At this time of year – days before Selection Sunday – many fans flock to ESPN’s Bracketology to see what one man’s opinions are concerning who will play who and where they will play come the start of the NCAAs. Alright, maybe it’s a committee of people but nonetheless is nothing more than a WAG. Below I have listed the 16 and 15 seeds as posted on Bracketology (3/1/09).
Two Questions:
1. Should Lehigh prevail, do they deserve a fate better than a "Play-in" game against Jackson State?
Why not Quinnipiac – a team we beat and a team that plays out of a conference one step below the PL?
Why not Lipscomb – a 12 loss team with a weaker RPI and only a slightly better conference RPI?
Travel considerations…..not much to chose from.
Bethlehem, PA (Lehigh) to Dayton
Nashville, TN (Lipscomb) to Dayton
Hamden, CT (Quinnipiac) to Dayton
2. Should Lehigh not win its tournament, do any of the other teams in the PL deserve a 16 bid of its own or is it "Play-in" time for them, as well?
First the PL RPIs
LU 169
LC 216
BU 246
Army 248
Navy 260
CU 284
HC 285
AU 295
The Play-In Game … March 16th @ UD Arena, Dayton (OH). Winner to get Syracuse in Round One at the Buffalo site on March 18th
Lehigh (19-10, 10-4) – 169 – Patriot – 28
Jackson State (16-11, 15-1) – 209 – Southwestern Athletic – 31
The 16 Seeds – their record – their RPI – their conference – their conference RPI
Quinnipiac (21-8, 13-3) – 143 – NE – 29 vs. Kansas
Lipscomb (16-12, 14-6) – 196 – Atlantic Sun – 25 vs. Duke
Stony Brook (20-8, 13-3) – 129 – America East – 24 vs. Kentucky
The 15 Seeds – their record – their RPI – their conference – their conference RPI
UC Santa Barbara (16-9, 11-4) – 106 – Big West – 19
Troy (15-11, 13-5) – 120 – Sun Belt – 22
Coastal Carolina (22-5, 15-3) -121 – Big South – 27
Morgan State (23-9, 14-1) – 108 – Mid-Eastern – 30