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    <title>SB Nation - Washington St. Cougars</title>
    <link>http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/Washington%20St.</link>
    <description>Stories From Around SB Nation About Washington St. Cougars</description>
    <item>
      <title>RPI WATCH: 12/16/09</title>
      <guid>http://www.bringonthecats.com/2009/12/16/1203161/rpi-watch-12-16-09</guid>
      <author>BracketCat</author>
      <link>http://www.bringonthecats.com/2009/12/16/1203161/rpi-watch-12-16-09</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:00:33 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;If you were wondering, there was no RPI Watch yesterday because none of our opponents played Monday night.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But a few of them did Tuesday night. Hit the jump to see how they did.&lt;/p&gt;


  
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State AP Ranking = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;17&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State Record = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;9-1&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State RPI = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;2&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State SOS = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;3&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Great Wins&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 1-50, &lt;b&gt;bold&lt;/b&gt; = RPI 1-25&lt;/i&gt;) = Loyola, Dayton, &lt;b&gt;UNLV&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Solid Wins&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 51-100&lt;/i&gt;) = IUPUI, Washington State, Xavier&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bad Losses&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 101 or greater&lt;/i&gt;) = none&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Loyola (6-2, 1-1) | RPI = 40&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Western Illinois (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Boston (4-6) | RPI = 146&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 25 Ole Miss (8-1) | RPI = 34&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Dayton (7-2) | RPI = 27&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;IUPUI (8-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 22* FHSU (7-1)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Washington State (8-2) | RPI = 88&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Xavier (6-3) | RPI = 61&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;UNLV&lt;/b&gt; (8-1) | RPI = 24: Win at Southern Utah (77-59)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Alabama (6-3) | RPI = 91&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;UAPB (0-7) | RPI = 302&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Cleveland State&lt;/b&gt; (4-7, 0-2) | RPI = 235: Loss to Robert Morris (78-70)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;South Dakota (6-4) | RPI = 139&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Missouri (6-3) | RPI = 161&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 16 Texas A&amp;amp;M (8-2) | RPI = 18&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 2 &lt;b&gt;Texas&lt;/b&gt; (9-0) | RPI = 5: Win over UTPA (104-42)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Oklahoma State (8-1) | RPI = 31&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Baylor&lt;/b&gt; (8-1) | RPI = 72: Win over Jackson State (90-60)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 1 Kansas (9-0) | RPI = 21&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Nebraska (7-2) | RPI = 151&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Iowa State (7-3) | RPI = 155&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Oklahoma (7-3) | RPI = 142&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;*Division II Top 25&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  


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      <title>Some highlights from the individual KenPom rankings</title>
      <guid>http://www.cougcenter.com/2009/12/15/1202800/some-highlights-from-individual</guid>
      <author>Grady.</author>
      <link>http://www.cougcenter.com/2009/12/15/1202800/some-highlights-from-individual</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:12:55 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">

  &lt;div class=&quot;photo-tpl photo-tpl-right_portrait&quot;&gt;

    &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cougcenter.com/photos/some-highlights-from-individual&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The numbers don't lie. Reggie Moore is awesome.&quot; class=&quot;ap_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://cdn1.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/206889/29912_idaho_washington_st_basketball.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
    
    &lt;div class=&quot;photo-meta&quot;&gt;
      &lt;p class=&quot;by clearfix&quot;&gt;
        
          &lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cougcenter.com/photos/some-highlights-from-individual&quot;&gt;More photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        
        
          by Dean Hare - AP
        
      &lt;/p&gt;
    
      
        &lt;p class=&quot;cap&quot;&gt;
          
          The numbers don't lie. Reggie Moore is awesome.
        &lt;/p&gt;
      
    &lt;/div&gt;  
    
    &lt;p class=&quot;more-link&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cougcenter.com/photos/some-highlights-from-individual&quot;&gt;Browse more photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;Did you &lt;a href=&quot;http://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Washington%20St.&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;know&lt;/a&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/53727/Klay_Thompson&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Klay Thompson&lt;/a&gt; is seventh nationally in the percentage of shots he takes relative to the rest of his team? Klay fires off 37% of all Cougar shot attempts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/53731/DeAngelo_Casto&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;DeAngelo Casto&lt;/a&gt; is 31st nationally in block percentage? I know, that's not very surprising. He was 41st last year as a freshman. But still cool.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100921/Reggie_Moore&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Reggie Moore&lt;/a&gt; is 16th nationally in free throw rate? Again, not a huge shock. However, he's also 69th nationally with a 127.5 offensive rating. For comparison, Klay Thompson is 257th at 118.4.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And the real surprise...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/53726/Marcus_Capers&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Marcus Capers&lt;/a&gt; is 17th nationally in free throw rate. One behind his teammate. Wow.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It's very early and small sample size, grain of salt blah blah blah. We're just having some fun with numbers telling us some things we already know (Klay Thompson and Reggie Moore are beasts offensively, Casto swats everything), and some things we didn't (Marcus Capers may actually provide some offense after all, by getting to the line).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And it was already brought up, but I love looking at our &lt;a href=&quot;http://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Washington%20St.&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;team page&lt;/a&gt; and seeing that our Cougars are the 333rd youngest team in the country. This team has some crazy upside. Of course the sports gods hate us, and so I'm sure the Pac-10 will peak in overall talent once again at the exact same time we do.&lt;/p&gt;
  


