Q: Besides Cincinnati, who else got hosed?

A: Some people think that Missouri State should have made the field, but I find it hard to justify accepting five teams from the Missouri Valley. No matter how competitive the league looks, it is still second-rate compared to the BCS conferences and is lucky to have four bids.

I don’t understand how George Mason was taken ahead of Hofstra. In typical selection committee fashion, they took the Patriots over a team that swept them and finished with a better overall record.

A few schools have the right to gripe about their seed. George Washington is in the 8-9 game after an undefeated A-10 regular season. UNC was seeded higher than BC, even though BC won two out of three against the ‘Heels. And Pitt probably deserved better than a number 5 seed.

Q: A lot of ‘mid-majors’ and even a few ‘low-majors’ grabbed at-large bids this season. Is the selection committee biased?

A: The number of at-large bids given to the little guys was in line with what has happened the last few years. Remember, Conference USA went from being a have to a have-not, and that opened up a few bids for both BCS schools and mid-majors.

The selection committee does seem to have significant pro-ACC and anti-Big East slants, though. UNC got their aforementioned three seed, and BC got the same seed this season (#4) following an o.k. ACC season as they did after finishing second in the Big East last season. Aside from the two number one seeds given to UConn and Villanova, the Big East’s highest seed is number five (Syracuse and Pitt). Georgetown’s #7 and WVU’s #6 each look a spot too low, and we already mentioned the snub of Cincinnati.

Q: Anti-Big East? The conference got eight bids!

A: In past years, the smaller Big East routinely grabbed six bids. When you consider that the conference added three legitimate tourney contenders from C-USA in Louisville, Marquette, and Cincinnati, nine bids should not have been out of the question.

Q: Who got the biggest gift in terms of seeding?

A: We have a tie, between Tennessee’s #2 and Air Force. The Vols lost four of their last six games, and hardly deserve their high seed. Air Force should be in the NIT.

Q: Does anyone know what it takes to get a good seed?

A: I don’t know if there is a specific formula. For some teams, it means a good conference season. For others, it means playing tough teams during the non-conference schedule (If non-conference is so important, why devote two months to conference play?). Some people claim that playing well down the stretch is important, but, at least this season, that meant a lot more for Syracuse than Tennessee.

In fact, the secrets of the selection committee are stored in an underground vault, and are guarded 24-7 by Navy SEALS. The vault is opened every year on selection Sunday, but spends the rest of the season locked. CBS insists on such secrecy as a way to boost ratings.

Q: Does all of this attention on the bubble and who’s in/who’s out matter?

A: In a word, no. The last few at-large teams and the at-large teams from conferences like the MVC are great stories if they win their first-round games, but these teams have virtually no chance of making it to the Final Four.

Q: Which #1 seed has the easiest road to the Final Four? The toughest?

A: The D.C. bracket is begging a big, strong team like UConn to plow through it on the way to the Final Four. Connecticut will play the winner of Kentucky/UAB in second round; Kentucky has been inconsistent all season, and I don’t expect that UAB can upset another #1 seed this season. After that, if the bracket more or less holds up, the Huskies will face either Illinois or Washington in the Sweet 16, and neither of these teams can match Connecticut physically. The Elite 8 opponent will probably be Tennessee, UNC, or Michigan State, and UConn should be well prepared to down any of these teams.

Memphis might have the hardest row to how. The will probably face either Kansas or Pitt in the Sweet 16, and UCLA will probably be waiting if the Tigers manage to win. That’s too much defense for a John Calipari team to play through.

Q: Who will win?

A: Someone from the ACC, Big East, or Big Ten. You have to go back to 1998 and Kentucky to find the last time a team from another conference won the title. Don’t bet on the Big 12 – the last time a team from this conference won it all, it was still the Big 8 and Danny Manning was playing.

My money is on Connecticut, but I also expected them to win the Big East tournament.

Q: Did the Big East bias play a role in keeping the Pitt women out of their tourney?

A: You have to leave. Now. The women’s NCAA tournament is ESPN’s way of making itself feel better for being shut out of the men’s tournament.

Happy bracketing!

----Dr. Burgher

Back to the Ex-'Burgher.