ArchiveGATORS FINISH TO TAKE #1 OVERALL SEED; SHOCKERS UNBEATEN
Our HWCI Pool XX could be wide-open; java applet is reaching end-of-life EL SEGUNDO, CA (smt)- S-Florida became the first team to go undefeated in SEC play in the regular season and then topped it with SEC Conference Championship to tap the #1 overall seed. Despite reaching the Final Four last year and becoming the first to enter the tourney undefeated (34-0) since UNLV (’91), people still don’t understand how MW-Wichita St. is a #1 seed. Last year’s champ, MW-Louisville played well toward the end but only got a #4 seed. Ah, the wonderful selection Sunday where there are no right answers but in the end, you still have to beat six teams to win the title, no matter what seed you are. W-Arizona and E-Virginia grabbed the other two #1 seeds, the latter benefiting from tourney losses by #2MW-Michigan, #2S-Kansas (the only team in all 20 of our pools), and #2E-Villanova. Local teams both got #4 seeds with S-UCLA, who beat Arizona in the Pac 12 Final, staying close to home in San Diego while W-San Diego St. travels to Spokane. The other local team, #16aMW-Cal Poly SLO (13-19!), in their 1st-ever tourney, plays in the First Four and hopes to enter the 64 proper. In fact, CP is one of 13 teams seeking their first-ever tourney win.
With more flexibility in allowing a re-match or re-re-match to happen (a three-re-match not so much) and allowing conference teams to meet a round earlier than usual, the bracket this year better reflects a team’s true seed (except for Louisville fans). Kansas’ Joel Embid’s injury (out at least the 2nd & 3rd rounds) is of interest but they still got the #2 seed. The Big 12 (ten teams) got 7 teams in while the ACC, Big 10 (twelve teams), Pac 12, and Atlantic 10 each got 6 teams in. If you were to combine the old Big East, they got 8 teams (4 new Big East, 4 American Conf). So I guess this year there are 7 power conferences (vs 6) which meant only 7 at-large bids did not go to them. If you consider the Atlantic 10 a new power conference, then only San Diego St. and #10W-BYU (controversial as well) got at-large bids. Oddly, three of the 4 First Four matches are in the Midwest which benefits Wichita St. but that is quickly countered by traditional powers at the 2 (Michigan), 3 (Duke), and 4 (Louisville) lines.
Our HWCI NCAA Pool is no longer be a teenager as we’ve hit our 20th year. Last year Continue reading »