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    <item>
      <title>In a Perfect World (Conference Realignment)</title>
      <guid>http://www.big12hoops.com/2009/12/15/1200751/in-a-perfect-world-conference</guid>
      <author>Evan Pfaff</author>
      <link>http://www.big12hoops.com/2009/12/15/1200751/in-a-perfect-world-conference</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:30:13 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">

  &lt;div class=&quot;photo-tpl photo-tpl-right_portrait&quot;&gt;

    &lt;a href=&quot;http://cdn1.sbnation.com/photo_images/333566/40179_APTOPIX_Big_12_Nebraska_Texas_Footbal.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Could a University of Houston QB be soon hoisting the Big 12 Championship trophy? (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)&quot; class=&quot;ap_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://cdn1.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/205429/40179_aptopix_big_12_nebraska_texas_footbal.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
    
    &lt;div class=&quot;photo-meta&quot;&gt;
      &lt;p class=&quot;by clearfix&quot;&gt;
        
        
          by Tony Gutierrez - AP
        
      &lt;/p&gt;
    
      
        &lt;p class=&quot;cap&quot;&gt;
          
          Could a University of Houston QB be soon hoisting the Big 12 Championship trophy? (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
        &lt;/p&gt;
      
    &lt;/div&gt;  
    
    &lt;p class=&quot;more-link&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cdn1.sbnation.com/photo_images/333566/40179_APTOPIX_Big_12_Nebraska_Texas_Footbal.jpg&quot;&gt;View full size photo &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;/div&gt;


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&lt;p&gt;Today the Big Ten conference issued a statement that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bigten.org/genrel/121509aaa.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;they are exploring the possibility of expanding&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Every few years we hear the same rumblings and every few years there are articles published about what realignment would look like. But not since Penn State was admitted into the Big Ten has anything official been released.&amp;nbsp; With that, below is the definitive article on the topic.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And even though this is a basketball blog, I will focus on the BCS aspect of realignment to argue my points. I will discuss basketball, though, and all points held for football can loosely translate over to hoops as well.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Currently there are six BCS conferences and those 6 all get automatic BCS-bowl bids. Those conferences are Big East, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-10, ACC. Of those six, three of the conferences have enough football teams to have a conference championship game (the Big East would have enough if more of their charter schools had D1 football programs).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Part of the BCS issue is that you have some conferences without 12 schools, who don't currently have conference championship games. Adding conference championship games will ultimately help the BCS by crowing, on a field, a true conference champ. This will help with BCS bowl bids, and especially the BCS championship game. (Think of a rule where you have to at least win your division to get a BCS bid.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The other BCS issue is of the non-BCS schools and where they should lie. My realignment program take that into account.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Without further ado, after The Jump is the Big12Hoops.com Realignment plan.&lt;/p&gt;


