UPDATE: Our guest writer just pointed out that the Miami Herald reported the following:
The ACC says it likely will take the Big East’s 7 p.m. slot on ESPN’s Big Monday next season. The new Big East – including seven Big East defectors, Xavier, Creighton and Butler – is shifting to the new Fox Sports 1, a 24-hour-network that debuts in August, replacing Speed.
Who is in the running for the prize? With a long way to go (the rationalization of a team at the bottom), here is the top 25:
| 1 | 28 | – | – | – | – | Kansas | 12 | 40 | |
| 2 | 26 | – | – | – | – | Duke | 12 | 38 | |
| 2 | 26 | – | – | – | – | Louisville | 12 | 38 | |
| 4 | 28 | – | – | – | – | Louisville | 8 | 36 | |
| 5 | 24 | – | – | – | – | Louisville | 8 | 32 | |
| 5 | 24 | – | – | – | – | Syracuse | 8 | 32 | |
| 7 | 22 | – | – | – | – | Miami (FL) | 8 | 30 | |
| 7 | 22 | – | – | – | – | Kansas | 8 | 30 | |
| 9 | 24 | – | – | – | – | Louisville | 4 | 28 | |
| 9 | 24 | – | – | – | – | Louisville | 4 | 28 | |
| 9 | 24 | – | – | – | – | Georgetown | 4 | 28 | |
| 9 | 24 | – | – | – | – | Syracuse | 4 | 28 | |
| 9 | 24 | – | – | – | – | Louisville | 4 | 28 | |
| 14 | 22 | – | – | – | – | Syracuse | 4 | 26 | |
| 14 | 22 | – | – | – | – | Syracuse | 4 | 26 | |
| 16 | 20 | – | – | – | – | Gonzaga | 4 | 24 | |
| 17 | 22 | – | – | – | – | Louisville | 0 | 22 | |
| 17 | 18 | – | – | – | – | Indiana | 4 | 22 | |
| 17 | 22 | – | – | – | – | Louisville | 0 | 22 | |
| 17 | 22 | – | – | – | – | Louisville | 0 | 22 | |
| 17 | 22 | – | – | – | – | Louisville | 0 | 22 | |
| 22 | 20 | – | – | – | – | Ohio St. | 0 | 20 | |
| 22 | 16 | – | – | – | – | Saint Louis | 4 | 20 | |
| 22 | 20 | – | – | – | – | Indiana | 0 | 20 | |
| 25 | 18 | – | – | – | – | Miami (FL) | 0 | 18 | |
Once upon a time, Pitt’s football team was the sole source of disappointment. Year after year, the decent recruits at Pitt have failed to live up to the hype. They have more trips to Birmingham than the BCS. But now the basketball team is joining the football team in mediocrity. This year, Pitt was insulted (by some) to have received “only” an 8-seed, and then went out and lost by 18 to the 9th-seeded Wichita St. Shockers.
All you need to do is go here to read the comments from the Pitt fans. They seem to be losing some faith in Jamie Dixon. Of course, they should also recognize that Syracuse fans had lost faith in Jim Boeheim after 10 seasons too. And even in the 1990s, Syracuse fans questioned whether Boeheim could win a national title. For Dixon, he needs to just get the Panthers to a Final Four first.
But the 2012-2013 season was not about that. From a Big Dance standpoint, losing to Wichita State is not the end of the world. It is highly disappointing, however, to lose by 18. So it is understandable if Panthers fans are frustrated. Dixon is getting the recruits… like the football team, those recruits need to start meeting their potential.
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Again, we will be holding a contest for friends of the Confidential. That means YOU, plus anyone else that you want to invite. The prize will be $25 via PayPal. If interested, we will be using Yahoo:
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The Confidential thinks that one particular NCAA Tournament change is in order. This one is going to be controversial, but the Confidential believes that the reigning national champion should get an automatic invite to the Big Dance, so long as they meet the minimum criteria of, say, 18 wins.
This year, Kentucky went 21-11 overall and 12-6 in conference, albeit in the admittedly weak SEC. For that, they were rewarded with a trip to the NIT. Really? Would it have been THAT awful to slap an 11 seed on the Wildcats? Give someone a chance to upset the reigning champion? This is a no-brainer to the Confidential. With 68 teams, many of whom are mediocre and/or only there based on “automatic” bids, there is plenty of room for one more automatic bid. The Earth will stay on its axis–just be a bit more fun. Let’s see someone dethrone the prior champ, regardless of how easy or hard it is to do.
The cons are obvious, but not without flaws.
Con #1. Only the best 68 teams should be in the tournament.
Bull. Crap. Bullcrap. Liberty is 15-20 and validly in the tournament. And that rule should not change either. If nobody from Liberty’s conference (probably should have looked that up) can beat Liberty in its tournament, nobody else deserves the spot. Might as well be Liberty. It’s what makes March madness an event. But if Liberty is OK, then why not Kentucky? Who is more likely to make a run? Let’s not pretend that this is exclusively about only the top teams participating.
