The team playing Houston in that game also has a connection to the Hoosiers...

https://www.news-herald.com/sports/memor...3934c.html

(03-14-2021 06:57 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 06:46 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 06:34 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 06:27 PM)schmolik Wrote:  I believe it is Selection Committee policy to pit the bottom four seeds such that the two bottom teams play each other and the next two play each other. That is the case this season. What does that mean? One of the two worst teams gets to win and one of the "better" First Four teams has to lose. If you want to really be fair, you pit #65 vs. #68 and #66 vs. #67 because #65 and #66 deserve to win the most and make the main field, they don't deserve to play each other and only one gets to make the round of 64 while the two biggest losers gets a free pass. That would be like Gonzaga and Baylor playing each other in the semifinals. Same with the First Four at large teams.

totally agree with you.

Yeah, that's what I mean by getting in last. I don't care if the committee really seeded UCLA and Michigan State in the 20s. If you get put in a play-in game, you obviously are in a lower-level game than anyone who is in the actual field of 60.

Georgetown is a #12, but I'd much rather be #12 and not have to do the play-in thing than be an alleged #11 that has to.

it's funny how the 1st 4 teams have done traditionally though. extremely well.

Well, teams like Michigan State and UCLA are pretty talented. So the winner kind of gets a head start on the tournament, they go in to that next game against the #6 with a game under the belt, they've already been baptized. The #6 might be rusty, may not have played in over a week or more.

So it's a thing where overall it sucks, because you have to run that 50% risk of getting knocked out before you even make the regular field. But if you survive that and win, then now you are in a decent situation.

(03-14-2021 08:20 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 05:20 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Winthrop/Villanova is the most obvious 5/12 upset since Middle Tennessee/Minnesota

I think they threw Villanova a bone with this one. I think Winthrop was seeded too high for the 12-line.

I agree. All the talking heads seem to already have ordained that Winthrop will beat Villanova, but I don't think so. They gave Villanova a soft #12 to play, IMO.

(03-15-2021 12:13 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 06:57 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 06:46 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 06:34 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 06:27 PM)schmolik Wrote:  I believe it is Selection Committee policy to pit the bottom four seeds such that the two bottom teams play each other and the next two play each other. That is the case this season. What does that mean? One of the two worst teams gets to win and one of the "better" First Four teams has to lose. If you want to really be fair, you pit #65 vs. #68 and #66 vs. #67 because #65 and #66 deserve to win the most and make the main field, they don't deserve to play each other and only one gets to make the round of 64 while the two biggest losers gets a free pass. That would be like Gonzaga and Baylor playing each other in the semifinals. Same with the First Four at large teams.

totally agree with you.

Yeah, that's what I mean by getting in last. I don't care if the committee really seeded UCLA and Michigan State in the 20s. If you get put in a play-in game, you obviously are in a lower-level game than anyone who is in the actual field of 60.

Georgetown is a #12, but I'd much rather be #12 and not have to do the play-in thing than be an alleged #11 that has to.

it's funny how the 1st 4 teams have done traditionally though. extremely well.

Well, teams like Michigan State and UCLA are pretty talented. So the winner kind of gets a head start on the tournament, they go in to that next game against the #6 with a game under the belt, they've already been baptized. The #6 might be rusty, may not have played in over a week or more.

So it's a thing where overall it sucks, because you have to run that 50% risk of getting knocked out before you even make the regular field. But if you survive that and win, then now you are in a decent situation.

VCU went from First Four to Final Four and LaSalle went from First Four to Sweet 16. Those are the types of First Four teams who historically do well as they were undervalued.

(03-15-2021 12:18 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(03-15-2021 12:13 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 06:57 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 06:46 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 06:34 PM)stever20 Wrote:  totally agree with you.

Yeah, that's what I mean by getting in last. I don't care if the committee really seeded UCLA and Michigan State in the 20s. If you get put in a play-in game, you obviously are in a lower-level game than anyone who is in the actual field of 60.

Georgetown is a #12, but I'd much rather be #12 and not have to do the play-in thing than be an alleged #11 that has to.

it's funny how the 1st 4 teams have done traditionally though. extremely well.