  
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;MIZZOU MOVES TO THE BIG 10&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why is this good for the Big 10? &lt;/b&gt;By admitting Mizzou into the Big 10, the Big 10 would secure a coveted TV market, namely St Louis. They would also get a share of the Kansas City TV market. By expanding westward, revenues from the Big 10 Network and apparel sales would grow. The Big 10 would also secure a 12&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; team and legitimize a conference championship game. The divisions would be as follow:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Big 10 East:&lt;/b&gt; Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Penn State&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Big 10 West:&lt;/b&gt; Mizzou, Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Under this scenario all regional rivalries remain in tact&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why is this good for Mizzou?&lt;/b&gt; The Big 12 seems to forget about schools not named Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas (basketball). There is no television network, so Mizzou's games are generally only regionally shown. There is Big Monday for basketball, but that is mainly reserved for Texas and KU. Under this, Mizzou's football games could be carried on the Big 10 Network and basketball games will be tied into the Big 10 ESPN deal. All this leads to a major recruiting advantage in both revenue generating sports.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Mizzou also has a rival in Illinois that would heat up instantly and the heated rivalry with Kansas will replace the Illinois basketball and football games on the schedules. Instead of St  Louis, though, the KU games will be played at the Sprint Center and Arrowhead in KC.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;But what about... &lt;/b&gt;Iowa State? The Cyclones seem to also be a natural fit and could easily add fuel to the rivalry with in-state foe &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/Iowa&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Iowa Hawkeyes&lt;/a&gt;. The problem is that the Big 10 gains little from that arrangement. They are already pretty entrenched in the Hawkeye State and the addition of ISU wouldn't help their regional or national reputation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON JOINS THE BIG XII&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why is this good for the Big 12? &lt;/b&gt;The University of Houston is a large campus, in a region of Texas that is currently underdeveloped with college sports. Houston is the 4&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; largest city in the country, and by planting a team there, the Big 12 will get even more Texas viewership.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The big question would be on alignment, since there will now be 5 Texas schools. My proposal is for&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Big 12 &quot;North&quot;: &lt;/b&gt;Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Big 12 &quot;South&quot;: &lt;/b&gt;Texas, Houston, Texas Tech, Texas A&amp;amp;M, Baylor, Colorado&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The division names will have to be rebranded, but adding Colorado to the South is acceptable because Coloradoans joke that there are more Texans in the state than natives.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why is this good for Houston? &lt;/b&gt;Historically, the Cougars have had a good football team, and have won a basketball national championship. Having a Big XII logo on their court will increase their recruiting presence in the city and state and potentially turn them into powerhouse.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;But what about...&lt;/b&gt; TCU? TCU would be a good choice, if they were bigger. Their 8000 student just wouldn't cut it if the conference wishes to remain the &lt;i&gt;BIG&lt;/i&gt; 12. &amp;nbsp;Houston's enrollment is approximately 30,000 students. Commuter school or not, Houston would help retain the &quot;Big&quot; in Big 12.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;BYU AND UTAH GO TO THE PAC-10&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why is this good for the Pac-10?&lt;/b&gt; By including Utah and BYU into the Pac-10, the conference will have the 12 schools needed for an automatic conference championship games. Both programs have historically legitimate football and basketball programs, and they will bring their rivalry with them. Geographically, they are far enough West to warrant admission into the conference.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The division would be as follows&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Pac-10 North: &lt;/b&gt;Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, BYU, Utah&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Pac-10 South:&lt;/b&gt; Arizona, Arizona State, California, Stanford, UCLA, USC&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why is this good for BYU and Utah? &lt;/b&gt;Both recruit well from the West, and inclusion into the conference will aid that. And by coming over as a pair (and as rivals) they bring legitimacy to the expansion eastward.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;But what about... &lt;/b&gt;geography? The state of Utah doesn't border any states of current Pac-10 members, and that may cause some issues, but distance isn't really something the conference has ever regarded. Consider that Tucson, AZ to Seattle, WA is 1100 miles, or 400 miles farther than Tucson to Provo,  UT.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;ADD MORE TEAMS TO THE MOUNTAIN WEST&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why is this good for the Mountain West? &lt;/b&gt;As it stands under this scenario, the Mountain West is down to 7 members (the current 9, minus BYU and Utah). To get up with the big boys, the MWC needs to add 5 schools. The 5 that should move to the MWC should be: Boise State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Rice, SMU.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There is already talk of Boise coming over to the MWC, so that is a no brainer. The others are coming over as &quot;rivals&quot; to existing MWC schools. Nevada will face UNLV, New Mexico State will pair with New Mexico, Rice and SMU will pit against TCU is a three-way battle for Texas.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Having 12 schools will allow the conference to host a championship game, matching the winners of each division, which would be as follows:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;MWC North:&lt;/b&gt; UNLV, Nevada, Air Force, Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;MWC South:&lt;/b&gt; San Diego State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, TCU, Rice, SMU&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why is this good for the 5 programs?&lt;/b&gt; The shift from either the C-USA or WAC will legitimize the programs (see the next point). All will also enter the new MWC with a foe. Everyone wins.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;But what about...&lt;/b&gt; the MWC still remaining relatively minute as compared to their BCS brethren? Why would these schools shift from one conference to another, just for shits and giggles? See next point.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;ADMIT THE MOUNTAIN WEST INTO THE BCS&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why is this good for the BCS?&lt;/b&gt; Controversy will mainly be avoided. By admitting the redesigned MWC into the BCS you are accepting the current BCS gate crashers. You are bringing in the current at-large schools causing heartache and giving yourself another conference champion that the country can latch onto.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why is this good for the MWC?&lt;/b&gt; Why isn't it good for the MWC?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;But what about...&lt;/b&gt; the C-USA and WAC? These two conferences are now in shambles. What to do? See next item.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;MERGE THE C-USA AND WAC&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why is this good for the two conferences? &lt;/b&gt;Because of the success of some of their schools, and regional ability to move, the Conference USA and WAC are currently left in shambles (under this proposal). Essentially afterthoughts as they are, now they are left with 15 schools between them. They could either split them up 8 and 7 or combine forces and form a 15 league mega conference. In terms of basketball, as we have seen with the Big East, and their 16 school hoops conference, too many schools doesn't water down the pool.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;But what about...&lt;/b&gt; regionality? The C-USA is currently a conglomerate of throw-ins from around the country. Under this plan, that would just increase to a truly national conference. The members of it would be: Fresno St, Hawaii, Idaho, La Tech, San Jose St, Utah St, UTEP, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, Cent Florida, ECU, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Using the scenario outlined above, 18 schools will change conferences. This sounds like a lot, but as you can see many will be moving as groups and either with or to a rival.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But what about the Big East? Well, the Big East is the one conference I am leaving alone. In their football world, they are lacking the 12 members to create a championship game. But when you include their basketball members, they are a 16-team powerhouse.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;One final thought. I reserve the right to claim this entire scenario null and void if Notre Dame ever decides to join the Big 10. If that were to happen, I would still endorse some shifting, but nothing to the extent of this proposal. More on that if a Notre Dame to the Big 10 rumor starts getting some legitimate traction.&lt;/p&gt;
  


