2019 NCAA Tournament Selection

[Vanilla Ice]

Although it is also a Q1 loss, UNC lost to Texas on a neutral court.

[bukie]

Clemson-NC State, a tale of two halves. Clemson 42, NC State 26 first half, NC State 33, Clemson 16 second half.

[bukie]

Taking a look at the potential at-large field, here are the top 105 in NET rankings (which I think should safely cover ANY team that would be under at-large consideration):

 

Rank Team               Conf            Record
1    Virginia           ACC             28-2
2    Gonzaga            WCC             30-3
3    Duke               ACC             26-5
4    Houston            AAC             29-2
5    Kentucky           SEC             26-5
6    Tennessee          SEC             27-4
7    North Carolina     ACC             26-5
8    Michigan St.       Big Ten         25-6
9    Texas Tech         Big 12          26-5
10   Michigan           Big Ten         26-5
11   Virginia Tech      ACC             23-7
12   Purdue             Big Ten         23-8
13   Wofford            SoCon           29-4
14   LSU                SEC             26-5
15   Wisconsin          Big Ten         22-9
16   Buffalo            MAC             28-3
17   Auburn             SEC             22-9
18   Nevada             MWC             28-3
19   Florida St.        ACC             25-6
20   Kansas             Big 12          23-8
21   Mississippi St.    SEC             22-9
22   Louisville         ACC             19-12
23   Iowa St.           Big 12          20-11
24   Kansas St.         Big 12          24-7
25   Villanova          Big East        22-9
26   Maryland           Big Ten         22-9
27   Cincinnati         AAC             25-6
28   UCF                AAC             23-7
29   Marquette          Big East        23-8
30   Utah St.           MWC             25-6
31   VCU                Atlantic 10     25-6
32   NC State           ACC             21-10
33   Florida            SEC             17-14
34   Saint Mary's (CA)  WCC             22-11
35   Ole Miss           SEC             20-11
36   Clemson            ACC             19-12
37   Baylor             Big 12          19-12
38   Texas              Big 12          16-15
39   Oklahoma           Big 12          19-12
40   Washington         Pac-12          24-7
41   Furman             SoCon           25-7
42   Iowa               Big Ten         21-10
43   Murray St.         OVC             27-4
44   Syracuse           ACC             19-12
45   New Mexico St.     WAC             27-4
46   Belmont            OVC             26-5
47   TCU                Big 12          19-12
48   Lipscomb           ASUN            25-7
49   Penn St.           Big Ten         14-17
50   Temple             AAC             23-8
51   Indiana            Big Ten         17-14
52   Nebraska           Big Ten         16-15
53   Memphis            AAC             19-12
54   Creighton          Big East        18-13
55   Ohio St.           Big Ten         18-13
56   Minnesota          Big Ten         19-12
57   UNC Greensboro     SoCon           28-6
58   Alabama            SEC             17-14
59   Liberty            ASUN            28-6
60   Toledo             MAC             25-6
61   Oregon             Pac-12          19-12
62   Seton Hall         Big East        18-12
63   Butler             Big East        16-15
64   Arkansas           SEC             17-14
65   Dayton             Atlantic 10     21-10
66   St. John's (NY)    Big East        20-11
67   Arizona St.        Pac-12          21-9
68   Davidson           Atlantic 10     23-8
69   Colorado           Pac-12          19-11
70   Xavier             Big East        17-14
71   ETSU               SoCon           24-9
72   San Francisco      WCC             21-10
73   Vermont            America East    26-6
74   Hofstra            CAA             27-7
75   Providence         Big East        17-14
76   UC Irvine          Big West        27-5
77   Georgetown         Big East        19-12
78   Missouri           SEC             14-16
79   Northeastern       CAA             23-10
80   South Carolina     SEC             16-15
81   Fresno St.         MWC             22-8
82   Texas A&M          SEC             13-17
83   Oklahoma St.       Big 12          12-19
84   Oregon St.         Pac-12          18-12
85   BYU                WCC             19-13
86   Yale               Ivy League      20-7
87   Utah Valley        WAC             23-8
88   Northwestern       Big Ten         13-18
89   Tulsa              AAC             18-13
90   Wichita St.        AAC             17-13
91   Miami (FL)         ACC             14-17
92   Southern Miss.     C-USA           19-11
93   Grand Canyon       WAC             18-12
94   Arizona            Pac-12          17-14
95   UConn              AAC             15-16
96   Southern CaliforniaPac-12          15-16
97   South Fla.         AAC             19-12
98   Old Dominion       C-USA           23-8
99   San Diego          WCC             21-14
100  Rutgers            Big Ten         14-16
101  Utah               Pac-12          17-13
102  DePaul             Big East        15-14
103  SMU                AAC             14-16
104  South Dakota St.   Summit League   24-8
105  Illinois           Big Ten         11-20

