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SEEDING SPECIFICS
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Here are some interesting seeding comparisons within this week's projection of the 64-team NCAA Tournament bracket. |
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UK
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UT
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UF
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RPI
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10
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5
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37
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SOS
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8
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3
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118
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SEC
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8-2
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5-5
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6-4
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vs. T25
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6-3
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3-3
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2-3
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R+N
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6-6
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7-6
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6-3
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Last 10
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8-2
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5-5
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6-4
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St. Joe's
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G'town
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DI W-L
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19-4
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19-4
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RPI
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25
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41
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SOS
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96
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132
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NC
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9-1
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6-4
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NC SOS
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156
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300
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R+N
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10-4
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8-2
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Last 10
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9-1
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6-4
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vs. 1-100
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8-3
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8-4
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Penn State
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Seton Hall
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RPI
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31
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59
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NC RPI
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23
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57
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Conf.
W-L
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4-6
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3-7
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R+N
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5-5
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2-6
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Last 10
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5-5
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3-7
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vs. 1-100
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6-7
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3-9
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Now it's time to really earn our money. With conference competition making some teams virtually indistinguishable from one another, how do we select those last few teams for the field? More delicately, why do we seed some teams over others?
For instance, why is barely-ranked Kentucky seeded ahead of SEC partners Tennessee and Florida? Well, take a look at the numbers to the right. Throw in Kentucky's wins over both SEC rivals, and it's really not close.
Another example to the right, albeit a little further down in the bracket, is how could St. Joseph's be a higher seed than mighty Georgetown? A little closer than the Kentucky example, perhaps, but still a clear edge to the Hawks.
Remember, all of the data fields used in the table to the right are criteria for the Selection Committee. Poll rankings are not. I listed one more on the bottom, just for fun. Penn State is IN; Seton Hall is OUT. What's up with that? Well, while no one is picking the Nittany Lions for Minneapolis, mind you, they are a good bit closer than the Hall.
These are the kinds of distinctions we "bracketologists" make for every single entry in the field.
A reminder: Teams preceded by their conference name in ALL CAPS are the current league (or RPI) leaders of those conferences. Teams so labeled are projected to qualify via their league's automatic bid. Projections as of Feb. 12:
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MIDWEST REGION
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March 16: Dayton, Ohio
University of Dayton Arena
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1. Illinois
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16.SWAC/Alabama State-BIG SOUTH/Winthrop
(NCAA play-in game)
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8. Georgetown
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9. Wake Forest
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5. Alabama
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12. Butler
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4. UCLA
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13. MAC/Central Michigan
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March 16: Kansas City, Mo.
Kemper Arena
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3. Kentucky
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14. MID-CONTINENT/Valparaiso
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6. Georgia Tech |
11. Penn State
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7. Providence
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10. MVC/Creighton
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2. Iowa State
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15. OVC/Tennessee Tech
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REGIONAL FINAL
March 23-25: Alamodome, San Antonio
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SOUTH REGION
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March 16: New Orleans, La.
Superdome
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1. Duke
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16. IVY/Princeton
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8. Xavier
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9. Indiana
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5. Notre Dame
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12. SOUTHERN/Charleston
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4. Oklahoma
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13. WCC/Gonzaga
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March 16: Memphis, Tenn.
The Pyramid
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3. Mississippi
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14. SUN BELT/Western Kentucky
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6. Texas |
11. St. John's
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7. California
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10. SMU
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2. Michigan State
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15. SOUTHLAND/McNeese State
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REGIONAL FINAL
March 23-25: Georgia Dome, Atlanta
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EAST REGION
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March 15: Greensboro, N.C.
Greensboro Coliseum
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1. North Carolina
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16. NEC/St, Francis-N.Y.
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8. USC |
9. Cincinnati
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5. Wisconsin |
12. AMERICA EAST/Hofstra
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4. Tennessee
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13. MCC/Cleveland State
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March 15: Uniondale, N.Y.
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
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3. Boston College
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14. CAA/George Mason
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6. Iowa |
11. TAAC/Georgia State
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7. St. Joseph's |
10. Georgia
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2. Arizona
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15. MAAC/Iona
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REGIONAL FINAL
March 22-24: First Union Center, Philadelphia
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WEST REGION
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March 15: San Diego, Calif.
Aztec Bowl Arena
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1. Stanford
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16. BIG SKY/Eastern Washington
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8. Ohio State |
9. Missouri
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5. Virginia
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12. BIG WEST/Utah State
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4. Florida
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13. C-USA/Memphis
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March 15: Boise, Idaho
Boise State University Pavilion
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3. Syracuse
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14. PATRIOT/Holy Cross
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6. Fresno State
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11. MWC/Wyoming
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7. Maryland
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10. South Carolina
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2. Kansas
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15. MEAC/South Carolina State
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REGIONAL FINAL
March 22-24: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, Calif.
