It's a No Brainer: UW Deserves At-Large Bid

I'm not gonna lie. This is the start of my three favorite sports weeks every year. It's not just the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it's Conference Championship Week that makes it so good. Ever year, there is a team that gets hot at the right time and wins its conference tournament with a losing conference record. Some might not like it (ie - fans of the teams that get upset) because seemingly more deserving teams are left home, but the fact is that America loves underdogs.

For one-bid conferences, upsets don't really mean anything to the entire field. But for other leagues, such as the Missouri Valley, an upset will have major ramifications for the entire field. You see, Wichita St and Creighton are locks for the tournament. Even if neither had won the MVC tournament, they both would be going to the Big Dance. Had Illinois St pulled the upset over Creighton in the finals, the league would then have 3 bids rather than 2. And that of course means that someone was going to get squeezed. Or more appropriately someone's bubble would be burst.

Now most pundits are suggesting that UW is actually one of those teams on the bubble. They would suggest that UW needs the Creighton's, Gonzaga's, Murray St's of the worlds to win their conference championships. They would suggest that I shouldn't be excited about upsets.

Here is the thing - I think they are absolutely out-of-their-mind crazy. I'm sorry, but UW just won the Pac-12 conference with a 14-4 conference record. Let me repeat that, they won the outright conference regular season title in a Power 6 conference. I know all of their warts - no wins over top 25 teams, a 4-8 record against top 100 RPI schools, a home loss to South Dakota St and Pac-12 runner up Cal and road losses to Nevada and St Louis. But the biggest wart is something they have no control over - the Pac 12 simply sucks this year. Back when I was writing blog entries on a regular basis, I would have looked up the exact specifics, but right now I'm just winging it. Pac 12 teams went something like 1-30 against the other Power 6 conferences. They have no teams even close to the Top 25 and it is ranked something like 10th in conference RPI.

I know the conference is down, but they finished 10 games over .500. I know the Big East and Big 10 are better conferences, but how can you tell me that Seton Hall, a team with a 8-10 conference record is more deserving than UW? I know they have some quality wins, but I am absolutely sure that UW could have a few quality wins on their resume if they played the same schedule. I know they had their shots against Duke and Marquette in December, but they are simply a better team now. If they had the opportunity to switch February schedules with the Hall, I think they would have a signature win as well. I'm not saying they would go 14-4 in the Big East, but they could definitely have won 9 games. If these two particular teams are the same, I think the edge should rightly go to the conference winner. I'm not sure the same should count for a team like Cal, but certainly the conference winner. (btw - I love you Seton Hall, you just helped me make my argument...Jersey pride).

Here is one thing that annoys me - people say that UW needs to win a game in the Pac-12 tournament in order to make the Big Dance. I understand the idea, but the presentation is all wrong. They don't need to win a game - there is no difference between 21-9 and 22-9 with the 22nd win against Wazzoo - they simply need to not lose the game. If they were to lose to Wazzoo (or OSU) that would be damning - a sign that they don't deserve an at large bid. Somehow 0-2 in their final 2 games means much more than 10-3 in their final 13 games or 16-5 in their final 21 games. The Pac-12 tournament is actually a no-win situation (unless they actually do win). When I see a top seed lose in the first round, my first thought isn't that they don't deserve a tournament bid. Instead, I tend to think that it could be a sign that they won't go very far in the Big Dance. One game isn't enough to wipe away 20 games. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Reward the team that was best in the regular season.

I can handle a 11 seed - that is fair, but to imply that there are 37 better at-large teams than UW is simply insane. They don't need to be given a birth at the expense of a team from the Atlantic 10, Mountain West, Colonial, West Coast or Missouri Valley. No, they need to be in because they are a good team that won a Power 6 title. It shouldn't be at anyone expense - it should simply be because they are a better team than the Big East's 9th best team. You want to know why the 9th Big East team has a high RPI? It's because their Strength of Schedule is so damn good. Every week they play a top-10 team. That doesn't necessarily mean they are any good or more deserving than the Pac-12 champion.

Don't reward teams for simply being in the same league as some damn fine teams. That says nothing about the tea, but rather the league. Take UW. Keep Seton Hall at home.


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On a totally unrelated note, my Bucknell Bison play Lehigh for a birth to the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday night. Normally I would be very complimentary of their opponent and very scared of the game, but I have 100% confidence that we are going to win. Part of it could be that I am officially becoming a snob due to their recent success (remember, we are the only league school to win a NCAA Tournament game...and we did it twice!), but the real reason is simply elementary.

Lehigh came to Bucknell a few weeks ago and knocked us off on a last second 3 pointer. We won at their place. They won at our place. Now we get Game 3 at home. Some will say that Lehigh has a chance because they know that they can do it, but I see it the other way. Bucknell is the superior team. After they lost to Lehigh they dropped one at Holy Cross. No disrespect to the Ass Crusaders from Wochester, but they didn't beat us - we had a letdown. It was a mental lapse and they took advantage of it. I believe in Mike Muscala, the should have been 2-time defending Player of the Year. He is going to take the team on his shoulders and will them to victory. He will not let them come out sluggish. In fact, I expect them to be pissed off and focused. They know what happened the first time around. They are not scared of it happening again - I truly believe they are angry and motivated to show that it was a fluke. I think we not only get the job done, but we win by at least double digits.

[Now with all that being said, let me channel my inner 2005 self and say that we could use all the support and positive vibes. 'Ray Bucknell]