Selection committee creative as always in mid major snubs

[Guest abovetherim]

Bob West column for Wednesday, March 19

The Port Arthur News

Thanks to Tiger Woods and the Houston Rockets, NCAA selection Sunday was almost anticlimactic for the first time in memory. But now that Tiger’s fantastic finish and the Rockets’ mind-boggling 22nd consecutive victory have been hashed and rehashed, it’s time to focus on those tournament brackets.

Time is running out if yours isn’t completed yet. Not counting that goofy play-in game that was dreamed up a few years ago, the serious action is only one day away. If you take this stuff serious, you have probably already overdosed on ESPN’s non-stop analysis from Digger, Dickey V., Jay Bilas, Bobby Knight and all the others.

As for the defending champion in both the Port Arthur News and KLVI bracket competitions, my picks are made. Before putting them out there for public consumption, however, I’ve got a few nits to pick on behalf of the once again screwed-over mid majors.

You didn’t hear much, if any, of this on ESPN, because those guys are all elitists who mostly consider the mid majors a chew toy for the first two rounds. Only two years removed from George Mason’s Cinderella run to the Final Four, they still deliver the same putdowns about strength of schedule.

Just once, I’d like to hear somebody say, “Well, they can’t upgrade their schedules because the top-tier schools will hardly ever play them at home.†Actually, Vitale may have said that once. But it quickly got lost in a debate over whether Syracuse would get in with 25 losses.

Sometimes when I hear former Duke star Bilas -- who came oh-so-close to getting his butt kicked by Lamar in the pre-season NIT many years ago -- go into his ‘they didn’t play anybody routine’, I want to throw a brick through the screen.

My big issue this year isn’t what deserving mid major got ripped off by being left out — although I think Illinois State did — but how the tournament committee has taken to pitting the quality mid-majors against each other in the first round.

There are three glaring examples. Drake, which deserved better than a 5 seed, plays 12 seed Western Kentucky. Gonzaga, which merited higher than a 7, faces Davidson, a 10. Butler, which should have been a 5 but got stuck with a 7, opens against South Alabama, a 10.

What’s going on here is pretty obvious. Put all the best mid majors against each other, and there are fewer chances for them to embarrass schools from power conferences. The divide-and-conqueror plan gurantees three good ones — good enough to beat or at least scare high-major foes — will be gone after the first round.

It could so easily have been avoided. As a 5 seed, Drake has to play a 12. Why not Villanova instead of Western Kentucky? As a 7, Gonzaga must tangle with a 10. Why not Arizona, rather Davidson? Why not put Davidson against No. 7 West Virginia?

Then there’s Butler. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 ranked team in the Mid Major Top 25 and boast a 17 RPI. They could easily have been a 6 seed and been pitted against one of the 11s — Kansas St., Kentucky or Baylor.

Western Kentucky, meanwhile, as a 12, could have been match up against a different 5, say Clemson.

Those pairings make too much sense, especially when the real excitement from the first two rounds is generated by mid majors making waves. Bottom line, though, it’s too embarrassing and too risky for the power conferences. Their teams take less heat when they lose to each other.

Gonzaga is the team that got screwed the worst. Not only do the Zags’ have to play a really good Davidson team in the opening round, the game is 3,000 miles from Spokane, Wash., near Davidson’s campus in Raleigh, N.C. On top of that, tip-off Friday is at 9:20 a.m. Pacific time.

The committee didn’t do Drake any favors either. Besides pitting them against a very good South Alabama team, they have to play them in Birmingham, Ala. Don’t think the elitists wouldn’t love to see Drake go down early.

OK, with that off my chest, here’s some picks to ponder. Although I’m pretty much sticking with the chalk to the Final Four — I’m out on a limb early. Here’s my upsets.

In the 8 vs 9 games, I’m taking three 9s — Arkansas over Indiana, Kent St. over UNLV and Oregon over Mississippi State. The only 8 I’m taking is BYU over Texas A&M.

