TAS Bracketology 2014-15

[TheAsianSensation]

The SEC is amazing. Their 3 bubble teams went 0-3 in this tournament, and their 2 NIT bubble teams went 0-2.

[COUTEAU]

For the past 20 years, if I'm not mistaken, every team that finished as runner-up at Arch Madness, received an NIT nod.
Exception being, the losing team receiving an at-large, from The NCAA committee.
BIRDS are a lock for The NIT.

[TheAsianSensation]

Not the greatest day for ISU:

North Carolina Central lost in the MEAC

Confusing day in CUSA: Louisiana Tech went down and a NIT bid *probably* got poached. Thing is, going into this week, I assumed a 1-bid CUSA, with LaTech winning it, and ODU and UTEP in the NIT.

After this week, we have UAB/MTSU in the NCAAs...LaTech and ODU in the NIT...but UTEP's NIT bubble might have been burst, which would mean no NIT bid was actually poached.



And to make things worse, New Mexico St and UC-Davis are both in dogfights

[ilstubirds250]

Not the greatest day for ISU:

North Carolina Central lost in the MEAC

Confusing day in CUSA: Louisiana Tech went down and a NIT bid *probably* got poached. Thing is, going into this week, I assumed a 1-bid CUSA, with LaTech winning it, and ODU and UTEP in the NIT.

After this week, we have UAB/MTSU in the NCAAs...LaTech and ODU in the NIT...but UTEP's NIT bubble might have been burst, which would mean no NIT bid was actually poached.



And to make things worse, New Mexico St and UC-Davis are both in dogfights

Birds are in.

[TheAsianSensation]

Lunardi just did something really interesting to Gonzaga. That if the actual selection committee does this, the entire mid-major nation will erupt in anger.

Gonzaga is the #7 overall team, Kansas #8. In terms of assigning regions, the South region (Duke) and the Midwest region (Kentucky) is open. Gonzaga's geographical preference would be the South region, so that seems simple enough, right?

Nope. Lunardi places Gonzaga in the Midwest, with Kentucky, and lets Kansas play in the South with Duke.

Why? Here's the committee's logic: Gonzaga has to travel a lot either way. No matter what, they've got a long haul. So, since they do, they might as well keep Kansas close in the South instead of far away in the Midwest. It's better to force just 1 team to really travel instead to force 2 teams to travel.

However, this results in the better team getting stuck in Kentucky's regional, and Kansas getting a virtual homecourt regional as the worst 2 seed.

[Wufan]

Question on the above post sans the location of Kentucky:

Why would Kansas prefer the South region to the Midwest region geographically? I consider Kansas to be more Midwest than south (though it's close).

Why would Gonzaga prefer the south? They are obviously northwestern, and I would assume that the northwest is closer to the Midwest than the south.

[TheAsianSensation]

Question on the above post sans the location of Kentucky:

Why would Kansas prefer the South region to the Midwest region geographically? I consider Kansas to be more Midwest than south (though it's close).

Why would Gonzaga prefer the south? They are obviously northwestern.

Cleveland hosts the midwest regional
Houston hosts the south regional

Houston is obviously advantageous for Kansas, and Gonzaga is closer (somewhat) to Houston than Cleveland. It's a very western site for the south regional and a very eastern site for the midwest regional.

[TheAsianSensation]

Might as well be on the record with one day to go. UNI as a 4 and WSU as a 5.

