First 2009 March Madness thread

[King Glorious]

So Pitt would be lower ranked than all of them, would be without a conference title and Oklahoma, Memphis, and Michigan State would all have conference titles and Pitt would get a #1? Do you really believe that? We aren't talking about which teams are better here.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

So Pitt would be lower ranked than all of them, would be without a conference title and Oklahoma, Memphis, and Michigan State would all have conference titles and Pitt would get a #1? Do you really believe that? We aren't talking about which teams are better here.

Why would Pitt be ranked lower than Michigan State and Oklahoma?

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

Why would Pitt be ranked lower than Michigan State and Oklahoma?

If they both win out and Pitt loses to UConn on Saturday and again in the Big East tourney, I think they'd be ranked lower.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

If they both win out and Pitt loses to UConn on Saturday and again in the Big East tourney, I think they'd be ranked lower.

You know Oklahoma lost last night, right? Pitt will be ahead of them and Michigan State in the final rankings before Selection Sunday. The rankings that come out the day after Selection Sunday are pretty irrelevant. And the committee doesn't care about rankings anyways.

[SniperSB23]

One thing Oklahoma does have working in their favor is that the B12 got smart and moved their tournament final to Saturday. When you have a final late Sunday the committee is largely settled on the bracket and won't make major changes. Waiting until 4 PM to see if you are going to move Oklahoma up to the one line isn't plausible with the amount of work that then needs to go into restructuring the rest of the bracket to avoid first or second rematches.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

You know Oklahoma lost last night, right? Pitt will be ahead of them and Michigan State in the final rankings before Selection Sunday. The rankings that come out the day after Selection Sunday are pretty irrelevant. And the committee doesn't care about rankings anyways.

I know Oklahoma and Kansas both lost last night. If Pitt were to lose on Sunday and then is beaten before the Big East finals and UConn and Louisville are in that Final, Pitt's not getting a #1, especially with Louisville winning. UConn is the only one that can assure themselves a #1 seed on Saturday. You've also got to factor in if UNC is upset by Duke. Or if they beat Duke in the regular season finale but then is upset in the ACC tournament and Duke goes on to win it. Here's how I see it playing out:

Pitt beats UConn Saturday. UNC beats Duke. Memphis, Oklahoma, and Michigan St. all win out and win their conference titles. In the Big East tournament, Pitt loses before the final and UConn takes the title. The four #1's will be UNC, Memphis, UConn, Oklahoma.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

I know Oklahoma and Kansas both lost last night. If Pitt were to lose on Sunday and then is beaten before the Big East finals and UConn and Louisville are in that Final, Pitt's not getting a #1, especially with Louisville winning. UConn is the only one that can assure themselves a #1 seed on Saturday.

I agree with the first part if Oklahoma takes care of business in the Big XII Tourney and UNC beats Duke and Memphis wins C-USA, but your last sentence is wrong. Pitt will be a 1-seed if they beat UConn on Saturday.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

I agree with the first part if Oklahoma takes care of business in the Big XII Tourney and UNC beats Duke and Memphis wins C-USA, but your last sentence is wrong. Pitt will be a 1-seed if they beat UConn on Saturday.

So then you think Pitt is a #1 seed regardless of what happens in the Big East tournament? What if Louisville or UConn wins it?

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

I know Oklahoma and Kansas both lost last night. If Pitt were to lose on Sunday and then is beaten before the Big East finals and UConn and Louisville are in that Final, Pitt's not getting a #1, especially with Louisville winning. UConn is the only one that can assure themselves a #1 seed on Saturday. You've also got to factor in if UNC is upset by Duke. Or if they beat Duke in the regular season finale but then is upset in the ACC tournament and Duke goes on to win it. Here's how I see it playing out:

Pitt beats UConn Saturday. UNC beats Duke. Memphis, Oklahoma, and Michigan St. all win out and win their conference titles. In the Big East tournament, Pitt loses before the final and UConn takes the title. The four #1's will be UNC, Memphis, UConn, Oklahoma.

Pitt losing in the quarters would change things, but either losing in the semis to Louisville or the finals to UConn they'd still be a #1. On what possible basis does Memphis deserve a #1 seed? They aren't very good this year, they are just in a terrible conference. Give Syracuse the same schedule as Memphis and what do you think their record would be? Yet they are a 10-8 team in the Big East. The committee knows this and won't give Memphis a #1 unless none of Louisville, Michigan St, or Oklahoma win their conference tourney.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

Pitt losing in the quarters would change things, but either losing in the semis to Louisville or the finals to UConn they'd still be a #1. On what possible basis does Memphis deserve a #1 seed? They aren't very good this year, they are just in a terrible conference. Give Syracuse the same schedule as Memphis and what do you think their record would be? Yet they are a 10-8 team in the Big East. The committee knows this and won't give Memphis a #1 unless none of Louisville, Michigan St, or Oklahoma win their conference tourney.

We somewhat agree. I don't think Memphis is deserving of a #1 and maybe not even a #2 based on how good they are. But if they go in carrying a #2 or #3 ranking, the nations longest winning streak, and a conference tournament title, they'll get a #1. The argument about how good another team would be if they switched conferences is one that doesn't make much sense to me. Perhaps if Syracuse was in Conference USA, they'd have the same record as Memphis and vice versa. That doesn't mean they are better. I don't think the Big East is nearly as strong as you seem to think it is. It's evenly matched with good teams but none of them outside of Pitt and UConn do I think are even remote threats to reach the Final Four.