It’s time for the annual MFTM Seed Review, where I bitch about (and occasionally praise) the seeds handed out for the NCAA Tournament. Don’t like what I have to say? Bitch about it in the comments.
East Region
#1 North Carolina – Clearly the #1 overall seed, and deservingly so. Only arguments likely to come from some popped-collar douchebags in Durham.
#2 Tennessee – They were in play for a #1 seed before their SEC tournament loss to Arkansas, and now they’re the worst of the #2s? The #2 is fine, but they surely should rate above Duke and maybe Georgetown, no?
#3 Louisville – Looks like the Cardinals finishing four full games ahead of Pitt in the Big East justifies a higher seed than the Panthers, even with Pitt winning the BE tournament. 1st impression was that this is a bit high but it’s not terrible.
#4 Washington State – Bit of a soft schedule for a #4 seed, but I guess that’s what that Pac-10 affiliation does for you. Nothing much more to say about a blah team and a blah seed.
#5 Notre Dame – This is fine by me, since anything Notre Dame related can go fuck itself, and they’ll hopefully fall victim to the 5-12 Curse.
#6 Oklahoma – So a team can parlay a shitty OOC schedule and a mediocre Big 12 record into a #6 seed? And a team like our next subject is stuck at #7? The Oregon replay debacle was almost 2 years ago, guys. Let’s stop giving the Sooners these little handjobs to make up for it.
#7 Butler – Let’s see, 3 losses to teams a combined 70-26, including the 2nd and 3rd place Horizon teams at their gyms, and the Missouri Valley champ. A good OOC schedule, and a top 10 ranking, and that warrants a 7 seed? They could have been as high as a #4, but a #5 would have been more appropriate. Does anyone really think that Notre Dame or Oklahoma, for two examples, are better than Butler? No coincidence that Butler and Bullshit start the same way. Classic case of the team name trumping all.
#8 Indiana – Ordinarily, you’d bitch about this being low, but with Kelvin “Can You Hear Me Now” Sampson’s resignation, this program went in the shitter, going 2-3 since Dan Dakich took over, including losses to powerhouses Penn State and Minnesota. Still could have gotten that 6th seed Oklahoma got, but Indiana’s a no-hoper regardless.
#9 Arkansas – Take the general formula we applied to Oklahoma, and it’s basically the same here, except Arkansas has an appropriate seed for their resume. I mean seriously, what’s the difference between Oklahoma and Arkansas, the Oklahoma win over the Razorbacks notwithstanding?
#10 South Alabama – Great job by the committee here, not only getting USA into the field but also not screwing them with a shitty 12 seed or something. Only negative is the tendency to pair mid-majors in these games, almost like the sentiment is “yeah, you can get into the Dance, but you’re going to dance with another little brother”. Bah.
#11 Saint Joseph’s – Why is this team in here? They didn’t have a particularly great OOC run, they lost three straight home games at one point, and they seemingly rode one win into the Dance. At least we get to see who would win a matchup of overrateds with Oklahoma.
#12 George Mason – A #12 is fair, though they should have that #11 that Saint Joseph’s got somehow. Neither Notre Dame not Washington State is happy to see the Patriots here.
#13 Winthrop – Looks like they got a #13 based on past accomplishments, and maybe beating Miami. Not a recipe for good seeding. I’d rather have seen Cornell here.
#14 Boise State – Probably should have been a #13, though it couldn’t be in this region, as BSU already played WSU this season, but they could have fit them in somewhere else, right?
#15 American – Why they got a #15 over Portland State is beyond me. I guess beating Maryland went a long way, but Portland State was just stronger overall.
#16a Mount St. Mary’s – Exhibit A that the committee, and the NCAA in general, are comprised of fucking pussies. The two worst teams in the field are Mississippi Valley State and Coppin State, period. Why are they not playing against each other in this game? The fear of racism charges over having two schools from historically black leagues playing each other in the play-in game. Fuck you, NCAA. The two worst teams should play, period, regardless of they’re white, black, Hispanic, plaid, who gives a fuck? You pander to the Jesse Fuckheads and the Al Cockholes of the world when you pull shit like this. Grow a sack and do the right thing.
#16b Coppin State – Clearly the worst team in the field, and the obvious choice for this game.
Midwest Region
#1 Kansas – Three losses by 12 total points + good OOC schedule + avenging two of three losses = #1 seed. I mean, is there really an argument?
#2 Georgetown – Wisconsin probably deserved this spot, and while most think that they should have replaced Duke, it was close and Duke did crush the Badgers. Georgetown probably should have been the three here.
#3 Wisconsin – See Georgetown. Wisconsin won the regular season title AND took care of business in the Big Ten tournament. Their reward is a #3 seed behind four other teams that didn’t get it done? Sure, I can understand Texas and Tennessee, and perhaps Duke, but Georgetown stole that seed.
