Can you sense it?
We're almost there - the madness is about to begin.
Oh Greg Gumbel, how I've missed you and your live look-ins.
It's time to rejoice, for we are less than two weeks from the start of the NCAA tournament.
It's a magical time when work productivity plummets and non-basketball fans crush you in your office hoops pool because they make their selections based on which team has the cuter mascot.
While we, as fans, are guaranteed 12 straight hours of college basketball during the opening round - those days should be national holidays, by the way - many college basketball teams aren't guaranteed anything just yet.
So with the “bubble talk#” dominating Sportscenter, I've decided to help you navigate through the selection process.
It can get rather complicated, so just like the committee members, you should leave all reason at the door.
YOUR GUIDE TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT SELECTION PROCESS
(THE THINGS THE SELECTION COMMITTEE WON'T TELL YOU) :
1. Conference matters.
Some idiot will be on your television screen in about 10 days telling you that conference doesn't matter. He's not in touch with reality.
Why shouldn't conference matter? Does 9-9 in the ACC mean the same as 9-9 in the Big East? Not this year.
You have to factor in what conference a team plays in. Right now, New Mexico is a bonafide bubble team. The Lobos are 23-7 overall and 10-5 in the Mountain West Conference.
Just for fun, let's compare them to the Orange.
Syracuse (18-12, 8-9) has an RPI of 52, a strength of schedule (SOS) of eight and is 1-7 vs. the RPI top 50.
New Mexico has an RPI of 48, an SOS of 130 and is 2-4 vs. the RPI top 50.
The Lobos own the better record but the Orange have a much stronger SOS.
With just these numbers, you can't delineate a clear enough distinction between the squads. (And God forbid the selection committee actually watches these teams play. More on that later)
You have to look at the conferences they play in. In the Big East, Syracuse has had no chippies. There are no easy wins. The Orange have just one victory over a team with an RPI over 200.
The Lobos have eight.
Why not reward a team for playing in a tougher conference where it's a battle every night?
I'm sure New Mexico is sweating it out too, with Colorado State left on their schedule. Give me a break.
Right now, Syracuse doesn't deserve to be in. But New Mexico doesn't either. Someone tell Joe Lunardi.
2. I watch more college basketball than most of the selection committee members.
I don't know this for a fact, but I would wager on
Oh Greg Gumbel, how I've missed you and your live look-ins.
It's time to rejoice, for we are less than two weeks from the start of the NCAA tournament.
It's a magical time when work productivity plummets and non-basketball fans crush you in your office hoops pool because they make their selections based on which team has the cuter mascot.
While we, as fans, are guaranteed 12 straight hours of college basketball during the opening round - those days should be national holidays, by the way - many college basketball teams aren't guaranteed anything just yet.
So with the “bubble talk#” dominating Sportscenter, I've decided to help you navigate through the selection process.
It can get rather complicated, so just like the committee members, you should leave all reason at the door.
YOUR GUIDE TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT SELECTION PROCESS
(THE THINGS THE SELECTION COMMITTEE WON'T TELL YOU) :
1. Conference matters.
Some idiot will be on your television screen in about 10 days telling you that conference doesn't matter. He's not in touch with reality.
Why shouldn't conference matter? Does 9-9 in the ACC mean the same as 9-9 in the Big East? Not this year.
You have to factor in what conference a team plays in. Right now, New Mexico is a bonafide bubble team. The Lobos are 23-7 overall and 10-5 in the Mountain West Conference.
Just for fun, let's compare them to the Orange.
Syracuse (18-12, 8-9) has an RPI of 52, a strength of schedule (SOS) of eight and is 1-7 vs. the RPI top 50.
New Mexico has an RPI of 48, an SOS of 130 and is 2-4 vs. the RPI top 50.
The Lobos own the better record but the Orange have a much stronger SOS.
With just these numbers, you can't delineate a clear enough distinction between the squads. (And God forbid the selection committee actually watches these teams play. More on that later)
You have to look at the conferences they play in. In the Big East, Syracuse has had no chippies. There are no easy wins. The Orange have just one victory over a team with an RPI over 200.
The Lobos have eight.
Why not reward a team for playing in a tougher conference where it's a battle every night?
I'm sure New Mexico is sweating it out too, with Colorado State left on their schedule. Give me a break.
Right now, Syracuse doesn't deserve to be in. But New Mexico doesn't either. Someone tell Joe Lunardi.
2. I watch more college basketball than most of the selection committee members.
I don't know this for a fact, but I would wager on
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