Bracketology: Lunardi says...

[BobZag]

Zags will be the 4th 1 seed (West) in his next (2/5/19) bracket.

[23dpg]

Zags will be the 4th 1 seed (West) in his next (2/5/19) bracket.

Jerry Palm (no friend of the little guys) from CBS has the same thing.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/bracketology-michigan-states-loss-to-indiana-drops-the-spartans-back-down-to-a-no-2-seed-with-gonzaga-a-new-no-1/

[Zagsker]

Jerry Palm (no friend of the little guys) from CBS has the same thing.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-ba...ga-a-new-no-1/

How, as the 4th 1 seed, would we play the winner of one the 16 seed play in games? You would think those last 4 16 seeds are seeded lower than the 16 seeds in the field thus the winners would play the 1st and 2nd ranked 1 seeds...and while Im on the subject, why are not all play in games just 16 seeds?

[WallaWallaZag]

How, as the 4th 1 seed, would we play the winner of one the 16 seed play in games? You would think those last 4 16 seeds are seeded lower than the 16 seeds in the field thus the winners would play the 1st and 2nd ranked 1 seeds...and while Im on the subject, why are not all play in games just 16 seeds?

as in all things ncaa...it comes down to money. 16 v 16 games don't generate viewership...2 middle of the road p5 teams as 11 seeds could be indiana vs. arizona or something like that.

[MDABE80]

We keep winning, I'm predicting ( old news I guess) Zags will be on the top line and be a no 1 heading to the NCAA tourney. Seems to me Kentucky's moving up quicker as the crook's got his team moving. Nova's moving up too. I still think the wide margin on victory and a defense that's coming along AND with likely losses of the teams above us, we'll be no 1 within this next few weeks. I really hope Tillie gets his game back. When he's well, he adds much. Right now though, so many fouls, middlin defense, low scoring and so on, he's a little help but nothing like we'd hoped. Although he's not getting lots of court time, Crandall gives us a solid period of time.

I'm smelling playoffs 1 month early and 6 weeks from selection Sunday.

[RenoZag]

. . .why are not all play in games just 16 seeds?

Because they aren't the bottom 8 teams (out of 68 that make the field):

The games are contested between teams holding the four lowest seeded automatic bids and the four lowest seeded at-large bids.

The teams are not normally the eight lowest-ranked teams in the field; the four lowest-ranked at-large teams usually have higher rankings among the entire field of 68 than several of the automatic-bid teams coming from the smaller conferences. The four games are held to determine which teams will assume a place in the first round. Unlike other early games in the tournament, the teams are not matched with disparity intended. Rather, equality governs match-ups (e.g., in one game, two teams—usually two of the four lowest-ranked automatic-bid teams—might play for a No. 16 seeding in the first round, while in another game, two teams—usually two of the four lowest-ranked at-large teams—are usually trying to advance as a No. 11 seed).

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Four

[Zagceo]

We keep winning, I'm predicting ( old news I guess) Zags will be on the top line and be a no 1 heading to the NCAA tourney. Seems to me Kentucky's moving up quicker as the crook's got his team moving. Nova's moving up too. I still think the wide margin on victory and a defense that's coming along AND with likely losses of the teams above us, we'll be no 1 within this next few weeks. I really hope Tillie gets his game back. When he's well, he adds much. Right now though, so many fouls, middlin defense, low scoring and so on, he's a little help but nothing like we'd hoped. Although he's not getting lots of court time, Crandall gives us a solid period of time.

I'm smelling playoffs 1 month early and 6 weeks from selection Sunday.

rankings/rating aren't all about losses. quality wins and strength of schedule

1	Virginia	ACC	20-1	1	1	1	6-1	32	139
2	Duke	ACC	19-2	2	1	2	8-2	12	12
3	Tennessee	SEC	20-1	3	1	3	4-1	60	83
4	Michigan	Big Ten	20-2	4	1	4	6-2	35	189
5	Michigan State	Big Ten	18-4	5	2	5	8-4	3	23
6	North Carolina	ACC	17-4	6	2	6	5-4	5	8
7	Kansas	Big 12	17-5	7	2	7	11-3	1	2
8	Gonzaga	WCC	21-2	8	2	8	3-2	83	38

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/bpi/_/view/resume

[bartruff1]

The rest of the story in that same Power Index at ESPN has Gonzaga in the top three in the other rating categories ….including Offense BPI....Projections ….and Tournament.....

