All Things 2013 Bracketology Thread

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Stay on course for the Road to Kansas City, Gophers. Beating Michigan would be a significant step in that direction.

Kansas is a lock for KC, they're going to run away with it in the Big 12, but it wouldn't hurt if Mizzou slipped to the point where they're not a shoo-in for KC. Michigan and/or Michigan State (if they have top-4 seed type seasons) are strong bets for Auburn Hills, and Indiana in all likelihood is headed to Lexington (or maybe Dayton?). Meaning, KC is wide open to get a Big Ten (Midwest) team.
 

SelectionSunday said:
Stay on course for the Road to Kansas City, Gophers. Beating Michigan would be a significant step in that direction.

Kansas is a lock for KC, they're going to run away with it in the Big 12, but it wouldn't hurt if Mizzou slipped to the point where they're not a shoo-in for KC. Michigan and/or Michigan State (if they have top-4 seed type seasons) are strong bets for Auburn Hills, and Indiana in all likelihood is headed to Lexington (or maybe Dayton?). Meaning, KC is wide open to get a Big Ten (Midwest) team.
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Wouldn't the Gophers rather Auburn Hills? Its closer isn't it?
 

Pretty sure KC is quite a bit closer, and a much easier trip (just hop on 35).

I'm also a believer in the Mojo factor. ... Gophers started their '97 Final 4 run in Kansas City.
 


Moses87 said:
Wouldn't the Gophers rather Auburn Hills? Its closer isn't it?
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Nope. It's twelve full hours to either Auburn Hills or Dayton, plus you have to deal with traffic and tolls in Chicago.

You can get to KC in 6-7 hours, depending on how heavy your foot is on 35 south of Albert Lea.
 

Can someone explain how the Gophers are able to "earn" a Kansas City bid and how that works? I was always under the impression that it was random, but clearly I am wrong.
 

afurry91 said:
Can someone explain how the Gophers are able to "earn" a Kansas City bid and how that works? I was always under the impression that it was random, but clearly I am wrong.
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Nothing is random in regards to selection. Never has been.
 

afurry91 said:
Can someone explain how the Gophers are able to "earn" a Kansas City bid and how that works? I was always under the impression that it was random, but clearly I am wrong.
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As much as they can, the selection committee attempts to protect top-4 seeds (teams 1-16). To that end, when possible they place those teams at their most natural (closest) geographic 2nd-3rd round site (Rounds of 64/32). Hence, KC is the closest venue for the Gophers, so if they can earn a #4 seed or better, there's a pretty good chance they'll be placed in KC.

And in a perfect world, the Gophers will be in the Midwest Regional so that if they advance to the Sweet 16, they'll be in Indianapolis (Big Ten Country).
 



SelectionSunday said:
As much as possible, the selection committee attempts to protect top-4 seeds (teams 1-16). To that end, they try to place those teams at their most natural (closest) geographic 2nd-3rd round site (Rounds of 64/32). Hence, KC is the closest venue for the Gophers, so if they can earn a #4 seed or better, pretty good chance they'll be placed in one of the two KC pods.
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Excellent. Thanks for the explanation!
 

Having driven from the Twin Cities to both Detroit and Kansas City in the past, the KC trip is substantially easier due to not having to deal with Chicago traffic and also, as mentioned, shorter, only about seven hours as opposed to around twelve. The last few hours of the Detroit trip feel like days if you drive straight through.
 

SelectionSunday said:
As much as they can, the selection committee attempts to protect top-4 seeds (teams 1-16).
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With the caveat that, assuming 8 teams or less from the same conference, you will not play a team from your own conference in the first two rounds.
 

afurry91 said:
Can someone explain how the Gophers are able to "earn" a Kansas City bid and how that works? I was always under the impression that it was random, but clearly I am wrong.
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Before about 2000 or so, each regional had two fixed first and second round site attached to it. The 4-team "pods" weren't shuffled around in the interest of keeping top seeds close to home.

