As usual, ESPN's blowhards have it wrong about the NCAA bracket...

[Senser81]

Its funny to me that the talking heads at ESPN are irate over Colorado not making it in while UAB and VCU are in the NCAA's. It seems like every year a middling power conference team will be included in the NCAA's while a 20+ win mid-major gets left out. This year finally breaks that mold, and you have guys like Dookie V and Jay Bilas up in arms. Colorado did not have a winning conference record. They were 6-7 against top 50 teams, but 3 of those wins came against an overrated Kansas State team. In one 7-game stretch, Colorado went 1-6.

What Bilas and Vitale SHOULD have been talking about was how the Selection Committee set up the different regions. Ohio State is the overall #1, but they have by far the hardest region. Pitt was the lowest rated #1 seed, and the other top teams in their region are Florida, BYU and Wisconsin??? Compare those three teams to Ohio State's UNC, Syracuse, and Kentucky. I would argue that the top 4 teams in the Southwest region (Kansas, ND, Purdon't, Louisville) are all better than any team in the Southeast region. Its a joke.

Its highly likely that Pitt's toughest game will be their second round game against the Butler-ODU winner. After that, its clear sailing. I thought Ohio State and Kansas were the early favorites for the title game, but now if they both make it, they definitely will have earned it.

 

[Rudi]

This is going to happen every year. There will never be a bracket released where everyone in the media is like "The committee got this bracket 100% correct". There will always be flaws and quite frankly I'm tired of hearing about it at this point. Just enjoy the beauty of the tournament and time that is March Madness because nothing else in the sports world compares.

 

[Senser81]

This is going to happen every year. There will never be a bracket released where everyone in the media is like "The committee got this bracket 100% correct". There will always be flaws and quite frankly I'm tired of hearing about it at this point. Just enjoy the beauty of the tournament and time that is March Madness because nothing else in the sports world compares.

LOL at "I'm tired of hearing about it AT THIS POINT". How long have you been hearing about it at this point? 12 hours? :applause:

Wofford over BYU, BTW.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

I heard the Colorado coach on the radio yesterday, bitching about how he scheduled tough ooc road games, and it didn't matter, so he's not going to do it anymore.

He cited Harvard, San Francisco, Georgia, New Mexico, and Indiana as the teams they played on the road. They went 1-4, beating the bad Indiana team, and lost to the rest.

Probably helps if you WIN those "tough" road games, no?

 

[ralaw]

I thought Seth Greenberg's comments where funny, because he actually believes that someone on the selection committee has personal issues with Va Tech.

 

[Senser81]

I heard the Colorado coach on the radio yesterday, bitching about how he scheduled tough ooc road games, and it didn't matter, so he's not going to do it anymore.

He cited Harvard, San Francisco, Georgia, New Mexico, and Indiana as the teams they played on the road. They went 1-4, beating the bad Indiana team, and lost to the rest.

Probably helps if you WIN those "tough" road games, no?

Thats my beef with RPI and Strength of Schedule arguments. Anyone can play a tough team and lose by 20...what ever happened to winning games?

 

[Pitty]

According to one of the CBS interviews they said Pitt actually was the 2nd #1 Seed in line.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Thats my beef with RPI and Strength of Schedule arguments. Anyone can play a tough team and lose by 20...what ever happened to winning games?

We're talking about one of the last two out or in...winning games is something none of the teams we are talking about did otherwise this wouldn't be a discussion.

Colorado
49 RPI
70 SOS
4 Top 50 wins (IMO, the win against Texas should have put them in as one of the last few teams in).

UAB
56 RPI
98 SOS
0 Top 50 wins.

I'm just saying, Colorado deserves in over UAB.

I also think St. Mary's has a slight legit gripe.

 

[NAHSTE]

Completely agree that Pitt got the easiest region, it's absurd really. Wisconsin is fresh off of a 33 point (!!!!!) performance, and Florida played in one of the weaker power conferences. My typical bracket strategy is to get Pitt out as soon as possible (hasn't failed me yet) but this year I can't do it until the F4 it seems. Not a single "tough out" for them to be found.

 

[NAHSTE]

Completely agree that Pitt got the easiest region, it's absurd really. Wisconsin is fresh off of a 33 point (!!!!!) performance, and Florida played in one of the weaker power conferences. My typical bracket strategy is to get Pitt out as soon as possible (hasn't failed me yet) but this year I can't do it until the F4 it seems. Not a single "tough out" for them to be found.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Pitt won't make it out of the region regardless.

Constant choke artists in that Sweet 16 and Elite 8 range. Can never get over the hump.

 

[Senser81]

From Pat Forde on ESPN...

"And then there is the Southeast, otherwise known as the Jamie Dixon Backrub Regional. I don’t see a single major national-title threat in that 16-team grouping, which means terminal underachiever Pittsburgh might finally reach its first Final Four since World War II."

 

[Blick]

K-State could take Pitt out in the sweet 16.

 

[Senser81]

K-State could take Pitt out in the sweet 16.

They could, but that whole Southeast region is a crapshoot. Pitt could get taken out by either Butler or Old Dominion in the 2nd round, and K-State could lose their opener to Utah State.

 

[ralaw]

When the bracksts first came out I was confused, because I thought Ohio St. was the overall #1 seed, yet they have the toughest bracket....it all seems strange. I can't help but to think that like the BCS the NCAA committee enjoys adding its share of controversy as to keep the discussion going. As with the BCS it seems people complaining (namely, Bilas, Vital, etc) is as much a part of it as playing the actual games.

 

[Blick]

They could, but that whole Southeast region is a crapshoot. Pitt could get taken out by either Butler or Old Dominion in the 2nd round, and K-State could lose their opener to Utah State.

Yeah, I don't really see the Utah State upset. Their schedule was a joke. K-State is battle tested, tourney experienced, and coming in hot with wins in 8 of their last 10 games. They are a different team than they were earlier in the year when they were falling out of the top 25.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

From Pat Forde on ESPN...

"And then there is the Southeast, otherwise known as the Jamie Dixon Backrub Regional. I don’t see a single major national-title threat in that 16-team grouping, which means terminal underachiever Pittsburgh might finally reach its first Final Four since World War II."

Pitt has had a free shot to the Elite 8 before...and they throw up a stinker in the second round.

 

[Hasselbeck]

Pitt is grossly overrated, Old Dominion is our only hope though methinks.

 

[NAHSTE]

Completely agree that Pitt got the easiest region, it's absurd really. Wisconsin is fresh off of a 33 point (!!!!!) performance, and Florida played in one of the weaker power conferences. My typical bracket strategy is to get Pitt out as soon as possible (hasn't failed me yet) but this year I can't do it until the F4 it seems. Not a single "tough out" for them to be found.

The lesson as always, is follow your own personal rules, especially when those rules involve bouncing Pitt as early as possible.

This is one I really should have seen coming, and I'm kicking myself for not picking it sooner.

 

[MvP]

:smug: