My NCAA Tournament Selections

[GoneGolfin]

explain the thought with arkansas getting in and not making the confernece tourney. I have seen this a couple of times in the past few years with the SEC. I just cant believe that the 9th place team that could not make there own confernce is a better choice than somebody else. I really haven't studied the field this year, so i dont know what other team would replace them, but my point being they didnt make there conference tourney as the 9th place team. I dont know what there RPI is, but i am assuming since they are in it was good enough?

The SEC has placed more than eight teams in the NCAA Tournament several times. Arkansas was not a surprise to me for several reasons. But first, you should consider that Arkansas was certainly not the last team in the field. The last team in the field was either UC Davis or Oklahoma. Arkansas is the #3 seed in the Palo Alto regional while UC Davis in the #4 seed in the same regional. UC Davis deserves to be in the field of 64. No way do I think that Oklahoma made the field of 64 before Arkansas.

Arkansas finished 9th in the SEC with a 14-15 record. But they were also only 1 1/2 games away from being the #4 seed in the SEC Tournament. The SEC was packed tight in the middle. Arkansas also had an RPI of 32.

I think that the last team in the field was either UC Davis or Oklahoma. The second to last team in the field was UC Davis or Oklahoma. Meanwhile the third to last team in the field was Arkansas. Arkansas also was a respectable 8-11 against the RPI Top 25. I think this made a huge difference. Meanwhile, Oklahoma was a paltry 9-17 in Big XII play (8th place). Yes, they went 2-1 in the Big XII Tournament. But still, that is 11-18 in conference play. The Sooners have an RPI of 41 and went 4-11-1 vs. the RPI Top 25. They did have a strong record vs. the RPI Top 75 (21-20-1). This, I believe coupled with the showing in the Big XII Tournament got them into the field.

Meanwhile, Oregon State (two-time defending national champion that proved themselves last season by barely making the field of 64 and then winning the national championship ... again) finished 11-13 in a tightly packed Pac-10 (as with the SEC). The Beavers finished in a three-way tie for 6th, but were only two games removed from third place UCLA and three games removed from second place and regional host Stanford. The Beavers finished a single game behind #1 seed Arizona. As far as Oregon State's resume is concerned, they have an RPI of 59 (this hurt them), but they also were 8-10 vs. the RPI Top 25 and 13-15 vs. the RPI Top 50. They did have some bad losses on their resume. But I certainly thought that their conference record (second best baseball conference in the country this season) along with their record vs. top teams would get them into the field over Oklahoma. Oregon State split against national seed Arizona State (four games) and took a three game series against national seed Georgia. They also took 2/3 from #1 seed Arizona and #2 seed Pepperdine. I feel a bit cheated in that I would have liked to see the Beavers defend their back-to-back national championships with a plethora of impressive pitching coming back from last season.

I do not buy the argument that a team must qualify for their postseason conference tournament if they are to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Absolutes such as this do not make sense when you consider how tightly packed some of the elite conferences are from season to season. While the SEC has not had the elite teams at the top for a while now. Top to bottom, there has not been a stronger conference in the country. A team should not be penalized because they finished 1/2 game behind *two* schools that qualified for the SEC Tournament. Especially when they were short a game (rainout) and the two teams that finished 1/2 game ahead of them (South Carolina and Mississippi) lost 5/6 to the team in question (Arkansas). If Arkansas wins that rainout, they are the #7 seed in the SEC Tournament.

What matters is your resume from top to bottom.

Brian

[Dad04]

Hopefully The UNO bid will help soothe the ringing in their ears from the tongue lashing they received the two past weekends. I think they are on the verge of holding each other and having a good cry. Alot of mascara is running on their keyboards. . Maybe we should go over there and say something nice? The Privateers are hurting.

http://steve264.proboards102.com/ind...ay&thread=1210

[Sonsissymia]

_ #1 LSU (43-16-1) vs. #4 Texas Southern (16-32)

Wow, what a mismatch. Obviously, Texas Southern won their conference tourney. _

not every day you'll see a match-up in a regional where one team's losses are the same as the opponent's wins. weird.

[Pirogue]

_ #1 LSU (43-16-1) vs. #4 Texas Southern (16-32)

Wow, what a mismatch. Obviously, Texas Southern won their conference tourney. _

Not every regional has a #3 seed that has owned the #1 and the #2 all year...

UNO has to be elated...

[GoneGolfin]

As they moved to the end of the selection show, I thought I was going to have all 64 teams projected. Then Oklahoma came on the board instead of Oregon State at the end. Well, I will take 63/64. I did get Arkansas, which some missed.

Brian

I have heard from several sources that Oklahoma coach Sunny Golloway is in the midst of calling his players back to campus and pulling the equipment back out of storage.

Brian

[GoneGolfin]

I think that the last team in the field was either UC Davis or Oklahoma. The second to last team in the field was UC Davis or Oklahoma. Meanwhile the third to last team in the field was Arkansas. Arkansas also was a respectable 8-11 against the RPI Top 25. I think this made a huge difference. Meanwhile, Oklahoma was a paltry 9-17 in Big XII play (8th place). Yes, they went 2-1 in the Big XII Tournament. But still, that is 11-18 in conference play. The Sooners have an RPI of 41 and went 4-11-1 vs. the RPI Top 25. They did have a strong record vs. the RPI Top 75 (21-20-1). This, I believe coupled with the showing in the Big XII Tournament got them into the field.

I have heard from several sources that Oklahoma coach Sunny Golloway is in the midst of calling his players back to campus and pulling the equipment back out of storage.

Brian

[Big Buds]

The Sun Belt’s 20-year streak of having two or more teams reach NCAA play is matched by only four other conferences (ACC, Big West, SEC, Pac-10).

Wow! that is very impressive for the Belt......go head.

[Sonsissymia]

_ Not every regional has a #3 seed that has owned the #1 and the #2 all year...

UNO has to be elated... _

here's an lsu fan equally elated; could've had texas in as the 2 seed, and matched up for the super-regional round with the lincoln regional. a very good draw all around as far as i can see.

[TuffGuy84]

I pray southern miss beats the dog crap out of UNO.

Tuffguy

[Cajun Express]

Be nice.