ESPN Insider Jay Bilas
The Bilastrator is here to tell you what will happen in the Sweet 16
This year's Sweet 16 has it all: a collision of blue-blood programs, a battle between Wooden Award finalists, powerful favorites, dangerous underdogs and a feel-good story for the ages. (1:13)
Trend No. 1
The committee screwed up -- again. The Bilastrator told you weeks ago, and told the committee, that seeding was far more important than selection, and that it was likely that this committee would screw it up. Of course, it did. To name just a few of many: Wichita State as a 10-seed was an absolute joke and denied us the Shockers in the second weekend, where they belonged. Wisconsin as a No. 8 seed was a similar joke, and similarly, it wasn't very funny. To have the Badgers seeded behind Minnesota, a team that finished behind Wisconsin in the Big Ten and lost to the Badgers twice, behind Maryland, and on the same line as Northwestern was patently absurd. That jobbed the Badgers, yes, but also jobbed the No. 1 overall seed, Villanova. The tournament might be idiot-proof, but we certainly seem to test that every single year. Enough.
Trend No. 2
The majors dominate the Sweet 16, as is the norm. The Bilastrator tells you annually that the first weekend gives us a few upsets that we can go crazy about, but by Sunday night, things normalize, and there are 13 major conference teams and three mid-majors in the Sweet 16. And, in the past, the mid-majors have usually been some combination of Gonzaga, Wichita State, Xavier and Butler. (Right now, Big East fans are steaming that Butler and Xavier might be called mid-major. They will not be. They are now major-conference teams). Last year, there were 15 major-conference teams and Gonzaga. This year, there are 15 major-conference teams and Gonzaga. Parity? Please. Don't tell The Bilastrator about close games. This is basketball. There have always been close games. Forever.
Trend No. 3
The Power 5 conferences dominate the Sweet 16, as is the norm. There are 13 power-conference teams in the Sweet 16. The ACC suffered a calamity, with only one of its nine teams making it (North Carolina). The Big Ten advanced three teams (Wisconsin, Purdue and Michigan). The Big 12 joined the Big Ten with a trio (Kansas, West Virginia and Baylor), as did the much-maligned SEC (Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina) and the Pac-12 (Arizona, Oregon and UCLA). The Big East put two teams in the Sweet 16 (Butler and Xavier), and the West Coast Conference matched the ACC with a lone participant (Gonzaga).
Trend No. 4
Officiating rationalizing. The officials have done a good job -- overall. It is abundantly clear to even the most casual observer that the Freedom of Movement initiative has been a great success, and the officials deserve a ton of credit for that. But the officiating mistakes that have been made in this tournament have come with too much rationalizing. The officials are the law of the court, and everybody respects the authority of the officials. Nobody stormed the floor with torches and pitchforks to overturn a decision. No game was played under protest. All understand that there is human error in the game, and we accept that fact. However, when discussing whether something was done correctly or not, the officials and their supervisors need to stop making excuses. When the officials missed the clear basket-interference call in the Northwestern-Gonzaga game, we don't need to hear that officials get it right 90 percent of the time or that it was difficult for outside observers to see in real time. The call was clearly missed. Just admit it. Stop rationalizing. And when the Flagrant 1 call was made in the Seton Hall-Arkansas game and an official is asked to explain it, just say it was within the judgment and discretion of the officials and goes uncalled at least as often as it is called. Because it was clear from other games in the first weekend (most notably USC-Baylor) that blatantly failing to make a play on the ball is often called a common foul, and that officials have to contort themselves to explain the difference in the two different calls on the same play. They cannot explain it. Just admit it.
Trend No. 5
Three No. 1 seeds made it to the Sweet 16, along with two No. 2 seeds, three No. 3 seeds, four No. 4 seeds, two No. 7 seeds, one No. 8 seed and one No. 11 seed. The No. 8 seed is Wisconsin, which was really a No. 4 or No. 5 seed. That comes out to 12 teams on the top four seed lines. All Sweet 16 teams are rated in the top 30 of the KenPom.com analytic ratings.
Trend No. 6
The Bilastrator will, again, provide you with the most comprehensive and accurate picture of the basketball landscape by using all of the most relevant analytics, run through the powerful gray matter of The Bilastrator's gigantic, hairless cranium and using his unmatched basketball judgment. As always, you're welcome.
