Yeah, the BYU thing will make it interesting if they win their first two games. I'm going to the games in SLC on Thursday and Saturday so it should be more exciting than listening to them through the Internet while at work like I usually do.
There are so many things in this years tourney that do not make sense including the BYU mix-up. From what I'm told the committee deals with this issue whenever BYU is in the field. This year they forgot. ???
Two issues surround Texas. There's an argument that they aren't even a legit #1 seed, yet they get the winner of the play-in game. They also have the weakest #2 seed (Florida) in their bracket. This is the treatment reserved for the best team in the tournament. By the same account Kentucky got juiced by getting a strong Pitt team in their bracket.
Syracuse got a gift! If they win two games (and they should), they go to Albany. Win two games in home atmosphere and go straight to the final four.
There's always a lot of controversey surrounding the last teams in and first teams out. I don't believe Alabama should have made it, based on the fact that they went 8-11 since the start of the year and lost in the opening round of the SEC tournament. Then a team like Seton Hall wins 10 of their last 13 including wins over Pitt and Notre Dame, and they get left out. They did get blown out by 32 @ Pitt during that streak, but I still think they got the shaft.
I filled out my bracket, but I still may make some changes. I have Kentucky winning it all, but the Wildcats will probably be the most popular choice by everyone else. I may change my winner to give me a better chance in case of an upset.
Of course, I have never won an NCAA tourney pool, so do not pay any attention to my advice!
When you get down to it, money is a huge factor in this, which is why I can't foresee them delaying the games. Fans are traveling, as are the teams. For instance, if I were flying out to Spokane, Washington to see the Dayton Flyers play Thursday and possibly Saturday, do you think they're going to reimburse me if they decide to push the games back to Monday and Wednesday? Just a thought...
Yeah, postponing this doesn't make any sense. The war will surely be going on for more than a few days, right? Unless there's a terrorist attack or something like that, I don't see what the benefit of postponing the tournament would be.
I thought Kansas would be a #1 seed, not Texas, but other than that I didn't see any major problems with the brackets.
I agree that Alabama was NOT deserving of an invitation. Perhaps the committe was trying to save 'Bama some embarrassment--I think it would have been the first time ever that a team ranked #1 at some point in the season failed to make it.
Alabama can probably thank Jim Harrick for their invitation to the tourney. Georgia's self-banishment opened up a spot that shouldn't have been there. Also, Michigan would have definitely been invited except for their self-imposed banishment.
Not only that Brian, but previously, Alabama missed the tournament and the committee stated publicly that they did not play a tough non-conference schedule. This year Alabama beefed up their non-conference schedule and many are saying the the committee was trying to save face by putting them in the tournament.
Worst thing about the BYU issue is that the committee chairman, Jim Livengood, is a BYU grad. Hopefully my Huskies will take care of this predicament in the first round!
I also saw that both the AP and ESPN/USA today polls had Pitt #4 and Texas #5.