 

Now, obviously there won't be 105 at large teams. We can pretty easily eliminate everyone under .500 for the year:

105 Illinois

103 SMU

100 Rutgers

96 USC

95 UConn

91 Miami

88 Northwestern

83 Oklahoma State

82 Texas A&M

78 Missouri

49 Penn State

 

That pares us down to 94. Still a lot. Five of the teams have already clinched an automatic bid, so are out of the at-large pool:

13 Wofford (SoCon)

34 Saint Mary's (WCC)

43 Murray State (OVC)

59 Liberty (ASun)

79 Northeastern (CAA)

 

Outside the top 105, the other following 6 at-large bids are assured:

114 Northern Kentucky (Horizon)

172 Gardner-Webb (Big South)

176 Bradley (MVC)

203 Fairleigh Dickinson (NEC)

205 Iona (MAAC)

222 North Dakota State (Summit)

 

6 other auto bids for single bid leagues:

MEAC (251 Norfolk State)

SWAC (210 Prairie View)

Southland (174 Sam Houston State)

Patriot (135 Colgate)

Sun Belt (126 Georgia State)

Big Sky (124 Montana)

 

The remaining 15 auto bids are in leagues that have at least one team currently on the board:

Conference USA (98 Old Dominion)

Ivy (86 Yale)

Big West (76 UC Irvine)

America East (73 Vermont)

WAC (45 New Mexico State)

Pac-12 (40 Washington)

A-10 (31 VCU)

Big East (25 Villanova)

MWC (18 Nevada)

MAC (16 Buffalo)

SEC (14 LSU)

Big 12 (9 Texas Tech)

Big Ten (8 Michigan State)

American (4 Houston)

ACC (1 Virginia)

 

So, that's the field. Now to go about organizing it...

[bukie]

TCU led Oklahoma State by 20 with 15:50 remaining, and now the lead is 1 with 10 seconds left, OSU ball.

 

TCU holds on and avoids another bad loss.

[bukie]

Colgate wins the Patriot.

[bukie]

VCU falls in A10 quarters, so A10 bid likely steals an at large.

[UMFan83]

VCU falls in A10 quarters, so A10 bid likely steals an at large.

 

Dayton or Davidson most likely teams to take advantage

[UMFan83]

I’ve been eagerly awaiting bukie’s bracket

[SouthSideRyan]

So generally speaking what are people's thoughts here on iU/Texas vs. Lipscomb/Belmont?

 

I keep going back and forth.

[UMFan83]

Tough question. They each have strengths but really glaring warts too. I’d go Belmont, IU, Texas all pretty close in that order and then Lipscomb who I believe got swept by Belmont. In reality I like Texas’ profile maybe more than IUs but I’m old fashioned and have to dock points for having a .500 record for the season.

[bukie]

Been neck deep in youth baseball the past two days (and tomorrow now, yay us), so let me catch up.

 

Vermont wins the America East, beating UMBC. Decent profile overall.

UNC Central wins the MEAC over #1 seed Norfolk State. UNC Central probably the worst tournament team in recent memory.

Iowa State wins the Big 12, boosting their profile significantly this week by beating Baylor, Kansas State and Kansas in succession.

Utah State wins the MWC as the 2 seed, avoiding outright bid theft by SDSU.

Prairie View wins the SWAC, possibly the best SWAC team in the tournament in several years. Still not a good team, mind you.

Villanova wins the Big East, preventing Seton Hall from possibly stealing a bid.

Buffalo wins the MAC, sealing a bid for sure.

Montana wins the Big Sky, as the best team in the Big Sky, but still not at large worthy.

Old Dominion wins the CUSA as the best CUSA team and a reminder of how far the CUSA has fallen.

Duke wins the ACC with Zion, possibly cementing the #1 overall seed.

Abilene Christian wins the Southland.

New Mexico State wins the WAC.

 

Based on all this, this is how my top 8 sits at this time (also Tennessee beat Kentucky in the SEC semis, and Michigan/MSU is the B1G final):

1. Duke

2. Gonzaga

3. Virginia

4. UNC

5. Michigan State

6. Michigan

7. Tennessee

8. Kentucky

 

Maybe I'm being unfair to Houston, but there's just not a lot there to suggest they jump one of those 8 teams. They're probably 9th.

