What do we have to do to get a top seed?

by rickinva on Mar 13, 2009 11:10 AM EDT Comment 38 comments

Bumped

The "analysts" on ESPN seem to be in agreement that losing to Syracuse won't cost UConn their #1 seed. Incredibly, they say the big loser is Louisville! Apparently, winning both the regular season and tournament championships of the best conference in the country - a conference Dick Vitale calls the best, top to bottom, that he has seen in his 30 years of broadcasting - wouldn't be enough, in these guys' minds, to earn the Cards a 1 seed.

"You can't fault Connecticut for losing in six overtimes," one of them said.

To which I reply: maybe you can fault them for not winning in regulation time against a supposedly weaker team - and failing to do so in the first overtime, not to mention the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth.

And if you can't fault UConn for losing, how can you fault UofL for UConn losing? It's ludicrous!

Let's review. Louisville enters the day as Big East regular-season champions. Two other Big East teams, one of which Louisville defeated in their only meeting, are presumed to be shoo-ins for #1 seeds. Both of these other teams go down at the hands of teams that lost at home to Louisville and went a collective 0-3 against the Cards in the regular season. Meanwhile, Oklahoma, said to be ahead of the Cards in line for a top seed, loses to unranked Oklahoma State to go 2-3 in their last five games; and Louisville easily manhandles a pretty good Providence team. And the sum total of all of the above is said to lessen the Cardinals' chances for respect from the tournament seeding committee?

I'm beginning to hope we don't get a #1 seed. At this point, it would be such a slap in the face, it would make great locker-room material. To borrow a phrase, you don't want to make us mad; you won't like us when we're mad.

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Win

by BR7 on Mar 13, 2009 11:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Beat Western Kentucky

UNLV, and Minnesota.

by Dais on Mar 13, 2009 11:16 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

this

by UL is my hot hot sex on Mar 13, 2009 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

One word

Whatever.

These people are too routinely off-base and nonsensical to worry about.

by Mike Rutherford on Mar 13, 2009 11:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Harsh

by BR7 on Mar 13, 2009 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Whitlock and Gottlieb are best bud, apparently... Idiots, all of em.

We are the “best team no one is thinking about”… let everone else have the press, and give us a 2 seed with Memphis as a 1… We will laugh all the way to Motown.

by CardChakra on Mar 13, 2009 11:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Whitlock's article... I will figure this whole "compooter" thing out before too long.

http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/9326648/NCAA-Truths:-Oklahoma-a-joke,-Gonzaga-for-real

by CardChakra on Mar 13, 2009 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

what a joke that article is

winning 16 out of 18 games? total fluke

losing one by 33? that’s the real team!

by davidson07 on Mar 13, 2009 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

he writes that UL was swept by Notre Dame... blithering idiot.

by CardChakra on Mar 13, 2009 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

My Favorite part

First:

9. Don’t be surprised if Gonzaga meets Memphis in the championship game.

Then:

My Final Four: North Carolina, Villanova, Pittsburgh and Gonzaga.

If you’re so bullish on Memphis Mr. Whitlock, why not pick them for the Final Four so they can meet Gonzaga in the finals?

I miss the old days of the internet when men were men, hot girls were middle aged men, and hot underage girls were FBI agents.....

by jch24 on Mar 13, 2009 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's not just an idiot, he's a compulsive liar

Yeah, I’m sure John Wooden, Bob Knight, Dean Smith and John Thompson were out having a few beers and said to each other, “I sure wish Whitlock would write about college hoops.” Just goes to show, Fox Sports is as full of truthiness as Fox News.

And his #2 NCAA truth is… an NBA highlight?

by rickinva on Mar 13, 2009 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

by CardChakra on Mar 13, 2009 11:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

At this point in the season..

people need to not worry about who you don’t play. If someone can win the national championship this year without playing UNC, Memphis, Louisville, UConn, Pitt, Mich St. and Oklahoma, good for them, they are the national champs. It’s Pitt’s and UConn’s responsibilities to win their games, we can’t win them for them.

I think we just need to not worry about it and enjoy what this team is doing right now and has the potential to do. I’ll take a 2 seed over a 1 seed any day if it means we play in Dayton and Indy or Memphis.

