It’s the day everybody has been waiting for, when all the bracketologists and their predictions are rendered moot, and office brackets can finally be printed.
It’s Selection Sunday, when the sports world stands still for an hour to find out who is playing who, and who is staying home. Here is a primer on the top stories to follow:
Who wants the Garden
The three top seeds have been sewn up for a while now — Wichita State in the Midwest, Arizona in the West and Florida in the South. But Madison Square Garden and the East still is a toss-up, open to debate.
For much of the year, it figured to be Syracuse, before the Orange’s magical undefeated season hit the skids. Virginia and Villanova were considered favorites, but then the Cavaliers lost to ACC — and future Big Ten — also-ran Maryland in the regular-season finale, and Villanova was stunned by Seton Hall in the Big East quarterfinals on Thursday.
Our prediction: Sunday carries a ton of weight. ACC regular season champion Virginia could get tabbed for the top seed if it ousts Duke; or Michigan, with its bushel of quality wins, can be the team if the Wolverines top rival Michigan State in the Big Ten title game. One team lurking? Louisville. The defending champions won the AAC tournament and are absolutely rolling, with 12 wins in its last 13 games, four against ranked opponents.
Bubble Watch
The selection committee has its work cut out for itself — so many bubble teams, so many similar resumes, so many possibilities. Florida State and Missouri didn’t help themselves by losing Friday, blowing chances for trademark wins against Virginia and Florida, respectively. Baylor earned its way into the tournament with a win over Texas in the Big 12 semifinals on Friday and St. Joseph’s did the same by beating Dayton in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals on Friday and reaching Sunday’s title game.
St. John’s loss to Providence likely sealed the Johnnies’ NIT fate, while the Friars run to the Big East Tournament final assures them of a berth into the field of 68.
What will the committee do with BYU? The Cougars were squarely on the bubble, before not only falling to Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference championship game, but also losing star guard Kyle Collinsworth for the year with a knee injury.
Will Green Bay of the Horizon League or Belmont of the Ohio Valley be rewarded for solid regular seasons, despite disappointing conference tournaments? Let’s hope so.
Local Cinderella
Manhattan is our only hope. Wherever Steve Masiello’s Jaspers land, the mid-major program will be a heavy underdog. We’ve seen the Jaspers paired with Big 12 powerhouse Iowa State in some mock brackets, AAC regular season champion Cincinnati in others, even title contender Michigan State — all of them 4 vs. 13 games.
Conference breakdown
The best part about Selection Sunday? The endless stumping by coaches for teams from their respective conferences comes to an end. Providence coach Ed Cooley said on Thursday the Big East should get “five, six teams every year” in The Big Dance. Why stop there, Ed? Why not eight? Look, Cooley is just one of many coaches to stump for his conference.
The Big East should get four teams — Villanova, Creighton, Xavier and Providence — and anything less would be a slap in the face. The ACC likely will get five, somewhat of a disappointment considering the preseason hype; Pac-12 six; the A-10 six; Big 12 seven; and Big Ten seven. The SEC, meanwhile, probably will receive as many bids as the Mountain West — two. We will know by April if these bids were deserving or not. But that’s the beauty of this tournament. Our eyes answer our questions, not a computer.
Kansas Civil War
Would the selection committee dare? On paper, it seems only natural, placing Kansas as the second seed in the Midwest with Wichita State. What a regional final that would be — all those great Jayhawks freshmen trying to thwart the undefeated Shockers in Indianapolis.