Worst (1st, 2nd...etc.) Round Pairing(s)

[ColonelJohn4Life]

Phil,

I can vouch that a 4th matchup in the 2nd round of the NCAA's has happened before, and we loved it.  In 1998, Wilkes played Scranton, for the 2nd time, on the final Saturday of the regular season.  A week later, Wilkes played Scranton for the then-MAC Championship.  A week after that, Wilkes played Scranton in the 2nd round of the NCAA's.  3 consecutive Saturdays, 3 Wilkes / Scranton games.

And had the NCAA changed to a double-elimination format to crown a Regional Champ, Wilkes would have been more than happy to play Scranton again the following Saturday.

Though, Pat, I LOVE the idea of shipping a team to Boise, y'know, just because...

[Gregory Sager]

I feel as though salem state with a bye is bad but not terrible, they were ranked 2nd in the region by the ncaa regardless of whether you like that or not. Also it may be based on tradition a little bit, this is a school that has gone to the tournament a number of times and gotten very far as well.

Actually, IL4T, Salem State is the classic example of a tourney pushover. Salem State will make its 20th appearance in the D3 tourney this year, which ties them for second with Scranton on the appearances leaderboard behind Wittenberg's 24. However, Salem State's tourney record to date is 21-21. They're the only school in all of D3 that has twenty or more tournament wins but doesn't have a winning tournament record. They only have one Final Four appearance (2000, when they finished third in the nation), and that one Final Four appearance was also their lone Elite Eight appearance. No school has been in as often and done less with their opportunities than has Salem State.

[Gregory Sager]

How about Wash U. ? A team that is the conference champions of a league that get's four teams in. Reward. You get to play the school next door. They are actually 30 meters a part. Seperated by the width of Wydown Blvd. which is two lanes. Fontbonne played well with Wash U. earlier before falling to the Bears by 15. In that game, FU's Trevor White saw limited action and had zero field goals due to a groin injury. White is now the SLIAC NOY, All - Conf., All- Tourney and ranked 8th in the nation from 3's. Not bad for a fr. 6'5 G/F. I can't imagine Wash U. wanting to be in this situation at all. Remember these two schools do have history. 2001 Fontbonne womens team stopped Wash U's 82 game win streak and went on to reach the sweet sixteen that year.

This pairing definately saved the NCAA some much needed travel funds.

Come on, FCnews. I know that you're a loyal follower of the Griffins and all, but this is not a bad first-round matchup for Wash U by any stretch of the imagination.

The SLIAC has been in the tourney ten times ... and ten times the SLIAC has lost, by an average of 27.3 points per contest. Only once has a SLIAC rep managed to hold down the final margin of victory to single digits, and that was a nine-point game three years ago. Sure, history is not a determining factor in any game; however, this trend does not bode well for Fontbonne.

As to the more relevant facts, Wash U led that earlier game with Fontbonne by double digits for the last 11 minutes plus. And Trevor White didn't see "limited action" in that earlier Fontbonne/WU game. He played 21 minutes. And what the women's teams for the two schools did six years ago may be the most irrelevant factoid posted in a D3 men's basketball room that I've seen all month.

I'd like to see the SLIAC improve its fortunes in the larger world of D3, and like everyone else who isn't a Bears fan I'll be cheering for David to upset the Goliath across the street. But, seriously, this is not a matchup that dismays the Bears.

Methinks you were definitely wearing purple-colored lenses when you typed that post.

[Ralph Turner]

Did Coach Lambert at Maryville swing that modification away from Miss College and/or Oxy in the first round such that ostensibly higher ranked teams played in the first round?  Or was it the "conference rematch principle" that kicked in and UMHB was given the benefit of the doubt?

Maryville has this record versus the ASC.

1999:  Lost at Miss College in the 2nd round, 53-67
2000:  Lost to McMurry in the Sweet 16 at Calvin, 95-112.
2003:  Defeated Miss College in the 1st round, 70-58.
2005:  Lost to Miss College at home in the 2nd round, 62-68.
2006:  Lost at Miss College in the second round, 51-69.

The UMHB-Maryville game should be very entertaining!

