and we are

 

[Knights 1212]

It is nice being listed by both Lunardi and Palm. we just must take care of business and keep moving forward.

 

[goru7]

A 6th or 7th seed is where we want to be and the best chance to get to the sweet sixteen and avoid Baylor and Gonzaga until later( I can dream ). If we play with our defensive intensity, rebound and get off to fast starts we have a really good chance to fall into the 6 hole or even stay at 7. I do not want to go up to 5 seed.

 

[jordkap]

If we are a 6 or 7 seed I am mentally ready for a Sweet 16 appearance and national recognition... only to get blown out in the first game everyone is watching vs somebody like Ohio State

 

[goru7]

If we are a 6 or 7 seed I am mentally ready for a Sweet 16 appearance and national recognition... only to get blown out in the first game everyone is watching vs somebody like Ohio State

We will not get blown out by Ohio State. Go rewatch the second Ohio State game , their shooters Washington and Ahrens hit wide open threes. We were blowing them out in the first game for 30 minutes until the refs took Myles. We have recommitted at least as shown by the last 3 games that defense and rebounding will be our identity again. It will be a war.

 

[LeapinLou]

Gotta say, that would be pretty exciting to get a first round game against Oregon and have Omoruryi vs Omoruryi. Winning such a game would be extra satisfying.

 

[RUtrumpet92_rivals498139]

Lunardi bracket I have would be RU vs Clemson in 7/10...but a possible albeit unlikely chance to send Little Brother home in a Sweet 16 game? To quote Barney Gumble in the Simpsons, "Just hook it to my veins!!!"

The transfer dust is settling and Kansas is Bracketology's new No. 1

Late player movement has a ripple effect across Bracketology, and it is affecting the top line and the teams slipping in and out of the projected 68.

www.espn.com

Interesting that it is a different order than what he tweeted. I figured the highest #7 seed should play the lowest #10 seed. By that metric, we would draw Oregon.

Heck, he has Clemson as an 11 seed in his tweet just behind Indiana as the last 10, yet has us playing #10 Clemson in the bracket. I guess he changed his mind on those two in between edits.

 

[JavaDunk18]

NCAA also likes interesting story lines, and even sets paths to lead there - like a possible 2nd round matchup with Texas..a 7/10 RU - Oregon, or a 7/10 matchup with UCONN as opening round matchups..i know there are metrics, and same conference restrictive early round guidelines, but they have frequently found a way over the years...

 

[RU848789]

Still too early right now for me to go into in depth bracketing, will probably have something up midweek with a rough look and then the complete BACATOLOGY will start the 2nd week of February.

Here is what the two biggest names have to say. I will say that Lunardi seemed to have had his bracket done not including last nights RU game because he still has us on the last 4 byes line which is absurd. Although I saw someone asked him a question on twitter, if RU beats Northwestern are they up to a 8/9 and Joe said a 9.

11 seed playing 6 seed Oklahoma....EDIT he has already moved RU up to a 9 seed in his twitter update..wtf?

The transfer dust is settling and Kansas is Bracketology's new No. 1

Late player movement has a ripple effect across Bracketology, and it is affecting the top line and the teams slipping in and out of the projected 68.

www.espn.com

Palm

Palm has RU as a 9 seed playing 8 seed USC in the Gonzaga bracket..yes!

Bracketology 2026 - NCAA Tournament Predictions

CBS Sports is helping you get ready for March Madness with the latest news, picks, and predictions for the 2026 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket.

www.cbssports.com

Moral of the story just keep winning, the metrics shot up like a rock last night in the NET. RU is now 4-5 in Quad 1 games and have 3 left, all on the road, a win in any of them along with probably as little as 3 additional wins could seal the deal. I really see 9-11 being enough

Been saying 9-11 gets us in for awhile and still think so. 8-12 is on the bubble and probably need a B1G tourney win. I'd also love to beat Gonzaga in round 2 on our way to the FF. :>)

 

[hinson32]

NCAA also likes interesting story lines, and even sets paths to lead there - like a possible 2nd round matchup with Texas..a 7/10 RU - Oregon, or a 7/10 matchup with UCONN as opening round matchups..i know there are metrics, and same conference restrictive early round guidelines, but they have frequently found a way over the years...

I doubt anyone on the selection committee even knows that Eugene left RU for Oregon. If they do, they certainly do not view it as a story line anyone outside of Piscataway or Eugene cares about.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Been saying 9-11 gets us in for awhile and still think so. 8-12 is on the bubble and probably need a B1G tourney win. I'd also love to beat Gonzaga in round 2 on our way to the FF. :>)

No way - not with our remaining schedule. What combination of 5-6 more losses would get us in? NW (at home) and Nebraska are basically must win games unless we beat Michigan and/or Iowa to offset. There’s no combination of anything worse than 2-2 that works with these 4 games. So that would be 8 wins right there. Losing out the rest of the schedule would likely mean we need the auto bid (or to at least get to the finals - not the bubble). Winning only 1 of these 4 would still mean a minimum of 2 more home losses to fringe tourney teams plus losing at Minn. We’d need several wins in the tourney to feel good about our chances in that case. 10 wins is the magic number. And even that assumes we don’t take a bad loss in the first round of the BIG tourney.

 

[brad1218]

No way - not with our remaining schedule. What combination of 5-6 more losses would get us in? NW (at home) and Nebraska are basically must win games unless we beat Michigan and/or Iowa to offset. There’s no combination of anything worse than 2-2 that works with these 4 games. So that would be 8 wins right there. Losing out the rest of the schedule would likely mean we need the auto bid (or to at least get to the finals - not the bubble). Winning only 1 of these 4 would still mean a minimum of 2 more home losses to fringe tourney teams plus losing at Minn. We’d need several wins in the tourney to feel good about our chances in that case. 10 wins is the magic number. And even that assumes we don’t take a bad loss in the first round of the BIG tourney.

Disagree completely. 10-10 is a lock. 8 or 9 seed. 9-11 is an 11 or 12 seed. With 8 wins it would matter who we beat and what the bubble looks like. More work would need to be done but not sure if it would be one or two BTT wins. It would be no more than two though.

 

[patk89]

I don't think going 2-6 from here on out gets us in. 3-5 does in my view. We can't just beat Nebraska and Northwestern and lose all the rest and get in. This doesn't consider a B1G tourny but I don't like our chances of even winning one game if we go 2-6 down the stretch.