Now that the dust has settled...

I would just like to say first off that I correctly picked 63 of the 65 teams correctly in my mock brackets below (same as Mr. Lunardi). I had Syracuse and Drexel in and Stanford and Arkansas out.

Now, what I would like to say is what I have been telling my friends for the last two days. I think the committee got 63-64 of the 65 teams correct. I think the last 3-4 spots should have came down to Illinois, Arkansas, Stanford, Purdue, Syracuse, Drexel, and Kansas State. Now of this group the committee took four of them. No one can sit here and tell me, someone who watches as much college basketball as any of the experts, that Syracuse is not one of the four best teams out of that group! I have no problem with Stanford, Purdue, and Illinois being in the tournament as I think they are all deserving. But, I have a big problem with Arkansas!

The problem I see is this: If Arkansas isn't in then should Syracuse be in over Drexel? Yes Drexel beat Syracuse head to head...But, the game was played over two months ago! Drexel couldn't beat the top teams in the CAA how could they beat the top teams in the Big East like the Orange did? The committee is getting too wrapped up in numbers and not looking at the teams as a whole. If Syracuse and Drexel and Arkansas all played on a neutral court 20 times who would win the majority? That is the question that should be asked. You give Syracuse a shot at any of them in their own building and the Orange would win 7 of 10 times! Those are the facts the committee should look at.

One more point I would like to make about the snub is that of Villanova. I have been saying all year that I thought they should be in the tournament if they made a run. My predictions in a previous post way back when stated this fact that if they could get to better than 9-7 and make a run in the BE tourney that they would be in. Well, they finished at 9-7 and won just one game in the tourney. Oh, and they finished 9th!

I have been just taking the high RPI of Villanova for granted all year, saying 'Oh their RPI is high so they must have beaten some teams.' Well let me look at their resume, especially non-conference: Lost at Xavier...Won at Iowa (who is terrible), Won at Oklahoma (who is terrible), Lost at home to Drexel, Wont at home to Temple (who is terrible), Won at home to Texas (best win of the year...Now the Big East: Lost at WV, at Syracuse, at ND, at Marquette, Lost at home to Depaul, Pitt, and GTown...Wins: ND, LVille, and Syracuse at home...GTown, and Providence were the big road wins.

Looking at this resume you get: Texas, Penn, ND, Lville, and GTown as the only tourney teams they beat...They lost to Xavier, ND, Marquette, Pitt, and GTown...That is a 5-5 record against tourney teams...Same as Syracuse! Looking deeper at this just makes me hate the RPI even more!

The bottom line is that is Villanova is a 9 seed and Arkansas is in the tourney, then how in the world can you not say that Syracuse is one of the 34 best at large teams? Yes Nova went and played teams on the road, but Oklahoma? Iowa? losing to Xavier? If you say that Syracuse played too many teams at home and lost to the ones they should have won then the same goes for Nova...Just because they played teams on the road doesn't make them a better team.

I was going to make some points about seeding in the NCAA tourney that I thought are way off, but what's the point? Ill just say that Niagara should not be in the play-in game! I'm not going to boycott the NIT because I think the seniors deserve more than that. Lets go out and not only win the NIT but just destroy the field. Jimmy should not let up. If they get up by 15+ just put the hammer down and drive the stake deeper! Make it a WV/Syracuse final so the committee can see just how tough the Big East actually is!

Watch the game tomorrow and treat it like a stepping stone for next year, because that's what Ill be doing!

GO 'CUSE!!