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    <item>
      <title>RPI WATCH: 12/14/09</title>
      <guid>http://www.bringonthecats.com/2009/12/14/1200043/rpi-watch-12-14-09</guid>
      <author>BracketCat</author>
      <link>http://www.bringonthecats.com/2009/12/14/1200043/rpi-watch-12-14-09</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:00:23 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">

  &lt;div class=&quot;photo-tpl photo-tpl-left_portrait&quot;&gt;

    &lt;a href=&quot;http://cdn1.sbnation.com/photo_images/344190/30223_UNLV_Kansas_St_Basketball.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Presenting your 17th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats! (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)&quot; class=&quot;ap_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://cdn2.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/205002/30223_unlv_kansas_st_basketball.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
    
    &lt;div class=&quot;photo-meta&quot;&gt;
      &lt;p class=&quot;by clearfix&quot;&gt;
        
        
          by Laura Rauch - AP
        
      &lt;/p&gt;
    
      
        &lt;p class=&quot;cap&quot;&gt;
          
          Presenting your 17th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats! (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)
        &lt;/p&gt;
      
    &lt;/div&gt;  
    
    &lt;p class=&quot;more-link&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cdn1.sbnation.com/photo_images/344190/30223_UNLV_Kansas_St_Basketball.jpg&quot;&gt;View full size photo &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;No. 17 AP and No. 22 ESPN/USA Today!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As I hinted yesterday, our recently defeated foe, the Xavier Musketeers, picked up a great win over ranked Cincinnati in a double-overtime thriller that threatened to break out into a brawl at several points.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, our version of Alcorn State, winless Arkansas-Pine Bluff, got whomped in Stillwater. That game will have a wonderful effect on our RPI...&lt;/p&gt;


  
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State AP Ranking = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;17&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State Record = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;9-1&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State RPI = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;2&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State SOS = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;4&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Great Wins&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 1-50&lt;/i&gt;) = Loyola, Dayton, UNLV&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Solid Wins&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 51-100&lt;/i&gt;) = IUPUI, Washington State, Xavier&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bad Losses&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 101 or greater&lt;/i&gt;) = none&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Loyola (6-2, 1-1) | RPI = 40&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Western Illinois (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Boston (4-6) | RPI = 146&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 25 Ole Miss (8-1) | RPI = 34&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Dayton (7-2) | RPI = 24&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;IUPUI (8-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 22* FHSU (7-1)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Washington State (8-2) | RPI = 88&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Xavier&lt;/b&gt; (6-3) | RPI = 61: Win over No. 19 Cincinnati (83-79 in double overtime)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 18 UNLV (7-1) | RPI = 29&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Alabama (6-3) | RPI = 91&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;UAPB&lt;/b&gt; (0-7) | RPI = 302: Loss at Oklahoma State (81-66)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Cleveland State (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 232&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;South Dakota&lt;/b&gt; (6-4) | RPI = 139: Win at Binghamton (89-77)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Missouri (6-3) | RPI = 161&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 16 Texas A&amp;amp;M (8-2) | RPI = 18&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 2 Texas (8-0) | RPI = 5&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Oklahoma State&lt;/b&gt; (8-1) | RPI = 31: Win over UAPB (81-66)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Baylor (7-1) | RPI = 105&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 1 Kansas (9-0) | RPI = 21&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Nebraska (7-2) | RPI = 151&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Iowa State (7-3) | RPI = 155&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Oklahoma (7-3) | RPI = 142&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;*Division II Top 25&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  


      </description>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RPI WATCH: 12/13/09</title>
      <guid>http://www.bringonthecats.com/2009/12/14/1199408/rpi-watch-12-13-09</guid>
      <author>BracketCat</author>
      <link>http://www.bringonthecats.com/2009/12/14/1199408/rpi-watch-12-13-09</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:00:31 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">

  &lt;div class=&quot;photo-tpl photo-tpl-right_portrait&quot;&gt;

    &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cougcenter.com/photos/rpi-watch-12-13-09&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The circle is complete: By beating the brains out of Lon Kruger's team, perhaps we finally have erased the demons that have plagued K-State basketball for 20 years &#8212; roughly ever since he ditched us for Florida. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)&quot; class=&quot;ap_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://cdn3.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/204956/30250_unlv_kansas_st_basketball.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
    
    &lt;div class=&quot;photo-meta&quot;&gt;
      &lt;p class=&quot;by clearfix&quot;&gt;
        
          &lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cougcenter.com/photos/rpi-watch-12-13-09&quot;&gt;More photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        
        
          by Laura Rauch - AP
        
      &lt;/p&gt;
    
