Comments on: Beyond the Arc: The Quest for 65

By: Jowh

Jowh — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 14:50:08 +0000

You have one minor error in your bracket…Duquesne and Temple…neither of which were going to get in with an at large. So a Duquesne win tonight probably doesn’t hurt the bubble at all unless somehow the committee leaves out Dayton.

Also on that note, Temple should be in ALL CAPS as it or Duquesne is going to be in thanks to an automatic bid.

By: Tim Britton

Tim Britton — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 06:57:35 +0000

I think conference affiliation would be the only thing to prevent those three Big East teams from getting No. 1 seeds. It’s tough to see Louisville losing to a beyond fatigued Syracuse team, and even then, the Cardinals would have an 18-3 mark in conference games. Pitt and UConn both have better resumes than Memphis and Michigan State (Jerry Palm at CBS Sportsline has the Huskies as a two, but their three losses in 2009 are to Pitt twice and in SIX OVERTIMES).

I personally find it hard to put Memphis above those teams when the Tigers are playing in a conference without a bubble threat (sorry, Tulsa) and whose best win all season is against Gonzaga. Michigan State, meanwhile, has that blowout loss to UNC and home losses to Penn State and Northwestern.

As for the Orange, a win tomorrow probably does net it a 3-seed; in 2006, Syracuse went from the bubble to a 5-seed by winning the Big East Tournament in similarly thrilling fashion. You have to wonder if this will have an extended toll on the Orange’s health the way it did that year, when it bowed out to Texas A&M in the first round.

As for the Blue Devils, West Virginia would not be a good second round matchup. I’d much rather see one of those Big Ten teams hop up to a seven in Duke’s bracket. That being said, Tennessee and its press scares me a little, as does a team such as Marquette–a definite Final Four contender before the Dominic James injury–sliding all the way down to a 7-seed. However it plays out, the Blue Devils won’t have a cakewalk into the second weekend–although we’ve gotten used to that by now.

By: dukefan

dukefan — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 06:01:47 +0000

Do you really think the committee will give the Big East 3 number 1 seeds? I kind of think Memphis might get that last number 1 seed and if Louisville loses to Syracuse, they could slip to the 2 seed.

If Syracuse wins the Big East Tournament, do you think they’ve got a shot at a 3 seed?

I really hope Duke does not have to play West Virginia again. Or Pitt for that matter, assuming we get that far.