Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel: Ohio State got the worst NCAA draw

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BigAppleBuckeye

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Mar 16, 2010 12:30 PM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/stewart_mandel/03/14/breaking.bracket/index.html?eref=sihp

"Worst draw: Ohio State. Whichever team wins the game opposite theirs, Oklahoma State or Georgia Tech, won't be an easy out, but that will be heaven compared to their next two possible opponents: Georgetown and Kansas."

I would have to agree with that ...
Mar 16, 2010 12:30pm
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Prescott

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Mar 16, 2010 12:39 PM
Winning the Big 10 tournament did nothing for OSU. I wonder Thad Matta thanked Gene Smith.
Mar 16, 2010 12:39pm
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purple_rein

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Mar 16, 2010 12:44 PM
I thought Cuse should have been a 1.

OSU should have been the 6th ranked team behind Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Duke in that order.

With the s-curve, that should have put us in Syracuse's region.
Mar 16, 2010 12:44pm
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Prescott

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Mar 16, 2010 12:47 PM
.Cuse shouldnt be a #1.
Why is that?? Their resume looks to me like it is #1 worthy. Yea, the lost to Louisville in the last game being played at Freedom Hall. I think they get a pass for that. Yea, they lost to Georgetown in the BE tournament. Guess what, Georgetown is pretty good and Syracuse beat them twice. Syracuse's only loss that could be considered BAD is the loss at home to Louisville and I'm not sure that is a bad loss.
Mar 16, 2010 12:47pm
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charliehustle14

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Mar 16, 2010 12:50 PM
Such a terrible draw for OSU, and Kansas too.

Congratulations, for being the best team in the nation, we'll throw you in a bracket with the likes of OSU, Georgetown, Maryland, Michigan State, Tennessee, and James Anderson.
Mar 16, 2010 12:50pm
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cview

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Mar 16, 2010 12:51 PM
purple_rein wrote: I thought Cuse should have been a 1.

OSU should have been the 6th ranked team behind Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Duke in that order.

With the s-curve, that should have put us in Syracuse's region.
Yes, Cuse should have been a one.

They only rank the top 4.

There is no S curve.
Mar 16, 2010 12:51pm
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se-alum

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Mar 16, 2010 1:02 PM
Correct, there is no s-curve, because that would just be too tough for the committee. Basically, all they have to do is seed the teams, then throw them in a bracket close to home with no regards as to whether it's fair or not.


:huh:
Mar 16, 2010 1:02pm
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ohiobucks1

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Mar 16, 2010 1:05 PM
Whats the point of even seeding the 4, 1 seeds if there is no S curve?
Mar 16, 2010 1:05pm
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karen lotz

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Mar 16, 2010 1:06 PM
cview wrote:
purple_rein wrote: I thought Cuse should have been a 1.

OSU should have been the 6th ranked team behind Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Duke in that order.

With the s-curve, that should have put us in Syracuse's region.
Yes, Cuse should have been a one.

They only rank the top 4.

There is no S curve.
Not true about the S curve. The committee chairman said on Mike and Mike yesterday that they do rank all lines and try to follow that as much as possible but they also have other factors to consider. The biggest factor he talked about was having teams playing close to home.
Mar 16, 2010 1:06pm
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killer_ewok

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Mar 16, 2010 1:14 PM
ccrunner609 wrote: Like I said and some of you arent agreeing.......Cuse shouldnt be a #1.
Actually it's more like most (if not all) of us aren't agreeing with you.
Mar 16, 2010 1:14pm
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cview

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Mar 16, 2010 1:49 PM
karen lotz wrote:
cview wrote:
purple_rein wrote: I thought Cuse should have been a 1.

OSU should have been the 6th ranked team behind Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Duke in that order.

With the s-curve, that should have put us in Syracuse's region.
Yes, Cuse should have been a one.

They only rank the top 4.

There is no S curve.
Not true about the S curve. The committee chairman said on Mike and Mike yesterday that they do rank all lines and try to follow that as much as possible but they also have other factors to consider. The biggest factor he talked about was having teams playing close to home.
The other factor they consider is $$$, which (as sad as it may be) trumps every other factor there might be. Higher seeds = bigger schools with generally a bigger fanbase = bigger fanbase traveling to a venue close to home = more $$$. Obviously, distance correlates negatively with the # of fans a school brings.

They said that the order went Kansas --> Kentucky --> Duke --> Syracuse. They also stated they seriously considered WVU as a one. Which, if they followed the S curve, would have placed WVU with Syracuse. They also stated that the Onuaku injury caused Syracuse to slide a little; if they are paying attention to injuries as they made clear, then Ohio State would have received somewhat of a pass for the losses suffered without Evan Turner. They would have been the 6th overall and sent to Duke's region.