 

As for the bottom of the bracket auto bids, here's how I see things:

 

68. UNC Central (MEAC) - Bad. Very bad. Their best two wins this season were yesterday and today, being their only two wins in the top 300.

67. North Dakota State (Summit) - They did get a Q3 win this week.

66. Fairleigh Dickinson (NEC) - They did get a win at Princeton back in November, which is their only Q3 win.

65. Abilene Christian (Southland) - They played at Texas Tech and lost by almost 40. That was the only Q1 or Q2 game they played.

64. Prairie View (SWAC) - They won at Santa Clara. That's a big deal for a SWAC team.

63. Iona (MAAC) - They were probably the best team in the MAAC. They have 2 Q3 wins. One was a neutral court win over Hartford.

62. Gardner-Webb (Big South) - They won at Georgia Tech, which is a Q2 win! This counts as a big deal round these parts of the bracket.

61. Bradley (MVC) - They actually have a Q1 win, by winning on a neutral floor against Penn State. They also beat SMU that same tournament. They also have 4 bad losses and haven't looked impressive aside from the MVC tournament in about 4 months.

60. Colgate (Patriot) - No Q1 or Q2 wins, but 10 Q3 wins and only 6 losses overall.

59. Northern Kentucky (Horizon) - They were the best Horizon team, but no Q1 or Q2 victories. Only 2 really bad losses overall.

58. Montana (Big Sky) - Won at South Dakota State, good enough for a Q2 win. Couple bad losses but not quite as bad as Northern Kentucky.

57. Vermont (America East) - They were the best team in the America East by far. That didn't give them many opportunities for good wins, and they were blown out in their only 3 chances at good wins.

56. Sun Belt champ (Georgia State) - I'll drop this about 4 spots if Texas Arlington wins, but Georgia State does have a win at Alabama.

55. Northeastern (CAA) - 3 Q2 wins, including at Harvard and neutral over Alabama, 3 bad losses keep them from being higher.

54. Ivy winner (Yale) - Yale has the best profile, including a win on a neutral floor against Miami. Harvard is probably 2 lower if they win.

53. A-10 winner (Saint Louis?) - At least Saint Louis beat Seton Hall and now Dayton/Davidson. St Bonaventure still lacks a single quality win this season.

52. Old Dominion (CUSA) - They won at Syracuse, a Q1 win, and won vs VCU, which is 2 wins against tourney teams. This is the first team that can say this.

51. Big West champ (UC Irvine) - If UC Irvine wins, they have wins at St. Mary's and Texas A&M. If Cal State Fullerton wins, they do not have any wins of significance and would drop about 8 spots.

50. Liberty (ASun) - 2 wins at Lipscomb which count as 2 Q1 wins. That could be 2 wins against tourney teams also, and they won at UCLA who is not great but still a Q2 win. No bad losses.

 

I'll continue on at-large discussion in the next post.

[bukie]

Oregon looking like they'll steal a bid also, unless Washington isn't getting one.

[bukie]

With all the current auto bids and potential auto bids, there's still 75 teams in the at large pool vying for 38 spots, so some culling is needed. Here's the list of 25 more teams that I don't see having a chance at an at large bid:

 

South Carolina

Fresno St.

Oregon St.

BYU

Utah Valley

Tulsa

Wichita St.

Southern Miss.

Grand Canyon

Arizona

South Fla.

San Diego

Utah

DePaul

South Dakota St.

ETSU

San Francisco

Hofstra

Butler

Arkansas

Dayton

Davidson

Toledo

Providence

Nebraska

 

So, current S-Curve is here:

1. Duke (ACC)

2. Gonzaga

3. Virginia

4. UNC

5. Michigan State (B1G)

6. Michigan

7. Tennessee (SEC)

8. Kentucky

...

