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Bracketology: #2 Seed out West

  • Being out west isn't optimal, but a bracket like this would be great for Michigan's Final Four chances IMO:

    NCAA College Basketball Tournament Bracket Predictions - CBSSports.com News, Scores, Stats, Schedule and RPI Rankings

    Jerry Palm predicts the teams in the NCAA College Basketball Men's Tournament for CBSSports.com.

    www.cbssports.com

    Steve Lorenz

  • Steve Lorenz said...

    Being out west isn't optimal, but a bracket like this would be great for Michigan's Final Four chances IMO:

    If the bracket was setup that way, I think 99% of people would be picking Indiana in the Final Four. Their toughest matchup to get to the Elite 8 would be Pitt or K-State, both of which we saw Michigan take care of earlier in the year. Then they'd face a potential Miami/Georgetown winner (pending upsets, of course) who have both shown weaknesses on some nights. Throw in the fact their potential Elite 8 game would be in Indianapolis and well, that's one I'd pencil in right now.

    Then as you said, Michigan's chances in that bracket would be pretty favorable, especially with a lot of people questioning how good Gonzaga really with their schedule. So you could end up with quite a few brackets having Michigan / Indiana matching up in Atlanta.

    Duke / MSU as the 1-2 on the East would also be very interesting because both have the ability to make a run to the finals, or get knocked out early in an upset. Payne/Nix vs. Kelly/Plumlee would be a great matchup to watch though, and if they both made it to DC in the Elite 8 I could see MSU pulling out the win. That could make for some brackets having 3 B1G teams in the Final Four.

    Oh, and don't forget That Team Down (in the) South (bracket) sitting at a 4-seed. They have a fairly easy path to play Louisville, then a victory might setup a rematch with Kansas who they lost to early in the season...

    The odds are very small that it would all play out that way, but if the bracket set up like that I'd be very interested to see the stats on how many people filled out brackets with 3 or 4 B1G teams in the Final Four.

    Dizzo ●

  • Dizzo said...

    If the bracket was setup that way, I think 99% of people would be picking Indiana in the Final Four. Their toughest matchup to get to the Elite 8 would be Pitt or K-State, both of which we saw Michigan take care of earlier in the year. Then they'd face a potential Miami/Georgetown winner (pending upsets, of course) who have both shown weaknesses on some nights. Throw in the fact their potential Elite 8 game would be in Indianapolis and well, that's one I'd pencil in right now.

    Then as you said, Michigan's chances in that bracket would be pretty favorable, especially with a lot of people questioning how good Gonzaga really with their schedule. So you could end up with quite a few brackets having Michigan / Indiana matching up in Atlanta.

    Duke / MSU as the 1-2 on the East would also be very interesting because both have the ability to make a run to the finals, or get knocked out early in an upset. Payne/Nix vs. Kelly/Plumlee would be a great matchup to watch though, and if they both made it to DC in the Elite 8 I could see MSU pulling out the win. That could make for some brackets having 3 B1G teams in the Final Four.

    Oh, and don't forget That Team Down (in the) South (bracket) sitting at a 4-seed. They have a fairly easy path to play Louisville, then a victory might setup a rematch with Kansas who they lost to early in the season...

    The odds are very small that it would all play out that way, but if the bracket set up like that I'd be very interested to see the stats on how many people filled out brackets with 3 or 4 B1G teams in the Final Four.

    That'd be awesome if all four Big Ten teams make the Final Four. Question for those who might know - has a conference ever had 4 Final Four teams in one year?

    signature image signature image signature image

    Ducksworth ●

  • Ducksworth said...

    That'd be awesome if all four Big Ten teams make the Final Four. Question for those who might know - has a conference ever had 4 Final Four teams in one year?

    I don't think so. I believe back in the 80s the Big East got three in one year. I will see if I can confirm this.

    Edit: In 1985, three BE teams (Villanova, Georgetown and St Johns) all made the FF.

    Edit 2: FWIW the B10 has had two teams in the FF seven times (1976, 1980, 1989, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2005) which is more than any other conference.

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by MrWoodson on 3/10/2013 at 10:56 AM

    MrWoodson

  • MrWoodson said...

    I don't think so. I believe back in the 80s the Big East got three in one year. I will see if I can confirm this.

    The most teams any conference has ever gotten to the Final Four was in 1985 when the Big East got three teams in:

    Villanova (National Champion)
    Georgetown (Runner-up)
    St. John's (lost to Georgetown)

    In a nice little quirk, the other Final Four team was Memphis who had it's Final Four appearance vacated. Memphis (the Midwest's 2 seed) beat Oklahoma (the Midwest's 1 seed) in the Elite Eight, after having beaten Boston College in the Sweet Sixteen on a shot at the buzzer. So it almost happened in 1985.

    buttesnake

  • I would be 100% fine with being the 2-seed in the region where Gonzaga is #1. I like the way the path sets up in this bracket too, wouldn't want to trade places with any of the other 2-seeds. So...one time?

    Still don't think a 1-seed is out of the question though. Beat Indiana today, go deep in the BTT, profit.

    inuyesta

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