      
        &lt;p class=&quot;cap&quot;&gt;
          
          The circle is complete: By beating the brains out of Lon Kruger's team, perhaps we finally have erased the demons that have plagued K-State basketball for 20 years &#8212; roughly ever since he ditched us for Florida. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)
        &lt;/p&gt;
      
    &lt;/div&gt;  
    
    &lt;p class=&quot;more-link&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cougcenter.com/photos/rpi-watch-12-13-09&quot;&gt;Browse more photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Sorry, guys. I accidentally set this to publish at 11:45 p.m. tonight when I meant for it to go last night. My bad.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Wow, what a Saturday.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I guess I'll start with us. I've adding a ranking indicator, because now that Xavier beat Cincinnati today (likely knocking them out of the Top 25), it's a 99-percent certainty that we will be ranked at this time tomorrow.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, our RPI is an eye-popping &lt;b&gt;TWO&lt;/b&gt;. I don't think we're likely to top Duke anytime soon, so this basically is the pinnacle for our resume this year, at least from a numbers standpoint. Kudos to Frank Martin for drawing up a &lt;b&gt;PERFECT&lt;/b&gt; non-conference schedule, one that now is ranked fourth, after briefly spiking at second last night.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;UNLV was added to the ledger of Top 50 wins, and Wazzu's win over Air Force, coupled with playing us, moved the Cougars into the Top 100. That gives us six quality wins so far, and to that you can add Fort Hays State's movement into the Division II Top 25 last week. We've beaten some damn good teams.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What does all this mean? Barring an absolute collapse in Big 12 play, we're going to be in the NCAA Tournament. And if things keep up like this, we'll have a pretty high seed, too. We almost don't need this feature anymore &amp;mdash; the resume speaks for itself. But I'll keep tracking everything, nonetheless.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Here's a little trivia for you: Four teams in the country have three RPI Top 50 wins. Who are they? Answers after the jump. Oh, and be sure to vote in my poll.&lt;/p&gt;


  
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Answer:&lt;/b&gt; Georgetown, Kansas State, Texas, Villanova&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bonus Answer:&lt;/b&gt; Kansas has &lt;b&gt;ZERO&lt;/b&gt; Top 50 wins. LOL!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State Ranking = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;TBD&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State Record = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;9-1&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State RPI = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;2&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State SOS = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;4&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Great Wins&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 1-50&lt;/i&gt;) = Loyola, Dayton, UNLV&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Solid Wins&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 51-100&lt;/i&gt;) = IUPUI, Washington State, Xavier&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bad Losses&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 101 or greater&lt;/i&gt;) = none&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Loyola&lt;/b&gt; (6-2, 1-1) | RPI = 40: Win over San Francisco (66-63)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Western Illinois&lt;/b&gt; (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320: Loss to Eastern Illinois (44-41)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Boston&lt;/b&gt; (4-6) | RPI = 146: Win at Marist (88-72)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 25 &lt;b&gt;Ole Miss&lt;/b&gt; (8-1) | RPI = 34: Win over McNeese State (83-67)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Dayton (7-2) | RPI = 24&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;IUPUI&lt;/b&gt; (8-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60: Win over Indiana-South Bend (92-56)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 22* &lt;b&gt;FHSU&lt;/b&gt; (7-1): Win over Missouri Western (67-54)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Washington State&lt;/b&gt; (8-2) | RPI = 88: Win over Air Force (75-68)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Xavier (5-3) | RPI = 68&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 18 &lt;b&gt;UNLV&lt;/b&gt; (7-1) | RPI = 29: Loss to Kansas State (95-80)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Alabama&lt;/b&gt; (6-3) | RPI = 91: Loss to No. 5 Purdue (73-65) &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;UAPB (0-6) | RPI = 273&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Cleveland State&lt;/b&gt; (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 232: Win over Wilberforce (113-61)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;South Dakota (5-4) | RPI = 119&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Missouri&lt;/b&gt; (6-3) | RPI = 161: Win over Fairleigh Dickinson (87-36)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 16 &lt;b&gt;Texas A&amp;amp;M&lt;/b&gt; (8-2) | RPI = 18: Loss to New Mexico (84-81)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 2 &lt;b&gt;Texas&lt;/b&gt; (8-0) | RPI = 5: Win over Texas State (87-54)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Oklahoma State (7-1) | RPI = 26&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Baylor (7-1) | RPI = 105&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 1 &lt;b&gt;Kansas&lt;/b&gt; (9-0) | RPI = 21: Win over La Salle (90-65)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Nebraska&lt;/b&gt; (7-2) | RPI = 151: Win over Oregon State (50-44)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Iowa State (7-3) | RPI = 155&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Oklahoma&lt;/b&gt; (7-3) | RPI = 142: Win at Utah (78-73 in overtime)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;*Division II Top 25&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  


 	&lt;fieldset class=&quot;poll-box&quot;&gt;
  &lt;legend&gt;Poll&lt;/legend&gt; 
  &lt;h5 class=&quot;poll-title&quot;&gt;What will K-State be ranked in today's AP poll?&lt;/h5&gt;
  
