2015 NCAA Tournament

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

NCAA is doing the semifinals and all-star game... CBS Sports Network is doing the championship. We will have links to the first three... unless something changes with CBS Sports' stance, that will not be video webstreamed, but we will have an audio broadcast on D3hoops.com.

[Just Bill]

Because I make poor decisions in how to use my free time (Have you met the Belt^TM?) I wondered what the first two rounds of the D-I tournament would look like if you applied D-III principles. So here was the method...

1. Take 1-64 from the official NCAA D-I seed list. Sorry 65-68, you're out.
2. Avoid as many flights as possible (500 mile rule)
3. Allow no conference teams to play in the first round
4. Place the top 16 teams as pod hosts
5. Pair up the bottom 16 teams with a host (1 flight)
6. Assign 17-32 to a host site (2 flights)
7. Assign 33-47 to a host site (2 flights)

I was able to do the whole thing with only 5 flights (the state of Utah proved to a geographic island). That should help solve those charter airplane problems they've been whining about. I'm pretty sure I avoided all first round conference rematches and I avoided a lot of second round possible rematches too, although with all the realignment I might have missed one.

Not that you asked, or cared, but here it is...

At Lexington, Ky.
#1 Kentucky vs. #57 UAB
#23 Butler vs. #43 Ole Miss

At Philadelphia, Pa.
#2 Villanova vs. #63 Lafayette
#31 North Carolina St. vs. #48 Buffalo

At Durham, N.C.
#3 Duke vs. #64 Coastal Carolina
#29 Cincinnati (flight) vs. #47 Wyoming (flight)

At Madison, Wis.
#4 Wisconsin vs. #51 Valparaiso
#20 Northern Iowa vs. #46 Dayton

At Charlottesville, Va.
#5 Virginia vs. #58 Albany
#28 VCU vs. #39 Ohio St.

At Tucson, Ariz.
#6 Arizona vs. #59 New Mexico St.
#32 San Diego St. vs. #42 UCLA

At Spokane, Wash.
#7 Gonzaga vs. #53 Eastern Washington
#30 Oregon vs. #45 Boise State

At Lawrence, Kan.
#8 Kansas vs. #54 UC-Irvine (flight)
#27 Iowa vs. #34 Oklahoma St.

At Ames, Iowa
#9 Iowa State vs. #62 North Dakota St.
#26 Wichita State vs. #36 Purdue

At Waco, Texas
#10 Baylor vs. #61 Texas Southern
#21 SMU vs. #35 LSU

At Norman, Okla.
#11 Oklahoma vs. #50 Stephen F. Austin
#18 Arkansas vs. #41 Texas

At South Bend, Ind.
#12 Notre Dame vs. #60 Belmont
#25 Michigan State vs. #44 BYU (flight)

At Chapel Hill, N.C.
#13 North Carolina vs. #55 Georgia St.
#19 West Virginia vs. #40 Georgia

At College Park, Md.
#14 Maryland vs. #56 Northeastern
#22 Providence vs. #38 Davidson

At Louisville, Ky.
#15 Louisville vs. #49 Wofford
#24 Xavier vs. #37 Indiana

At Washington, D.C.
#16 Georgetown vs. #52 Harvard
#17 Utah (flight) vs. #33 St. John's

[AO]

Because I make poor decisions in how to use my free time (Have you met the Belt^TM?) I wondered what the first two rounds of the D-I tournament would look like if you applied D-III principles. So here was the method...

1. Take 1-64 from the official NCAA D-I seed list. Sorry 65-68, you're out.
2. Avoid as many flights as possible (500 mile rule)
3. Allow no conference teams to play in the first round
4. Place the top 16 teams as pod hosts
5. Pair up the bottom 16 teams with a host (1 flight)
6. Assign 17-32 to a host site (2 flights)
7. Assign 33-47 to a host site (2 flights)

I was able to do the whole thing with only 5 flights (the state of Utah proved to a geographic island). That should help solve those charter airplane problems they've been whining about. I'm pretty sure I avoided all first round conference rematches and I avoided a lot of second round possible rematches too, although with all the realignment I might have missed one.

Not that you asked, or cared, but here it is...

At Lexington, Ky.
#1 Kentucky vs. #57 UAB
#23 Butler vs. #43 Ole Miss

At Philadelphia, Pa.
#2 Villanova vs. #63 Lafayette
#31 North Carolina St. vs. #48 Buffalo

At Durham, N.C.
#3 Duke vs. #64 Coastal Carolina
#29 Cincinnati (flight) vs. #47 Wyoming (flight)

At Madison, Wis.
#4 Wisconsin vs. #51 Valparaiso
#20 Northern Iowa vs. #46 Dayton

At Charlottesville, Va.
#5 Virginia vs. #58 Albany
#28 VCU vs. #39 Ohio St.