In the 7 vs. 10 games, I’m taking three 10s — Davidson over Gonzaga, St. Mary’s over Miami and Arizona over West Virginia.

In the 6 vs. 11 games, I’m taking three 11s — St. Joseph’s over Oklahoma, Kentucky over Marquette and Baylor over Purdue.

In the 5 vs. 12 games, I’m taking two 12s - George Mason over Notre Dame and Villanova over Clemson.

I don’t have anybody higher than a 12 in the first round, although I was tempted to take No. 13 San Diego over No. 4 UConn.

In round two, my upsets are Butler over No. 2 Tennessee, No. 6 USC over No. 3 Wisconsin and Drake over UConn.

My regional semifinal upset is No. 3 Xavier over No. 2 Duke. The lone upset I see in a regional final is No. 2 Georgetown over No. 1 Kansas.

That leaves a Final Four of North Carolina-Georgetown and UCLA-Memphis, with North Carolina beating Memphis in the championship game.

Sports editor Bob West can be e-mailed at [email protected]. His Sportsrap radio show airs Mondays at 8:05 p.m. on KLVI (560-AM).

http://www.panews.com/sportsbobwest/local_story_078214922.html?start:int=15

[westendfirst]

Bob West column for Wednesday, March 19

The Port Arthur News

Thanks to Tiger Woods and the Houston Rockets, NCAA selection Sunday was almost anticlimactic for the first time in memory. But now that Tiger’s fantastic finish and the Rockets’ mind-boggling 22nd consecutive victory have been hashed and rehashed, it’s time to focus on those tournament brackets.

Time is running out if yours isn’t completed yet. Not counting that goofy play-in game that was dreamed up a few years ago, the serious action is only one day away. If you take this stuff serious, you have probably already overdosed on ESPN’s non-stop analysis from Digger, Dickey V., Jay Bilas, Bobby Knight and all the others.

As for the defending champion in both the Port Arthur News and KLVI bracket competitions, my picks are made. Before putting them out there for public consumption, however, I’ve got a few nits to pick on behalf of the once again screwed-over mid majors.

You didn’t hear much, if any, of this on ESPN, because those guys are all elitists who mostly consider the mid majors a chew toy for the first two rounds. Only two years removed from George Mason’s Cinderella run to the Final Four, they still deliver the same putdowns about strength of schedule.

Just once, I’d like to hear somebody say, “Well, they can’t upgrade their schedules because the top-tier schools will hardly ever play them at home.†Actually, Vitale may have said that once. But it quickly got lost in a debate over whether Syracuse would get in with 25 losses.

Sometimes when I hear former Duke star Bilas -- who came oh-so-close to getting his butt kicked by Lamar in the pre-season NIT many years ago -- go into his ‘they didn’t play anybody routine’, I want to throw a brick through the screen.

My big issue this year isn’t what deserving mid major got ripped off by being left out — although I think Illinois State did — but how the tournament committee has taken to pitting the quality mid-majors against each other in the first round.

There are three glaring examples. Drake, which deserved better than a 5 seed, plays 12 seed Western Kentucky. Gonzaga, which merited higher than a 7, faces Davidson, a 10. Butler, which should have been a 5 but got stuck with a 7, opens against South Alabama, a 10.

What’s going on here is pretty obvious. Put all the best mid majors against each other, and there are fewer chances for them to embarrass schools from power conferences. The divide-and-conqueror plan gurantees three good ones — good enough to beat or at least scare high-major foes — will be gone after the first round.

It could so easily have been avoided. As a 5 seed, Drake has to play a 12. Why not Villanova instead of Western Kentucky? As a 7, Gonzaga must tangle with a 10. Why not Arizona, rather Davidson? Why not put Davidson against No. 7 West Virginia?

Then there’s Butler. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 ranked team in the Mid Major Top 25 and boast a 17 RPI. They could easily have been a 6 seed and been pitted against one of the 11s — Kansas St., Kentucky or Baylor.

Western Kentucky, meanwhile, as a 12, could have been match up against a different 5, say Clemson.