50. Liberty (ASun)

51. Big West champ (UC Irvine)

52. Old Dominion (CUSA)

53. A-10 winner (Saint Louis?)

54. Ivy winner (Yale)

55. Northeastern (CAA)

56. Sun Belt champ (Georgia State)

57. Vermont (America East)

58. Montana (Big Sky)

59. Northern Kentucky (Horizon)

60. Colgate (Patriot)

61. Bradley (MVC)

62. Gardner-Webb (Big South)

63. Iona (MAAC)

64. Prairie View (SWAC)

65. Abilene Christian (Southland)

66. Fairleigh Dickinson (NEC)

67. North Dakota State (Summit)

68. UNC Central (MEAC)

 

Other auto bids not placed:

Wofford ( SoCon )

Saint Mary's (WCC )

Murray St. (OVC)

Utah St. (MWC)

Buffalo (MAC)

New Mexico St. (WAC)

Oregon (Pac-12)

Houston (AAC)

Iowa St. (Big 12)

 

Remaining at-large pool:

Texas Tech

Virginia Tech

Purdue

LSU

Wisconsin

Auburn

Nevada

Florida St.

Kansas

Mississippi St.

Louisville

Kansas St.

Maryland

Cincinnati

UCF

Marquette

VCU

NC State

Florida

Ole Miss

Clemson

Baylor

Texas

Oklahoma

Washington

Furman

Iowa

Syracuse

Belmont

TCU

Lipscomb

Temple

Indiana

Memphis

Creighton

Ohio St.

Minnesota

UNC Greensboro

Alabama

Seton Hall

St. John's (NY)

Arizona St.

Colorado

Xavier

Georgetown

[bukie]

Next 12:

 

- Houston - AAC final, 2 losses all year, both Q1, home win over LSU

- Texas Tech - Big 12 co champ, non-con neutral victories over Nebraska, Memphis and USC, home win over Arkansas, lot of good conference wins, awful loss to WVU

- Virginia Tech - No bad losses, non-con neutral wins vs Purdue and Washington, win vs Duke, 4-8 vs Q1

- Purdue - B1G co champ, rough non-con, bad loss to ND, best non-con win was Belmont, 7-7 vs Q1 though

- Wofford - SoCon champ and auto bid, no losses outside the top 40, potentially no wins vs tournament teams, no close losses to top 40.

- LSU - SEC co champ, non-con wins vs St. Mary's, Furman, Memphis, UNC Greensboro, no bad losses, 9-3 vs Q1

- Florida State - Non-con wins vs Purdue, LSU, Florida, UConn, bad loss at BC, 8-5 vs Q1

- Buffalo - MAC champ and auto bid, non-con win at Syracuse, at St. Bonnies, and vs San Francisco, bad loss at NIU, 2-1 vs Q1, 5-1 vs Q2

- Wisconsin - non-con wins vs NC State, at Xavier, vs Oklahoma, worst loss at W Kentucky, 10-8 vs Q1

- Auburn - non-con wins vs Washington, Xavier, Murray State and Dayton. No bad losses, but just 4-7 vs Q1

- Kansas - Non-con wins vs Michigan State, Tennessee, Villanova, Marquette, New Mexico State, Vermont. 11-8 vs Q1, worst loss at WVU.

- Mississippi State - Non-con wins vs Wofford, Cincinnati, St. Mary's, Clemson, Dayton. 8-7 vs Q1, 4-3 vs Q2.

 

My 9-16:

9. Houston

10. LSU

11. Kansas

12. Texas Tech

13. Purdue

14. Florida State

15. Wisconsin

16. Auburn

[bukie]

Next 12:

 

- Virginia Tech - No bad losses, non-con neutral wins vs Purdue and Washington, win vs Duke, 4-8 vs Q1

- Wofford (SoCon) - SoCon champ and auto bid, no losses outside the top 40, potentially no wins vs tournament teams, no close losses to top 40. 3-4 vs Q1, 7-0 vs Q2

- Buffalo (MAC) - MAC champ and auto bid, non-con win at Syracuse, at St. Bonnies, and vs San Francisco, bad loss at NIU, 2-1 vs Q1, 5-1 vs Q2

- Mississippi State - Non-con wins vs Wofford, Cincinnati, St. Mary's, Clemson, Dayton. 8-7 vs Q1, 4-3 vs Q2.

- Louisville - Non-con wins vs Michigan State, Seton Hall, Lipscomb, Vermont, 4-11 vs Q1, worst loss at BC

- Iowa State (Big 12) - Big 12 Auto bid, non-con win vs Ole Miss, 8-7 vs Q1, 3-4 vs Q2

- Nevada - MWC champ, best non-con win is Arizona State, 1-2 vs Utah State, 1-1 vs Q1, 7-1 vs Q2, bad losses at New Mexico and vs SDSU this week.