Con #2. OK, if you don’t win your tournament, then you must be one of the best at-large teams.
Now we are really splitting hairs here aren’t we? To include Kentucky would be to exclude Boise State. Is everyone 100% sure that Kentucky is worse than Boise State. This is like deciding between two 6-6 football teams. Let’s give the nod to the team that will juice up the tournament the most. Moreover, while we all love the underdog story (at least until it reached the point where you feel weird picking Butler to lose and/or a 5 seed to win), we love watching the elite teams lose even more. Admit it… which interests you more… Lehigh winning or Duke losing? Most people would take the latter. It’s as much about schadenfreude as it is rooting for the underdog. C’mon, let’s see a Kentucky cheerleader cry!
Con #3. Why are we screwing over the midmajors?
Who is screwing over a midmajor? Virginia and Maryland were among the teams left out of the Big Dance. The NIT is full of major conference schools. More likely than not, allowing a national champion to enter the bracket would exclude a team that was around .500 in a major conference. This is essentially trading a .500 team that is interesting for a .500 team that is not. Let someone enjoy beating Kentucky rather than sigh after beating some other middle of the pack big conference mediocrity.
Con #4. You just like Kentucky, don’t you?
Heck no. The opposite. You cannot let hate cloud your judgment. This is about seeing Kentucky be both part of the Big Dance and losing. Let’s see who gets to take down the former Goliath. That is a lot more exciting than some other 12 seed. And it gives the tournament just that much more excitement.
Con #5. This Kentucky team looks nothing like last year’s team, so why bother?
Well, we are all just rooting for jerseys anyway. Does it matter than 5 guys left and were replaced with 5 new guys? In theory. But it is still Kentucky’s championship to lose until someone beats them. At least it could be. That would be neat.
Con #6. Who cares, how often could this possibly happen?
According to this article, only 5 times in the past 25 or so years. But three of those have been since 2008. This is a new trend. It will likely happen more and more as the NBA continues to draft kids with potential instead of men with a flaw here or there. And if it truly is are, what is the problem? If anything, rarity is a benefit to the change. After all, it would not be that much of a burden to make the switch.
Con #7. Did you see that Kentucky just lost to Robert Morris? There goes that theory.
Hardly. The fun is (a) having Kentucky rally around its championship and play better than they have all season; and (b) giving some other team the thrill of eliminating them. Every year, we see good teams “give up” at NIT time. It is perplexing, but the disappointment of not being in the Big Dance can lead to some surprises. So it does not matter than Kentucky lost. Except that those kids lost out on a chance to play more and develop character. Of course, it also shows how hard it is to play a true road game. For those who defend neutral site games, there is nothing like playing in a small, packed gym. Teams better than Kentucky might have wilted under that pressure.
Finally, this is NOT about this Kentucky team, but about the principle. Let the champion have an automatic bid.
What say you? Is there a better reason to include the prior year’s champ? Disagree vehemently? Let us know…
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The Confidential.
Again, we will be holding a contest for friends of the Confidential. That means YOU, plus anyone else that you want to invite. The prize will be $25 via PayPal. If interested, we will be using Yahoo:
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The Confidential.
While the Confidential continues to invite fans and friends to join its bracket contest, what about the ACC teams themselves? Well, numerous ACC teams are still dancing.
From a mini-dance standpoint, Virginia and Maryland did not make it to the NCAA tournament, but both were eagerly invited to the N.I.T. Last year’s ACC champion, Florida State, stumbled this year. But they still landed a #4 seed in the NIT and will host Louisiana Tech tonight. Maryland was given a #2 seed and hosts Niagara tonight. Virginia earned a #1 seed and will be hosting Norfolk State tonight. You may recall Norfolk State as a mainstay on the Rutgers’ football schedule.
But everyone is interested in the Big Dance. How about Louisville? Set to join in 2014, everyone knows by now that the Cardinals are the #1 overall seed. Many prognosticators are prognosticating that Louisville will win it all. Giant leap of faith there. But it is hard to disagree with that pick. Syracuse, Pitt, and Notre Dame will be playing ACC games in the fall. But all three are dancing, receiving #4, #8, and #7 seeds, respectively. Pitt may have been screwed with its seed, but it can beat Gonzaga. Will they? We’ll see. Syracuse also got sent to San Jose to play West Coast teams. But they are all dancing.
The ACC is further represented by Tobacco Road, which placed Duke, North Carolina, and North Carolina State as #2, #8, and #8 seeds. Those seeds seem fair. Miami finishes out the ACC teams with a #2 seed in the East. While a #2 seed is argued by some as unfair or disrespectful, it seems within the realm of appropriate. Remember, the Committee can adjust seeds by one or two places to keep the conferences sorted out and prevent rematches.
In any event, there are eleven ACC teams left standing. This time of year, rivalries are set aside and we can all root for our conference mates…at least until they face each other. So good luck to all ACC teams… may your March Madness continue as long as possible…
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The Confidential 