Maybe they put the teams in some form of S curve once they get past the very high seeds.
Mar 16, 2010 1:49pm
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karen lotz

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Mar 16, 2010 2:09 PM
did you listen to the chairman of the selection committee? He said Syracuse went west in large part because syracuse is a host site for games and can't play there. WVU stayed east because of the procedures that are set to try to split up conference teams. Higher seeds are given as much consideration as possible as far as where they play, which is why WVU is in the east.


Golic asked "So after the 1s, there is no 5, 6, 7, 8..." Chairman replied "Oh yeah, we do. The first consideration is to assign regionally to the extent possible."
Mar 16, 2010 2:09pm
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Mulva

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Mar 16, 2010 2:24 PM
ohiobucks1 wrote: Whats the point of even seeding the 4, 1 seeds if there is no S curve?
My thoughts as well.
Mar 16, 2010 2:24pm
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karen lotz

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Mar 16, 2010 2:25 PM
Mulva wrote:
ohiobucks1 wrote: Whats the point of even seeding the 4, 1 seeds if there is no S curve?
My thoughts as well.
There is an S curve. There are other factors taken into consideration when slotting teams.
Mar 16, 2010 2:25pm
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Prescott

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Mar 16, 2010 2:26 PM
WVU stayed east because of the procedures that are set to try to split up conference teams.
Why didn't they flip flo[ WVU and Villanova? If WVU was considered for the #1 seed, why place them with the 2nd #1 ?
Mar 16, 2010 2:26pm
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karen lotz

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Mar 16, 2010 2:33 PM
Prescott wrote:
WVU stayed east because of the procedures that are set to try to split up conference teams.
Why didn't they flip flo[ WVU and Villanova? If WVU was considered for the #1 seed, why place them with the 2nd #1 ?
They are in the east regional so they can play closer to home. Listen to the Mike and Mike interview in the link a few posts up in this thread.
Mar 16, 2010 2:33pm
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hoops23

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Mar 16, 2010 2:34 PM
Because the committee are basically a bunch of idiots.

I agree with Bob Knight that there needs to be more "basketball" people making decisions...
Mar 16, 2010 2:34pm
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Prescott

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Mar 16, 2010 2:35 PM
They are in the east regional so they can play closer to home.
I know the rationale. I also Matta disagrees with that rationale and Huggins ins't happy either.

It sounds good, but it doesn't hold much water, IMO.
Mar 16, 2010 2:35pm
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karen lotz

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Mar 16, 2010 2:41 PM
I'm not saying I agree either, just saying that is what the Chairman said...
Mar 16, 2010 2:41pm
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ytownfootball

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Mar 16, 2010 2:51 PM
LTrain23 wrote: Because the committee are basically a bunch of idiots.

I agree with Bob Knight that there needs to be more "basketball" people making decisions...
This is how I feel also, but it won't happen. They don't want the general population to know how much they coddle teams based on ratings (read Duke) rather than having earned where they are placed. They can't control the "Bobby Knights" of the world and they won't take the risk.
Mar 16, 2010 2:51pm
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thedynasty1998

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Mar 16, 2010 3:05 PM
Bob Knight is a moron. Yea, let's get Dean Smith in there, like that's what he wants to do.

I think OSU got screwed a little bit, but guess what, it's a tournament. The last team standing plays for the National Championship. You have to beat good teams. All the complaining is really getting old. I guess it's just something to talk about though.
Mar 16, 2010 3:05pm
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Prescott

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Mar 16, 2010 3:16 PM
Bob Knight is a moron.
Dean Smith might be a reach, but it wouldn't hurt to have some basketball people in the room as consultants. Seeding is almost as important as getting invited and everything should be done to make the brackets as fair and balanced as possible.
Mar 16, 2010 3:16pm
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thedynasty1998

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Mar 16, 2010 3:19 PM
No matter how much anyone thinks the seedings are fair, there will be someone that has a problem with it.

They picked the best 64 this year and usually do a good job. If you are the 65th best team and want to cry, then win some games.

If you are a #1 and feel slighted, too bad, your goal is the National Championship so you will have to beat someone good along the way anyways.


And as much as everyone hates the logic behind the locations and matchups due to the potential for revenue, face reality. It's what the NCAA and CBS wants. It's the guiding factor in most decisions in this country.
Mar 16, 2010 3:19pm
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Prescott

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Mar 16, 2010 3:21 PM
It's what the NCAA and CBS wants. It's the guiding factor in most decisions in this country.
I can't argue with that!!!
Mar 16, 2010 3:21pm