KenPom Bracketology: 1/20

I'm not going to sugar coat it for you gang, losing to Georgetown wasn't good for Xavier in the Pomeroy rankings. Dropping a home game against a team clinging to the bubble isn't a good look for anyone, and it certainly isn't for a team with three-weekend aspirations. Xavier slid in the bracket; the only question is how far. Here's the s-curve:

Here's what that looks like in a bracket:

It's not good, but it's also not a nightmare. The most important thing it is is January. Somebody told me last night that this was the end of Xavier's hopes for a one seed, as though a two-loss team from a power conference couldn't possibly make its way back onto the top line. There is a lot of basketball left to be played; at this point in time last year, Xavier was 12-6 and about to lose to Providence. If you would have offered me 16-2 at that point, I would have taken it. There's no reason to think that Xavier can't right the ship and get back to a 1 or 2 fairly quickly.

It's also important to keep in mind that human systems (i.e., the selection committee) aren't going to see this as nearly as bad a loss as the KenPom did. Xavier will still be a 2 or a high three in most bracketologies, and that's where they'd be if the season ended today. Last night's result will end up being a much bigger part of Georgetown's seeding in March than it will be of Xavier's.