- Kansas State - Big 12 co champ, 7-5 vs Q1, 7-3 vs Q2, best non-con win is Missouri, 1-2 vs Iowa State

- Cincinnati - In AAC final, non-con wins vs Ole Miss and Xavier, swept by Houston, 4-4 vs Q1, bad loss at East Carolina, 8-1 vs Q2

- Villanova (Big East) - Big East co-champ and auto bid, non-con win vs Florida State, 5-6 vs Q1, 13-3 vs Q2

- Maryland - 6-8 vs Q1, 6-1 vs Q2, no notable non-con wins, best probably Hofstra, bad loss vs Illinois

- Marquette - Non-con wins vs Buffalo, Wisconsin, Louisville, Kansas State, 10-5 vs Q1, 6-3 vs Q2, bad loss home to Georgetown

 

My 17-24:

17. Virginia Tech

18. Buffalo

19. Villanova

20. Marquette

21. Iowa State

22. Mississippi State

23. Louisville

24. Wofford

[bukie]

Oregon wins the Pac-12, and slots in for me at #49, just ahead of Liberty.

[bukie]

I've got to speed this up. Here's the rest of my S-Curve:

 

25. Kansas State

26. Maryland

27. Cincinnati

28, Nevada

29. Iowa

30. VCU

31. UCF

32. Florida

33. Minnesota

34. Baylor

35. Washington

36. Seton Hall

37. Ohio State

38. NC State

39. Oklahoma

40. TCU

41. Syracuse

42. Belmont

43. Lipscomb

44. Temple

45. Indiana

46. St. Mary's (WCC)

47. Murray State (OVC)

48. New Mexico State (WAC)

[bukie]

So, S-Curve in full:

 

1. Duke (ACC)

2. Gonzaga

3. Virginia

4. UNC

5. Michigan State (B1G)

6. Michigan

7. Tennessee (SEC)

8. Kentucky

9. Houston

10. LSU

11. Kansas

12. Texas Tech

13. Purdue

14. Florida State

15. Wisconsin

16. Auburn

17. Virginia Tech

18. Buffalo

19. Villanova

20. Marquette

21. Iowa State

22. Mississippi State

23. Louisville

24. Wofford

25. Kansas State

26. Maryland

27. Cincinnati

28, Nevada

29. Iowa

30. VCU

31. UCF

32. Florida

33. Minnesota

34. Baylor

35. Washington

36. Seton Hall

37. Ohio State

38. NC State

39. Oklahoma

40. TCU

41. Syracuse

42. Belmont

43. Lipscomb

44. Temple

45. Indiana

46. St. Mary's (WCC)

47. Murray State (OVC)

48. New Mexico State (WAC)

49. Oregon (Pac 12)

50. Liberty (ASun)

51. Big West champ (UC Irvine)

52. Old Dominion (CUSA)

53. A-10 winner (Saint Louis?)

54. Ivy winner (Yale)

55. Northeastern (CAA)

56. Sun Belt champ (Georgia State)

57. Vermont (America East)

58. Montana (Big Sky)

59. Northern Kentucky (Horizon)

60. Colgate (Patriot)

61. Bradley (MVC)

62. Gardner-Webb (Big South)

63. Iona (MAAC)

64. Prairie View (SWAC)

65. Abilene Christian (Southland)

66. Fairleigh Dickinson (NEC)

67. North Dakota State (Summit)

68. UNC Central (MEAC)

 

I'll put it into a bracket tomorrow when possible.

[WrigleyField 22]

VCU falls in A10 quarters, so A10 bid likely steals an at large.

 

Dayton or Davidson most likely teams to take advantage

Go Billikens!

 

Its only every few years I have a real shot at a rooting interest at March Madness.

[itisallpartoftheplan]

If Michigan wins today Iowa will have taken down 3 major conference tournament champs. If you’re looking for a final #1 seed it might be them.

[bukie]

Yale wins the Ivy as expected.

St. Louis wins the A10 as expected.

Auburn beats Tennessee to win the SEC, which boosts them a couple spots

In the Sun Belt, Georgia State is up about 10 with 15 to go.

AAC just starting

Big Ten starting soon, I'd say the winner of that game gets #4, loser gets #6 with UNC between them.

