NCAA Tournament 2000 - Selection committee rewards mid-majors

Selection committee rewards mid-majors
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

Mid-major teams were protected for the second consecutive year by the selection committee.

The selections of Indiana State (Missouri Valley) and Pepperdine (West Coast) over Vanderbilt was a clear sign the committee wanted to reward mid-major teams that won regular-season championships but failed to win their conference tournament titles.

Vanderbilt lost in the SEC quarterfinals, but swept Tennessee and beat Florida and LSU during the regular season. The Commodores had better wins than Indiana State or Pepperdine, but that obviously wasn't enough to get them a bid.

Eliminating Vanderbilt might have been done when Arkansas won the SEC tournament. But, if that's the case, that would go against the committee's take of going team vs. team rather than picking a set number of teams from a conference.

The committee has won fans with the mid-major conferences, but the high-major conferences have a legitimate gripe about being left out of the field.

Joining Vanderbilt with a gripe will be Virginia. The Cavaliers tied for third in the ACC with North Carolina, swept the Tar Heels and still didn't get into the field.

The selection committee went with Arizona and Stanford as No. 1s, rather than trying to choose between the two. Both teams lost two games in the last two weeks, not a good sign for a No. 1. But in the end, the committee probably felt Iowa State and Temple didn't do enough to push either out of the way.

Cincinnati was destined to be dropped from its perch as a No. 1 seed once Kenyon Martin was injured. NCAA selection committee chair Craig Thompson said that was the reason the Bearcats were dropped.

At the other end of the bracket, the last teams in the field were St. Bonaventure (12), Indiana State (12), Dayton (11), Seton Hall (10) and UNLV (10). All five were double-digit seeds.

In the East, Duke should have a clear shot to the Sweet 16, likely playing Florida or Illinois. Kansas, which has to play DePaul in an 8 vs. 9 game, could be out in round one. Penn, a team that probably thought it could win a first-round game, probably can't beat Illinois. Duke against Florida would be a dandy Sweet 16. In the East bracket in Buffalo, Temple has a clear shot to the Sweet 16 against Oklahoma State, which should get past Indiana. Hofstra had looked like a team that could win a first-round game, but not against Oklahoma State.

Stanford shouldn't have trouble in the South until the Elite Eight. Connecticut could be in danger in a first-round game against Utah State. Connecticut and Tennessee have had erratic moments this season. The other side in Nashville could develop into a Ohio State-Tulsa matchup in the Sweet 16. Cincinnati would be a lock to go deep into the regional had Martin been healthy. But the region looks like it has a Ohio State-Stanford feel.

Arizona is beatable in the West, especially against either Fresno State, Wisconsin or LSU. The Tigers are a threat to get to the Final Four. But St. John's will be in good shape if it can get past Gonzaga and Oklahoma. The West is probably the weakest bracket, which sets up nicely for St. John's.

Michigan State should come out of the Midwest. Look for Syracuse or Kentucky to cause them problems but not beat the Spartans in the Sweet 16. Iowa State and Maryland are headed for a matchup in the Elite Eight, but neither can beat Michigan State.

The Final Four: Michigan State, St. John's, Stanford and Temple with a Michigan State-Temple matchup in the national final. Michigan State will be the champ.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.


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