    
&lt;div id=&quot;poll_container_57572_1153159471&quot;&gt;
&lt;form action=&quot;/polls/vote/57572?container_id=poll_container_57572_1153159471&quot; method=&quot;post&quot; onsubmit=&quot;new Ajax.Request('/polls/vote/57572?container_id=poll_container_57572_1153159471', {asynchronous:true, evalScripts:true, parameters:Form.serialize(this)}); return false;&quot;&gt;
&lt;ul class=&quot;poll-list clearfix&quot;&gt;

    &lt;li class=&quot;clearfix&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;radio&quot;&gt;&lt;input id=&quot;poll_option_265918&quot; name=&quot;poll_option&quot; type=&quot;radio&quot; value=&quot;265918&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        &lt;label for=&quot;poll_option_265918&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;No. 17 or better&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/label&gt;&lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li class=&quot;clearfix&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;radio&quot;&gt;&lt;input id=&quot;poll_option_265919&quot; name=&quot;poll_option&quot; type=&quot;radio&quot; value=&quot;265919&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        &lt;label for=&quot;poll_option_265919&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;No. 18&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/label&gt;&lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li class=&quot;clearfix&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;radio&quot;&gt;&lt;input id=&quot;poll_option_265920&quot; name=&quot;poll_option&quot; type=&quot;radio&quot; value=&quot;265920&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        &lt;label for=&quot;poll_option_265920&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;No. 19&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/label&gt;&lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li class=&quot;clearfix&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;radio&quot;&gt;&lt;input id=&quot;poll_option_265921&quot; name=&quot;poll_option&quot; type=&quot;radio&quot; value=&quot;265921&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        &lt;label for=&quot;poll_option_265921&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;No. 20&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/label&gt;&lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li class=&quot;clearfix&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;radio&quot;&gt;&lt;input id=&quot;poll_option_265922&quot; name=&quot;poll_option&quot; type=&quot;radio&quot; value=&quot;265922&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        &lt;label for=&quot;poll_option_265922&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;No. 21&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/label&gt;&lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li class=&quot;clearfix&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;radio&quot;&gt;&lt;input id=&quot;poll_option_265923&quot; name=&quot;poll_option&quot; type=&quot;radio&quot; value=&quot;265923&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        &lt;label for=&quot;poll_option_265923&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;No. 22&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/label&gt;&lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li class=&quot;clearfix&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;radio&quot;&gt;&lt;input id=&quot;poll_option_265924&quot; name=&quot;poll_option&quot; type=&quot;radio&quot; value=&quot;265924&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        &lt;label for=&quot;poll_option_265924&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;No. 23&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/label&gt;&lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li class=&quot;clearfix&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;radio&quot;&gt;&lt;input id=&quot;poll_option_265925&quot; name=&quot;poll_option&quot; type=&quot;radio&quot; value=&quot;265925&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        &lt;label for=&quot;poll_option_265925&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;No. 24&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/label&gt;&lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li class=&quot;clearfix&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;radio&quot;&gt;&lt;input id=&quot;poll_option_265926&quot; name=&quot;poll_option&quot; type=&quot;radio&quot; value=&quot;265926&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        &lt;label for=&quot;poll_option_265926&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;No. 25&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/label&gt;&lt;/li&gt;

    &lt;li class=&quot;clearfix&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;radio&quot;&gt;&lt;input id=&quot;poll_option_265927&quot; name=&quot;poll_option&quot; type=&quot;radio&quot; value=&quot;265927&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        &lt;label for=&quot;poll_option_265927&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;option&quot;&gt;unranked &#8212; Cats get dissed&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/label&gt;&lt;/li&gt;

&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;poll-vote-submit&quot;&gt;&lt;input class=&quot;button&quot; name=&quot;commit&quot; type=&quot;submit&quot; value=&quot;Vote!&quot; /&gt; &amp;nbsp;  105 votes | &lt;a href=&quot;#&quot; onclick=&quot;new Ajax.Request('/polls/results/57572?container_id=poll_container_57572_1153159471', {asynchronous:true, evalScripts:true}); return false;&quot;&gt;Results&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/form&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
  
&lt;/fieldset&gt;