At Tucson, Ariz.
#6 Arizona vs. #59 New Mexico St.
#32 San Diego St. vs. #42 UCLA

At Spokane, Wash.
#7 Gonzaga vs. #53 Eastern Washington
#30 Oregon vs. #45 Boise State

At Lawrence, Kan.
#8 Kansas vs. #54 UC-Irvine (flight)
#27 Iowa vs. #34 Oklahoma St.

At Ames, Iowa
#9 Iowa State vs. #62 North Dakota St.
#26 Wichita State vs. #36 Purdue

At Waco, Texas
#10 Baylor vs. #61 Texas Southern
#21 SMU vs. #35 LSU

At Norman, Okla.
#11 Oklahoma vs. #50 Stephen F. Austin
#18 Arkansas vs. #41 Texas

At South Bend, Ind.
#12 Notre Dame vs. #60 Belmont
#25 Michigan State vs. #44 BYU (flight)

At Chapel Hill, N.C.
#13 North Carolina vs. #55 Georgia St.
#19 West Virginia vs. #40 Georgia

At College Park, Md.
#14 Maryland vs. #56 Northeastern
#22 Providence vs. #38 Davidson

At Louisville, Ky.
#15 Louisville vs. #49 Wofford
#24 Xavier vs. #37 Indiana

At Washington, D.C.
#16 Georgetown vs. #52 Harvard
#17 Utah (flight) vs. #33 St. John's

I think I prefer this tournament.  D1 proves every year that there isn't much difference between a 5 seed and a 12 seed, might as well bracket nearby teams to create some atmosphere in the arena.

[warriorcat]

Thank you for taking the time to put this together.  It is very interesting.  What it does for me is to create a tournament that really favors the seeded teams playing at home.  It  would make getting one of the those first and second round games crucial.  I looked at what would happen if all sixteen hosts advanced to the third round.  The advantage becomes even more apparent for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds.  As I said, very interesting.

[Greek Tragedy]

So who's actually considered the favorite? Augustana, they did have a bye. Babson,  least amount of losses of the 4 and ranked the highest. VWC because they just knocked off #1 RMC. Point because...?

[TheOsprey]

Won't be any perfect brackets this year 

[AndOne]

So who's actually considered the favorite? Augustana, they did have a bye. Babson,  least amount of losses of the 4 and ranked the highest. VWC because they just knocked off #1 RMC. Point because...?

* When you have #4 vs #6, and #8 vs #9, I don't think you can determine a favorite on the basis of rankings, as the positions could probably be reversed. Just too close to call on the basis of rankings alone.

* In expected close games I still like to bet my win money on the team that turns the ball over the fewest times, and that makes the highest percentage of its free throws.

* Many might think they aren't things having any baring on the final outcome, but one factor I think often plays a role is which team has the strongest weakness. Let's say team A's biggest problem is poor FT shooting, and team B's is high turnovers. I think whichever team perfroms best in its weakest area is very often the winner. Lastly, what team has  luck on it's side that night.
Who gets the bad bounce, the obviously incorrect call, or an injury during the game?

[Greek Tragedy]

That really didn't answer my question.   

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Too many flights, AO.  The NCAA would never approve unnecessary travel.

You can do a pod at Utah with BYU and Wyoming both driving, then fly UC-Irvine in.

You move VCU-Ohio St to Duke and put Georgetown and St. John's at Virginia.

Harvard to Villanova, Buffalo to South Bend and then either N Iowa or Wichita State at Kansas.

Yes, it makes the Kansas pod a bit too loaded, but you're only looking at a potential second round game in the first round, which isn't terrible, plus it makes only one flight nationally - which you can't help because there's five teams orphaned in the Southwest.


Now, if Colorado State had been in, instead of Dayton, they could just drive to Utah and Irvine could fly to Kansas and everything would work out better, but alas, the committee had other ideas.

[AO]

Too many flights, AO.  The NCAA would never approve unnecessary travel.

I was saying I preferred that D1 move to the D3 method.  The biggest games of the year should be played in front of the best crowds.  Bracketing doesn't have to be "fair".  There are very few big tournaments that even allow the true #1 and #2 teams to meet only in the championship game.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Too many flights, AO.  The NCAA would never approve unnecessary travel.

I was saying I preferred that D1 move to the D3 method.  The biggest games of the year should be played in front of the best crowds.  Bracketing doesn't have to be "fair".  There are very few big tournaments that even allow the true #1 and #2 teams to meet only in the championship game.

Not even this one - Kentucky and Wisconsin should be able to meet in the final.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

How would it be changed if instead of ignoring 65-68 (since they won their conference's bid) you took out the last four at large teams (Boise St, Dayton, BYU, Ole Miss)?

[Greek Tragedy]

So why are we talking D1? LOL :-)

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

How would it be changed if instead of ignoring 65-68 (since they won their conference's bid) you took out the last four at large teams (Boise St, Dayton, BYU, Ole Miss)?

Not having Boise State would really mess with things - they can drive to Gonzaga and Utah - it really helps with options.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

So why are we talking D1? LOL :-)

We're just putting d1 teams into a d3 style bracket.  I'm not sure what that bracket would mean for sectionals, though.