Gonzaga is Your New #1

[GoMuskies]

I know that will please a lot of you Gonzaga haters.

(Yeah, I know they need to beat Portland at home still.)

[xubrew]

I'm not convinced they are the best team, but I think they're in the top five. I also think that they earned it. It's good to see a team from outside the major conferences rise that high. There is more working against them than there is working for them, so they definitely earned the ranking. If a WCC team can be #1, then it shows that you don't have to be in a Big Six conference to get it.

[BMoreX]

I'm not convinced they are the best team, but I think they're in the top five. I also think that they earned it. It's good to see a team from outside the major conferences rise that high. There is more working against them than there is working for them, so they definitely earned the ranking. If a WCC team can be #1, then it shows that you don't have to be in a Big Six conference to get it.

Kind of off topic, but it will be interesting to see what the media considers the Power Six conferences after this part of realignment. Do they consider the Power Six to include the New Big East or the Uconn/UC/temple league. Or do they start saying the Power Seven conferences.

[Juice]

They're SOS is pretty weak. I still would pick IU, Duke, or Miami as a #1 over them.

[LA Muskie]

They're SOS is pretty weak. I still would pick IU, Duke, or Miami as a #1 over them.

I hadn't concentrated on it until now. Their schedule is atrocious. Duke's SOS is #2. Gotta vote them in, especially after beating #5/7 polls, #3 RPI and #4 SOS Miami.

[GoMuskies]

Gonzaga is 7-1 against the power conference folks. WCC blows, but their non-conference schedule was solid. Zags will be #1 tomorrow.

[LA Muskie]

Gonzaga is 7-1 against the power conference folks. WCC blows, but their non-conference schedule was solid. Zags will be #1 tomorrow.

Power conferences? OK. Power teams? Nope.

[xubrew]

They're SOS is pretty weak. I still would pick IU, Duke, or Miami as a #1 over them.

Please. Not Duke. Every year the status quo is way more enamored with Duke than what they should be.

Duke has not won a true road game against a tournament caliber team. In fact, since Florida State is their best true road win, they arguably haven't won a true road game against an NIT caliber team. Many of the tournament caliber teams they've played away from home haven't just beaten them, but have clobbered them. They struggled to beat Boston College and Wake Forest on the road. When you struggle on the road once or twice, it's an off night. When you struggle on the road literally every time out, which Duke does, you shouldn't even be in the conversation of being ranked #1.

I could go on. They did beat Louisville, but Louisville was shorthanded and Duke still had trouble winning.

They beat Kentucky, but barely, and although Kentucky was highly ranked at the time, it's obvious that Kentucky was highly overrated.

Duke is good, but they're not #1 good. I'd go so far to say they're arguably not even top ten good, and haven't been since 2010 as exhibited by their constant struggle to win true road games against tournament caliber teams, and their early exits from the tournament.

Gonzaga is much closer to being legitimately #1 than Duke is to being legitimately #3. Since winning the national title in 2010, Duke has done almost nothing to merit being ranked as high as they typically are.

[GoMuskies]

Oklahoma, K-State and OKlahoma State are three of the top 4 teams in the Big XII. Baylor is sixth. The two teams they lost to also beat Indiana.

I think they've done plenty enough. The Duke team you'd have at #1 lost to a pretty pedestrian UVA just a few days ago.

[xubrew]

Oklahoma, K-State and OKlahoma State are three of the top 4 teams in the Big XII. Baylor is sixth. The two teams they lost to also beat Indiana.

I think they've done plenty enough. The Duke team you'd have at #1 lost to a pretty pedestrian UVA just a few days ago.

For the last three seasons Duke has lost to far more pedestrian teams away from home than they've beaten. I'm starting to think that it's a trend.

[paulxu]

You can't be a true #1 unless opposing fans rush their court when they beat you.

[GoMuskies]

Gonzaga's batting 1.000 there this year.

[paulxu]

I just realized I'm half-way to the 10,000 club.

[LA Muskie]

Oklahoma, K-State and OKlahoma State are three of the top 4 teams in the Big XII. Baylor is sixth. The two teams they lost to also beat Indiana.

I think they've done plenty enough. The Duke team you'd have at #1 lost to a pretty pedestrian UVA just a few days ago.

