Mark Few is a smart man

[MU82]

The NCAA tournament IS a crapshoot.

And the team that wins it IS the best team.

There. Bases covered.

[CTWarrior]

In ANY sport that features a season ending tournament or playoffs, the purpose of the tournament is NOT to unequivocally determine the best team.  It is to determine a champion.  Singling out the NCAA tournament in this regard is pointless and silly.

[brewcity77]

In ANY sport that features a season ending tournament or playoffs, the purpose of the tournament is NOT to unequivocally determine the best team.  It is to determine a champion.  Singling out the NCAA tournament in this regard is pointless and silly.

Excellent point, and exactly why I don't get the point of the thread. Unless you want all American sports to go to an EPL style format where the champion is based on regular season results only...

[MU82]

Excellent point, and exactly why I don't get the point of the thread. Unless you want all American sports to go to an EPL style format where the champion is based on regular season results only...

The point of the thread is obvious. "The tournament is a crapshoot" is Chico's favorite meme. And starting this thread every year (and/or hijacking other threads that have little or nothing to do with it) -- augmented by coaches/experts/pundits who agree with him -- is his way of telling us all how absolutely, wonderfully correct he is.

[GGGG]

Chicos also doesn't understand why coaches use that phrase.  Because no coach who is trying to motivate an underdog is going to say "well the top seeds almost always win, but let's try anyway."

[Johnny B]

The Ncaa tourney is what pits banners in gyms and sets legacys, not beating praire am in the opener by 50.

[Dawson Rental]

Look at it this way. Kevin Ollie one title and who knows, if he will ever make the tournament again vs Few who makes the tournament every year. Who would you rather be?

Throw in the excitement of winning as a number 7 seed vs winning as 1 or 2 seed and you get bonus points.  Plus, you get labeled a genius for winning with a lower seed.

[Dawson Rental]

As a coach, ya gotta win in March. Ai na?

Napoleon was once asked, "What kind of generals do you want?"

"I want lucky ones", was his reply.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Chicos is correct that the format of the NCAA tournament makes it the biggest statistical crapshoot of any sporting tournament, other than maybe some tennis tournaments...honestly not familiar with all the rules and regulations there.

Lenny is also correct that despite the format, the NCAA has crowned a higher percentage of top seeds champion than several other playoffs.

Chicos is right in theory.

Lenny is right in practice.

Settled?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos is correct that the format of the NCAA tournament makes it the biggest statistical crapshoot of any sporting tournament, other than maybe some tennis tournaments...honestly not familiar with all the rules and regulations there.

Lenny is also correct that despite the format, the NCAA has crowned a higher percentage of top seeds champion than several other playoffs.

Chicos is right in theory.

Lenny is right in practice.

Settled?

Actually Lenny is wrong.  He isn't calculating those that don't make is, as Dr. Bergen points out.  In other words, he is not stating a fully correct premise the way he is currently stating it.  Plus, he assumes the 1 seed in the pros are truly the best teams, when in actuality they have the best record which can come from weak schedules due to weak divisions. 

[rocky_warrior]

Chicos...have you ever heard the phrase "pissing into the wind"? 

[tower912]

He is familiar with the phrase 'peeing down the leg'.   Is that the same thing?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos...have you ever heard the phrase "pissing into the wind"? 

Yup....not done yet Rock....just wait until I get around to publishing my interview with Dr. Bergen from DePaul....then I'll really be pissing into it.    Tower is right, I've seen us pee down our leg on multiple occasions...so glad Buzz coined that term so we can all use it.

[Eldon]

Chicos...have you ever heard the phrase "pissing into the wind"? 

That would be known as a pissshoot

[GGGG]

Yup....not done yet Rock....just wait until I get around to publishing my interview with Dr. Bergen from DePaul....then I'll really be pissing into it.    Tower is right, I've seen us pee down our leg on multiple occasions...so glad Buzz coined that term so we can all use it.

Buzz didn't coin the term.  It's been around for years.

[MU82]

Buzz didn't coin the term.  It's been around for years.

Yes, but Chicos did invent "crapshoot."

[Lennys Tap]

Yup....not done yet Rock....just wait until I get around to publishing my interview with Dr. Bergen from DePaul....then I'll really be pissing into it.    Tower is right, I've seen us pee down our leg on multiple occasions...so glad Buzz coined that term so we can all use it.

Your cheap shot (and a lie at that - you called the the players and coach you allegedly loved "choking dogs who peed Themselves" long before Buzz mentioned, let alone coined, the phrase) and promise to "publish" some wacky study reminded me of another wacky study you promised to publish several years ago. You were going to "prove" that the vast majority of posts about Buzz weren't negative. Five years later we're still waiting. LOL