Those pairings make too much sense, especially when the real excitement from the first two rounds is generated by mid majors making waves. Bottom line, though, it’s too embarrassing and too risky for the power conferences. Their teams take less heat when they lose to each other.

Gonzaga is the team that got screwed the worst. Not only do the Zags’ have to play a really good Davidson team in the opening round, the game is 3,000 miles from Spokane, Wash., near Davidson’s campus in Raleigh, N.C. On top of that, tip-off Friday is at 9:20 a.m. Pacific time.

The committee didn’t do Drake any favors either. Besides pitting them against a very good South Alabama team, they have to play them in Birmingham, Ala. Don’t think the elitists wouldn’t love to see Drake go down early.

OK, with that off my chest, here’s some picks to ponder. Although I’m pretty much sticking with the chalk to the Final Four — I’m out on a limb early. Here’s my upsets.

In the 8 vs 9 games, I’m taking three 9s — Arkansas over Indiana, Kent St. over UNLV and Oregon over Mississippi State. The only 8 I’m taking is BYU over Texas A&M.

In the 7 vs. 10 games, I’m taking three 10s — Davidson over Gonzaga, St. Mary’s over Miami and Arizona over West Virginia.

In the 6 vs. 11 games, I’m taking three 11s — St. Joseph’s over Oklahoma, Kentucky over Marquette and Baylor over Purdue.

In the 5 vs. 12 games, I’m taking two 12s - George Mason over Notre Dame and Villanova over Clemson.

I don’t have anybody higher than a 12 in the first round, although I was tempted to take No. 13 San Diego over No. 4 UConn.

In round two, my upsets are Butler over No. 2 Tennessee, No. 6 USC over No. 3 Wisconsin and Drake over UConn.

My regional semifinal upset is No. 3 Xavier over No. 2 Duke. The lone upset I see in a regional final is No. 2 Georgetown over No. 1 Kansas.

That leaves a Final Four of North Carolina-Georgetown and UCLA-Memphis, with North Carolina beating Memphis in the championship game.

Sports editor Bob West can be e-mailed at [email protected]. His Sportsrap radio show airs Mondays at 8:05 p.m. on KLVI (560-AM).

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Bob West is right on the money again!! 

[TexasTerror]

Bob and I are actually almost on the same page. I'll bold the ones I have from his listing...

In the 8 vs 9 games, I’m taking three 9s — Arkansas over Indiana, Kent St. over UNLV and Oregon over Mississippi State. The only 8 I’m taking is BYU over Texas A&M.

In the 7 vs. 10 games, I’m taking three 10s — Davidson over Gonzaga, St. Mary’s over Miami and Arizona over West Virginia.

In the 6 vs. 11 games, I’m taking three 11s — St. Joseph’s over Oklahoma, Kentucky over Marquette and Baylor over Purdue.

In the 5 vs. 12 games, I’m taking two 12s - George Mason over Notre Dame and Villanova over Clemson.

I don’t have anybody higher than a 12 in the first round, although I was tempted to take No. 13 San Diego over No. 4 UConn.

In round two, my upsets are Butler over No. 2 Tennessee, No. 6 USC over No. 3 Wisconsin and Drake over UConn.

My regional semifinal upset is No. 3 Xavier over No. 2 Duke. The lone upset I see in a regional final is No. 2 Georgetown over No. 1 Kansas.

[Guest abovetherim]

There must be some natural disaster or some life altering event about to happen because I agree with ALL your picks Texas Terror.  ;D

[Guest abovetherim]

Take that back, I have West Virginia beating Arizona.

[UNLV]

UNLV all the way...NC.

[Guest abovetherim]

Good luck, Kent State is no cupcake. I like UNLV's coach. Didn't he coach at Florida at one time?

Since its your school I'll go against my better judgment and pull for UNLV. I owe you that much. 

[TexasTerror]

Take that back, I have West Virginia beating Arizona.

So do I -- made a mistake in my initial post...

Not sure if I made that as a nod to my co-worker from WVU or because I actually made an intelligent pick!