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Maryville is working on a record streak right now, having won at least one game in every national tournament since 1999.  That's eight in a row, going for nine this year and one ahead of Amherst who sits at 7.  Wooster has 4 and St. John Fisher has 3.  There are several schools at two.

[almcguirejr]

I think most D3's take advantage of the lodging.


Storytime
Calvin played at the Albion sectional in 2005 and stayed in a hotel near Albion, despite being just a 2 hour drive from home.  After winning on Friday night, they had all day Saturday to kill, so the coach loaded the kids on the team bus and they spent a few hours driving up and down Interstate-94 watching movies to kill time.  Probably longer than the drive from Grand Rapids would have taken.

The above story is fiction.

[scottiedoug]

Ralph:  If Randy Lambert has enough juice to get the NCAA to change a published matchup, you'd think he would have "arranged" not to have to get through the ASC to advance!

[Ralph Turner]

Ralph:  If Randy Lambert has enough juice to get the NCAA to change a published matchup, you'd think he would have "arranged" not to have to get through the ASC to advance!

Scottie, I love playing and beating Murvul!

I hope that Chris Brooks can get the videostream that we had for the ASC Championships going next week!

As I said before, watching Coach Lambert and Coach DeWeese and Coach Jones is worth the price of admission alone!

Travel safely, Scots!

Go ASC!

(Like your new logo!   )

[fcnews]

Sager - The most irrevelent factoid statement? It was just a reminder that these two schools have history. And that David has beaten Goliath before. Trevor White did see limited minutes compared to what he averages. Those that saw the game know he was playing hurt. Plus, I never said the match up dismayed Wash U., I was saying Wash U. was probably thinking like Pat that they would see a bye in the first round. Now they have to play a no win game. If they win, well they should look at Sager's previous posts. If they lose it may be National News, Again.

The most irrevelent Factoid is: The fact that this late in February I still have to read Sager's posts on the SLIAC page.

[smedindy]

Yikes....neutral corners, gents. If that's possible.

[fcnews]

smedindy - Sorry that this spread to the Tournament Pages. I will refrain and keep to the point.

If John Carroll get's by Westminster (PA). What are their chances against Lake Erie. Fontbonne played John Carroll in STL several years ago. I was very impressed with that club and have kind a followed them since.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

If John Carroll get's by Westminster (PA). What are their chances against Lake Erie.

I think there's a good chance those are the two easiest opponents anyone will see on the first weekend.  I'm not saying there aren't worse individual teams, but if JCU wins the first game, no other team will have had an easier weekend.

[Greek Tragedy]

This has got to be one of the most useless boards created! lol 

What first round matchup should've been saved for later, or whatever, and there's two [insert team here] vs byes in the choices?

I guess this could've easily been in the tournament board, along with BEST first round matchup, etc...    I digress.

[sac]

I think most D3's take advantage of the lodging.


Storytime
Calvin played at the Albion sectional in 2005 and stayed in a hotel near Albion, despite being just a 2 hour drive from home.  After winning on Friday night, they had all day Saturday to kill, so the coach loaded the kids on the team bus and they spent a few hours driving up and down Interstate-94 watching movies to kill time.  Probably longer than the drive from Grand Rapids would have taken.

The above story is fiction.

I like my source on this one.

[mark_reichert]

How about Wash U. ? A team that is the conference champions of a league that get's four teams in. Reward. You get to play the school next door. They are actually 30 meters a part.

Well, that's about the distance from the small Fontbonne campus and the South 40, the WashU dorms.

Seperated by the width of Wydown Blvd. which is two lanes.

With the parked cars, yeah.  There's a wide grass median.  It's an upscale neighborhood.

Plug 6800 Wydown Blvd Clayton, MO 63105 into Google maps if you want a satellite view.

I can't imagine Wash U. wanting to be in this situation at all. Remember these two schools do have history. 2001 Fontbonne womens team stopped Wash U's 82 game win streak and went on to reach the sweet sixteen that year.

81.

I think Division III would have been better off if the Women had gotten to 89.  The National media would have been forced to acknowledge the Division's existance, outside of CBS's occasional recap show of Division II and Division III champions.