NCAA Tourney Thread (UPDATE: UK Opens Against Abilene Christian Thursday at 7:00)

[TrueblueCATfan]

Don’t know anything about Minn.

Coached by Ricky P Jr.....have watched them play a few times.....they aren't bad

[Dwight Schrute]

I don't like playing a team for a second time in a year, especially if it's in the Elite 8. UNC is a much different team than they were in December. That said, I won't complain about this one at all.

We don't have to play Duke until the Championship game, and that's the only team in the tournament I'm not sure about. I don't understand NCAA seeding though. Duke's losses without Zion clearly didn't count, but UNC's two wins over them did. Kentucky's loss without Reid Travis clearly hurt us, but not as much as a close loss in the Semifinals of the SEC tournament.

Okay.

[Dwight Schrute]

Also, if Kansas and UNC play in the Sweet 16, Kansas will likely have a pretty distinct home court advantage.

[Lighthouse]

It's clear there's no love lost between Cal and the NCAA, and they love ESPN, Duke, UNC and the whole ACC. What happens every year is unexplainable but is constant when it comes to UK. IF our kids use the loss to UT as motivation and play with focus and intensity, it won't matter what the NCAA's reasons were. GO CATS!!!

[40bill]

I think the oddest thing about this years seeding is one that many have mentioned....in years past the results of the SEC tournament have seemed viewed as irrelevant except in the case of a surprise winner.
THIS year it see.s it DOES count
Which is fine, if that's the way it remains. Just odd.

[Joneslab]

I think the oddest thing about this years seeding is one that many have mentioned....in years past the results of the SEC tournament have seemed viewed as irrelevant except in the case of a surprise winner.
THIS year it see.s it DOES count
Which is fine, if that's the way it remains. Just odd.

My theory on this is that the information about the championship game coming too late might actually have never been spoken by anyone on the committee.

There's an echo chamber rule in effect a lot of times with UK basketball. Somebody will say something as fact, then somebody else will repeat it, and so on. It could be that the game coming on Sunday was never spoken about as being a problem, but it had been repeated so many times on UK message boards that people assumed it had been.

It also could be that this particular committee simply used a different metric and decided to factor in that game. The committee's rules have always shifted from year to year, and as I said above many of those criteria are still very murky. So maybe this committee simply decided to use that game.

I tend to think the way the Auburn/UT game was played and how lopsided it was from pretty much the start gave the committee more ammunition than it otherwise would've had. If that game is close and Tennessee still loses it might not have mattered. That they got hammered wasn't a good look.

[Dwight Schrute]

It also could be that this particular committee simply used a different metric and decided to factor in that game. The committee's rules have always shifted from year to year, and as I said above many of those criteria are still very murky. So maybe this committee simply decided to use that game.

I tend to think the way the Auburn/UT game was played and how lopsided it was from pretty much the start gave the committee more ammunition than it otherwise would've had. If that game is close and Tennessee still loses it might not have mattered. That they got hammered wasn't a good look.

In other words, when you get reamed in a conference tournament championship game by a lower seeded team, it forces the committee's hand.

[JFCats22]

Posted this on another site and thought people here my have interest in seeing it.

Here is the breakdown, by region, from hardest to easiest based on the Massey Composite ranking system along with # of Quad 1 (top 30) teams.

South - avg. Massey rating of 46.38 (7 top 30 teams)
West - avg. Massey rating of 49.63 (7 top 30 teams)
Midwest - avg. Massey rating of 49.75 (8 top 30 teams)
East - avg. Massey rating of 53.19 (8 top 30 teams)

[lilproUK98]

My theory on this is that the information about the championship game coming too late might actually have never been spoken by anyone on the committee.

There's an echo chamber rule in effect a lot of times with UK basketball. Somebody will say something as fact, then somebody else will repeat it, and so on. It could be that the game coming on Sunday was never spoken about as being a problem, but it had been repeated so many times on UK message boards that people assumed it had been.

It also could be that this particular committee simply used a different metric and decided to factor in that game. The committee's rules have always shifted from year to year, and as I said above many of those criteria are still very murky. So maybe this committee simply decided to use that game.

I tend to think the way the Auburn/UT game was played and how lopsided it was from pretty much the start gave the committee more ammunition than it otherwise would've had. If that game is close and Tennessee still loses it might not have mattered. That they got hammered wasn't a good look.

I don't know why they don't just have the same committee every year. At least there would be more consistency in their terribleness lol

[Catsrock]

The entire reason for having multiple factors go onto the selection process is so that the committee can put every team where they want them and then point out what metrics put them there. In other words play favorites and then decide what was important this year. Some years it may be computer models--formerly RPI, now NET. Some years finishing strong can help, other years it's entire body of work, etc. Quad 1 wins was invented a couple years ago. The committee never lets it's formula known for a given year until they set the field.

I used to despise the preferential treatment of the Big East and now it's the ACC. All 3 of their #1 seeds are good teams but all also gave reasons they could be dropped lower. They want to ignore Duke's 3 late losses because they're the best team with Zion back--I'm OK with that. But how can you then bump UNC all the way to a 1 from about a 3 a few weeks ago when all they really did in that 3 weeks was beat Duke twice without Zion?

I don't ask them to punish Virginia for getting beat by a 16 seed last year but was that not evidence that this favoritism was not and is not truly deserved? The east coast is not the only place good basketball is allowed to be played and I don't like the path to the final 4 being easier for anyone because of conference affiliation.

[lilproUK98]

Mike's article is spot on. The geography factor is screwing everything up. Then, some teams get a low seed and don't get the benefit, and some get 7-10 seeds and are an HR or two away....lol it's ridiculous.

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/amp/ncaa-basketball/news/march-madness-2019-selection-committee-embarrassed-mishandling-michigan-state/gofkvbayix0t1h6eazzfv5mxf?__twitter_impression=true

[JFCats22]

Man oh man....

Matt Jones @KySportsRadio

Just spoke to @DavidWorlock with the NCAA who gave me a lot of interesting insight on the Bracket selection Most interesting fact...had Tennessee beaten Auburn, they would be #1 in West with Gonzaga...Mich St goes to DC and UK would have been in Lou with UVA Vol loss hurt Cats

[KCKUKFan]

Man oh man....

Matt Jones @KySportsRadio

Just spoke to @DavidWorlock with the NCAA who gave me a lot of interesting insight on the Bracket selection Most interesting fact...had Tennessee beaten Auburn, they would be #1 in West with Gonzaga...Mich St goes to DC and UK would have been in Lou with UVA Vol loss hurt Cats

This sucks, but I'm still pretty darned happy with the draw we got. If we can't beat Abilene > Wofford > Houston > UNC/Kansas/Auburn, we don't deserve to be in the final four anyway.

[JFCats22]

This sucks, but I'm still pretty darned happy with the draw we got. If we can't beat Abilene > Wofford > Houston > UNC/Kansas/Auburn, we don't deserve to be in the final four anyway.

Totally agree...I'm not unhappy with our draw (top half is tough - UNC should be pissed). I am just bummed because I had CRAZY good seats in the Yum Center if UK would have been there.

[Joneslab]

Really cool video of Abilene Christian finding out they were playing Kentucky.

https://www.nationofblue.com/abilene-christian-head-coach-ripped-suit-when-he-found-out-he-played-kentucky/