Duke: 2 RPI Top 5 wins, 4 RPI Top 20 wins and 5 RPI Top 25 wins. All 4 losses on the road to ACC foes with sub-100 RPI's
Gonzaga: 0 RPI Top 5 wins, 0 RPI Top 20 wins and 2 RPI Top 25 wins (21 and 25)

[GoMuskies]

RPI. reallol

[xubrew]

Duke: 2 RPI Top 5 wins, 4 RPI Top 20 wins and 5 RPI Top 25 wins. All 4 losses on the road to ACC foes with sub-100 RPI's
Gonzaga: 0 RPI Top 5 wins, 0 RPI Top 20 wins and 2 RPI Top 25 wins (21 and 25)

You can't look at things that broadly.

The win againt Miami was good, but it was at home.

Louisville was without Deng, and Louisville struggled to beat Illinois STate at home without him shortly thereafter. It essentially eliminated their front court defense.

Ohio State hasn't beaten a tournament team away from home, and Duke struggled against them.

Duke has not beaten an NIT team in a true road game. They haven't just lost to tournament teams, but have lost handily away from home. There is no getting around that.

Gonzaga is the only team other than Kansas that won at Oklahoma STate. They're the only team that won at Saint Mary's, and they won handily. They also won at BYU. When you factor in that they blasted Oklahoma and Kansas State (although it was in Seattle) on neutral floors, you can easily conclude has been decisively better away from home than Duke has, and that's with fewer opportunities.

Duke beat a Deng-less Louisville team, they barely beat an NIT bound Kentucky team on neutral floors. Minnesota is their only solid neutral floor win, and Gonzaga's win against Kansas State probably tops that. They have zero good true road wins.

Duke is a good team at home. They're not the best team in the country. They're not as good as Gonzaga. A lot of teams win at home. It's just that Duke gets the opportunities to play better teams at home than Gonzaga does. It's a mirage. It's been three years. People need to wake up to the fact that Duke isn't THAT good. They're good, but they're not top one, or top five, and arguably not even top ten.

[chico]

If you're going to argue a team should be #1, please don't use RPI. I thought we were already past the conversation that RPI is the worst indicator of a team.

However, if you want to talk about the return of Kelly then you might have something, but even still, they barely beat Miami - at home. Gonzaga has shown they are a really good team - in a year where there is no clear cut #1 they're at least as deserving as Duke - if not more so. My vote would still go to IU, which is saying something given my feelings for Tom Crean, both as a person and as a coach. But I have no problem with Gonzaga being there.

[xubrew]

I forgot about their win againt VCU.

I'm not saying Duke sucks. I know they're good. I'm saying that to have them in the discussion for being ranked #1 is outrageous. Yet, there they are.

[PMI]

It's wild to think a 2 loss WCC team with a bad schedule could ever be #1, but the rankings are what they are. If you win, you move up and if you lose you move down. Thus, if you're playing your worse opponents later in the year while other power teams are playing their better ones, your chances of moving up increase. Add to that the fact that the #1 ranked team loses every single week this year, and it's not a huge surprise that Gonzaga got this opportunity. Do I think Gonzaga is the best team in the country? Probably not. But based on how the rankings seem to have always worked, they've grabbed the top spot.

[xubrew]

Yeah, it's really not THAT crazy. I wonder how many voters watched the Illinois game. Everyone on the planet saw the end of the Butler game, but I wonder how many of them knew that Butler was without Rotnei Clarke. Granted, they were at home and it was still a tough game to almost win, but still. I think Gonzaga is good and is worthy of the rankings, but the only thing most of the voters know is that they didn't lose as recently as the teams being voted behind them.

The best I've seen anyone look all year was Indiana at Ohio State. They went in and won handily. Indiana at Michigan State was equally as impressive. They don't always look that good, but I think IU's best is better than Gonzaga's best. Still, I understand why the Zags are #1.

[Juice]

You can't look at things that broadly.

The win againt Miami was good, but it was at home.

Louisville was without Deng, and Louisville struggled to beat Illinois STate at home without him shortly thereafter. It essentially eliminated their front court defense.

Ohio State hasn't beaten a tournament team away from home, and Duke struggled against them.

Duke has not beaten an NIT team in a true road game. They haven't just lost to tournament teams, but have lost handily away from home. There is no getting around that.

Gonzaga is the only team other than Kansas that won at Oklahoma STate. They're the only team that won at Saint Mary's, and they won handily. They also won at BYU. When you factor in that they blasted Oklahoma and Kansas State (although it was in Seattle) on neutral floors, you can easily conclude has been decisively better away from home than Duke has, and that's with fewer opportunities.

