Okay, for starters, we have some VERY IMPORTANT LINKS!! READ THEM NOW!!
-For our latest Hoops HD Bracket Rundown Podcast, we had five of our staff members submitted seed lists, and had chad rank/average them altogether to build a master seed list and then a bracket. CLICK HERE to see the bracket revealed line by line, and see Chad, myself and John discuss the teams as they are revealed.
-For Chad Sherwood’s Under the Radar Game of the Day between Yale and Princeton, which is actually a game that could mathematically eliminate up to four teams from having any chance to make the NCAA Tournament – CLICK HERE
-We updated our NCAA Tournament Survival Board last night. This is perhaps the most valued and relied upon resource that the actual selection committee uses. Granted, it is not on the team sheets, but it’s even bigger than that because it tells the selection committee members what team sheets they need to be looking at. They have the internet at the hotel. They have their smart phones. They’re able to log onto this page and see which teams are locks, which teams they need to be considering, and which teams need to win the automatic bid in order to get in. It is an unbelievably valuable source of information, and you can view it by CLICKING HERE
-For Joby’s Nitty Gritty Ranking – CLICK HERE
-Our friend, colleague, and Hoops HD Selection Committee member Scott Swartz has resumed his blogging!! CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT
-If you don’t know about this site, make sure you bookmark it. MattSarzSports.com has the complete TV listings for all college basketball games each and every week. CLICK HERE to check it out
-And last, but certainly not least, our friend Warren Nolan has what we think is the best RPI and statistical site on the internet. It’s easy to navigate, it is well laid out, and it is free!! CLICK HERE to check it out
PUPPET RAMBLINGS
-Okay, “Bracketology.” I don’t like calling it that. It’s not an actual thing because there is no “ology” to any of this. There is no way to scientifically conclude what ten athletic directors/conference commissioners, who are all strangers to most of us, are going to do or why they are going to do it. But, for reasons that I guess make sense, we’ve decided to start calling it that ourselves not because we think there is any real science to this, but because of what so many other people who visit the site understand the term “Bracketology” to mean. So, what used to be the “BRACKET PROJECTIONS” tab is now the “BRACKETOLOGY” tab.
Bracketology, in reality, is guessing what ten strangers will do. It’s not like predicting the weather. I like it in the sense that I think it’s great for the casual fans. It gives them a general idea of how good a lot of teams are, and what that means in relation to the current games that are being played. But, it’s just that. A GENERAL idea. There is nothing precise or specific about it. So, when you hear Joe Lunardi (or anyone else) say “this win moves them into the bracket,” or “this loss knocks them out, or “this team is now a #1 seed,” what they’re really saying is “I AM GUESSING that this is what ten people I don’t know would be doing right now if they were meeting right now!” That’s why we are always conscious of saying in our write ups, podcasts, and projections that these are OUR picks, meaning this is what we would do if we were the committee. The real committee may be doing something entirely different, and to be honest we don’t really care. If they disagree with us, then they’re wrong, which is unfortunate for some of the teams, but there is nothing we can do about it. The majority of the time, our own picks end up being more accurate than a lot of bracketologists who are trying to guess the real committee.
Now, having said that, this year we do have a selection committee guessing expert in Jon Teitel, and he is one of the best out there. He considers things like who is on the committee and what he thinks they will value during what really is a qualitative process. But, our Hoops HD selection committee is just that. The HOOPS HD Committee. It’s not a committee that tries to guess another committee.
Another thing about Bracketology sites that amuses me is how they feel the need to indicate who their last four teams were to make the field as at-larges. With the First Four being formatted the way that it is, if you as a person see the four teams that are in the First Four, but are still uncertain as to which four teams were the last to be selected for at-large bids, then there truly is no helping you. I’m sorry.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-AKRON AT KENT STATE (MAC). This is probably the biggest rivalry in the conference, and it’s particularly high stakes because if Akron wins out they should get a serious look from the selection committee given that they are a first place finisher and will have a very strong RPI. Historically, those teams get selected more often than not, even if they’re from the smaller conferences.
-HARVARD AT COLUMBIA (Ivy). Columbia is still one of the horses in the three horse race to win the Ivy, but they need to keep winning and they’ll need a little help.
-RICHMOND AT VCU (Atlantic Ten). I love this series. It is seemingly always an exciting game, and it’s a game that VCU really cannot afford to lose.
-OAKLAND AT VALPARAISO (Horizon League). If Valpo wins out then they should at least get a look from the committee, but chances are they’ll need the automatic bid in order to make the field.
-IONA AT MONMOUTH (Metro Atlantic). This game had some fireworks the first time these two met with Tim Cluess bashing Monmouth’s bench on Twitter before the game, and then the dust up when the two were shaking hands after the game. The Monmouth fans will be ready for the Gaels tonight!