#4 Venderbilt – I always thought that teams that built big records at home while flailing about on the road weren’t thought of as highly. Guess not, for the Commodores posted a 19-0 record at Memorial Gym and a 7-7 mark on the road, and probably got a little SEC boost up to here. They probably stole the spot from…
#5 Clemson – Clemson should be that #4. They played well OOC against a good schedule, and took the best team to OT twice and to the brink in the ACC title game. What has Vanderbilt done that Clemson has not? Maybe it’s karma for Cunt Bowden’s decision to revoke Ray Ray McElrathbey’s scholarship, but that’s another story for another time.
#6 Southern California – I suppose playing three of the four #1 seeds tough counts for something, but the Trojans were 0-4 in those games, and they had a horrific loss (Mercer) and didn’t play a particularly strong OOC schedule. A #7 or #8 would have been more appropriate.
#7 Gonzaga – The Bulldogs played a tough OOC schedule, had some real quality wins, was never blown out, and seems to be punished for the upset loss to San Diego with a #7 seed. They’re better than that, and should be right squarely where USC is, no worse than a #6 seed.
#8 UNLV – The Runnin’ Rebs played a light OOC schedule and didn’t have a particularly deep conference this year, and they spring up as a #8? They definitely fit the profile as a #10 or a #11. By the way, anyone that argues that a team should be a #8 instead of a #9 or vice-versa is a shit-throwing idiot.
#9 Kent State – 28-6 is impressive, but playing a crap OOC schedule, getting hammered in your “step-up” game (29 point loss to UNC), and a middling conference do not make a #9 seed. They also should be looking at a #11 or so.
#10 Davidson – I’m torn here. On one hand, the Wildcats destroyed the SoCon, and played a tough OOC schedule and never got blown out. On the other hand, they never scored that signature win. I’d still rather have them above UNLV or Kent State though, and probably most of the #8 and #9 seeds. In other seasons, the #10 would probably be appropriate, Not this time.
#11 Kansas State – Losses to Nebraska, Texas Tech, and Missouri in the Big 12 seem to have hurt the Wildcats more than anything, as every OOC loss they incurred were to tournament teams, and they claimed the scalp of in-state rival and #1 seed Kansas. Move the ‘Cats up.
#12 Villanova – As I posted yesterday, “Did we need Villanova in the tournament that badly? Outside of Villanova students, alums, faculty, and some rich snobby cunts on the Main Line, who really wants to see them there?” Their OOC schedule sucked and they were mediocre in the Too-Big East. Why is Arizona State slumming in the NIT when these clowns are in?
#13 Siena – Beating Stanford must have gone a long, long way, as the Saints didn’t do much else of note and was good, but not great in a crap conference. Boise State should be sitting pretty here right now.
#14 Cal-State Fullerton – Nondescript OOC schedule and middling conference? The mark of a #14 seed.
#15 Maryland-Baltimore County – No real argument here. Probably cannon fodder.
#16 Portland State – They did enough, in my eyes, to warrant the #15 seed that American received.
South Region
#1 Memphis – Obvious #1 seed. The “oh, CUSA isn’t that good” whiners can shut their lips right now. Memphis met every challenge this season, save one, and losing to Tennessee is hardly a terrible thing. They may not get out of the region, but they earned the #1.
#2 Texas – No real argument about the #2 here, and although I personally think they’re better than Memphis and would beat them, their overall profile doesn’t match up to Memphis. A fair seed.
#3 Stanford – A good team that could have been a #2 some years, but hit a bit of a glass ceiling, and is probably the 2nd #3 seed in the pecking order behind Wisconsin. Still a good seed.
#4 Pittsburgh – They had some shit losses, but also some big wins, and winning the Big East tournament counts for something, right? The shit losses relegate them to a fair #4 seed.
#5 Michigan State – Sometimes you cringe when you see a team that lost a 43-36 abortion to to Iowa as a #5 seed, but they played really well at times and probably could justify this seeding.
#6 Marquette – A #6 here seems a bit high for my taste. Sure, they bat Wisconsin, but they otherwise didn’t distinguish themselves and were a middle-of-the-road Big East team. Probably closes to a #7 or #8.
#7 Miami – This is bullshit. Apparently the Canes read “Scheduling SEC Football OOC Games For Dummies” and applied it to their basketball team, and then went 8-8 in the ACC, and not only get in, but get a #7? Complete fucking bullshit. Seth Greenberg must have had a stroke when he saw Miami in and his Hokies out.
#8 Mississippi State – One of the least impressive 12-4 SEC campaigns ever. I’d take most of the #10 seeds over the Bulldogs, so a #10 would have been more appropriate.
#9 Oregon – Another team that should be preparing for an NIT appearance. Oregon went 18-13 overall, 9-9 in the Pac-10, and that somehow almost rates a top half seed? I mean, they seems like Georgia with a little bit better resume, and that justifies a #9 seed?
