ESPN Bracketology

[damuts222]

 I know there is plenty of season left, but as of now they have Marquette as a rising #10 seed. If the season ended today we would play Maryland in the first round, and if we won we would play Duke. I think Maryland would be an interesting matchup but I think that game would be a toss-up.

  Also, if we were to play a #2 seed in the second round I wouldn't mind playing Duke. To be honest when the bracket comes out obviously its always tough to not feel the urge to pick Marquette, even though you root for them either way but I would be scared as an opposing team to play MU. Obviously nothing is set in stone but it is always interesting to contemplate match-ups.

[TheButlerDidIt]

That scenario could not happen. Duke and Maryland can't be on the same side of a bracket until the region finals because they're in the same conference. I wonder if Lunardi's just being lazy or will edit it in a bit.

[Benny B]

That scenario could not happen. Duke and Maryland can't be on the same side of a bracket until the region finals because they're in the same conference. I wonder if Lunardi's just being lazy or will edit it in a bit.

Well, it could happen... it's not a rule, but one of the NCAA's "we'd like to avoid these types of things at all costs" guidelines.  But the only way it would happen is that if it was unavoidable to place two conference teams in the same pod, meaning that just about the entire ACC conference would have to be in the field for such a scenario to even be plausible.

[Aughnanure]

Id rather barely get in as a 12 seed. Anything other than 7-10 would be fine with me. In a way I hope we don't rise too much b/c I can't see a scenario where we can do any better than a 7.

By the way, are BCS conference teams not allowed to be anything worse than a 12 seed? It just seems the way people talk about this that the 12 seed is the highest we can get or we are probably out.

[TheButlerDidIt]

Well, it could happen... it's not a rule, but one of the NCAA's "we'd like to avoid these types of things at all costs" guidelines.  But the only way it would happen is that if it was unavoidable to place two conference teams in the same pod, meaning that just about the entire ACC conference would have to be in the field for such a scenario to even be plausible.

It would have to be if 9 teams from any conference got in. There would be definite overlap then. I know some people were freaking out about that happening when the Big East expanded to 16. Are you sure it's not a rule? I know, for instance, if let's say Wisconsin got a three and Marquette got a 6 or an eleven, the committee would attempt to keep Marquette away from a possible second round matchup because they played in the regular season, but this scenario is not a rule. I thought the conference thingy was one. Ah well, just happy March is right around the corner.

[TheButlerDidIt]

Id rather barely get in as a 12 seed. Anything other than 7-10 would be fine with me. In a way I hope we don't rise too much b/c I can't see a scenario where we can do any better than a 7.

By the way, are BCS conference teams not allowed to be anything worse than a 12 seed? It just seems the way people talk about this that the 12 seed is the highest we can get or we are probably out.

BCS schools are protected until a 13 seed-it doesn't happen often that a BCS school nets a 13 however.

[damuts222]

 The other thing that nobody is talking about is how many teams win conference tournaments that weren't going to make the tournament to begin with. One or two teams winning conference tournaments at the end of the year that weren't going to get an at-large throws off everything.

 I could be wrong, and this is w/o checking I think Georgia was a #13 seed when they made it into the tourney either last year or 2 years ago.

[TheButlerDidIt]

Lunardi just edited it. He gives us a first round match with Northern Iowa. I'll take that...

[ATWizJr]

I know there is plenty of season left, but as of now they have Marquette as a rising #10 seed. If the season ended today we would play Maryland in the first round, and if we won we would play Duke. I think Maryland would be an interesting matchup but I think that game would be a toss-up.

  Also, if we were to play a #2 seed in the second round I wouldn't mind playing Duke. To be honest when the bracket comes out obviously its always tough to not feel the urge to pick Marquette, even though you root for them either way but I would be scared as an opposing team to play MU. Obviously nothing is set in stone but it is always interesting to contemplate match-ups.

you mean versus Northern Iowa, right?

[damuts222]

you mean versus Northern Iowa, right?

