Maybe Mooney's plan is to fill in the hole in our list of NCAA accomplishments. We have won as a 12, 13, 14 and 15 seed, but not as a 16 seed. It is very hard to make the NCAA tournament from the A10 and get a 16 seed.
The only way to win the A10 tournament and get a 16 seed is to have essentially no wins during the regular season since you will need to beat some good teams to win the A10 tournament which are more impressive wins than most 16 seeds have. This year is ideal for the 16 seed gambit since the A10 is very weak and winning the A10 tournament will not result in too many good wins. To make sure we get the 16 seed Mooney is playing it safe and going for the most regular season losses possible.
When we get to the A10 tournament Mooney will unleash the full potential of the team, winning the auto bid and putting us in position to be the first 16 seed to win a game in the NCAAs.
This team ain't beating a one seed.
Maybe we'll win a game as a 16 if we are in the First Four, or whatever that abomination is called - but we'd be playing another 16.