For today’s Under the Radar Game of the Day and Other Highlighted Games, CLICK HERE.
NOTES ON THE BRACKET
Just to reiterate, this is a CHECKPOINT based on CURRENT MERIT, not a prediction of how I think things will look in March, or for that matter it’s not even a reflection of how good I think the teams actually are. I look at what teams have done so far, I measure how much I think they have done up to this point will help them in March, and I rank them/seed them on that basis. If a team that I believe is a solid top ten team has done nothing up to this point other than win home buy games, then they’re going to be seeded further down the bracket.
-Baylor’s profile is awesome. They’ve beaten Louisville on a neutral floor, and have other notable wins against the likes of Xavier, Oregon, VCU, and Michigan State. That’s pretty damn good.
-Indiana stays on the #1 line despite the loss at Fort Wayne. In the grand scheme of things, that loss was a setback, but it was far less of a setback than it was beating Kansas and North Carolina was a boost. I know the UNC win came at home, but it’s still a huge win.
-Winning on the road against other #1 or #2 caliber seeds is the kind of thing that makes a team a #1 or #2 caliber seed themselves. Welcome to the #1 line UCLA!!
-Xavier, Duke, Virginia, Wisconsin, Oregon, Purdue, and Iowa State are all among teams that I think will end up seeded much better than where they currently are. They’re capable of picking up the kinds of wins they need to earn good seeds. They really just haven’t done it yet, and if they have, they don’t have quite as many as the teams in front of them.
-***IMPORTANT*** Chad made a mistake when he was editing this, and…well…I’ll spare you the details, but it was definitely not my fault! TCU is in the bracket twice. Oklahoma should be the other team that was left out. At least I think it was them. I’ll have to go back and check my notes. I was moving the bracket around in order to make the First Four work, and when I moved TCU from one spot to another I forgot to delete them from the spot where they actually were. But, it’s still not my fault This is a professional site!! We’re supposed to have people here who take the blame whenever there is a screwup. That’s what our interns are for!!!
OTHERS CONSIDERED: Oklahoma, Clemson, Colorado State, Syracuse, California, NC State, Nevada, Providence, Colorado, UT Arlington, Wake Forest, Davidson, VCU, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, San Diego State, Georgia, LSU, UMass, Houston, Georgia State, Rutgers
COMMENTS FROM CHAD
David considered Rutgers! David considered Rutgers! David considered Rutgers! I don;t care what else is in this bracket because: DAVID CONSIDERED RUTGERS!!!!
But on a serious note . . . DAVID CONSIDERED RUTGERS!!!!!!!
Ok, now seriously on a serious note:
– Duke on the 5 line with only 1 loss, and that loss coming to Kansas makes no sense to me. North Carolina got a 2 seed with a fairly equivalent loss (at Indiana). I think the Blue Devils should at least be a 3 seed.
– If this is based on merit, then I would like an explanation of what Oregon is doing on the 6 line. They may belong in a 6/11 game, but as the 11 seed. This team has been a huge disappointment and has not proven themselves on the court yet.
– I would like a similar explanation for Pittsburgh. The Panthers have not looked good and lost to Duquesne for the first time since color TV was invented (or maybe longer?). They also lost to an SMU team that has shown me absolutely nothing so far this year.
– Arizona on the 10 line I agree with if this is based on merit. But can someone please tell me what Oregon and Pittsburgh have on their resumes that Arizona does not?
– I know David is high on this TCU team, but having them in twice (West Region and Midwest Region) is a bit too much. They are undefeated though, so I cannot argue with one of their inclusions.
– Syracuse belongs in this field. I will just assume David meant to give them one of TCU’s spots.
– It is a minor point, but why is Iona in this bracket? They lost yesterday and are just not that good of a team this year. Monmouth should clearly be the MAAC representative.
– Finally, and most importantly: DAVID CONSIDERED RUTGERS!!!!!
COMMENTS FROM JOHN
– I believe the puppet is not a master when it comes to baiting people, but putting Cincinnati ahead of teams like Duke, Xavier and Virginia is insane with a loss against Rhode Island.
– Umm, never mind, they actually won a close game at Iowa State for a change. I’m going to start looking at cyanide pills.
– Now, I will attempt to add to Chad’s question and ask what Pitt is doing higher than a team like Virginia Tech. If the puppet is so wowed by road wins, why don’t they get more credit for winning at Michigan? I know USC got points for winning at Texas A&M, but exactly what puts them head and shoulders above Virginia Tech? As for Oregon, he must really be “high” on the win over Valpo.
– My initial thought on seeing UCF on the 10 line was to ask where the puppet is getting his medicinal marijuana. After looking at what they’ve been able to accomplish, now I have to ask not why they’re in the field, but why he would have Dayton above the Knights. I’m very underwhelmed at how the Atlantic 10 as a whole has looked this year and pleasantly surprised how teams in the American (read: Cincinnati, Temple and Central Florida) have fared.
– I also feel bad for Oklahoma State (not that I seriously expected them to be in this field) when you consider the manner in how they lost at Maryland over the weekend. One of their players tried to rebound a missed Maryland shot and inadvertently tipped it in the Terps’ bucket. The Cowboys ended up losing that game by a single point.
– Last and sure as hell not least, props to the puppet for looking out for the Team of the People on the 13 line!