I actually heard someone on the radio during my two-hour drive today (major network) insinuate that the ommission of Mississippi State is a prime example of why the tournament needs to expand.
I couldn't agree more. Let's blow up the greatest three weeks in American sports for Mississippi State. Makes prefect sense to me.
But alas there are a few teams with legit reason for some madness at being left out of the Madness (and yes, the Bulldogs are probably the foremost).
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Seth Greenberg and Virginia Tech got screwed. Granted the author of the quote is usually none other than Seth Greenberg, but this time, the Maniac will echo his sentiments. And for all those of you who say "you shouldn't have gotten blasted by Miami in the ACC tourney" I say, hold on just a quick second.
You know who else bowed out early in their conference tourney? This year's most glaring over-seed and ill-admission, the Florida Gators. Perhaps the committee owed Jeremy Foley a favor or was afraid to see a "marquee" coach's seat get quite as hot as Billy's D's en route to NIT-Three... The Hokies finished THIRD in a conference that sent SIX teams to the Dance, including Georgia Tech. Granted the Jackets made it all the way to the ACC final, but their regualr season ACC performance was 7-9. Read it again. Seven and Nine. That puts them three full games behind the Hokies in conference.
So... if conference tournaments are that important, let's put every deep advancer IN the the Dance. And that's exactly HOW it happened. Read: Minnesota. The Gophers were outclassed by Illinois all Big Ten season, but in tourney play The Gohpers beat Sparty in OT, and the Illini failed to get off a game-winning attempt in regulation, and again in OT against Ohio State. When the clock finally expired in Double OT, the Illini's season was over. Perhaps if they instead drew the depleted Boilermakers (like Minnesota) it would be Chief Illini and the ridiculous headdress this March. On a side note - Congrats Tubby.
Conference tourney's matter. The committee showed this clearly. Georgetown's deep run launched them from a 4/5 to a solid #3 and Notre Dame's Semi-Final run took them from "bubble" to six seed. Baylor's nice late tourney run landed them as the pesky #3 seed no one knows enough about and Cal's near-win against Washington landed them on safe ground as a #8.
In fact, every major conference conference finalist MADE the tourney...EXCEPT Mississippi State. To make things further perplexing, espite rolling Florida and Vandy en route to a thrilling OT loss to Kentucky (the second time they had UK flat-out BEAT this season) and finsihing with the same record (9-7) in conference, and a one-game better record overall, a last week win OVER the Gators and an RPI one spot higher... the final spot goes to???? The Gators.
Look, I get that a lot of my readers are Gator fans, and I also get that one stupid ten seed (or eleven or twelve) is not that big of a deal. My only point is, with THOSE numbers I just gave you, HOW is Florida a #10 and Missippis State is completely OUT?
By every quantifiable number the Bulldogs are equal or better. RPI, conference record, play down the stretch, quality wins, head-to-head on a neutral floor three days before the selection process, and overall record.... HMMMM. That's all I'm saying. HMMMMMM.
OK, onto my awards for the Selection Committee:
Most over-seeded teams:
1. Florida (in case you missed that point earlier)
2. Wisconsin as a #4. if the tourney were played in the Kohl Center, perhaps. I think the committee placed far too high a premium on pre-conference HOME wins over Duke and Marquette. Down the stretch, the Badgers were average at best
3. New Mexico State as a #12. A number 12 means they were a bubble team had they not earned the auto-bid by upsetting Utah State. I have no problem with Utah State as a #12, but New Mexico State?? Would they have even been in the First Ten Out had they not won? No, of course not. So HOW are they a #12 while Siena is a #13?
Under-Seeded Teams:
1. Temple as a #5. They win the A-10 Regular Season, they won the A-10 Tourney. They are 27-5 with an RPI of #9. How this team fell to a #5 behind teams like Vandy, Pitt (LOOK at their non-conference schedule, nothing of quality with losses to Texas and INDIANA), and Wisconsin is baffling to me.
2. Butler as a #5. They played a solid non-conference slate. Then they went 16-0 and won their conference tourney. The Horizon league isn't a dazzler but you can't ask for more than perfection. Last year they fell in the conference tourney and Cleveland State went out and bounced #4 Wake Forest... They also have an RPI of #12 with wins over Xavier and Ohio State...
3. BYU as a #7. Perhaps Florida will at least get their due as the over-seeded #10 to face the under-seeded #7. Let's just close our eyes and call it what it is: a 5/12 classic.
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