But they are just numbers like all the other numbers....just keep sawing wood....

[MDABE80]

No matter then numbers and the “likes” we still have to win lots more games. These indices Rankings Etc probably. Dictate performance and to a degree, talent. Major deal never really addressed arenthe matchups of players. The data, offense and defense show some things to point to but it’s the man to man type matchups that matter. Something to keep n mind.

BZs question was more about how a program is managed which leads to the quality of any given program. Nova is good. Not storied but good enough as a model. As things have developed n Spokane, and for many reasons. GU has had to develop it own program. So what’s best is kind of nknown. A winning tradition is one we want while suffering. O NCAA issues. We kind of are what we are way out west here.
Latecomers we are. Should we win like Duke? We do. Should we win like Nova? We do that too. We need titles. Since we are newcomers to the rarified levels, were going to have to iron out our own progrM and our own futures. Just keep winning. The rest will show up. Ps I’m on my phone w o glasses. I’ll fix it later!

[kdaleb]

How, as the 4th 1 seed, would we play the winner of one the 16 seed play in games? You would think those last 4 16 seeds are seeded lower than the 16 seeds in the field thus the winners would play the 1st and 2nd ranked 1 seeds...and while Im on the subject, why are not all play in games just 16 seeds?

It is probably a schedule thing. If the other #1 seeds are all at Thu/Sat pods and we're the only #1 at a Fri/Sun pod, then we'd get the #16 that played on Wednesday.

There's also the possibility of geography playing a part. If the other #16's are east coast teams, they'd try to keep them closer to home if possible.

[rennis]

How Gonzaga's non-conferece SOS is #38 while having played 43% of the other #1 and #2 teams in that chart blows my mind

[Mr Vulture]

To be honest, I don't really care if we are 1 seed or a 2 seed, I care more about being out West. Let's just win out and let the chips fall where they fall.

[Mr Vulture]

How Gonzaga's non-conferece SOS is #38 while having played 43% of the other #1 and #2 teams in that chart blows my mind

We also had a nice chunk of sub 200 teams on the OOC.

[MontanaCoyote]

To be honest, I don't really care if we are 1 seed or a 2 seed, I care more about being out West. Let's just win out and let the chips fall where they fall.

This! I don’t think we can afford to lose ANY games on the way to the dance and expect a #1 seed, maybe even a #2. A Zag loss in any one of our remaining league or league tournament games would set us back ( in the polls, ratings and seeding) to a much greater extent that any (or almost any) Duke, Virginia or Tennessee loss would set them back. Virginia losing to Duke @ Duke is one thing. The Zag’s losing to U San Diego @ San Diego quite another.

Despite our ascension into basketball royalty, our “margin of error/benefit of the doubt quotient” (fair or not) just isn’t there with the mainstream press, analysts, pollsters et al. Perception is reality and no matter how good the Zags are, playing in
the WCC throws shade on the result. Just the way it is.

Win Out. Period, Bottom Line!

[CDC84]

as in all things ncaa...it comes down to money. 16 v 16 games don't generate viewership...2 middle of the road p5 teams as 11 seeds could be indiana vs. arizona or something like that.

Also, there were a TON of college basketball fans who felt it was unfair, once the play in game started, that low majors were in it exclusively. They won their conference tourneys. They got their auto bid. Why should they be subjected to the play in game when every season we have 4 to 6 teams in the field - usually from power conferences - who have zero business being in the tourney.....but the committee has to fill the spots. A classic example being Oklahoma from last year, a team who didn't win a single road game in 2018. This makes things a little more fair, while at the same time setting up possible matchups, as Walla says, between big time programs who have had down years. I know a couple of people who still feel the four play in games should all involve at large teams. That it is not right to stick it to the SWAC champ whose first 14 games are played on the road in order to attain program revenue. They got an auto bid, they should be in the field of 64, period.

One thing to keep in mind.......the play in games are played in Dayton, Ohio. The committee tries to position the play in game winners on the bracket so that they don't have to travel very far for their next game.