Duke beat a Deng-less Louisville team, they barely beat an NIT bound Kentucky team on neutral floors. Minnesota is their only solid neutral floor win, and Gonzaga's win against Kansas State probably tops that. They have zero good true road wins.

Duke is a good team at home. They're not the best team in the country. They're not as good as Gonzaga. A lot of teams win at home. It's just that Duke gets the opportunities to play better teams at home than Gonzaga does. It's a mirage. It's been three years. People need to wake up to the fact that Duke isn't THAT good. They're good, but they're not top one, or top five, and arguably not even top ten.

They did play pretty much all of their tough road games without Ryan Kelly. Granted, you can't rank a team based on what you think they will play like in the future but I think they're definitely in the discussion with Ryan Kelly.

[xubrew]

They did play pretty much all of their tough road games without Ryan Kelly. Granted, you can't rank a team based on what you think they will play like in the future but I think they're definitely in the discussion with Ryan Kelly.

I really just think Duke needs to go away. I think they're overrated for all the reasons I mentioned. I guess it's better to think they're overrated than to think they're legitimately rated, though. If they get a #1 seed, then it's a slightly more winnable game for the 8/9 winner. Two years ago a very C+ Michigan team took them to overtime right in Duke's back yard, and they were then beaten to a pulp by Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen. Last year Duke lost to Lehigh. I fully expect for them to be overrated/overseeded again, and either go out early again, or struggle to get to get past an unranked team in the round of 32 to advance to the second weekend.

It's me that's in the minority. I just don't see what everyone else sees in Duke. I just keep waiting for everyone else to catch on.

[Xavier]

Duke is a good team at home. They're not the best team in the country. They're not as good as Gonzaga. A lot of teams win at home. It's just that Duke gets the opportunities to play better teams at home than Gonzaga does. It's a mirage. It's been three years. People need to wake up to the fact that Duke isn't THAT good. They're good, but they're not top one, or top five, and arguably not even top ten.

Your hating on Duke is odd to me. arguably not top 10? They have the toughest SOS in the country and just four losses. (3 of them by single digits) They will likely end up with the most (or at the very least top 5) wins against tournament teams. I can understand why they wouldn't be #1 but they are easily top 10 in the country.

Also- two years ago against Michiga, Irving just came back from a broken foot and wasn't healthy. Last year was a bad loss, no doubt. But I think the 8/9 team would rather see Gonzaga than Duke.

[PMI]

I really just think Duke needs to go away. I think they're overrated for all the reasons I mentioned. I guess it's better to think they're overrated than to think they're legitimately rated, though. If they get a #1 seed, then it's a slightly more winnable game for the 8/9 winner. Two years ago a very C+ Michigan team took them to overtime right in Duke's back yard, and they were then beaten to a pulp by Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen. Last year Duke lost to Lehigh. I fully expect for them to be overrated/overseeded again, and either go out early again, or struggle to get to get past an unranked team in the round of 32 to advance to the second weekend.

It's me that's in the minority. I just don't see what everyone else sees in Duke. I just keep waiting for everyone else to catch on.

It sounds like you are saying Duke is consistently overrated? I mean, the year before the two you mentioned, they won the whole thing. Granted, that was a weak year historically, but it's still a national championship. I can't stand Duke and of course they are going to get a lot of hype simply for being Duke, but I can't see a plausible argument against them being in the top 10. I agree they aren't the best team in the country though.

[xubrew]

Your hating on Duke is odd to me. arguably not top 10? They have the toughest SOS in the country and just four losses. (3 of them by single digits) They will likely end up with the most (or at the very least top 5) wins against tournament teams. I can understand why they wouldn't be #1 but they are easily top 10 in the country.

Also- two years ago against Michiga, Irving just came back from a broken foot and wasn't healthy. Last year was a bad loss, no doubt. But I think the 8/9 team would rather see Gonzaga than Duke.

I already gave an assessment of why I feel that way. I realize that Irving wasn't healthy in 2011. That kind of furthers my point. They never should have been a #1 seed. They had no top 25 wins, they had no wins against tournament teams away from home, and they had a key player who was injured. Name another example where a team did that little and still got a #1 seed.


You can't look at things that broadly.

The win againt Miami was good, but it was at home.

Louisville was without Deng, and Louisville struggled to beat Illinois STate at home without him shortly thereafter. It essentially eliminated their front court defense.

Ohio State hasn't beaten a tournament team away from home, and Duke struggled against them.