      </description>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Washington State 75, Air Force 68</title>
      <guid>http://www.cougcenter.com/2009/12/12/1198335/washington-state-75-air-force-68</guid>
      <author>Grady.</author>
      <link>http://www.cougcenter.com/2009/12/12/1198335/washington-state-75-air-force-68</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 13 Dec 2009 07:29:35 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;div style=&quot;margin: 0px auto; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://statsheet.com/mcb&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; style=&quot;text-decoration: none; color: #666; font-size: 11px;&quot;&gt;NCAA Basketball Stats&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;script language=&quot;JavaScript&quot; type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; src=&quot;http://statsheet.com/charts/chartlets/2009/12/13/mcb_games_2009_12_12_air_force_68_washington_state_75_6670.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;margin: 0px auto; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://statsheet.com/mcb&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; style=&quot;text-decoration: none; color: #666; font-size: 11px;&quot;&gt;NCAA Basketball Stats&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;script language=&quot;JavaScript&quot; type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; src=&quot;http://statsheet.com/charts/chartlets/2009/12/13/mcb_games_2009_12_12_air_force_68_washington_state_75_872220.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Once again, we make things interesting late in the second half by letting an opponent creep back in the game via turnovers and sloppy defense.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I was hard at work (hardly working?) today so I don't have a lot of thoughts to provide. I did get to hear some of the radio broadcast, but I'll leave it to you in the CougCenter comment army to provide some insights of your own. Likes? Dislikes? Frustrations? Exuberance? A win is still a win.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Player of the Game: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100921/Reggie_Moore&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Reggie Moore&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/b&gt;16 points (4/6, 1/3 3pt, 7/7 FTs), 10 freaking assists, 2 boards and only 3 turnovers. A double double for the talented freshman. I miss Tony Bennett a whole lot less when I remember Reggie wouldn't be on this team if he was still here.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Unsung Hero: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/29082/Nikola_Koprivica&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Nikola Koprivica&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/b&gt;8 points (3/7, 2/3 FTs) and 11 rebounds. Wait, what? 11 rebounds. That can't be right. Nik. 11 rebounds. It's not a typo. I'm in shock. Maybe this performance explains Bone's irrational hatred of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/29083/Abe_Lodwick&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Abe Lodwick&lt;/a&gt;, who started again but only received 7 minutes because... who knows? Turnover issues, maybe? Also, this game saw 20+ minutes given to Koprivica, Harthun and Enquist. I'm really only OK with Nik getting that kind of PT, what with being our sixth man and only senior and all. However, I'm still excited to see Harthun get some shots down and get some significant game experience. But hey, 14 minutes for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100923/Brock_Motum&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Brock Motum&lt;/a&gt;! That's what I'm talkin' bout.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;It was over when... Klay drained a three to make it 74-64 with 31 seconds remaining.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Stat of the Game: &lt;/b&gt;The Cougs held the Falcons to 22.7% three-point shooting. Not bad considering that was a huge issue for us earlier this season.&lt;/p&gt;
  


      </description>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RPI WATCH: 12/12/09</title>
      <guid>http://www.bringonthecats.com/2009/12/12/1197833/rpi-watch-12-12-09</guid>
      <author>BracketCat</author>
      <link>http://www.bringonthecats.com/2009/12/12/1197833/rpi-watch-12-12-09</link>
      <pubDate>Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:30:20 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;RPI should continue to rise, with our opponents going 2-1 Friday night. And so far, everything is going our way today, as well &amp;mdash; more on that in tomorrow's installment of RPI WATCH.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Results after the jump.&lt;/p&gt;


  
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State Record = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;8-1&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State RPI = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;6&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State SOS = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;8&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Great Wins&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 1-50&lt;/i&gt;) = Loyola, Dayton&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Solid Wins&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 51-100&lt;/i&gt;) = IUPUI, Xavier&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bad Losses&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 100 or greater&lt;/i&gt;) = none&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Loyola (5-2, 1-1) | RPI = 30&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Western Illinois (4-5, 0-2) | RPI = 307&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Boston (3-6) | RPI = 156&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ole Miss (7-1) | RPI = 18&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Dayton&lt;/b&gt; (7-2) | RPI = 24: Win over Old Dominion (58-50)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;IUPUI (7-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 22* FHSU (7-1)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Washington State (7-2) | RPI = 151&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Xavier (5-3) | RPI = 68&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 24 UNLV (7-0) | RPI = 12&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Alabama (6-2) | RPI = 82&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;UAPB (0-6) | RPI = 273&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Cleveland State (3-6, 0-2) | RPI = 222&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;South Dakota&lt;/b&gt; (5-4) | RPI = 119: Loss at Drake (96-81)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Missouri (5-3) | RPI = 99&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 16 Texas A&amp;amp;M (8-1) | RPI = 21&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 2 Texas (7-0) | RPI = 3&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Oklahoma State (7-1) | RPI = 26&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Baylor (7-1) | RPI = 105&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 1 Kansas (8-0) | RPI = 45&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Nebraska (6-2) | RPI = 192&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Iowa State&lt;/b&gt; (7-3) | RPI = 155: Win over Iowa (81-71)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Oklahoma (6-3) | RPI = 210&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;*Division II Top 25&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  


      </description>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>College Sports Open Thread</title>
      <guid>http://www.cougcenter.com/2009/12/12/1197521/college-sports-open-thread</guid>
      <author>Dancing Football</author>
      <link>http://www.cougcenter.com/2009/12/12/1197521/college-sports-open-thread</link>
      <pubDate>Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:18:31 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;Busy day today.&amp;nbsp; Start your morning off right with Ohio State-Butler and battle between two historic programs, Indiana-Kentucky.&amp;nbsp; Later UW-Georgetown and a host of lower division football playoffs.&amp;nbsp; (Playoffs?)&amp;nbsp; Here is your place to discuss.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;EDIT 10:45: &amp;nbsp;Also, the Army-Navy game. &amp;nbsp;Thanks Nuss for the reminder.&lt;/p&gt;
  


