The NCAA put out its early reveal of the Top 16 seeds for the upcoming NCAA men’s basketball tournament this past weekend.
Even though UCLA coach Mick Cronin referred to his 23-4 Bruins being a second seed, “comical,” we have no argument with the teams on the top seed line– Alabama, Houston, Purdue and Kansas.
We won’t even argue with the second seeds– Texas, UCLA, Arizona and Baylor, although given the fact the reveal came before Tennessee’s loss at Kentucky, we could have made a case for the SEC Vols that have wins over Kansas, Alabama and Texas but is only a 3 seed.
But it is disturbing how much the influence of the Power 5 football conferences is seeping into the seeding of these teams.
The members of this year’s committee Chairman is Chris Reynolds of Bradley and members– SWAC commissioner Charles McClelland, Samford AD Martin Newton, Alabama AD Greg Byrne, Atlantic 10 commissioner Bernadette McGlade, Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard, North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham, Minnesota AD Mark Coyle; Arizona AD Dave Heeke, Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill, Butler AD Barry Collier and Big Sky commissioner Tom Wistrcill.
Despite the fact teams from the current Big East has won three national championships in the last 10 years as opposed to the Big Ten, which hasn’t won since 2000, the Pac- 12, which hasn’t won since 1998 and the SEC, which has only won once since 2007, teams from this basically non- football conference, which has five teams capable of advancing to a second week, did not get same respect as the of the BCS conferences.
This year, the top three seed lines were filled with 11 teams from major conference football schools. The lone exception was Houston, which is No. 1 in this week’s AP poll, which is leaving the American for the Big 12 next season.
The NET was supposed be tool the NCAA used to provide a meaningful core for the committee. Yet, three teams — Saint Mary’s, UConn and Gonzaga– are listed in the Top 10 and two more– Xavier, and Marquette– are in the Top 16. But Saint Mary’s and UConn– are nowhere to be found in the committee’s Sweet 16. And Gonzaga, Marquette and Xavier were on the fourth seed line, the highest seed line for any non-BCS football team.
Conversely, the Big 12 has five teams– Kansas (1), Baylor and Texas (2) and Iowa State and Kansas State (3) — in the Top 3 seed lines, even though Iowa State has lost three of its last four, including West Virginia and Oklahoma State; and Kansas State has lost four of its last six, including Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
A lot has been of made of body and work and Q1 victories. Kansas has 13. Texas, Baylor and Iowa State all have eight. Kansas State has six. But they also have more opportunities in a league with seven teams in the Top 40. Kansas has had 18 opportunities. Gonzaga, conversely, had six, and that’s with aggressive non-league scheduling.
A conspiracy theorist might suggest the Power 5 is trying to create a cartel in basketball, much like they have in football and the committee members use math rather than the eye test to justify their decisions.
I just shake my head and wonder.