Duke has not beaten an NIT team in a true road game. They haven't just lost to tournament teams, but have lost handily away from home. There is no getting around that.

There are no teams currently in the top ten other than Duke that have not managed a true road win against an NIT caliber team. Florida State may make the NIT, but it's close. Florida hasn't beaten a tournament caliber team on the road, but their road wins are still better than Duke's.

Keep going down the list. New Mexico, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Saint Louis, Syracuse, Marquette, Arizona, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame all have at least one true road win against a team that's solidly in the field. Duke doesn't have one against a team that's solidly in the NIT.

I'm not saying all those teams are better than Duke, but all of them have accomplished something that Duke hasn't and likely won't. Just about all of them have outperformed Duke on the road.

To be honest, I think Duke is one of the ten best teams, but an argument could be made that they're not. A very solid argument at that. I don't see how you can just dismiss that. They're not good on the road. They're not as good on the road as anyone else in the top ten, or top fifteen for that matter.

[xubrew]

I really wish the old forum hadn't vanished because two years ago I was having this same argument.

[Xavier]

To be honest, I think Duke is one of the ten best teams, but an argument could be made that they're not. A very solid argument at that. I don't see how you can just dismiss that. They're not good on the road. They're not as good on the road as anyone else in the top ten, or top fifteen for that matter.

I dismiss it because they have the toughest SOS in the country, just four losses, and have probably beaten more tournament teams than anyone else in the country (or at least top of the list). Your argument for road wins is tough considering how many away games were Neutral. They had pretty much no OOC road tests. I don't think you can just dismiss Neutral court games, I mean that is what the tournament is played on and Duke will likely play close to home.

[GoMuskies]

Odd that LaTech joined the poll last week, blew two teams out and fell out of this week's poll. Granted, I'm not sure they belonged there in the first place, but I'm surprised to see them fall out.

[Kahns Krazy]

It's wild to think a 2 loss WCC team with a bad schedule could ever be #1, but the rankings are what they are. If you win, you move up and if you lose you move down. Thus, if you're playing your worse opponents later in the year while other power teams are playing their better ones, your chances of moving up increase. Add to that the fact that the #1 ranked team loses every single week this year, and it's not a huge surprise that Gonzaga got this opportunity. Do I think Gonzaga is the best team in the country? Probably not. But based on how the rankings seem to have always worked, they've grabbed the top spot.

Ding ding.

The rankings are no longer a reflection of who the best team is. This time of year, it's far more about who hasn't lost lately. I'm fairly sure that if you sent the ballot back out and told everyone they weren't ranking teams, they were picking the national champion and the rest of the season was cancelled, no way the Zags get the #1 spot.

[xubrew]

I dismiss it because they have the toughest SOS in the country, just four losses, and have probably beaten more tournament teams than anyone else in the country (or at least top of the list). Your argument for road wins is tough considering how many away games were Neutral. They had pretty much no OOC road tests. I don't think you can just dismiss Neutral court games, I mean that is what the tournament is played on and Duke will likely play close to home.

The fact that they almost never play true road games OOC should tell you something.

I'm not dismissing them. I just don't think they're quite as impressive as they appeared. Louisville was without Deng, they had more trouble with VCU than you would expect a top ten team to have, and they really had to sweat out Kentucky who isn't even a tournament team.

I think people look at the numbers and don't realize that they are not precise. They are very general. One of the reasons the SOS is so good is because they scheduled teams that racked up a lot of wins in lower level conferences such as Davidson, Santa Clara, UFGC, Elon, and Delaware (to Duke's credit, Delaware was supposed to be much better than they turned out, but they're still a team you'd expect them to have an easy time beating). All of those teams won 20 games are more, and that jacks up the SOS. It's a very basic formula. 2/3rds your opponents record, and 1/3rd your opponents, opponents' record. Like the RPI, it can easily be manipulated. So, their schedule was not an absolute gauntlet.

I'm not saying Duke isn't good. I'm saying that they're not in the same class as the other #1 seeds, and if you realize the numbers are general indicators and not precise rankings, you'll see what I'm talking about. No road wins agianst NIT teams. Sweating out neutral floor wins against Kentucky and VCU. They did look good against Minnesota. They did look good against Temple. More often than not, though, they don't look like a top ten team. I realize that Virginia, NC State and Maryland are not easy places to win. Top 25 teams would have trouble winning there. But, for a top FIVE team to not be able to win ANY of them?? Please. When you're not beating any NIT caliber teams on the road and sweating out at Boston College, chances are you're not a legit #1 seed.

