Observations and Ruminations

What have we learned this week?

► The next time that you hear that a conference might put 10 teams in the NCAA tournament, go ahead and laugh out loud. Not just the lol version, I mean actually embarrass the person that said it by Laughing Out Loud! It’s probably not going to hurt that person’s feelings anyway because they are most likely from the East and the clear East Coast Bias that would allow them to make such a reality-abandoned statement will filter out any pain that being laughed at might cause another human.
No, the Big East did not get 10 teams in the Tournament. They got 7 in. Not bad, but not 10. And that’s OK and appropriate. The Big East is good league, but no conference is that much better than the others, even with the principle that the Committee uses in disregarding conference affiliation. Sorry to all of you northeastern media-types. No matter how much you campaign for the Big East throughout the regular season, the Selection Committee is still in control. Thankfully.
Now, having said all that, the fact that three of the four #1 seeds coming out of the Big East – well-deserved.

► The #2 seed given to Oklahoma (albeit in a very tough subregion) is proof that the Committee does consider many factors. The injury sustained by Blake Griffin made a huge difference in the Sooners’ win-loss record at the end of the season. Here’s to hoping that OU lives up to the faith of the Committee and makes it to at least the Elite Eight, and in doing so shuts up Seth Davis, who doesn’t give them a snowball’s chance against either Syracuse or Clemson.

► In women’s basketball this season, Southeastern and Central are incredibly evenly matched. Period. Yeah, that’s all I have to say about that.


From my vantage...

First United Bank Center (Home of the West Texas A&M Aggies) – OTA rating 9 out of 10