Mock NCAA selection show...

Yeah. And they still completely screwed the pooch on that one, too.

Hi Cosmo!

 

I've never said the committee doesn't get 'em wrong. Happens all the time.
As for FB's point that this isn't necessarily "the process," that sounds like Oliver Stone-style theorizing.
The NCAA sure went to a lot of trouble to put on a show for all those writers. It's pretty hard to imagine the NCAA rewrote all their computer programs or invented the voting system just to trick everybody. Ridiculous.

 

Considering they're picking 65 teams, the committee manages to get through most seasons with less complaning than the BCS gets picking two. Every year there's one or two big conference teams whose credentials are questionable. Every year there's a mid-major school or two that gets screwed. Every year there are three or four seedings that inspire a national "huh?".
I submit that's not such a bad record.

 

No, but if there is undue influence-peddling in March, this kabuki event is completely irrelevant. Put two pool guys in the room in March and then you'll have something.

 

How could the process maintain integrity under those circumstances? If a reporter is in the room and Maryland is on the bubble, what are the chances that UVa's athletic director is going to be honest about the Terps?

 

Fine, but then don't argue that this little fandngo had any resemblance to the process that will actually occure, in secret, in March, and any pieces written out of this event that maintain that the process will operate the same way behind closed doors ought to be dismissed.

 

I think we all understand it's a subjective process. I give the NCAA credit for letting writers see how the process works by doing a little role-playing. Will it stave off criticism when/if someone is left out? Of course not, because applying any subjective standard is at best imperfect. You just try to limit the imperfections as much as possible. But I'm not seeing black NCAA helicopters here.

 

All I know is, KU got punished for years after Bob Frederick stepped down as NCAA Tournament selection committee chairman after the Jayhawks blew one No. 1 seed after another each March. And deserved every bit of it.

As for this article, I don't see anything that should rile anybody too much here.

 

But they didn't see "how the process works," They saw what the NCAA wanted them to think was "how the process worked." Big difference.

 

To many people, the NCAA bracket announcement/tournament's first weekend is the event of the year. However the NCAA is doing it, I don't really see anything that particularly needs fixing.

 

How was KU punished?

 

Lower seeds during some "down" years. One time, they had to play top-seeded Duke second round (and damn near won that game, had it not been for Nick Bradford's late giveaway); another time, a tough Kentucky team in the second round. Just some brutal draws in the late '90s.