      </description>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RPI WATCH: 12/11/09</title>
      <guid>http://www.bringonthecats.com/2009/12/12/1196263/rpi-watch-12-11-09</guid>
      <author>BracketCat</author>
      <link>http://www.bringonthecats.com/2009/12/12/1196263/rpi-watch-12-11-09</link>
      <pubDate>Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:00:19 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;Rumors of Colorado's improvement have been greatly exaggerated.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That and other developments from Thursday night after the jump.&lt;/p&gt;


  
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State Record = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;8-1&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State RPI = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;6&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State SOS = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;10&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Great Wins&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 1-50&lt;/i&gt;) = Loyola, Dayton&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Solid Wins&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 51-100&lt;/i&gt;) = IUPUI, Xavier&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bad Losses&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 100 or greater&lt;/i&gt;) = none&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Loyola (5-2, 1-1) | RPI = 30&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Western Illinois (4-5, 0-2) | RPI = 307&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Boston (3-6) | RPI = 156&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ole Miss (7-1) | RPI = 18&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Dayton (6-2) | RPI = 36&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;IUPUI (7-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;FHSU (7-1)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Washington State (7-2) | RPI = 151&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Xavier (5-3) | RPI = 68&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 24 UNLV (7-0) | RPI = 12&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Alabama (6-2) | RPI = 82&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;UAPB (0-6) | RPI = 273&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Cleveland State (3-6, 0-2) | RPI = 222&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;South Dakota (5-3) | RPI = 143&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Missouri (5-3) | RPI = 99&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 16 Texas A&amp;amp;M (8-1) | RPI = 21&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Colorado&lt;/b&gt; (6-4) | RPI = 229: Loss at Colorado State (77-62)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 2 Texas (7-0) | RPI = 3&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Oklahoma State (7-1) | RPI = 26&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Baylor (7-1) | RPI = 105&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 1 Kansas (8-0) | RPI = 45&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Nebraska&lt;/b&gt; (6-2) | RPI = 192: Win over Chicago State (74-39)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Iowa State (6-3) | RPI = 187&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Oklahoma (6-3) | RPI = 210&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
  


      </description>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RPI WATCH: 12/10/09</title>
      <guid>http://www.bringonthecats.com/2009/12/11/1195637/rpi-watch-12-10-09</guid>
      <author>BracketCat</author>
      <link>http://www.bringonthecats.com/2009/12/11/1195637/rpi-watch-12-10-09</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:00:16 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;WTF, Mizzou?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Other than that clunker, our other opponents performed pretty much as expected Wednesday night &amp;mdash; which mostly was positive for us, as evidenced by our eye-popping, single-digit numbers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Hit the jump to see how they all did.&lt;/p&gt;


  
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State Record = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;8-1&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State RPI = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;8&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Current Kansas State SOS = &lt;font color=&quot;indigo&quot;&gt;9&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Great Wins&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 1-50&lt;/i&gt;) = Loyola, Dayton&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Solid Wins&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 51-100&lt;/i&gt;) = IUPUI, Xavier&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bad Losses&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;i&gt;RPI 100 or greater&lt;/i&gt;) = none&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Loyola (5-2, 1-1) | RPI = 30&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Western Illinois&lt;/b&gt; (4-5, 0-2) | RPI = 307: Win over Culver-Stockton (73-36)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Boston (3-6) | RPI = 156&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ole Miss (7-1) | RPI = 18&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Dayton (6-2) | RPI = 36&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;IUPUI&lt;/b&gt; (7-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60: Loss at Notre Dame (93-70)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;FHSU&lt;/b&gt; (7-1): Win over Northwest Missouri State (78-66)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Washington State&lt;/b&gt; (7-2) | RPI = 151: Win over Idaho (76-64)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Xavier (5-3) | RPI = 68&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 24 UNLV (7-0) | RPI = 12&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Alabama (6-2) | RPI = 82&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;UAPB (0-6) | RPI = 273&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Cleveland State (3-6, 0-2) | RPI = 222&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;South Dakota (5-3) | RPI = 143&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Missouri&lt;/b&gt; (5-3) | RPI = 99: Loss at Oral Roberts (60-59)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 16 Texas A&amp;amp;M (8-1) | RPI = 21&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Colorado (6-3) | RPI = 249&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 2 Texas (7-0) | RPI = 3&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Oklahoma State (7-1) | RPI = 26&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Baylor (7-1) | RPI = 105&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 1 &lt;b&gt;Kansas&lt;/b&gt; (8-0) | RPI = 45: Win over Radford (99-64)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Nebraska (5-2) | RPI = 112&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Iowa State (6-3) | RPI = 187&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Oklahoma&lt;/b&gt; (6-3) | RPI = 210: Win over Centenary (86-62)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
  


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