Conference tournaments
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Tough break Tennessee. You were this close to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Entering Saturday, every projection (NBC, ESPN, SI, CBS, Fox, bracketography, you name it) had UCLA, Memphis, North Carolina and Tennessee as No. 1 seeds. And, since it’s a “what have you done for me lately” kind of world, the Vols’ loss to Arkansas in the SEC Tournament semifinals likely altered the seeding world.
In all likelihood, it just means the NCAA Tournament seeding committee can settle on their top teams Saturday night. Here’s how (RPI numbers will be updated through Sunday).
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Nobody wants to lose a game. But can losing early on in your conference tournament actually be a good thing?
Louisville would like to think so. So would Final Four darkhorses Connecticut and Notre Dame. All three were upset in the Big East Tournament on Thursday, and, as at-large locks, now turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament next week. They can rest their players, work out some kinks and focus on possible first-round opponents.
More importantly, unless you’re a bubble team that must keep playing to earn that automatic bid, winning the conference tournament isn’t a clear indicator or Big Dance success, either.
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Leave it to the Big East Tournament to open with a crucial game. Seems like this tourney always gives us an early glimpse of March Madness.
No. 8 seed Villanova plays ninth-seeded Syracuse at noon ET Thursday. The winner still has a shot at earning an NCAA Tournament bid. The loser is headed for the NIT. Talk about pressure.
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Butler may never more fans from BCS schools than it will tonight against Cleveland State. Well, BCS schools on the bubble, that is. If those bubble teams are smart, they’ll also be Western Kentucky fans.
Such is the case this time of year when schools like San Diego can make that bubble just a little more dicey for schools like Syracuse and Villanova, which open the BCS conference tournaments with their game Wednesday morning. Rest assured, both teams will be watching those games.
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