NCAA Tournament Field

[kerssens]

Does Washington scare anybody? I see them play quite often and I don't think they really stack up with the Illinois' and the Wakes, etc. I wonder if anybody really knows a lot about them being tucked up here in the corner of the country.

[Cubswin]

I really havnt given too much thought to location of venue so here is my rough estimate...

1. IL
2. UNC
3. Duke
4. WF

5. UK
6. Louisville
7. Gonzaga
8. OSU


9. AZ
10. Washington
11. Kansas
12. BC

13. Cuse
14. UCONN
15. Oklahoma
16. MSU

IL and Kansas will both be in the Chicago bracket [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Clarkmeister]

Augustine got a well-deserved BTT MVP award.

[Cubswin]

Wasnt he like 100% from the field this tourny?

[Clarkmeister]

Seemed like it. BTW, I can watch these NCAA Tourney highlights they are showing on CBS for like forever.

[Cubswin]

I hear ya... i cant wait until thursday... it is the single best day in sports IMO

[MicroBob]

[ QUOTE ]
The MAC is just a bad conference

[/ QUOTE ]


The MAC is the 9th strongest conference in the RPI this year.
This will me it the first year EVER that the 9th strongest does not send 2 teams to the dance (assuming Buffalo doesn't get in).


The MAC was a victim of their own general parity (and number of decent but not great teams).
Miami finished 12-6 in conference...5 or 6 others teams (including Ohio and Buffalo) all finished 11-7 in conference.

Nobody really stood out. Miami had a chance after beating Wichita State...but Miami finished pretty poorly after that including a reg. season finale loss to BG and the semi-final loss to Ohio.

Buffalo also had some chances and would be very serious at-large consideration with just 1 or 2 more regular season wins.

Ohio finished the strongest of all the teams in the conference...but obviously already has the automatic bid.


I agree that Buffalo didn't exactly rack up many noteworthy non-conf wins....but to say it's a weak conference is incorrect.

Everyone wants to talk about the 'flaws' in the RPI when a conference like the MAC does well.


In 1999 I was talking about the RPI with a bunch of reporters from Utah.
Miami with an RPI of 18 was a 10 seed. Utah with an RPI of 14 was a 2 seed.
The MAC was rated as a higher conference that year too.
They all rolled their eyes when I said that their conferences were roughly equivilent in strength and that they shouldn't breathe too easy playing Miami (they were all happy that Utah didn't have to face 7th seeded Washington).


Miami beat Utah by 11 or 13 points in the 2 seed vs. 10 seed 2nd round game and it wasn't even as close as that.


The mid-majors never get much respect.


Again - I don't disagree that Buffalo's non-conf wins are unimpressive and that they likely don't deserve a berth.
Just disputing the notion that the MAC is a 'bad' conference.


I completely agree with Clark that C-USA is overrated.
I think Louisville is a strong team....but UC, Charlotte, Depaul all don't impress me that much.


Just wait till next year when the C-USA features the likes of Marshall, Cent-Fla, Rice and Tulsa!!


I don't think Gonzaga as a 3 or 4 seed is really 'under' rated. I do not consider them a serious contender for the national title.
I also don't think Pitt is going to go anywhere either but it will be interesting to see what the brackets have in store for them.

[Clarkmeister]

"I don't think Gonzaga as a 3 or 4 seed is really 'under' rated. I do not consider them a serious contender for the national title. "

Despite winning over potential #1 seeds Washington and Okie State with another win over a healthy Georgia Tech?

[Clarkmeister]

#1 seeds:

Illinois
UNC
Dook
Washington (!)

Washington's inclusion as a 1 should help the Zags.

[Cubswin]

washington... worst number 1 ever