For this tournament, the groupings would look something like this:

San Jose and Salt Lake => Los Angeles (West)
Kansas City and Austin => Arlington (South)
Auburn Hills and Dayton => Indy (Midwest)
Lexington and Philadelphia => Washington DC (East)

The #1 seed in the west would play in either San Jose or Salt Lake, regardless of where they were based out of. It seemed that UConn was always getting shipped out west because of this.
 



brucekaupa said:
With the caveat that, assuming 8 teams or less from the same conference, you will not play a team from your own conference in the first two rounds.
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And it used to be (an unwritten bracket rule, I think) that you couldn't play a team from your own conference until the Elite 8, but I think that went out the window when the Big East started earning an insane amount of bids.
 


SelectionSunday said:
And it used to be (an unwritten bracket rule, I think) that you couldn't play a team from your own conference until the Elite 8, but I think that went out the window when the Big East started earning an insane amount of bids.
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The NCAA still endeavors to keep conference foes apart in the bracketing until the Elite 8 unless, as mentioned, a conference gets more than eight bids and renders this impossible. The committee still avoids conference match ups sooner than the Sweet 16.

We can thank the DC media for the pod system. In 2001, Maryland, Georgetown, George Mason, and Hampton all got shipped to Boise for first and second round action. The DC media was up in arms over four Maryland/DC/Northern Virginia teams getting sent so far from home to a rather difficult venue for short term travel logisitcs. Causing further outrage, UCLA, USC, and Southern Utah all wound up in Greensboro, NC for early round action. The national sports media caught on and made an issue of it. The NCAA implemented the pod system to better keep teams closer to home, and not coincidentally help attendance, the next season.
 

these guys do not even get the brackets right the day before the selections much less now! we could end up anywhere...
 

Stop the season right now. I'll Lunardi's bracket with us as a 3.

Our toughest first two round games coming against VCU?!!?

Gonzaga as the #2 in our region!??!

We have an easier trip to the Elite 8 than Kansas would, they at least would have to play N.C. State.

I would take a Kansas vs Minnesota matchup for a ticket to the Final Four.
 


As an ISU fan, I would love this draw too. Being only 3 hours from ISU's campus, KC would be rolling in ISU fans. I would love to see my primary & seconday teams face off in the Big Dance again!

There's still so much that will happen/change, but this would be a great draw for either/both teams!

But, don't sleep on the revenge factor - Colton Iverson may just be gunning for the Gophers!
 

Buttcheeks McGaffigan said:
Do not like the idea of a potential 'third round' match-up against VCU.
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Once we are talking 'third round' games (S16) I doubt we can expect an 'easy' game. It could happen via early round upsets in our bracket, but basically, if we are in the S16, its game on.
 


Rouser said:
Once we are talking 'third round' games (S16) I doubt we can expect an 'easy' game. It could happen via early round upsets in our bracket, but basically, if we are in the S16, its game on.
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Third round is now the Round of 32.
 

Buttcheeks McGaffigan said:
Third round is now the Round of 32.
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As far as most of us are concerned, the first weekend is still the first/second round. The NCAA should do away with the "first-four" games, or call them what they are, pig-tail games.
 


Lunardi and I differ on 2 at-larges at this point. He has Maryland and Saint Mary's "in", in their place I have Indiana State and Xavier.
 

Memphis is one of his last four in. They are ranked 46th in the RPI and have won 8 in a row. Memphis winning helps the Gophers, bu I'm not sure how much.
 

We may be at Peak Memphis. CUSA is dreadful and I doubt their RPI can improve much even if they keep winning. But at least they are top 50 now.
 

From the Barn said:
We may be at Peak Memphis. CUSA is dreadful and I doubt their RPI can improve much even if they keep winning. But at least they are top 50 now.
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Well said. Memphis needs to keep kicking butt in C-USA, and they do have one decent nonconference game remaining (Feb. 26 @ Xavier, currently #70 in the RPI but 4-0 in the A-10) that could help them. Would be nice if FSU, Stanford and/or Richmond would get on a little bit of a run, but I'm not sure they're built for that. Well at least the Dakota schools are helping out the Gophers a little bit.
 

I guess two wins against Southern Miss could be semi-helpful, as an RPI boost, but the win against RIce might undo that. An RPI of 332 by a mid-major is hard to do.

USC could boost their RPI a lot during the conference season. They are 3-3 and have been in every game, including a 2 point loss to Oregon and single digit losses to Cal and CO. They'll probably peak just inside the top 100, but another top 100 win for the Gophers would be nice enough.
 

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