Yes. 2007. We were the 12 seed and lost 54-52 to Va Tech. One the got away.
Bracketology
- Status
Amazing times. From national title game to the bubble in two years.
6 seed right now. 20-11 in the regular season (only win our home games) and we are looking at a 6-7 seed depending how the btt goes. 21-10 and we are looking at a 6 seed for sure, possibly a 5. Anything better and we should be looking at a 4 seed. Gotta show up against IU and play hard and get off to a fast start. If we can steal the IU game, that would be massive for our resume.
Of course UNC had to one up us and do it one year.
Our seeding doesn't matter. What does matter is the matchup we get. We're due for some good luck in the matchup department. I don't see us being any higher than a 5 seed, no lower than an 8 seed. Ideally, a 6 seed or a 7 seed. I think we could stack up well against teams like Texas, K State, UCLA, TN, and even Virginia if given another chance. Those are all likely 2 or 3 seed teams.
The 2023 Dance will be a wide-open free-for-all this year.
A quick ‘sketch on the napkin’ view of things... looking at the Top Ranked Teams and the Loss Column we find...
(Arbitrary ‘Tier 1' Teams)
(2 to 4 Loss Teams)
Alabama
Arizona
Florida Atlantic
Houston
Purdue
UCLA
Virginia
(Arbitrary ‘Tier 2' Teams)
(5 or 6 Loss Teams)
Baylor
Gonzaga
Kansas
Marquette
Miami
Nevada
St Mary’s
San Diego State
Tennessee
Texas
(Arbitrary ‘Tier 3' Teams)
(7 or 8 Loss Teams)
UConn
Creighton
Indiana
Iowa State
Kansas State
Northwestern
Providence
TCU
Xavier
And you might as well add the lIlini to the Arbitrary ‘Tier 3' Teams as that seems a current fit.
Bottom line: There is little to separate among all these top teams with the exception of Houston and Purdue who have been a hair above the pack all Season.
Anybody from this group can emerge and Win The Thing. And teams like the Illini and others are lurking below the National Consciousness and could get hot and go on a roll.
This is the new signature of College Ball in the modern Age. With so many freshmen leaving and with the musical chairs of the Portal and NIL... teams are being leveled out. No Super Teams like the old UCLA or Indiana or Duke or NC or Kentucky dynasties of old. Those legacy names will be around the top every year... but the automatic space to be filled on their trophy case will not be so easy to fill any more.
And things are much more fun THIS way giving so many teams a great chance.
A quick ‘sketch on the napkin’ view of things... looking at the Top Ranked Teams and the Loss Column we find...
(Arbitrary ‘Tier 1' Teams)
(2 to 4 Loss Teams)
Alabama
Arizona
Florida Atlantic
Houston
Purdue
UCLA
Virginia
(Arbitrary ‘Tier 2' Teams)
(5 or 6 Loss Teams)
Baylor
Gonzaga
Kansas
Marquette
Miami
Nevada
St Mary’s
San Diego State
Tennessee
Texas
(Arbitrary ‘Tier 3' Teams)
(7 or 8 Loss Teams)
UConn
Creighton
Indiana
Iowa State
Kansas State
Northwestern
Providence
TCU
Xavier
And you might as well add the lIlini to the Arbitrary ‘Tier 3' Teams as that seems a current fit.
Bottom line: There is little to separate among all these top teams with the exception of Houston and Purdue who have been a hair above the pack all Season.
Anybody from this group can emerge and Win The Thing. And teams like the Illini and others are lurking below the National Consciousness and could get hot and go on a roll.
This is the new signature of College Ball in the modern Age. With so many freshmen leaving and with the musical chairs of the Portal and NIL... teams are being leveled out. No Super Teams like the old UCLA or Indiana or Duke or NC or Kentucky dynasties of old. Those legacy names will be around the top every year... but the automatic space to be filled on their trophy case will not be so easy to fill any more.
And things are much more fun THIS way giving so many teams a great chance.
With Maryland beating Purdue and NU beating Indiana, Illinois surprising may not drop as much. Interesting. SOS.
Still think we have a great shot at a run in the dance. No elite teams this year and it’s all about matchups and boy, do we present plenty of matchup problems.
Dain is a load. I know TJD and others in the BIG have gotten the best of him but outside of the BIG, I don’t see too many bigs that can match up with him, excluding Tschiebwe and Bacot, and both of those guys are on the wrong side of the bubble right now.
Mayer can get his shot up over just about anyone at 6’9 plus he can handle, drive and post.
TJ is a freight train going to the basket and maybe a silver lining to the concussion is he will get some rest and head into the post season with fresh legs.
Ty is turning into a real matchup problem. Too big/physical for most guards and too quick for most forwards.
And Jaden can go get one.
Defensively we’ve got great positional size and continue to alter/block a lot of shots. We can play our standard drop coverage or pivot to Coleman at the 5 if we run into a 5 out team.
Our record may not be eye popping and so might not immediately strike fear into the hearts of teams, but you go up and down our roster and we should have a physical matchup advantage on at least 3 positions at all times.
Dain is a load. I know TJD and others in the BIG have gotten the best of him but outside of the BIG, I don’t see too many bigs that can match up with him, excluding Tschiebwe and Bacot, and both of those guys are on the wrong side of the bubble right now.
Mayer can get his shot up over just about anyone at 6’9 plus he can handle, drive and post.
TJ is a freight train going to the basket and maybe a silver lining to the concussion is he will get some rest and head into the post season with fresh legs.
Ty is turning into a real matchup problem. Too big/physical for most guards and too quick for most forwards.
And Jaden can go get one.
Defensively we’ve got great positional size and continue to alter/block a lot of shots. We can play our standard drop coverage or pivot to Coleman at the 5 if we run into a 5 out team.
Our record may not be eye popping and so might not immediately strike fear into the hearts of teams, but you go up and down our roster and we should have a physical matchup advantage on at least 3 positions at all times.
the national
- the Front Range
I don’t think seeding will matter much at all this year, but I do find it interesting that the pollsters at least seem to penalize the BIG for canibalizing itself, given the BIG had a pretty good noncon, but aren’t penalizing the SEC or B12 in the same way.
Maybe the BIG outperforms expectations in the tourney this year. Who knows. I think there’s so little separation between teams and will be such a crapshoot I’m not sure you’re going to be able to meaningfully determine conference quality. I just find it interesting who continues to get propped up in the polls.
Maybe the BIG outperforms expectations in the tourney this year. Who knows. I think there’s so little separation between teams and will be such a crapshoot I’m not sure you’re going to be able to meaningfully determine conference quality. I just find it interesting who continues to get propped up in the polls.
- Status