Browsing the Bracket

I'm sure we've already heard about a million times that UAB and VCU don't deserve to be in the filed of 68. I'm also sure you've already heard that Virginia Tech and Colorado (and any other bubble team) got screwed by the inclusion of UAB and VCU. Even Harvard should be hacked at that as well.

But let's look at the bracket as a whole for a few. I have my own observations and here they are a few.

Seeding. Pretty shoddy job by the committee. Notre Dame got screwed out of a #1 seed. If the Big East were to get only one #1 seed, it should have gone to ND and not Pitt. ND beat Pitt during the regular season...at Pitt. ND owns a higher RPI and SOS over Pitt. ND holds more wins over the RPI Top 50 than Pitt. What am I missing here?

I would imagine that some are thinking about Duke getting the last of the #1's and screaming about that one, too. Even though I am a Duke fan, I can't argue for the Blue Devils over either Pitt or ND. Duke should have been a #2 in my opinion.

Big East: lust or love?

I know the saying is that the selection committee doesn't look at conference affiliation, but I'm not buying that. With the exception of Notre Dame, the Big East was given the benefit of the doubt on other seeds, too. #9 Villanova? They lost 10 of their last 15 games. And snag a #9. If they were playing in almost any other conference, they might not even be in the field.

Syracuse a #3? That's not so big, but what about UConn? Are they getting to much love from those with the suits? People will think they "ran the gauntlet" by winning the Big East tournament. That gets you a #3 seed. The argument can be made for Syracuse more than UConn believe it or not. Better conference record for Syracuse (12-6; 9-9 for UConn) for starters.

And this one shocked many...


How can SEC tourney champion Kentucky (RPI: 7, SOS: 8) receive a #4 but the team they defeated in the SEC final, Florida, gets the gift of a #2 seed? Really? Sure, Florida's RPI (8) and SOS (3) are high, but you still have to do something with those. Are those worth such a disparity in their seeds? I think not. And don't forget that UK beat the Gators two times this season. Well, don't forget that Alabama did the same against Georgia and the Crimson Tide didn't even make the bracket.

In short form: Yes, I would have given UK a #3 over UConn and Syracuse.

Speaking of the Bulldogs, they managed a #10 seed. The Fightin' Illini squeezed a #9. You could argue Clemson's inclusion as well as a #12 even though they have a first round affair against #12 UAB.

Revisiting the #1's...

You could go so far as to argue the #1 overall seed. Kansas and Ohio State finished the season with the same record at 32-2. Kansas has a higher RPI (1) and SOS (10) compared to the Buckeyes (2 and 26). Not much chatter about that. Hardly any.

I agree with OSU and Kansas and even Pitt. Notre Dame earned that fourth #1 seed as I previously stated.

Games to watch for various reasons:

East: #6 Xavier v. #11 Marquette - Maybe the best game of the second round.
Southwest: #5 Vanderbilt v. #12 Richmond - Do NOT sell the Spiders short in this one.
Southeast: #3 BYU v. #14 Wofford - Can Jimmer keep his season going against an underseeded and unappreciated Wofford squad?
West: #4 Texas v. #13 Oakland - Well-rounded game of Oakland could spell trouble for Longhorns.

Possible matchups that are intriguing (after second round):

East: #4 Kentucky v. #5 West Virginia - Too early for this matchup to many. A really good team will be sent home too soon.
Southwest: #1 Kansas v. #9 Illinois - Provided Illinois gets past its first game v. UNLV where they will see a familiar face. Theme forming.
Southeast: There really isn't one. This is by far the crappiest region.
West: #1 Duke v. #8 Michigan - Two words will reverberate around this possible matchup: "Fab Five" especially in light of last night's airing of the documentary.

Odd notes:
The highest RPI that is not in the field belongs to Harvard at #35.
The highest SOS from a team that's +.500 not in the field goes to Cal with a SOS of #23.