All we have to do is keep winning no matter who is on the court with us and not worry about who isnt there or what the “experts” think

by Ben Go CARDS on Mar 13, 2009 11:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

just win

win win win

i don’t mind our guys keeping a chip on their shoulders

by frankpos on Mar 13, 2009 11:38 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i agree.

by CardChakra on Mar 13, 2009 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

we're a 1 seed

I wouldn’t sweat it. We were probably a 1 seed the second we beat Providence. We were definitely a 1 seed when Pitt choked on a dick last night. We were double definitely a 1 seed when UConn fell to Syracuse in The World’s Longest Basketball Game In Which Syracuse Refused To Make Layups. We were triple definitely a 1 seed when Oklahoma decided one and done in the Big 12 tourney was a fine idea.
We’re a 1 seed by default.
And the fact that the media is still falling over itself to label us as questionable and to label UConn & Pitt as locks just makes it a best case scenario: We can feel rejected and disrespected by the media, but we can also get a 1 seed out of the deal. Best of both worlds if you ask me. When do you ever get a top seed and still get to feel like the world is against you? It never happens. A 1 seed is such an affirmation of success that only a coordinated and relentlessly idiotic media attack can make a team feel dissed after getting one. We are that team.

But I’m not here to talk about our 1 seed. I’m here to talk about our chances of an OVERALL 1 seed. If yesterday’s lunacy was any indication, then we can expect some more paradigm shifting today. And the team whose paradigm I’d most like to see shafted is UNC’s when they face a hungry/needy hokie team. Tech played the heels to within 2 in their last meeting, and Lawson may not be joining the fray this go around.
So the question is this: If UNC loses and they fall from their spot atop the AP poll, and if we can win the BE and jump over memphis into the 1 spot (conceivable only after yesterday’s shenanigans), can we get the number 1 overall seed and play in the midwest?
Actually I kind of doubt it. You see, Roy Williams has a manila envelope which he swears contains pictures of the Selection Committee and ESPN executives in various states of undress doing things to farm animals that aren’t even legal in Thailand.
But it’s always nice to have a dream.

by ericdedwar on Mar 13, 2009 12:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nice thought

but will never happen. UNC can lose if Lawson sits it out and it won’t ding them. That’s why Oklahoma stayed in the mix with Griffin out. When you lose a marquee player, you get a pass (at least for a game or two). That’s the difference between UNC and UConn, in this example. UConn lost Dyson for the rest of the season, and looky what has happened to them. They’re clearly not as good. The Committee has them at #2 seed level now, I’ll bet you anything. Now, if Lawson or Hansbrough were out forever, like Dyson, then yeah, Louisville could make a strong case for overall #1 if they won out. But as it stands now, I see UofL getting a #1 only if they win out, and being no higher than the 2nd #1 overall to UNC. Just my 2 cents.

by CardsFanTX on Mar 13, 2009 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is another thing I find quite amusing.

Griffin sits out and Oklahoma loses two games, but that’s okay. Lawson is going to miss a game and if UNC loses that’s okay. They were missing “key players.” Ignoring the fact that this says something pretty negative about their team, everybody easily forgets that T-Will was injured during the Notre Dame game that we lost. Yeah, he played 33 minutes, but he finished 2-9 from the floor with only four rebounds, hardly T-Will numbers. On top of that, he was below his average in assists and steals that game. Add to that the fact that Samuels played 15 minutes and had four fouls (an excuse normally used for Blair and Pitt’s losses).

But like I said, whatever. The “pundits” and “experts” can keep talking. I’m just not even listening any more.

by CARD_G6 on Mar 13, 2009 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

EVERYTHING is legal in Thailand, dude

I miss the old days of the internet when men were men, hot girls were middle aged men, and hot underage girls were FBI agents.....

by jch24 on Mar 13, 2009 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Win and we are in

I’ve been watching this sport for 30 years or so, and I’m telling you right now – if Louisville wins the BET they WILL be a #1 seed. I don’t care who’s on the Selection Committee. If you win the regular season and tourney of the strongest conference in recent history, nothing remains to be done. So like Frank wrote, “just win.” Nobody is hotter than Louisville over the past 3 weeks or so, and that also matters to the Committee. And we have a strong RPI and SOS. It’s all going to be ok as long as they win out.

by CardsFanTX on Mar 13, 2009 12:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's getting laughably unreal now.

Just let it shrug off the shoulders. Maybe we can use a bit of “us against the world” mentality.

