The Stretch Run
USA Today reported the following:
"CBS studio analyst Seth Davis predicted Sunday that the Atlantic Coast Conference would get the most NCAA men's basketball tournament bids — seven — and that UCLA, Florida, Wisconsin and North Carolina will "have to lose twice" to not end up as No. 1 seeds."
This would leave OSU out in the cold, even if they beat UW at home and win the BT? I don't see the league claiming two #1 seeds given its overall weakness beyond Indiana. I would guess the BT Tournament may ultimately break the tie. Seeing that Bucky played a tougher league schedule, and assuming the teams will split their home-road matchups, the success of their neutral court performance in Chicago is the best way to fill out the top spots in the Dance card.
Davis' calculation doesn't hold up in my mind as appealing as it is for Badger fans. With OSU already ahead of Bucky in both polls, a two-loss differential in league play would be too much to overcome short of winning the conference tournament. This makes the game in Lansing that much bigger, assuming wins at the Barn on Wednesday and in the final two home games of Alando Tucker's sterling career.
posted by Shawn Healy @ 10:24 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Agreed. If Wisconsin finishes 14-2 in conference and OSU 15-1 AND they meet in the final of the BTT, I could see the committee reserving the #1 seed in the Midwest for the winner and the loser a #2 seed elsewhere.
Unless UCLA, UNC, A&M, and Pitt keep losing. I think the Badgers still have a 2 loss cushion since UNC has 4 losses, A&M has 4? and KU has 4 as well. A&M and KU can't both go undefeated, UNC's youth will cost them another game and UCLA (3 losses) still has games at Zona, At Wazzu, at Wash, vs Stanford, and the Pac 10 tourney. If they only lose one of those games I will be shocked.
I need to post more on this later, but the Badgers should have a 2 loss cushion, even if both are to OSU giving the Buckeyes the 1 seed in Nellyville
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