Lunardi just edited it. He gives us a first round match with Northern Iowa. I'll take that...

 Northern Iowa would be the best we could hope for I think

[Brewtown Andy]

BCS schools are protected until a 13 seed-it doesn't happen often that a BCS school nets a 13 however.

It's not an actual protection.  Does anyone really think that whoever wins the Atlantic Sun, Northeast, MAC, Southern, Big South, Ohio Valley, Summit, Sun Belt, Southland, MEAC, Big West, Big Sky, American East, Patriot, MAAC or SWAC conference titles deserve to be higher?  There's your 13, 14, 15 and 16 seeds.

[damuts222]

Georgia was a 13 seed that year

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/preview?gid=200803200682&prov=ap

[Brewtown Andy]

Georgia was a 13 seed that year

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/preview?gid=200803200682&prov=ap

And Mississippi State is a 13 in Lunardi's bracket right now.

[Brewtown Andy]

Lunardi just edited it. He gives us a first round match with Northern Iowa. I'll take that...

The idea of an NCAA tournament game between two teams that lost to DePaul is incredibly entertaining.

[MU B2002]

Georgia was a 13 seed that year

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/preview?gid=200803200682&prov=ap

Yet the link you provide says 14 seed.

[damuts222]

Yet the link you provide says 14 seed.

 Thanks, its just one of those days

[MU B2002]

It happens.


Is Bracketolgy down?  When I go in it is simply a blank bracket...

[jficke13]

there's no such thing as BCS conferences in college basketball.

[Brewtown Andy]

there's no such thing as BCS conferences in college basketball.

And yet, those 6 conferences are the top 6 rated conferences by KenPom.

http://kenpom.com/conf.php?c=BE

[dwaderoy2004]

there's no such thing as BCS conferences in college basketball.

technically, maybe.  but the 6 bcs conferences in footbal are the same 6 power, or major, conferences in college basketball.  you're just arguing semantics.

[Coleman]

Georgia was a 13 seed that year

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/preview?gid=200803200682&prov=ap

Georgia was a 14 seed but it wasn't an at-large bid. They won their conference tournament and there was no way they would have gotten in without the auto-bid.

Perhaps a better way to state it than BCS Conference protection is that ANY at large team is very very rarely seeded worse than 13 (perhaps never), regardless of whether they come from the A-10 or the Big Ten.  14-16 is pretty much always reserved for the automatic bids. Of course, most of the at larges come from the major ("BCS" if you will) conferences.

[Benny B]

It would have to be if 9 teams from any conference got in. There would be definite overlap then.

Perhaps, but remember, even with 9 teams in from a conference, it is still very possible to avoid a second round match-up of two teams from the same conference. 

From Mike Huguenin (not a notoriously reliable source, but he does have this correct):

"As far as other rules go, teams from the same conference hopefully won't meet until a regional final, but the NCAA has relaxed that because some conferences have six and seven bids (it's even permissible for an intraconference matchup in the second round, though that is to be avoided whenever possible). But the first three teams selected from a given conference must be in different regions."

[Aughnanure]

there's no such thing as BCS conferences in college basketball.

I know that. Its an easy way to refer to all the high-major conferences that get the same kind of obvious favoritism in the NCAA tournament as in the BCS bowl system.

[Maryland Warrior]

As a Maryland grad, the father of a current MU undergrad but a Warrior fan since-,oh full disclosure here-seeing  Don Kojis play on Warrior trips to the University of Detroit, the possibility of a MU/UM Tournament  match up presents the most exquisitely  joyful dilemmas of a lifetime

[PGsHeroes32]

I honestly love that draw Lunardi has drawn up. If i was to get really cocky and change it a little i would want Northern iowa in a 11/6 match up. Then have New Mexico as the 3 and then Duke as the 2. That way we could have a great shot to atleast get to the sweet 16, then possibly knock off duke or get really lucky and have Duke get upset in the 7/10 game. This would be a great draw.