FoxSports.com's Jordan Schwartz dissects the Golden Eagles
FoxSports.com's Jordan Schwartz had the best predicted bracket of any analyst in the country. At least, that's according to The Bracket Project, which gives points for most correct teams predicted and correct seeds. Of the 89 brackets checked (including those from ESPN.com, CBSSports.com, SI.com, Sporting News, Yahoo, etc.), Schwartz was the only one who picked every correct NCAA Tournament team but one (no one had all 68). He also correctly predicted 37 correct seeds - the most anyone got was 38).
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/118126529.html
It's a good article and I like his take on why Marquette was underseeded. That being said, I don't mean to nitpick, but I take umbrage with the statement: "The Eagles' best non-conference win was over Bucknell, so they'd face a difficult task in the regionals against either North Carolina or Washington. I'd say a Sweet 16 appearance is about the best Marquette can hope for this year."
So....we just discount wins because they're in conference? Since when is that an indicator of whether we could beat UNC or Washington? UNC beat Kentucky, obviously a good non-conference win, but under Schwartz' logic Washington's best non-conference win was either Virginia or Long Beach State. Isn't that equally bad? If not worse? (Ken Pomeroy has Bucknell as #92, Long Beach State as #95, and Virginia as #96.)
Again, not saying we'd beat UNC or Washington. I just get the feeling that if we end up losing to one of those two teams, it won't have anything to do with our non-conference schedule.