#1: Arizona, Florida, Wichita St., Syracuse
#2: Kansas, Wisconsin, Duke, Villanova
#3: Michigan, Virginia, Iowa State, San Diego State
#4: Creighton, Cincinnati, Louisville, Michigan State
#5: Texas, North Carolina, UCLA, Oklahoma
#6: Saint Louis, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Connecticut
#7: New Mexico, VCU, Kansas State, Iowa
#8: Ohio State, Memphis, Arizona State, George Washington
#9: Stanford, Southern Methodist, Baylor, Oklahoma State
#10: Pittsburgh, Colorado, Saint Joseph's, Gonzaga
#11: Oregon, Xavier, Arkansas, California*, Minnesota*
#12: Tennessee*, Florida State*, Green Bay, North Dakota State, Harvard
#13: Southern Mississippi, Toledo, Belmont, Stephen F. Austin
#14: Vermont, Iona, Mercer, Delaware
#15: UC Irvine, Georgia State, Boston U, North Carolina Central
#16: Davidson, Robert Morris, Utah Valley*, High Point*, Weber State*, Alabama State*
* Denotes teams in first-round (play-in) games
Thoughts after the jump:
Not that we Michigan fans are sad to see it, but Ohio State just keeps up its downward death spiral. They're a lock to make the tournament, but Sunday's game against Michigan State is now huge for both teams, as both are in dire need of a win. I could see the Buckeyes losing that game to drop to .500 in the conference, then having to play a Penn State team that swept them (!) in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Lose their next two games, and the Buckeyes could be looking at a #10 seed, whereas they were thinking about a #5 last week.
On a related note, I still have Michigan seeded just above Virginia. I agree that the victory over a suddenly struggling Syracuse squad (alliteration ftw) is impressive, but the ACC and Big Ten are two very different conferences. The Big Ten and Big XII are easily the deepest conferences in the country right now. With a win over Penn State next weekend, and maybe needing one against a Purdue or Illinois, Minnesota (currently in 8th place) should make it into the NCAA field as a sub-.500 conference team, and deservedly so. More than that, however, is that the worst teams in the Big Ten have all had success against the top teams. Michigan is the only conference team that does not have a loss to the 9th-12th place teams. Northwestern won at Wisconsin, Illinois won at Michigan State, Penn State swept Ohio State, and Purdue came within an unfriendly rim roll of knocking off Michigan.
The bottom of the ACC, conversely, is awful. There are three teams at the bottom of the ACC (Georgia Tech, BC, and Virginia Tech) with far lower RPI numbers than any Big Ten team. Basically, take the Big Ten, add Miami (OH), Kent State, and Bowling Green, and you have the ACC. Virginia got four conference games against those teams while not having to play road games against Syracuse or North Carolina. Michigan has home-and-homes with everyone in the Big Ten except Ohio State (road only), Illinois (road only), Penn State (home only), and Northwestern (home only). So Michigan's single play conference games include three of the four worst teams in the conference and a road game against a rival. Going 13-3 to date with two expected wins on the horizon is a hugely impressive feat. Should one of the #2 seeds falter, Michigan will get the first crack at moving up a seed line (and be rewarded with a trip to the West region for a possible rematch against Arizona).
On a related note, I still have Michigan seeded just above Virginia. I agree that the victory over a suddenly struggling Syracuse squad (alliteration ftw) is impressive, but the ACC and Big Ten are two very different conferences. The Big Ten and Big XII are easily the deepest conferences in the country right now. With a win over Penn State next weekend, and maybe needing one against a Purdue or Illinois, Minnesota (currently in 8th place) should make it into the NCAA field as a sub-.500 conference team, and deservedly so. More than that, however, is that the worst teams in the Big Ten have all had success against the top teams. Michigan is the only conference team that does not have a loss to the 9th-12th place teams. Northwestern won at Wisconsin, Illinois won at Michigan State, Penn State swept Ohio State, and Purdue came within an unfriendly rim roll of knocking off Michigan.
The bottom of the ACC, conversely, is awful. There are three teams at the bottom of the ACC (Georgia Tech, BC, and Virginia Tech) with far lower RPI numbers than any Big Ten team. Basically, take the Big Ten, add Miami (OH), Kent State, and Bowling Green, and you have the ACC. Virginia got four conference games against those teams while not having to play road games against Syracuse or North Carolina. Michigan has home-and-homes with everyone in the Big Ten except Ohio State (road only), Illinois (road only), Penn State (home only), and Northwestern (home only). So Michigan's single play conference games include three of the four worst teams in the conference and a road game against a rival. Going 13-3 to date with two expected wins on the horizon is a hugely impressive feat. Should one of the #2 seeds falter, Michigan will get the first crack at moving up a seed line (and be rewarded with a trip to the West region for a possible rematch against Arizona).
No comments:
Post a Comment