If someone had come to you in August and offered you 9-1 at this point and told you the Shootout wouldn't be the loss, you'd have taken it, right? There hasn't been quite as much in the schedule as there has been in years past, but the Muskies have managed to accumulate wins and avoid resume land mines the way high-major teams need to in preparation for March.
Now the promised land of the Big East and its 18 consecutive KenPom top-100 matchups is within reach. It isn't quite here yet though, and the difference between being an 8 seed in Spokane and a 4 seed in Cleveland might be found in the three games between now and Christmas.