#10 St. Mary’s – The Gaels are worse than Oregon? Hello? I’d have had them around a #8 or so – guess the WCC doesn’t have the juice one would think it has.
#11 Kentucky – Horrific OOC season balanced by a strong SEC season gets the ‘Cats the #11 seed. It’s hard to think of a team that lost to Gardner-Webb, and big, as even a #11 seed, but then again it’s hard to think of a team that beat Tennessee as a #11 either.
#12 Temple – I really want to say they deserve better , but the #12 is fair. I do feel bad for the extra floor mopper that was laid off once John Chaney retired.
#13 Oral Roberts – I don’t get how Oral Roberts could suck out a #13 seed here. The committee blew it, seeing Boise State or Cornell could really make a claim to the seed that the Eagles slurped.
#14 Cornell – Losing to Colgate and Bucknell weren’t shining moments, but they deserved the #13 seeds that Oral Roberts or Siena received.
#15 Austin Peay – Fair seed, nothing to distinguish them here.
#16 Texas-Arlington – When you go 7-9 in a shitty conference, escaping the abominable play-in game is a feat, but the Mavericks did play well enough out of the conference to earn a plain ol’ #16 seed.
West Region
#1 UCLA – Duh. Do we really need to explain it?
#2 Duke – Couple of shitty ACC losses, but a #2 is probably fair. Wisconsin should have a #2, but probably not at Duke’s expense, especially after they hammered the Badgers.
#3 Xavier – They really could have been a #4, and probably should have been, but they did have a better-than-expected OOC showing and they only lost one game to a non-factor (Miami of Ohio)
#4 Connecticut – 13-5 in the Big East, 2 OOC losses to strong teams, and Xavier is seeded higher? UConn should have that #3, no question.
#5 Drake – A weak OOC schedule didn’t really showcase what this team could do, and the resulting #5 seed is about right. A big win over a upper-tier power conference team probably could have gained them a #4.
#6 Purdue – They really rode a strong Big Ten showing to the #6 seed, as their OOC had a couple of crap losses (Wofford, Iowa State). A #6 is probably fair, though.
#7 West Virginia – Played a decent OOC schedule and had one loss to a non-tourney team. Could have had a #6 or so but a #7 isn’t terrible.
#8 BYU – Decently strong schedule, some puzzling losses, and a good Mountain West showing? Yeah, sounds like a #8 seed.
#9 Texas A&M – If A&M had a better Big 12 record, they could have been a #6 or so, but that said, the #9 is about where they should be.
#10 Arizona – Playing one of the toughest schedules is great, but if you’re not winning those games, what does it matter? 19-14 overall, 8-10 in the Pac-10, and this is to be celebrated? I mean, maybe they should have gotten in, but they should have had Villanova’s #12 seed at best.
#11 Baylor – The loss to Colorado really could have put them out, and they probably should be a #12 seed or so, but that’s not a terrible seeding.
#12 Western Kentucky – Solid team, decent OOC, and probably could have climbed to a #10 or #11. Seems like the committee wants to pair upstart mid-majors against each other to prove some lame point. I count 4 such games alone in this tournament. If a team isn’t good enough, they’ll lose on their own without having the committee pair them together to kill them off quicker.
#13 San Diego – Is is just me, or could you more or less flip the #13 and #14 seeds and have gotten better seedings? I’d have taken Boise State, Cornell, and maybe, maybe Georgia here.
#14 Georgia – I’ve always wondered what would happen if a shitty team from a power conference won their conference tournament. Would the committee seed them fairly, or would they throw them a bone since they were a nominal “big boy”? I think the committee did the right thing here – I’d rate them above pretty much any of the #15s or #16s, but they’re really no better than the #14 they got. You have to give the Bulldogs a ton of credit for winning three games in two days when every game was a win-or-the-season-is-over finality check. Just remarkable.
#15 Belmont – Their profile suggests a #14 seed, but there’s a logjam there already, and the Bruins feel the squeeze.
#16 Mississippi Valley State – I’m glad they’re last on the list, so I can reiterate what a bunch of scumbag pussies the committee can be. MVSU is clearly inferior to Mount St. Mary’s, but the Mountaineers play tonight because the committee is scared of the backlash they think would occur if the two teams from Historically Black Leagues (HBLs) were paired together in the play-in game. The play-in game is a fucking piece of shit (we’ve already covered this), but if it’s there, you put the two worst teams in it, period. You want affirmative action, go apply for a job. Keep it out of fucking sports. In fact, keep it out of life, period. You should be rated on merit ONLY. If the best man for a job is a black guy, hire the black guy. If the best is a white guy, hire a white guy. How hard is this concept? Slavery is the most single heinous piece of history this country has ever seen. It also ended 143 years ago, so why do some feel that we need to continue to repay the debt to society? Fuck racism in all forms.