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FINAL FOUR
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Humphrey Metrodome
Minneapolis, Minn.
Semifinals: March 31 (East vs. West; Midwest vs. South)
Championship Game: April 2
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Bracket Bits
Please note that Georgia Tech cannot be placed in the South Region, where it is an institutional host at the Georgia Dome for the regional semifinals and finals. Similarly, neither St. John's nor Memphis may play at first/second round sites where they are host schools.
Who's hot? The following projected postseason teams are 10-0 or 9-1 over their last 10 games: Central Michigan (10-0), Gonzaga (10-0), Hofstra (10-0), North Carolina (10-0), Valparaiso (10-0), Arizona (9-1), Duke
(9-1), Fresno State (9-1), Georgia State (9-1), Holy Cross (9-1), Kentucky (9-1), McNeese
State (9-1), Memphis (9-1), Pepperdine (9-1), St. Francis-N.Y. (9-1),
St. Joseph's (9-1), South Carolina State (9-1), Stanford (9-1),
UC-Irvine (9-1), Utah State (9-1).
Who's not? With less-than-great records in their last 10 games, the tension is mounting at: Oregon (2-8), Mississippi State (3-7), New Mexico (3-7), North Carolina State (3-7), Seton Hall (3-7), Auburn (4-6), Connecticut (4-6), Miami (4-6), Minnesota (4-6), Purdue (4-6), Villanova (4-6), Wake Forest (4-6).
The committee continues to emphasize a team's play away from home. Check out the following R+N (road+neutral) records: Stanford (12-0), North Carolina (11-1), Duke (10-1), Hofstra (10-2), Georgia State
(10-3), St. Joseph's (10-4), Charleston (9-4), Pepperdine (9-4),
Richmond (9-4), Georgetown (8-2), Kansas (8-2), UC-Irvine (8-2).
Road woes: Connecticut (1-7), Arkansas (1-6), USC (1-5),
Miami (2-7), North Carolina State (2-6), Seton Hall (2-6), Winthrop
(3-9), BYU (3-7), St. John's (3-7), TCU (3-7), Utah (3-7), Mississippi
State (3-6), New Mexico (3-6), Ohio State (3-5), South Carolina (3-5),
West Virginia (3-5), Missouri (4-8), Princeton (4-7), Tennessee Tech
(4-7), Saint Louis (4-7), Butler (4-6), Texas (4-6), Villanova (4-6),
Wake Forest (4-6).
Movin' up: (alphabetical order, as determined by RPI): Arkansas, Detroit, Holy
Cross, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, Monmouth, Ohio State, St. Francis-N.Y.,
St. Joseph's, South Carolina, SMU, Tulsa, UNC-Wilmington, Utah, Utah
State, Valparaiso, Winthrop.
Goin' down: (alphabetical order, as determined by RPI): Baylor, Charlotte,
Fordham, Hawaii, Indiana State, Iowa, LSU, New Mexico, Marquette, Ohio
University, Oregon, Pitt, Seton Hall, Southern Mississippi, South
Florida, UTEP.
Multiple-conference breakdown: Big Ten (7), SEC (7), ACC (6), Big East
(6), Big 12 (5), Pac-10 (5), Atlantic 10 (2), Conference USA (2), MCC
(2), WAC (2).
Last Four In: SMU, St. John's, Penn State, Butler.
Last Four Out: UC Irvine, Villanova, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State.
Overrated: Florida, Georgetown, Maryland, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest.
Underrated: Arizona, Iowa State, Kentucky,
Mississippi, Providence, UCLA.
Games of the Week
Tuesday: Temple at St. Joseph's; Wisconsin at Illinois, Princeton at
Pennsylvania.
Wednesday: Asheville at Radford; Toledo at Central Michigan; Kentucky at
Tennessee; Sam Houston at McNeese State.
Thursday: Austin Peay at Tennessee Tech; Arizona at UCLA.
Saturday: Kansas at Iowa State; Providence at Boston College; Central Michigan at Kent; Stanford at California; Pepperdine at Gonzaga.
Sunday: Marquette at Cincinnati; Cleveland State at Detroit,;Florida at
Tennessee.
Joe Lunardi is a regular in-season contributor for ESPN.com. Write to Joe at jlunardi@home.com. Send this story to a friend
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ALSO SEE
Feb. 11: Sweet 16
Cinderella Watch: Feb. 11
Bracketology: Feb. 5
Bracketology: Jan. 29
Jan. 22: Bracketology
2001 NCAA Tournament Sites
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