The 1 line: Kentucky (33-0), Villanova (32-2), Duke (29-4), Wisconsin (30-3)
The 2 line: Virginia (29-3), Arizona (31-3), Gonzaga (31-2), Iowa St (25-8)
The 3 line: Kansas (26-8), Notre Dame (29-5), Maryland (27-6), North Carolina (24-11)
The 4 line: Oklahoma (22-10), Baylor (24-9), Northern Iowa (30-3), Louisville (24-8)
The 5 line: West Virginia (23-9), Wichita St (27-4), Georgetown (21-10), Butler (22-10)
The 6 line: Utah (23-8), Arkansas (26-7), SMU (25-6), Michigan St (23-10)
The 7 line: Providence (22-11), VCU (25-9), Xavier (21-13), Oregon (24-9)
The 8 line: St John's (20-11), San Diego St (25-8), Dayton (25-7), Iowa (21-11)
The 9 line: Cincinnati (22-10), North Carolina St (20-13), Ohio St (23-10), Oklahoma St (17-13)
The 10 line: Purdue (20-13), Davidson (22-8), Boise St (23-8), Georgia (21-11)
The 11 line: Indiana (20-13), BYU (23-9), Colorado St (26-6), Ole Miss (20-12), LSU (22-10), Texas (20-13)
The 12 line: Stephen F Austin (26-4), Wyoming (23-9), Buffalo (23-9), Wofford (26-6)
The 13 line: Valparaiso (25-5), Harvard (20-7), Georgia St (22-9), Northeastern (23-11)
The 14 line: Eastern Washington (23-8), North Dakota St (21-9), Belmont (21-10), UAB (18-15)
The 15 line: UC-Irvine (19-12), Albany (24-8), New Mexico St (21-10), Texas Southern (22-12)
The 16 line: Coastal Carolina (20-9), North Florida (20-11), Lafayette (19-12), Manhattan (19-13), Robert Morris (19-14), Hampton (16-17)

Last 5 in:
BYU
Colorado St
Ole Miss
LSU
Texas

Last 5 out:
Temple (23-10)
UCLA (20-13)
Murray St (25-5)
UConn (20-13)
Tulsa (22-9)

[TheAsianSensation]

And for entertainment purposes only:

MIDWEST
@Louisville
1) Kentucky (33-0) vs. 16) Manhattan (19-13)/Robert Morris (19-14)
8) St John's (20-11) vs. 9) Ohio St (23-10)
@Seattle
4) Northern Iowa (30-3) vs. 13) Northeastern (23-11)
5) West Virginia (23-9) vs. 12) Wyoming (23-9)
@Columbus
3) Notre Dame (29-5) vs. 14) North Dakota St (21-9)
6) Michigan St (23-10) vs. 11) Colorado St (26-6)/LSU (22-10)
@Omaha
2) Iowa St (25-8) vs. 15) Texas Southern (22-12)
7) VCU (25-9) vs. 10) Purdue (20-13)

WEST
@Omaha
1) Wisconsin (30-3) vs. 16) Coastal Carolina (20-9)
8) San Diego St (25-8) vs. 9) Oklahoma St (17-13)
@Columbus
4) Oklahoma (22-10) vs. 13) Valparaiso (25-5)
5) Butler (22-10) vs. 12) Buffalo (23-9)
@Jacksonville
3) North Carolina (24-11) vs. 14) Belmont (21-10)
6) Utah (23-8) vs. 11) BYU (23-9)
@Portland
2) Arizona (31-3) vs. 15) New Mexico St (21-10)
7) Xavier (21-13) vs. 10) Georgia (21-11)

SOUTH
@Charlotte
1) Duke (29-4) vs. 16) Lafayette (19-12)/Hampton (16-17)
8) Iowa (21-11) vs. 9) Cincinnati (22-10)
@Seattle
4) Louisville (24-8) vs. 13) Harvard (20-7)
5) Wichita St (27-4) vs. 12) Wofford (26-6)
@Louisville
3) Kansas (26-8) vs. 14) UAB (18-15)
6) Arkansas (26-7) vs. 11) Indiana (20-13)
@Portland
2) Gonzaga (31-2) vs. 15) UC-Irvine (19-12)
7) Oregon (24-9) vs. 10) Boise St (23-8)

EAST
@Pittsburgh
1) Villanova (32-2) vs. 16) North Florida (20-11)
8) Dayton (25-7) vs. 9) North Carolina St (20-13)
@Jacksonville
4) Baylor (24-9) vs. 13) Georgia St (22-9)
5) Georgetown (21-10) vs. 12) Stephen F Austin (26-4)
@Pittsburgh
3) Maryland (27-6) vs. 14) Eastern Washington (23-8)
6) SMU (25-6) vs. 11) Ole Miss (20-12)/Texas (20-13)
@Charlotte
2) Virginia (29-3) vs. 15) Albany (24-8)
7) Providence (22-11) vs. 10) Davidson (22-8)

[isumvc1]

I sure hope Indiana and Texas do NOT make the field.