Well, teams like Michigan State and UCLA are pretty talented. So the winner kind of gets a head start on the tournament, they go in to that next game against the #6 with a game under the belt, they've already been baptized. The #6 might be rusty, may not have played in over a week or more.

So it's a thing where overall it sucks, because you have to run that 50% risk of getting knocked out before you even make the regular field. But if you survive that and win, then now you are in a decent situation.

VCU went from First Four to Final Four and LaSalle went from First Four to Sweet 16. Those are the types of First Four teams who historically do well as they were undervalued.

It might be undervaluing, or it might be that you get a bit of a leg up playing that first game, provided you do have the requisite baseline ability.

(03-15-2021 12:16 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 08:20 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 05:20 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Winthrop/Villanova is the most obvious 5/12 upset since Middle Tennessee/Minnesota

I think they threw Villanova a bone with this one. I think Winthrop was seeded too high for the 12-line.

I agree. All the talking heads seem to already have ordained that Winthrop will beat Villanova, but I don't think so. They gave Villanova a soft #12 to play, IMO.

Yeah, almost looks like a 4/13. Winthrop might be a pest, but Villanova is more than just Gillespie. I’d take any of the other 12’s over Villanova, just not Winthrop. Shame it couldn’t have been North Texas, Ohio, or even Colgate jumping that high.

(03-15-2021 05:46 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(03-15-2021 12:16 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 08:20 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 05:20 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Winthrop/Villanova is the most obvious 5/12 upset since Middle Tennessee/Minnesota

I think they threw Villanova a bone with this one. I think Winthrop was seeded too high for the 12-line.

I agree. All the talking heads seem to already have ordained that Winthrop will beat Villanova, but I don't think so. They gave Villanova a soft #12 to play, IMO.

Yeah, almost looks like a 4/13. Winthrop might be a pest, but Villanova is more than just Gillespie. I’d take any of the other 12’s over Villanova, just not Winthrop. Shame it couldn’t have been North Texas, Ohio, or even Colgate jumping that high.

Villanova is 0-2 since they lost Gillespie, losing to a Providence team that didn't make the NCAA or NIT and a Georgetown team that only made the NCAA's since they won the Big East Tournament. No way Villanova's a #4 seed, I had them a #6.

Winthrop? They lost one game all year. Once I saw Villanova was a #5 I said "Come on Oregon State!"

Every year in the NCAA Tournament you find out about these new schools you've never heard of in places you've never heard of.

The Schmolik nominee for the best name in the 2021 NCAA Tournament: Morehead State! Just make sure you say one name for their name and not two:) Or how about Colgate? Who knew they named schools after toothpastes? And speaking of names, of course Schmolik's favorite regular school punching bags, Clemson and Rutgers ..., are playing each other!

Obviously this NCAA Tournament is being held entirely in Indiana but you wonder had this tournament been in the regular sites where would everyone had been?

West Regional: Denver
South Regional: Memphis
Midwest Regional: Minneapolis
East Regional: Brooklyn

Gonzaga, Norf/App St, Oklahoma, Missouri - Boise
Baylor, Hartford, North Carolina, Wisconsin - Dallas
Illinois, Drexel, Loyola, Georgia Tech - Lexington
Michigan, MSM/TexSo, LSU, St. Bonaventure - Detroit

Illinois would have been assigned Lexington because Boise, Dallas, and Detroit were all Thur/Sat sites and the NCAA needed one #1 seed to play on Fri/Sun to assign a #16 play in winner to play them. So I would guess they would get one of the First Four game winners and to be fair Michigan would get the other and Gonzaga would be screwed and have to play Drexel (and Drexel would be screwed having to go to Boise). Illinois is actually 385 miles from Detroit and 311 miles from Lexington so they actually gain going to Lexington.