Having said that, I fully expect Duke to get a #1 seed. Again. I also expect them to struggle big time to make the second weekend, or not make it at all. Again.

[PMI]

I already gave an assessment of why I feel that way. I realize that Irving wasn't healthy in 2011. That kind of furthers my point. They never should have been a #1 seed. They had no top 25 wins, they had no wins against tournament teams away from home, and they had a key player who was injured. Name another example where a team did that little and still got a #1 seed.


But doesn't the NCAA tournament selection committee take into consideration what a team should be measured as with the roster it will have going into the tournament? For example, this year the committee will have to seed Duke based on who they are with Ryan Kelly, which is obviously better than they are without him. In Irving's year, if you take that Duke team and add the top prospect in college basketball who is now an NBA All-Star, it's not that hard to see why they thought Duke was deserving of a beneficial seed compared to what their resume without him might have suggested. I'm not even trying to argue that Duke isn't overrated a lot because I think they are, but I don't think you can discredit them as much as your arguments seem to be doing.

[DC Muskie]

Having said that, I fully expect Duke to get a #1 seed. Again. I also expect them to struggle big time to make the second weekend, or not make it at all. Again.

Isn't Miami still going to win the ACC? How does that happen?

[xubrew]

But doesn't the NCAA tournament selection committee take into consideration what a team should be measured as with the roster it will have going into the tournament? For example, this year the committee will have to seed Duke based on who they are with Ryan Kelly, which is obviously better than they are without him. In Irving's year, if you take that Duke team and add the top prospect in college basketball who is now an NBA All-Star, it's not that hard to see why they thought Duke was deserving of a beneficial seed compared to what their resume without him might have suggested. I'm not even trying to argue that Duke isn't overrated a lot because I think they are, but I don't think you can discredit them as much as your arguments seem to be doing.

I don't think I'm discrediting them. I'm simply not giving them any baseless credit.

They were being projected as a #1 seed without him, and I don't think they were ever outside the top five. I think Irving played in just one game, and I don't think it was officially announced he was back until after the selection show. Even with him they came up way short.

It's a redundant exercise for me. I've stated the reasons I feel Duke is overrated and why I think they have been overrated for quite some time. I realize that most people disagree. That's fine, but I'm not pulling this stuff out of my ass. It's really not a baseless vendetta against Duke per say. It's a vendetta against a team that I feel is overvaluled that happens to be Duke.

[GoMuskies]

My guess is that if Miami or Duke wins the ACC Tournament, they'll get the #1 seed. If UNC or NC State wins the ACC Tournament (can't see anyone else coming through), no ACC team will get a #1 seed. Gonzaga locks up a #1 with a WCC tournament championship. Indiana is probably already a lock for a #1 seed. And either Louisville or Georgetown is likely to get a #1 seed if they win the Big East Tournament. I do not think Kansas controls their own destiny with respect to a #1 seed, but they're the backup plan if Gonzaga loses in the WCC, Duke/Miami both falter in the ACC or UL/GU both lose in the BET.

[xubrew]

If Indiana gets a #1 seed, it may be better for Louisville to not get a #1. Indiana is going to Dayton for the firs two rounds and Indianapolis for the Sweet Sixteen unless they completely fall apart. Louisville will most likely be in Lexington for the first two rounds. If they want to go to Indianapolis, which I think they do, then they can't go there as a #1 seed. Unless they make it impossible for the committee to give them anything but a #1 seed, I think Louisville will get a #2, even if they win out.

[XU '11]

If Indiana gets a #1 seed, it may be better for Louisville to not get a #1. Indiana is going to Dayton for the firs two rounds and Indianapolis for the Sweet Sixteen unless they completely fall apart. Louisville will most likely be in Lexington for the first two rounds. If they want to go to Indianapolis, which I think they do, then they can't go there as a #1 seed. Unless they make it impossible for the committee to give them anything but a #1 seed, I think Louisville will get a #2, even if they win out.

Except Louisville will have no home crowd edge if they're playing against Indiana in Indianapolis...

[GoMuskies]

Except Louisville will have no home crowd edge if they're playing against Indiana in Indianapolis...

That would be an awesome atmosphere. It would bring back the old Big Four Classic, except with a monumentally more meaningful game.

[xubrew]

Except Louisville will have no home crowd edge if they're playing against Indiana in Indianapolis...

