Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 6, 1991 TAG: 9103060026
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Brill
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Who's on the bubble? Does anybody really know what the bubble looks like, anyway?
Can anybody beat Vegas?
What does "natural region" mean?
Is politics involved?
For the answers to these and other questions, read on.
There are some intriguing problems for the nine-man NCAA basketball committee, which convenes in Kansas City on Thursday and is challenged with selecting the 64-team field.
Some key factors to consider are injuries and absences: Will Louisiana State's Shaquille O'Neal return for the tournament? That could play a role in whether the Tigers get one of the top 16 seedings. Definitely out are Calvin Talford of Castlewood, the No. 2 scorer at East Tennessee, who had knee surgery Monday, and Doug Christie of Pepperdine, MVP in the West Coast Conference. Plus, Wimp Sanderson bounced Robert Horry off the Alabama team. (Remember, one of the factors in seeding is missing players.)
The top eight seeds look pretty easy: UNLV, Ohio State, Syracuse, Arkansas, Indiana, Duke, North Carolina and Arizona. That creates some problems for the committee.
Arizona and Syracuse have their arenas being used as first-round sites. They can't play at home. That rule also affects Utah, a Top 10 team.
Normally, the ACC champion remains in the East, its natural region. But if Syracuse is seeded first, the Orange must play at College Park, Md. That would mean Duke would have to go to the Carrier Dome or be moved to another region. In the Southeast, the ACC entry could play first in Atlanta, then in the regional at Charlotte.
So here goes one man's opinion:
Nevada-Las Vegas is No. 1 in the West and must play at Tucson, because No. 2 seed Arizona has to go to Salt Lake City. No. 3 will be the Big Eight's No. 2 team, either Kansas or Oklahoma State. Utah will be seeded fourth. The Utes probably deserve better because of their record, but to stay in their region, they've got to be bracketed with UNLV in Arizona.
In the Midwest, No. 1 Ohio State is a lock for Dayton. That would make second-seed Arkansas playing at Minneapolis, along with the Big Eight champion as No. 3. Pencil in New Mexico State as No. 4, paired with the Buckeyes.
In the Southeast, I'm going to do Dean Smith a favor. I'll send him to Atlanta and Charlotte as the No. 2, bracketed with No. 3 St. John's. Indiana moves up to the No. 1 seed with No. 4 Mississippi State (LSU drops because of the O'Neal factor) and will be at Louisville.
That leaves the East. No. 1 Syracuse plays at Maryland, which sends Duke to the Carrier Dome with No. 3 UCLA. The questionable fourth seeding goes to Nebraska. Duke won't mind that. The Blue Devils are 27-3 in NCAA East play. They have advanced to the Final Four four times in five years from the regional at the Meadowlands. Guess where they are playing this season?
So who else is in and who's really on the bubble? You already know which tournament champions have qualified, and three teams will make it after tonight's tripleheader "play-in."
I say these 28 teams will get at-large bids (if they win their tournaments, then obviously the regular-season champion takes their place): Brigham Young, New Mexico, DePaul, LSU, Alabama, Vanderbilt-Georgia winner, Texas, Houston, UCLA, Arizona State, Southern Cal, Florida State, New Mexico State, Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana, Michigan State, Iowa, New Orleans, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Virginia, Georgia Tech, St. John's, Seton Hall, Connecticut and Pitt.
That leaves six more places available, a couple of which could be filled if league champions get upset. For the moment, bubble teams are the Creighton-Southwest Missouri loser, Northern Illinois-Wisconsin-Green Bay loser, Cincinnati, Purdue, Rutgers, Temple, Providence and . . .
Georgetown, which plays Connecticut on Friday in the Big East while sporting a 12-11 record against Division I teams. The worst record ever for an at-large entry in a 64-team field was 16-12, Georgia Tech in '87 and Notre Dame last year.
If the Hoyas lose in Big East and still get picked, the committee knows it will be subject to enormous criticism. Other than an early December victory over Duke, at home, Georgetown has no significant victories outside the league, and it was 4-0 against Boston College and Villanova.
by CNB