Either the NCAA Tournament selection committee is getting better at this seeding thing, or parity in college basketball has taken an extended vacation.
For whatever reason, there’s a whole lot of “chalk” talk going on, to use a trendy term for a bracket holding true to form.
There are no George Masons or Davidsons in the Sweet 16 this year. With few exceptions, the big dogs of college hoops haven’t let their guard down, and are getting terrific guard play. The four top seeds are marching along. So are all the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds. For the first time since 1991, two regionals (East and South) still have seeds 1-2-3-4 alive after two rounds.
To hear the chatter from some college hoops analysts, you’d think this stomping by the superpowers must be a common occurrence. Not even close, bracket breath. Last year’s NCAA Tournament became the first to have all four No. 1 seeds reach the Final Four since the selection committee began seeding the field in 1979. And it could happen again this weekend.
“The thing is, in the NCAA Tournament, (the selection committee) gets the seeding right probably 99 percent of the time,” conceded Russ Pennell, interim coach of No. 12 seed Arizona.
Fans seduced by Cinderella stories might be disappointed. But why not embrace the chalk, which offers up intriguing matchups this week? Look at the upcoming schedule: Syracuse vs. Oklahoma. North Carolina vs. Gonzaga. Kansas vs. Michigan State. That’s just a start.
Projected matchups for the regional finals could be better than some Final Fours.
“There have been some good games (in the tournament), but you haven’t seen anything yet,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said Monday on ESPN. “These could be some of the best games you’ll see in a long time.”
Arizona is the only “longshot” remaining, and a team that has defeated Kansas, Gonzaga and UCLA isn’t your ordinary double-digit seed.
“They’ve got two (future NBA) lottery picks,” warned Louisville coach Rick Pitino, referring to Arizona’s 6-foot-10 Jordan Hill and 6-7 Chase Budinger, whom his team gets the next chance at defending on Friday.
With five teams still alive, including No. 1 seeds Louisville, Connecticut and Pittsburgh, the Big East Conference is bidding to tie its 1985 record of three league representatives in a Final Four.
Of the No. 1 seeds, Connecticut appears to have the toughest road to the Final Four — that is, if it holds serve Thursday against fifth-seeded Purdue and No. 2 seed Memphis gets by third-seeded Missouri. The easiest road? Probably Louisville. If the Cardinals take care of Arizona, they will face Kansas or Michigan State, two relatively young teams that might be a year away from being Final Four quality.
Big Ten bashing is on the verge of developing into a national pastime, but Michigan State reached the round of 16 for the eighth time over the past 12 years. Spartans coach Tom Izzo said he will never take that accomplishment for granted.
“It will be a dogfight (against Kansas),” Izzo said. “But I’m just so excited to go to Indianapolis and get a team in the Sweet 16, I don’t care who we play.
“We could play the Celtics, for all I care.”