[bukie]

Assuming Georgia State and MSU win this afternoon, here is my bracket:

 

Opening round - Dayton

- March 19

65. Abilene Christian (Southland)

66. Fairleigh Dickinson (NEC)

 

42. Belmont

43. Lipscomb

 

- March 20

67. North Dakota State (Summit)

68. UNC Central (MEAC)

 

44. Temple

45. Indiana

 

East Regional - Washington DC

- Columbia, SC (Mar 22/24)

1 (1). Duke (ACC)

16 (67/68). North Dakota State (Summit)/UNC Central (MEAC) (Dayton 2)

 

8 (32). Florida

9 (33). Minnesota

 

- San Jose, CA (Mar 22/24)

4 (16). Wisconsin

13 (51). UC Irvine (Big West)

 

5 (18). Buffalo

12 (49). Oregon (Pac 12)

 

- Des Moines, IA (Mar 21/23)

2 (8). Kentucky

15 (59). Northern Kentucky (Horizon)

 

7 (25). Kansas State

10 (38). NC State

 

- Tulsa, OK (Mar 22/24)

3 (9). Houston

14 (57). Vermont (America East)

 

6 (24). Wofford

11 (41). Syracuse

 

West Regional - Anaheim, CA

- Salt Lake City, UT (Mar 21/23)

1 (2). Gonzaga

16 (65/66) Abilene Christian (Southland)/Fairleigh Dickinson (NEC) (Dayton 1)

 

8 (29). Iowa

9 (34). Baylor

 

- San Jose, CA (Mar 22/24)

4 (15). Florida State

13 (53). St. Louis (A-10)

 

5 (19). Villanova

12 (48). New Mexico State (WAC)

 

- Jacksonville, FL (Mar 21/23)

2 (7). Tennessee

15 (60). Colgate (Patriot)

 

7 (26). Maryland

10 (40). TCU

 

- Des Moines, IA (Mar 21/23)

3 (11). Kansas

14 (55). Northeastern (CAA)

 

6 (23). Louisville

11 (42/43). Belmont/Lipscomb (Dayton 1)

 

South Regional - Louisville, KY

- Columbia, SC (Mar 22/24)

1 (3). Virginia

16 (64). Prairie View (SWAC)

 

8 (31). UCF

9 (35). Washington

 

- Hartford, CT (Mar 21/23)

4 (13). Purdue

13 (52). Old Dominion (CUSA)

 

5 (20). Marquette

12 (50). Liberty (ASun)

 

- Columbus, OH (Mar 22/24)

2 (6). Michigan

15 (61). Bradley (MVC)

 

7 (27). Cincinnati

10 (39). Oklahoma

 

- Tulsa, OK (Mar 22/24)

3 (10). LSU

14 (56). Sun Belt champ (Georgia State)

 

6 (21). Iowa State

11(44/45). Temple/Indiana (Dayton 2)

 

Midwest Regional - Kansas City, MO

- Columbus, OH (Mar 22/24)

1 (4). Michigan State (B1G)

16 (63). Iona (MAAC)

 

8 (30). VCU

9 (36). Seton Hall

 

- Hartford, CT (Mar 21/23)

4 (14). Auburn

13 (54). Yale (Ivy)

 

5 (17). Virginia Tech

12 (47). Murray State (OVC)

 

- Jacksonville, FL (Mar 21/23)

2 (5). North Carolina

15 (62). Gardner-Webb (Big South)

 

7 (28), Nevada

10 (37). Ohio State

 

- Salt Lake City, UT (Mar 21/23)

3 (12). Texas Tech

14 (58). Montana (Big Sky)

 

6 (22). Mississippi State

11 (46). St. Mary's (WCC)

[WrigleyField 22]

VCU falls in A10 quarters, so A10 bid likely steals an at large.

 

Dayton or Davidson most likely teams to take advantage

Go Billikens!

 

Its only every few years I have a real shot at a rooting interest at March Madness.

Hell yea. What an awesome comeback. Started 0-10 I think from the field.

[Derwood]

Can someone who knows more than me (i.e. anyone) explain why Ohio State is even sniffing this tournament? 19-14 overall, 8-12 in conference, 1-8 vs. AP top 25, 1-9 vs. USA Today top 25. They are 3-7 in their last 10. They've been the definition of "meh" all year

[bukie]

Can someone who knows more than me (i.e. anyone) explain why Ohio State is even sniffing this tournament? 19-14 overall, 8-12 in conference, 1-8 vs. AP top 25, 1-9 vs. USA Today top 25. They are 3-7 in their last 10. They've been the definition of "meh" all year

Polls are meaningless, they are 4-10 in Q1, they won at Cincinnati and Creighton (another bubble team), the last 10 doesn't mean anything, and the B1G is good enough that everyone had 12+ Q1 games. Only one bad loss (Illinois).