I don't think the committee cares about that. They try and put as many teams on busses as they can. They also reference previous years to see who got shipped far away. Louisville was out west last year. The committee will try and keep them close to home.

Besides, the #1 seed deserves the advantage, so the fact that IU will match or even best Louisville's fans shouldn't matter.

[GoMuskies]

I think the point is that Louisville might not want to go to Indy if it means being a #2 seed and dealing with IU.

IU is likely to be the overall #1 seed. Even if Louisville gets a #2, I doubt they have to go to Indy if they win out.

[chico]

If you're Louisville I think you'd rather play Kansas in Kansas City or Michigan in Auburn Hills than get a number one seed and have to go to Dayton. You have to think the worst match-ups go there. Even OSU would probably rather go out west than have to play there.

[LA Muskie]

I don't think I'm discrediting them. I'm simply not giving them any baseless credit.

They were being projected as a #1 seed without him, and I don't think they were ever outside the top five. I think Irving played in just one game, and I don't think it was officially announced he was back until after the selection show. Even with him they came up way short.

It's a redundant exercise for me. I've stated the reasons I feel Duke is overrated and why I think they have been overrated for quite some time. I realize that most people disagree. That's fine, but I'm not pulling this stuff out of my ass. It's really not a baseless vendetta against Duke per say. It's a vendetta against a team that I feel is overvaluled that happens to be Duke.
Brew,

You most definitely are not pulling stuff out of your ass. Frankly I must confess to being impressed with your knowledge beyond the teams' mere records, especially since it seems to go many seasons back. While I'm not going to ask you to confess to anything, I am going to guess you have placed a wager on college basketball games here and there. If not, you are wasting some serious advantage against the field.

That said, while I understand your contention that Duke is overrated, and while I may agree with it, I wonder whether it is really a "Duke effect." It seems to me that aside from the UCLA teams of Wooden, there are very few top rated teams that are truly worth all of their accolades. Kentucky was a consensus Top 5 pick preseason, and UCLA was nearly so. Neither is a Top 25 team today. Kentucky lost Noel, but frankly they weren't all that great even with him. UCLA doesn't even have a real excuse, unless you count players the coach kicked off the team mid-season (which appears to be a sport itself out here in Westwood these days). In Football, the consensus #1 (USC) didn't even finish in the Top 25 and got crushed in its bowl game.

You may say that's all true, but Duke gets even more of a pass than most. That may be true, but in their defense that is what success buys you. In the last 30 years they have 11 Final Fours (the most of any school -- better than 1 every 3 years), 4 national championships, 4 2nd place finishes, 12 ACC regular season titles, and 13 ACC tournament titles. You will note I quoted only conference (home/away neutral) and tournament (neutral) stats.

[GoMuskies]

I don't take 'brew for a gambler. I think he's more historian than prognosticator.

[xubrew]

If you're Louisville I think you'd rather play Kansas in Kansas City or Michigan in Auburn Hills than get a number one seed and have to go to Dayton. You have to think the worst match-ups go there. Even OSU would probably rather go out west than have to play there.

Kansas City and Auburn Hills are sites for the rounds of 64 and 32. Louisville will almost certainly be in Lexington or Dayton (probably Lexington) for that round.

Ohio State can't go to Indianapolis for the Sweet Sixteen if Indiana is there unless they're seeded 5th or lower, or if the Big Ten manages to get five teams seeded 4th or better (which is possible).

The reason I think the committee will put Louisville in Indianapolis has nothing to do with what I think the fair thing to do is. They are basically given a directive to keep teams as close to home as the bracket rules allow them. The NCAA pays the travel expenses and buses are cheaper, and for whatever reason most athletic directors (not all, but most) have said they'd rather play a tougher opponent close to home than an easier opponent far away. Last, and not least, they do case studies of what teams were sent outside of their geographic region in recent years, and last year Louisville was sent out west.

I don't disagree with your reasoning. I just don't think it's the reasoning the committee will use.

LA, I haven't bet on sports since 2005. I don't consider it a waste of time, though. Everyone has their interests and hobbies. I guess you can just say I'm around it a lot, but feel it's a bad idea to bet.

[xubrew]

Duke is a clear #1 seed. It's like I've been saying all along.

[GoMuskies]

Gonzaga decided to get their heads out of their asses in the second half, I see.

[xubrew]

I think Duke still gets a #1 seed. Whoever the 8v9 winner is will undoubtedly be a lot better than Maryland, though. Unless it's Memphis. In fact, that's who it will probably be.