SelectionSunday
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Counting regular-season games only. ...
(1) I got the sense after the tournament field was announced that a lot of folks -- both here and the talking heads on TV -- thought Florida as a #2 seed was overseeded. However, of the 37 at-large selections, the Gators had the best record vs. NCAA qualifiers. The Gators were 13-3 vs. NCAA qualifiers for a 81.3 winning percentage. Other at-large qualifiers among the top 5 were BYU (6-2, 75%), Notre Dame (14-6, 70%) and Purdue (11-5, 68.8%).
(2) The "last 4 in" were Clemson, UAB, USC and VCU. The records vs. NCAA qualifiers of the "First 4" were Clemson (2-7, 22.2%), UAB (1-4, 20%), USC (5-5, 50%) and VCU (4-6, 40%). Eleven at-large at-large selections had the same or worse winning percentage vs. NCAA qualifiers than USC and VCU, perhaps suggesting USC (First 4 loser) and VCU (Final 4 loser) should not have had to "play their way in" to the Round of 64.
(3) Not suggesting the Gophers deserved an at-large bid, of course not, but I did find this interesting. Despite their late-season freefall, our beloved Rodents (6-10, 37.5%) had a better record/winning percentage vs. NCAA qualifiers than 10 of the 37 at-large selections. Those 10 teams were:
UAB (1-4, 20%); UNLV (2-7, 22.2%); Clemson (2-7, 22.2%); Florida State (2-6, 25%); Georgia (3-9, 25%); Marquette (6-13, 31.6%); Michigan State (6-13, 31.6%); Penn State (5-10, 33.3%); Mizzou (4-7, 36.4%); and UCLA (4-7, 36.4%).
Goes to show there's a very fine line between being selected for the NCAA and not being selected. In hindsight, as it played out, I'm 100% convinced the Gophers would have been "lock city" for the field if they had simply finished 9-9 during the Big Ten regular season, and perhaps still would have made it at 8-10.
(1) I got the sense after the tournament field was announced that a lot of folks -- both here and the talking heads on TV -- thought Florida as a #2 seed was overseeded. However, of the 37 at-large selections, the Gators had the best record vs. NCAA qualifiers. The Gators were 13-3 vs. NCAA qualifiers for a 81.3 winning percentage. Other at-large qualifiers among the top 5 were BYU (6-2, 75%), Notre Dame (14-6, 70%) and Purdue (11-5, 68.8%).
(2) The "last 4 in" were Clemson, UAB, USC and VCU. The records vs. NCAA qualifiers of the "First 4" were Clemson (2-7, 22.2%), UAB (1-4, 20%), USC (5-5, 50%) and VCU (4-6, 40%). Eleven at-large at-large selections had the same or worse winning percentage vs. NCAA qualifiers than USC and VCU, perhaps suggesting USC (First 4 loser) and VCU (Final 4 loser) should not have had to "play their way in" to the Round of 64.
(3) Not suggesting the Gophers deserved an at-large bid, of course not, but I did find this interesting. Despite their late-season freefall, our beloved Rodents (6-10, 37.5%) had a better record/winning percentage vs. NCAA qualifiers than 10 of the 37 at-large selections. Those 10 teams were:
UAB (1-4, 20%); UNLV (2-7, 22.2%); Clemson (2-7, 22.2%); Florida State (2-6, 25%); Georgia (3-9, 25%); Marquette (6-13, 31.6%); Michigan State (6-13, 31.6%); Penn State (5-10, 33.3%); Mizzou (4-7, 36.4%); and UCLA (4-7, 36.4%).
Goes to show there's a very fine line between being selected for the NCAA and not being selected. In hindsight, as it played out, I'm 100% convinced the Gophers would have been "lock city" for the field if they had simply finished 9-9 during the Big Ten regular season, and perhaps still would have made it at 8-10.