Alabama, Iona, Connecticut, Maryland - Lexington
Ohio State, Oral Roberts, Florida, Virginia Tech - Detroit
Iowa, Grand Canyon, Oregon, VCU - Wichita
Houston, Cleveland State, Clemson, Rutgers - Dallas

Arkansas, Colgate, Texas Tech, Utah State - Wichita
West Virginia, Morehead State, San Diego State, Syracuse - Providence
Texas, Abilene Christian, BYU, MichSt/UCLA - San Jose? (BYU would have to swap out because the "East" Regional Final is Sunday. Best would be with San Diego State since that is the Midwest which would have been Thur/Sat and Providence would have been Thur/Sat)
Kansas. E. Washington, USC, Wich St, Drake - Boise

Florida State, UNC Greensboro, Colorado, Georgetown - Raleigh (Probably would have to swap out UNCG to avoid home crowd disadvantage for FSU)
Purdue, North Texas, Villanova, Winthrop) - Providence
Oklahoma State, Liberty, Tennessee, Oregon State - San Jose
Virginia, Ohio U, Creighton, UC Santa Barbara - Raleigh

Maybe Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma State would rather head East instead of West, who knows? Certainly it would help Florida State and Virginia to keep them East and the Big 12 schools are kind of screwed either way. Someone has to get stuck in Boise (other than Gonzaga who of course will gladly take it). Maybe they put Oklahoma State's pod there because Oregon State is one of the few teams that's from that region.

This is a column from USA Today's Shelby Mast who named three schools he thought were underseeded and three schools he thought were overseeded.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc...g9mPEq25L4

Turns out that in my Schmolik 64 I had seeded all three of the teams he thought was underseeded higher than the Selection Committee did and all three of the teams he thought was overseeded lower than the Selection Committee did. We always compare bracketologists to the Committee. Maybe it's the Committee that's wrong.

https://www.bloggingthebracket.com/2021/...1529254247

I watched Morehead (one word usage intended, schmolik!) pound Belmont.

Morehead is a solid team. Dangerous.

(03-15-2021 05:55 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(03-15-2021 05:46 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(03-15-2021 12:16 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 08:20 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(03-14-2021 05:20 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Winthrop/Villanova is the most obvious 5/12 upset since Middle Tennessee/Minnesota

I think they threw Villanova a bone with this one. I think Winthrop was seeded too high for the 12-line.

I agree. All the talking heads seem to already have ordained that Winthrop will beat Villanova, but I don't think so. They gave Villanova a soft #12 to play, IMO.

Yeah, almost looks like a 4/13. Winthrop might be a pest, but Villanova is more than just Gillespie. I’d take any of the other 12’s over Villanova, just not Winthrop. Shame it couldn’t have been North Texas, Ohio, or even Colgate jumping that high.

Villanova is 0-2 since they lost Gillespie, losing to a Providence team that didn't make the NCAA or NIT and a Georgetown team that only made the NCAA's since they won the Big East Tournament. No way Villanova's a #4 seed, I had them a #6.

Winthrop? They lost one game all year. Once I saw Villanova was a #5 I said "Come on Oregon State!"

“Almost looks like” because of the 12-5 fare, I struggle with whether I would take the -6.5 spread for Nova with either both hands or only one. It just doesn’t have the look as the others. I wouldn’t bet on 12-5 games because they can be chaotic. This one looks very manageable even for a hurt Villanova.

Now I have to wait for them on their next game to make the bet against them. Like you, I thought OSU was more fitting, or UCSB. Then again, with two Big East schools at the 5-line, and one at the 12, the pairings were limited. By the looks of it, I almost wonder if Villanova got the top 5 spot, or the second highest (Tennessee being the top 5 with OSU the lowest 12). Nova tanked at the end, and may be toast...I think the committee probably had them on that 4-line even with just one more win in the Big East tournament. To be fair to them...not too long back, they were on the top line. The fall has been hard, but, they were still close to something better.

(03-15-2021 07:08 AM)schmolik Wrote:  Obviously this NCAA Tournament is being held entirely in Indiana but you wonder had this tournament been in the regular sites where would everyone had been?

Gonzaga, Norf/App St, Oklahoma, Missouri - Boise
Baylor, Hartford, North Carolina, Wisconsin - Dallas
Illinois, Drexel, Loyola, Georgia Tech - Lexington
Michigan, MSM/TexSo, LSU, St. Bonaventure - Detroit

It is a bummer that there's no/limited fans.

When my Bonnies are in the NCAA Tournament, they always have a "home crowd."