From the Sidelines: Tournament even stranger than usual
There is no excuse.
It wasn't because they are young. It wasn't because they aren't as good as Bradley. And it wasn't because of bad karma in this column space two weeks ago. The Kansas Jayhawks choked. Their 77-73 first-round NCAA tournament loss Friday to the Braves was one of many close games and upsets in the first round.
Now no doubt, the Jayhawks should have won the game. Plain and simple. If you can beat Texas by 12 points you can surely beat Bradley. But if the first couple of rounds of this tournament have proved anything, it's that the mid-majors of the country are starting to rise to the level of the so-called "power teams" and can no longer be treated as an easy victory.
How does this happen?
Basketball is becoming more popular. March Madness is all over the television, newspaper, and Internet. Young kids are becoming more interested in the game, which in turn, leads to more of them playing the game. The top schools have only so many scholarships, and with more great players interested in the game, somebody has to scoop them up.
KU still should have won. The Jayhawks are a better basketball team than Bradley. Maybe this year is a fluke. But it should be interesting in the next few years to see if this trend continues. It could just be sour grapes from yours truly because the 'Hawks were bounced from the first round for the second straight year after winning 21 consecutive first-round games. However, looking at the first couple of rounds, this tournament may prove the mid-majors are getting better.
If the seeds worked themselves out, the only teams left should be seeded one through four, giving the average Sweet 16 team a seed of 2.5. Instead the average seed for all 16 teams left is 4.6.
The Oakland region has number (1) Memphis playing (13) Bradley, and the Washington D.C. bracket has (7) Wichita State pitted against (11) George Mason. (10) Georgetown also advanced and will play number (2) Ohio State.
Entering this tournament the combined records of 10, 11, and 13 seeds was 115-252 for a winning percentage of 31.3 percent, and an average of 5.4 wins per tournament. They already have seven with two teams still playing.
When all is said and done the higher seeds usually play out. Every year since the tournament has been at least 32 teams (1979) at least one number one seed has reached the Final Four. However, at least one has not made it as well.
Only time shall tell if the high seeds weed out the abundance of lower seeds in the next few rounds, but see how many of these scenarios you predicted before the tournament.
— Either (7) Wichita State or (11) George Mason will be playing in the Elite 8 round for a trip to the Final Four.
— (13) Bradley knocked off (4) Kansas and (5) Pittsburgh.
— (11) George Mason defeated (3) North Carolina and (6) Michigan State, half of last year's Final Four.
— Three 2005 Final Four teams (UNC, MSU, Illinois) were defeated Sunday. Louisville did not make the tournament.
— A nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 seed all won at least one game this season, and (15) Winthrop lost at the buzzer to (2) Tennessee.
So in the end maybe three ones and a two will be riding high in the Final Four and all this will seem nonsense. But for now, hope is still alive for the underdogs.
Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, it is not.