The Bilastrator is here to tell you what will happen in the Sweet 16
This year's Sweet 16 has it all: a collision of blue-blood programs, a battle between Wooden Award finalists, powerful favorites, dangerous underdogs and a feel-good story for the ages. (1:13)
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Jay BilasCollege Basketball analyst
Trend No. 1
The committee screwed up -- again. The Bilastrator told you weeks ago, and told the committee, that seeding was far more important than selection, and that it was likely that this committee would screw it up. Of course, it did. To name just a few of many: Wichita State as a 10-seed was an absolute joke and denied us the Shockers in the second weekend, where they belonged. Wisconsin as a No. 8 seed was a similar joke, and similarly, it wasn't very funny. To have the Badgers seeded behind Minnesota, a team that finished behind Wisconsin in the Big Ten and lost to the Badgers twice, behind Maryland, and on the same line as Northwestern was patently absurd. That jobbed the Badgers, yes, but also jobbed the No. 1 overall seed, Villanova. The tournament might be idiot-proof, but we certainly seem to test that every single year. Enough.
Trend No. 2
The majors dominate the Sweet 16, as is the norm. The Bilastrator tells you annually that the first weekend gives us a few upsets that we can go crazy about, but by Sunday night, things normalize, and there are 13 major conference teams and three mid-majors in the Sweet 16. And, in the past, the mid-majors have usually been some combination of Gonzaga, Wichita State, Xavier and Butler. (Right now, Big East fans are steaming that Butler and Xavier might be called mid-major. They will not be. They are now major-conference teams). Last year, there were 15 major-conference teams and Gonzaga. This year, there are 15 major-conference teams and Gonzaga. Parity? Please. Don't tell The Bilastrator about close games. This is basketball. There have always been close games. Forever.
Trend No. 3
The Power 5 conferences dominate the Sweet 16, as is the norm. There are 13 power-conference teams in the Sweet 16. The ACC suffered a calamity, with only one of its nine teams making it (North Carolina). The Big Ten advanced three teams (Wisconsin, Purdue and Michigan). The Big 12 joined the Big Ten with a trio (Kansas, West Virginia and Baylor), as did the much-maligned SEC (Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina) and the Pac-12 (Arizona, Oregon and UCLA). The Big East put two teams in the Sweet 16 (Butler and Xavier), and the West Coast Conference matched the ACC with a lone participant (Gonzaga).
Trend No. 4
Officiating rationalizing. The officials have done a good job -- overall. It is abundantly clear to even the most casual observer that the Freedom of Movement initiative has been a great success, and the officials deserve a ton of credit for that. But the officiating mistakes that have been made in this tournament have come with too much rationalizing. The officials are the law of the court, and everybody respects the authority of the officials. Nobody stormed the floor with torches and pitchforks to overturn a decision. No game was played under protest. All understand that there is human error in the game, and we accept that fact. However, when discussing whether something was done correctly or not, the officials and their supervisors need to stop making excuses. When the officials missed the clear basket-interference call in the Northwestern-Gonzaga game, we don't need to hear that officials get it right 90 percent of the time or that it was difficult for outside observers to see in real time. The call was clearly missed. Just admit it. Stop rationalizing. And when the Flagrant 1 call was made in the Seton Hall-Arkansas game and an official is asked to explain it, just say it was within the judgment and discretion of the officials and goes uncalled at least as often as it is called. Because it was clear from other games in the first weekend (most notably USC-Baylor) that blatantly failing to make a play on the ball is often called a common foul, and that officials have to contort themselves to explain the difference in the two different calls on the same play. They cannot explain it. Just admit it.
Trend No. 5
Three No. 1 seeds made it to the Sweet 16, along with two No. 2 seeds, three No. 3 seeds, four No. 4 seeds, two No. 7 seeds, one No. 8 seed and one No. 11 seed. The No. 8 seed is Wisconsin, which was really a No. 4 or No. 5 seed. That comes out to 12 teams on the top four seed lines. All Sweet 16 teams are rated in the top 30 of the KenPom.com analytic ratings.
Trend No. 6
The Bilastrator will, again, provide you with the most comprehensive and accurate picture of the basketball landscape by using all of the most relevant analytics, run through the powerful gray matter of The Bilastrator's gigantic, hairless cranium and using his unmatched basketball judgment. As always, you're welcome.
