Here are the least deserving teams in the field, according to Strength of Record:
- Tulsa: 66th
- Vanderbilt: 61st
- Wichita State: 56th
- Syracuse: 55th
Most teams by conference in field of 68
- Pac-12: 7
- Big 12: 7
- ACC: 7
- Big Ten: 6
- Big East: 5
- American: 4
Some ESPN tidbits
The UConn coach brings this resume to his team's matchup with Colorado:
- 6-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament (all in 2014)
- 1 of 2 head coaches with undefeated record in NCAA Tournament (Everett Dean: 3-0)
- 4-0 as lower seed (T-best record in NCAA history - Lee Rose)
Looks like the NCAA selection committee took a hard look at Syracuse (10-seed) without Jim Boeheim during his nine-game suspension and the Syracuse team with him. It's an interesting situation. The Orange played better with their head coach on the sideline. But the issues within Boeheim's program led to the suspension issued by the NCAA.
As tempting as picking a 5-12 upset can be, I don't think Baylor is a good matchup for Yale to pull it off. The Bears are too strong inside. Yale would have been better served playing more of a finesse team. I already feel Justin Sears' pain, as the 6-foot-8, 205-pound "center" in the Bulldogs zone will be pitted against 6-8, 275-pounder Rico Gathers. Ouch!
If the Aggies, a 3-seed, and the Longhorns, a 6-seed, take care of business in their first games they would meet in the next round. Texas hasn't faced another Texas school in the tourney since 1972, while Texas A&M hasn't since 1969.
Duke is a 4 seed for the 2nd time in school history.Blue Devils were 4 seed in 1980 when they reached the Elite 8.
This year's Michigan-Tulsa First Four matchup on Wednesday will put an interesting trend to the test. Since the First Four began in 2011, Tuesday's First Four winners have yet to win another game in the tourney, while Wednesday's winners have won 10 additional games in those five years (and at least one win each year).Could this be the year that the Tuesday winner (Vanderbilt-Wichita State) gets in on the action?
Good luck Red Eye
