By JP Pelzman
The NCAA Tournament selection committee revealed its top 16 seeds as of now on CBS today. As Villanova coach Jay Wright said when I asked him about it on the Big East coaches’ conference call Thursday, “I think all of that exposure is great for the sport. … It doesn’t really mean anything to the teams, but it’s great for the fans.”
But it will matter a month from now, because the committee takes care of those top four seeds in every region by placing them as close to home as possible for the first two rounds, and oftentimes by giving them favorable sites for the second weekend.
So what we all learned today is that if Seton Hall holds serve for the next five weeks, the Pirates will be reasonably close for the first weekend of the NCAAs. But if they are able to survive and advance to the Sweet 16, you’ll need to get on a plane after that to see them.
Seton Hall was seeded third in the South. Thus, the Pirates likely would play in Albany, N.Y., for the first weekend, then head to Houston if they make it past that. More than a bit unfair, perhaps, considering they are 6-2 on the road and 7-4 vs. Quadrant 1 teams and 12-5 vs. Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 teams.
At this point, the committee has Baylor as the top seed in the South, with Louisville No. 2, followed by Seton Hall and Auburn. Villanova is seeded third in the West behind Gonzaga and West Virginia with Oregon after the Wildcats.
The other Big East team in this sneak peek was Butler, fourth in the East behind unbeaten San Diego State, Duke and Maryland, which lost to Seton Hall in December. Butler apparently was shifted out of the Midwest, because the regional semifinals and final are being held in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs flip-flopped with Michigan State, seeded behind Kansas, Dayton and Florida State.
Despite the fact that three Big East teams are in the top 16, it certainly seems the committee isn’t bullish on the conference. You would think the team with a two-game lead in the league known as the, um, Big EAST would get placed in the EAST Regional, but no such luck.
But, who knows? If it does shake out this way, maybe a different path to the Final Four would be more advantageous. Kevin Willard has matched wits with Louisville’s Chris Mack, formerly the Xavier coach, a lot more times than he has against Coach K. But the lack of respect for the Big East and the worship for the Big Ten is troubling, although not surprising.
Of course, San Diego State had to be moved to the East. And anyone who didn’t or doesn’t think Duke will land in SDSU’s bracket, raise your hand. I have oceanfront property in Iowa you might be interested in.
As for some of the other decisions this committee must eventually make, I do not envy them. Hey, Gonzaga has earned respect over the years in the tournament, so the Bulldogs should stay out West. But San Diego State and Dayton are unknown quantities, to be quite honest.
But at least the Aztecs have two neutral-site wins over teams in the NET top 30, Creighton and Iowa. Dayton has a neutral-site win against Saint Mary’s (33) and beat VCU (32) at home. I don’t care what KenPom says, I guarantee you Seton Hall would be a slight favorite over Dayton if the teams played a tournament game on a neutral site. So should the Flyers really be on the 2 line ahead of Seton Hall? Let's face it, they probably wouldn't have entered Saturday at 20-2 overall if they played in a power conference.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
The NCAA Tournament selection committee revealed its top 16 seeds as of now on CBS today. As Villanova coach Jay Wright said when I asked him about it on the Big East coaches’ conference call Thursday, “I think all of that exposure is great for the sport. … It doesn’t really mean anything to the teams, but it’s great for the fans.”
But it will matter a month from now, because the committee takes care of those top four seeds in every region by placing them as close to home as possible for the first two rounds, and oftentimes by giving them favorable sites for the second weekend.
So what we all learned today is that if Seton Hall holds serve for the next five weeks, the Pirates will be reasonably close for the first weekend of the NCAAs. But if they are able to survive and advance to the Sweet 16, you’ll need to get on a plane after that to see them.
Seton Hall was seeded third in the South. Thus, the Pirates likely would play in Albany, N.Y., for the first weekend, then head to Houston if they make it past that. More than a bit unfair, perhaps, considering they are 6-2 on the road and 7-4 vs. Quadrant 1 teams and 12-5 vs. Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 teams.
At this point, the committee has Baylor as the top seed in the South, with Louisville No. 2, followed by Seton Hall and Auburn. Villanova is seeded third in the West behind Gonzaga and West Virginia with Oregon after the Wildcats.
The other Big East team in this sneak peek was Butler, fourth in the East behind unbeaten San Diego State, Duke and Maryland, which lost to Seton Hall in December. Butler apparently was shifted out of the Midwest, because the regional semifinals and final are being held in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs flip-flopped with Michigan State, seeded behind Kansas, Dayton and Florida State.
Despite the fact that three Big East teams are in the top 16, it certainly seems the committee isn’t bullish on the conference. You would think the team with a two-game lead in the league known as the, um, Big EAST would get placed in the EAST Regional, but no such luck.
But, who knows? If it does shake out this way, maybe a different path to the Final Four would be more advantageous. Kevin Willard has matched wits with Louisville’s Chris Mack, formerly the Xavier coach, a lot more times than he has against Coach K. But the lack of respect for the Big East and the worship for the Big Ten is troubling, although not surprising.
Of course, San Diego State had to be moved to the East. And anyone who didn’t or doesn’t think Duke will land in SDSU’s bracket, raise your hand. I have oceanfront property in Iowa you might be interested in.
As for some of the other decisions this committee must eventually make, I do not envy them. Hey, Gonzaga has earned respect over the years in the tournament, so the Bulldogs should stay out West. But San Diego State and Dayton are unknown quantities, to be quite honest.
But at least the Aztecs have two neutral-site wins over teams in the NET top 30, Creighton and Iowa. Dayton has a neutral-site win against Saint Mary’s (33) and beat VCU (32) at home. I don’t care what KenPom says, I guarantee you Seton Hall would be a slight favorite over Dayton if the teams played a tournament game on a neutral site. So should the Flyers really be on the 2 line ahead of Seton Hall? Let's face it, they probably wouldn't have entered Saturday at 20-2 overall if they played in a power conference.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
