NCAA Field Is Set
NCAA Field Is Set, 1. What was the biggest surprise from Selection Sunday?
Andy Katz: UCLA. The Bruins did look like a tournament team in a loss to Arizona. But looks don't always win out, results do. The Bruins didn't get it done in that way with a 4-3 record in the last seven games against teams not in the field.
Dana O'Neil: UCLA. I have no idea how the Bruins got into the field. They have one decent win (against Utah), a few close losses (to Arizona twice), a ho-hum RPI (48) and not much else. Oh, and that 83-44 result to Kentucky that ought to automatically discount them from contention.
Myron Medcalf: I'm with Andy and Dana. I really don't understand how UCLA got into the field. And I certainly don't understand how the Bruins earned a spot in the Big Dance but didn't even need a play-in game, even though they went 2-8 against the RPI's top 50 and 5-10 against the RPI's top 100. Selection committee chairman Scott Barnes said the Bruins were "gaining steam" down the stretch. Do wins over Washington, Washington State and USC (twice) really qualify as "gaining steam"?
2. Who was deserving of a bid and didn't make the NCAA tournament field?
Katz: Miami. The Hurricanes had 10 wins away from home before the ACC tournament. And the road win at Duke is one of the best any team had this season. The Canes were a No. 2 seed in the NIT so they weren't as close as I thought.
O'Neil: The idealist in me says Murray State, but the realist knows that the Racers were never going to get the reward they deserved. That leaves Temple and Colorado State. Of the two, I'll lean toward Temple. The Owls beat Kansas, finished above NCAA tournament participant Cincinnati in the American standings, won 11 of their final 14, played a tough nonleague schedule (KU, Duke, Villanova) and were left off.
Medcalf: I really don't think there were any major snubs. But Miami went 6-8 against the RPI's top 100, won at Cameron Indoor Stadium and also secured a win over NC State. That's not a Teflon resume, but it's comparable to UCLA's resume.
3. Which No. 1 seed has the easiest road to Indianapolis? And the toughest?
Katz: Kentucky has the easiest path -- as it should. Kansas isn't whole as the No. 2 and Notre Dame doesn't have the size inside as the No. 3. The toughest sledding will be for Villanova in the East. The top-rated Wildcats got a once projected No. 1 in Virginia (No. 2), a dark horse Oklahoma (No. 3), dangerous Louisville (No. 4), Northern Iowa (No. 5) and the hottest team in the Big Ten not named Wisconsin -- Michigan State (No. 7).
O'Neil: The bracket lays out nicely for Duke, simply because its toughest foes are very similar in style -- score first, uptempo squads like Gonzaga and Iowa State. The outlier could be the first game against San Diego State, which could prove to the most uncomfortable, if not toughest, game for the Blue Devils. As for the toughest, I'd say Villanova. The Wildcats have four teams that love to turn games into rock fights -- Northern Iowa, Louisville, Michigan State and Virginia -- plus a really tough 8/9 game against either NC State and LSU, each loaded with talent that frankly underachieved their way into that seed line.
Andy Katz: UCLA. The Bruins did look like a tournament team in a loss to Arizona. But looks don't always win out, results do. The Bruins didn't get it done in that way with a 4-3 record in the last seven games against teams not in the field.
Dana O'Neil: UCLA. I have no idea how the Bruins got into the field. They have one decent win (against Utah), a few close losses (to Arizona twice), a ho-hum RPI (48) and not much else. Oh, and that 83-44 result to Kentucky that ought to automatically discount them from contention.
Myron Medcalf: I'm with Andy and Dana. I really don't understand how UCLA got into the field. And I certainly don't understand how the Bruins earned a spot in the Big Dance but didn't even need a play-in game, even though they went 2-8 against the RPI's top 50 and 5-10 against the RPI's top 100. Selection committee chairman Scott Barnes said the Bruins were "gaining steam" down the stretch. Do wins over Washington, Washington State and USC (twice) really qualify as "gaining steam"?
2. Who was deserving of a bid and didn't make the NCAA tournament field?
Katz: Miami. The Hurricanes had 10 wins away from home before the ACC tournament. And the road win at Duke is one of the best any team had this season. The Canes were a No. 2 seed in the NIT so they weren't as close as I thought.
O'Neil: The idealist in me says Murray State, but the realist knows that the Racers were never going to get the reward they deserved. That leaves Temple and Colorado State. Of the two, I'll lean toward Temple. The Owls beat Kansas, finished above NCAA tournament participant Cincinnati in the American standings, won 11 of their final 14, played a tough nonleague schedule (KU, Duke, Villanova) and were left off.
Medcalf: I really don't think there were any major snubs. But Miami went 6-8 against the RPI's top 100, won at Cameron Indoor Stadium and also secured a win over NC State. That's not a Teflon resume, but it's comparable to UCLA's resume.
3. Which No. 1 seed has the easiest road to Indianapolis? And the toughest?
Katz: Kentucky has the easiest path -- as it should. Kansas isn't whole as the No. 2 and Notre Dame doesn't have the size inside as the No. 3. The toughest sledding will be for Villanova in the East. The top-rated Wildcats got a once projected No. 1 in Virginia (No. 2), a dark horse Oklahoma (No. 3), dangerous Louisville (No. 4), Northern Iowa (No. 5) and the hottest team in the Big Ten not named Wisconsin -- Michigan State (No. 7).
O'Neil: The bracket lays out nicely for Duke, simply because its toughest foes are very similar in style -- score first, uptempo squads like Gonzaga and Iowa State. The outlier could be the first game against San Diego State, which could prove to the most uncomfortable, if not toughest, game for the Blue Devils. As for the toughest, I'd say Villanova. The Wildcats have four teams that love to turn games into rock fights -- Northern Iowa, Louisville, Michigan State and Virginia -- plus a really tough 8/9 game against either NC State and LSU, each loaded with talent that frankly underachieved their way into that seed line.
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NCAA Field Is Set
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