Historically Bad Bracket

[DiderotsGhost]

Wow. It's not just Tennessee that got screwed. It legitimately looks like the selection committee did not watch a single game in the past month.

Duke (NET rank of #13) at 2?
Wisconsin (NET rank of #24) at 3?
Auburn (NET rank of #12) at 2?

Virginia Tech wins the ACC and has a NET rank of #27 (implying a 7 seed), but instead gets picked as an 11 and likely misses the tournament if they don't win the ACC tourney?

Notre Dame (NET rank of #53) and Wyoming (NET rank of #50) get in over Texas A&M (NET rank of #42)? This is even worse than it seems once you go outside the NET rankings and look at other reliable computer pollsters. Sagarin has Wyoming as #83 and Notre Dame as #54. And neither team had a compelling late season run to justify it like Texas A&M.

Rutgers gets in with one of the weakest tournament profiles I've ever seen: NET rank of #77, 4-10 away-from-home record, and 18-13 overall record?

Might as well have stopped playing on January 31st. Doesn't appear that the committee factored in anything that happened after that point into their selections (except if it benefits the Holy Big 10). This goes directly against their own stated criteria.

Hoping our Vols play with a chip on their shoulder in the tournament. They put us below at least 4 teams we should have been above. They seriously put Duke and Wisconsin above us. Complete joke!

 

[Aerie Vol]

I have no words.

Except those.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

That Virginia Tech seed and Notre Dame/Wyoming over A&M were all the triggers that made me realize this committee literally sat on their hands for the last 3-4 weeks.

Virginia Tech at 11 is embarrassing. This is a horrific bracket, and of course the committee does it’s worst job in years the year Tennessee has its best team.

 

[zaqhhh]

NCAA: We are making our own metric that we will use

Tennessee: Does well in NET

NCAA: What is a NET?

 

[DiderotsGhost]

NCAA: We are making our own metric that we will use

Tennessee: Does well in NET

NCAA: What is a NET?

Yeah, this year we learned NET is irrelevant.

And while it has some flaws, it's not that out of line with other good computer pollsters, which should be given much more weight. No human can sit around and watch 5,000+ basketball games. Computer polls (at least the good ones) are better at processing all that information. But apparently, the NCAA doesn't want to use their single best metric to seed the teams.

 

[VolFreakJosh]

Tennessee beats UK twice and wins the SEC Tournament.

Lunardi: “It doesn’t matter”

That has to got to be the most piss poor explanation I’ve ever heard in my life.

 

[volsforever27]

Beyond ridiculous. The conference tournament means nothing, strength of schedule etc. They've had their mind made up for a while.

Straight up ********.

 

[berryvol]

This bracket was basically done in the same manner that preseason rankings are done. Name recognition and inconsistent seeding. Just beyond words how many mistakes are in this. At least we benefit from these mistakes in R32, where we will either get the worst 6 seed, by a VERY wide margin, or a Michigan team that didn’t even deserve to be in the field.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

It seems none of these metrics are actually useful. It’s clear now that the only thing that matters is the name on your jersey and the conference you play in. Blue bloods will always get the benefit of the doubt over teams like Tennessee. The SEC will also clearly always be undervalued and the Big 10 will be overvalued. No other way to look at it.

 

[PandamoniumReigns]

I've honestly always respected Lunardi. But his comments about TN seeding were absolutely idiotic.

I'm not arguing either way on the actual seeding. But for him to say "doesn't matter" is absolutely stupid.

NCAA Committee should be forced to provide an explanation on some of these seedings and those they excluded

 

[Gladiator1]

Not much to say but F*** the. Committee

 

[MAD]

 

[i2amavol]

I think it is ridiculous, and I think these people should be took to task for this. However, as far as Tennessee's situation, we have shown that we can play with just about anybody, and I think some of those earlier in the season losses would come out differently if played today. So, we just need to come into every game ready to play. We should do fine.

 

[lostsheep]

If I’m coaching, moving forward we’re playing an easy OOC schedule and I’m resting starters during the SEC tourney.

 

[TC 83]

I hope this pisses our players off and they use this for motivation. So disrespectful.

 

[JoAllan]

This season conference tournaments didn’t matter.

Tennessee was a probable 3 seed before the Arkansas game. Since Tennessee has simply won while Aub, KY, TT, Purdue, ect……have lost……..yet it still stays the same.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

So basically we can't lose a game and probably have to win every game by at least 10 and then just maybe one day we'll be considered for a #1 seed.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

This just proves SOS and NET are pointless. Losses matter more than wins apparently, so we might as well schedule a weaker non-conference and inflate our record like Auburn if this is how it’s going to be.

 

[UTK]

All I know is these people didn't do their jobs and people that don't do their jobs need to be replaced with people that do. It's that simple. Everyone on this committee should never be allowed back.

 

[AllThingsTN]

If I’m coaching, moving forward we’re playing an easy OOC schedule and I’m resting starters during the SEC tourney.

I get that but I’m still very happy to win the sec tourney

Also I’d rather come in playing hot than having starters who haven’t played in weeks. It just sucks the last 3 weeks don’t matter.

 

[MAD]

When you read on twitter that Gator fans,Kentucky fans and everyone else in the country is saying Tennessee got screwed, you know there’s no question that it’s absolutely true.

 

[hUTch2002]

Wow. I just realized that the Atlantic 10 would’ve been a 1 bid league had Davidson won that tournament. That’s so strange as they usually get more in.

 

[DERELICK_MY_VOLS]

Hoping our Vols play with a chip on their shoulder in the tournament. They put us below at least 4 teams we should have been above. They seriously put Duke and Wisconsin above us. Complete joke!

Michael William Krzyzewski….NCAA/ESPN be like….

 

[BenGrimm]

I’m ok with TN remaining in the South but all this criteria of Net and Q1 wins/losses may as well be tossed if they aren’t actually going to use it.

 

[sunnyvol79]

We got the shaft!!