Gonzaga, front row, Weather in Villanova (6 in general) i Virginia (9) crashed during a meeting of grains (and only merchandise) off the grid on Saturday as the NCAA tournament selection committee revealed its possible top 16 seeds for March Madness. A preview of the useless College Football Playoff weekly ranking model reveals that there are now many of the same schools.
Just look at this list. Alabama and Ohio State, yours inclination of the university football title just over a month ago, now both in the top half of the Sweet 16 preliminary hoops … in addition to the usual football shows like Michigan, Texas and Oklahoma … but it’s not just the football gift , Nosiree … all you like here are also programs suitable for medium bots, including the 2020 Liberty Bowl champion in West Virginia, plus Tennessee, Iowa … And more!
Ohio State (4) didn’t need it the rules change this time (ahem) to see his way to the 1 seed line with sworn enemies Michigan (3, and happy to be right now avoiding the Buckeyes until a later round given the path the football team has acted against them in the era of Jim Harbaugh). Illinois (5) completes a Top 5 trifecta for the Big Ten.
The 2021 national champion (in this other sport) Alabama ranks behind ‘Nova in the two-series lineup, along with recent New Mexico Bowl Houston participants. West Virginia, Tennessee and Oklahoma complete the 3-league line behind defending champion Virginia. (Yes, this time I mean basketball … but it’s been a while since anyone paid attention, so don’t feel bad if your last memory of the Cavaliers is shitting the bed as the first seed to lose with 16 leagues UMBC, before winning the 2019 crown).
The 4-seed line is direct on a Saturday in early October on the grid: Iowa, Texas Tech, Texas and Missouri.
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March Madness has a new look this year and, for a new look, I mean good luck recognizes a lot of what’s going on next month.
Conference tournaments? ¯ _ (ツ) _ / ¯
Tournament regions? Well, all the games are in or around Indianapolis, so … not so much.
First round matches? Now Friday and Saturday, eschewing the usual Thursday advice that made my grandmother call me every year because I had flaws in her shows (that means soap operas). And finally, you may be noticeably missing some blue blood basketball programs at the top. They all stink a little this year.
Get used to the idea of a tournament without Duke, Kansas or North Carolina. Kentucky may not even be good enough for the NIGHT.
It all adds up to an unpredictable tournament, and isn’t that really what we all want? Okay, yeah, well, that’s what we want at least for a weekend.
Anyway, go team, rah, first and ten do it again. And just get us through these February Super Bowl storms through March fast, please and thank you. In the meantime, wear a mask.