I will point out the irony, though, in claiming that “You can’t fault UConn for losing in 6OT,” but apparently you can fault a team for winning. Seriously, all this team has ever done is won 16 of their last 18 games. Apparently, though, the fact that other teams keep dropping the games they should be winning against teams we’ve already beaten just means that we’re “untested.”

Whatever, just win the games. I don’t even care anymore. I just want to point and laugh when we’re cutting down the nets.

by CARD_G6 on Mar 13, 2009 12:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yep

I know what you mean. I’ve stopped watching the talking heads pontificate on this topic. It honestly doesn’t matter to me if we get a #1 or a #2. Historically, we do better as a #2 anyway. And as mentioned, maybe getting snubbed for a #1 will motivate our guys to play harder.

by CardsFanTX on Mar 13, 2009 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

well, we've never had a 1 seed before.

by ericdedwar on Mar 13, 2009 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If memory serves

we were a #1 seed in 1983. Somebody will correct me if not, but that’s what I think I remember.

by CardsFanTX on Mar 13, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

Louisville was the 1-seed in the Mideast Region in 1983. The other #1’s were Virginia, Houston, and St. John’s.

by CardsFanTX on Mar 13, 2009 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Correct.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_NCAA_Men’s_Division_I_Basketball_Tournament#Final_Four

However, we were not the overall #1 seed and were ranked #2 in the polls. That’s why people say we’ve never been #1 in the nation.

by CARD_G6 on Mar 13, 2009 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We were.

So we are 1 for 1 in making the FF with a 1 seed. That’s a pretty good record. And seeding is all about making the FF. Seeds don’t matter after that, so our 2 seeds (although championships) aren’t better in that sense.

by 83fan on Mar 13, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I stand corrected.

by ericdedwar on Mar 13, 2009 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think a win tonight puts us in good shape,

and a BET championship removes all doubt. The debate about Pitt and UConn somewhat misses the point. Oklahoma was supposed to be the last #1 seed, and there’s no way to justify them over us now. I think their last 10 includes 4 losses, and Ok. State wasn’t anybody special. I can’t imagine MSU being elevated over us, and while Memphis remains in the mix, I just have to believe that the committee will keep some integrity when dealing with the fact that they do not have a single ipressive win, and lost went 2-2 against Big East teams all of which finished 6th or below in the conference.

by 83fan on Mar 13, 2009 12:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

SOS hurts

Memphis a lot. Last I looked, it was in the 50s. The other top teams all have SOS’s in the 20’s or better. Having said that, I still think they’ll win out and get a #1 seed. If UofL gets a #2, please dear GOD let it be in their region.

by CardsFanTX on Mar 13, 2009 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Updated #1 Seed Projection

from Jerry Palm via CBSSports.com:

UNC
Louisville
Pitt
Michigan State

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11233762

Interesting. I still think Memphis edges out Mich. St. if they win C-USA tourney. But hey, he’s the pro, not me.

by CardsFanTX on Mar 13, 2009 12:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

holy heavenly god

that bracket would be a dream

by davidson07 on Mar 13, 2009 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yep

Dayton, then Indy. Great for fans from Louisville. Easy travel. Hope this pans out. Also, would love to play Duke (and crush them) in the Region Finals. Heh.

by CardsFanTX on Mar 13, 2009 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Even better for me, I'm in Cincy. :)

I miss the old days of the internet when men were men, hot girls were middle aged men, and hot underage girls were FBI agents.....

by jch24 on Mar 13, 2009 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That would be...

…the easiest trip to the Final Four we could possibly imagine. Plus it would be a home court advantage for us, so many fans will travel if we are in Dayton & Indy.

by Luke Whitehead's Rap Career on Mar 13, 2009 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I find that bracket a little funny to be honest.

Yeah, we’re in Dayton, which makes sense. Funny, though, that Western Kentucky, Minnesota, and Marquette are also all in that bracket.

by CARD_G6 on Mar 13, 2009 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

All White Noise

It is all that. Let’s just stay in our own little world and keep winning.

Now this is serious guys. If you “live” in a cube at work, and are bothered by other people’s sounds (tinny radios, constant jabbering, etc), do I have a site for you!

Google – AMS Noise Reduction System. They refer to it as “pink noise.” Download it. It is FREE. It helps create your own environment and blocks out distractions. It will help you concentrate on important things like CC and work. Try it out. Let me know. I think you’ll find it soothing.

by Roz on Mar 13, 2009 2:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs