While most people agree that Syracuse should have been the third number one seed instead of Duke, overall I think the Orange drew a favorable bracket by being sent out West. For starters - Louisville isn't in the region - and after a few hours of sifting through the bracket, teams in the Midwest clearly have the hardest road to the championship.
While we will hear the virtues of all the teams in the tournament repeatedly over the next few days the simple fact remains that in three weeks time, 64 teams will have ended their seasons with a loss. With that in mind, I thought I'd take a look at who the teams in the West lost to, and what kind of losses occurred. That way we won't all be shocked when some teams put up the inevitable clunker.
Below I've compiled the biggest loss for each team in the West bracket terms of point differential and also the worst loss each team suffered to a team they should have beat throughout the year. Now a few of these teams really didn't have any bad losses, so keep that in mind as you sift through these failures.
(1) Syracuse
Biggest loss: 78-68 to Louisville on 3/6
Worst loss: 66-60 to Louisville on 2/14
(16) Vermont
Biggest loss: 106-64 to Providence on 11/24
Worst loss: 56-50 to Delaware (finished the year 7-24) on 12/20
(8) Gonzaga
Biggest loss: 76-41 to Duke on 12/19
Worst loss: 81-77 (OT) to San Francisco (finished 12-18) on 1/30
(9) Florida State
Biggest loss: 68-52 to Florida on 11/24
Worst loss: 88-81 to NC State (finished 19-15) on 1/12
(5) Butler
Biggest loss: 67-57 to UAB on 12/22
Worst loss: 67-57 to UAB (finished 23-8) on 12/22
(12) UTEP
Biggest loss: 75-65 to Houston on 1/13
Worst loss: 81-73 to Houston on 3/13 (almost cost them a spot in the tourney)
(4) Vanderbilt
Biggest loss: 72-58 to Georgia on 1/30
Worst loss: 68-63 to South Carolina (finished 15-16) on 3/6
(13) Murray State
Biggest loss: 83-72 to Western Kentucky on 12/22
Worst loss: 87-81 to Louisiana Tech (finished 9-7 in the WAC) on 12/15
(6) Xavier
Biggest loss: 90-65 to Dayton on 2/6
Worst loss: 90-65 to Dayton (8-8 in theCAA A-10) on 2/6
(11) Minnesota
Biggest loss: 90-61 to Ohio State on 3/14
Worst loss: 81-78 (OT) to Indiana (finished 10-21) on 1/17
(3) Pittsburgh
Biggest loss: 78-62 to Texas on 11/24
Worst loss: 74-64 to Indiana on 12/8
(14) Oakland
Biggest loss: 92-60 to Syracuse on 12/22
Worst loss: 72-60 to Oregon (finished 16-16) on 12/19
(7) BYU
Biggest loss: 88-74 to UNLV on 2/6
Worst loss: 88-74 to UNLV on 2/6
(10) Florida
Biggest loss: 85-73 to Syracuse on 12/10
Worst loss: 67-66 to South Alabama (finished 17-15) on 12/22
(2) Kansas State
Biggest loss: 82-65 to Kansas on 3/3
Worst loss: 85-82 to Iowa State (finished 15-17) on 3/6
(15) North Texas
Biggest loss: 71-56 to Arkansas State on 1/2
Worst loss: 80-70 to Florida International (finished 7-25) on 12/20
While we will hear the virtues of all the teams in the tournament repeatedly over the next few days the simple fact remains that in three weeks time, 64 teams will have ended their seasons with a loss. With that in mind, I thought I'd take a look at who the teams in the West lost to, and what kind of losses occurred. That way we won't all be shocked when some teams put up the inevitable clunker.
Below I've compiled the biggest loss for each team in the West bracket terms of point differential and also the worst loss each team suffered to a team they should have beat throughout the year. Now a few of these teams really didn't have any bad losses, so keep that in mind as you sift through these failures.
(1) Syracuse
Biggest loss: 78-68 to Louisville on 3/6
Worst loss: 66-60 to Louisville on 2/14
(16) Vermont
Biggest loss: 106-64 to Providence on 11/24
Worst loss: 56-50 to Delaware (finished the year 7-24) on 12/20
(8) Gonzaga
Biggest loss: 76-41 to Duke on 12/19
Worst loss: 81-77 (OT) to San Francisco (finished 12-18) on 1/30
(9) Florida State
Biggest loss: 68-52 to Florida on 11/24
Worst loss: 88-81 to NC State (finished 19-15) on 1/12
(5) Butler
Biggest loss: 67-57 to UAB on 12/22
Worst loss: 67-57 to UAB (finished 23-8) on 12/22
(12) UTEP
Biggest loss: 75-65 to Houston on 1/13
Worst loss: 81-73 to Houston on 3/13 (almost cost them a spot in the tourney)
(4) Vanderbilt
Biggest loss: 72-58 to Georgia on 1/30
Worst loss: 68-63 to South Carolina (finished 15-16) on 3/6
(13) Murray State
Biggest loss: 83-72 to Western Kentucky on 12/22
Worst loss: 87-81 to Louisiana Tech (finished 9-7 in the WAC) on 12/15
(6) Xavier
Biggest loss: 90-65 to Dayton on 2/6
Worst loss: 90-65 to Dayton (8-8 in the
(11) Minnesota
Biggest loss: 90-61 to Ohio State on 3/14
Worst loss: 81-78 (OT) to Indiana (finished 10-21) on 1/17
(3) Pittsburgh
Biggest loss: 78-62 to Texas on 11/24
Worst loss: 74-64 to Indiana on 12/8
(14) Oakland
Biggest loss: 92-60 to Syracuse on 12/22
Worst loss: 72-60 to Oregon (finished 16-16) on 12/19
(7) BYU
Biggest loss: 88-74 to UNLV on 2/6
Worst loss: 88-74 to UNLV on 2/6
(10) Florida
Biggest loss: 85-73 to Syracuse on 12/10
Worst loss: 67-66 to South Alabama (finished 17-15) on 12/22
(2) Kansas State
Biggest loss: 82-65 to Kansas on 3/3
Worst loss: 85-82 to Iowa State (finished 15-17) on 3/6
(15) North Texas
Biggest loss: 71-56 to Arkansas State on 1/2
Worst loss: 80-70 to Florida International (finished 7-25) on 12/20
2 comments:
Good rundown there Lins. I probably should know better than to look past Vermont, but really no team in our West bracket gives me a migraine...at least until the Elite Eight. Cannot wait for Thursday!
Editor note: Dayton is in the A-10, not the CAA.
I love how, for 2 out of the 3 teams in the region that we played, we are their biggest loss.
Also, it seems like BYU deserved a better seed considering their record & the fact that their worst loss was to UNLV.
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