http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/ncbexperts/id/8868359/buying-selling-ncaa-tournament-stocks-college-basketball

This story is a week old and is an ESPN insider article, but Joe Lunardi says to sell Ohio's tournament stock. Basically, he is just rating how which teams are way higher on his S-curve now than they were at the start of the season (Wichita State, Oregon, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Butler) and which ones are way lower (Memphis, Kentucky). Then he names three mid-majors who were on his S-curve but aren't anymore: Ohio, Drexel, Murray State. This is what he says on these teams:

This was to be a great season for veteran mid-major teams. Ohio was coming off a Sweet 16 appearance, Drexel won 29 games a season ago and Murray State returned both coach and star from a 31-2 campaign. Instead, Murray (Belmont) and Ohio (Akron) have been eclipsed in their own leagues and the wheels have all but fallen off for Drexel (6-11, 2-3 CAA). None are going anywhere without conference tournament titles, and none will be favored come Championship Week.


However, in this week's update, Ohio is on his top 100 at #88, a ranking he considers to be NIT bubble:
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/ncbexperts/id/8880352/kansas-jayhawks-lead-race-top-seed-college-basketball

One more link I found: http://espn.go.com/ncb/notebook/_/page/backtothebasket130128/back-basket-weekly-look-college-basketball

This is not an insider article. Akron named a place to be this week on the sidebar to the story.

I must have missed Akron eclipsing us. They have essentially the same resume we do except one fewer road game.  Their advantage is math, not performance.

Akron beat buffalo by 4 at home. We killed Buffalo and had what a 28 point lead at once till we put our reserves in. Akron was down by 20. 

It's a good advantage to have, though.

Tell me again why we're paying any attention to the clown who said we'd be a Hoya speedbump in 2010, that crAkron would win the MAC tourney last year, and that Michigan would oust us because we were spent from the MAC final?

Even if his opinion about MAC basketball mattered (i.e. if we were a multiple bid league), he's proven himself a worthless blowhard. He's the Herbstreit of basketball.

In a demented sort of way, being a one team league does make for a very exciting regular season.    Wouldn't live and die with each game if you knew the prize was waiting regardless.   Beat Akron, but most import at this point, beat EMU.   Enjoy the ride.

Thank you Perimeter ... Thank you

Now is the time for the 'Cats to play their best basketball. not December. Akron doesn't have much.

Only way we have a prayer of an at-large bid is to win out and lose to Akron in the MAC Title game. This would give us a 26-6 record. Even then, we're 90% out and NIT-bound.

None of this "bracketology" talk matters. At all.

Sorry but you are wrong. If we win out (which means going undefeated in conference) and lose to Akron in the title game, unless we get blown out in that game, we are in.  Our RPI will be better than 50 with a 27-6 record and winning 19 of our last 20 including beating Akron twice.   I seriously doubt it will happen but if it did we would be a slam dunk.

I just like beating those 'kron in the MAC title game.  That's your good fun.

RPI Forecast puts us at 55 is we finish 25-5, they dont have any post season games factored in yet.  But, I would hardly say a slam dunk.  I remember a Dayton team at #30 a few years ago that was left out.

That might be true for a power conference. It's not even close to true for a mid-major, and there are many examples of snubs that prove it. If the "win out, lose in the MACC" scenario played out, our resume would include a home loss to Winthrop, very likely zero wins against non-conference tournament teams, a terrible non-conference SOS and road record, and a bunch of wins against a pretty bad MAC. Sorry, but that's not a recipe for an at-large bid.