Pre-Selection Sunday MarchMadness discussion

by **sivert** » March 6th, 2023, 11:04 am

Lunardi and Barttorvik both have Drake as a 12 seed.

That's a tough matchup for a 5.

https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story ... -men-field

https://www.barttorvik.com/teamcast.php ... &year=2023

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by **MissouriValleyUnite** » March 6th, 2023, 11:12 am

As long as they aren’t matched up with Saint Mary’s, I like Drake’s chances to go on a run.

by **Mikovio** » March 6th, 2023, 11:21 am

The committee has a history of matching up good midmajors in the first round. That ‘08 Drake team lost to Courtney Lee-led WKU.

by **Countrypanther** » March 6th, 2023, 11:54 am

Drake vs Iowa St would be interesting.

by **BuBrave2006** » March 6th, 2023, 3:40 pm

Bradley seems unlikely to get a home game in the NIT to me. My guess would be they would play at Wisconsin (if Wisconsin doesn't make the NCAA tournament). Given some of the other teams likely in the NIT field, the geography makes all the sense in the world for these two to be paired together should Wisconsin be in it.

If Wisconsin does make the NCAA tournament, Bradley could potentially end up at Michigan or Vanderbilt. But those can get a little bit messy with geography and who knows where Bradley could end up.

by **Bulldog2323** » March 6th, 2023, 10:57 pm

BuBrave2006 wrote:Bradley seems unlikely to get a home game in the NIT to me. My guess would be they would play at Wisconsin (if Wisconsin doesn't make the NCAA tournament). Given some of the other teams likely in the NIT field, the geography makes all the sense in the world for these two to be paired together should Wisconsin be in it.

If Wisconsin does make the NCAA tournament, Bradley could potentially end up at Michigan or Vanderbilt. But those can get a little bit messy with geography and who knows where Bradley could end up.

Sometimes planned arena renovations result in the higher seed getting to host, so don't give up all hope yet.

by **Bulldog2323** » March 6th, 2023, 10:58 pm

Countrypanther wrote:Drake vs Iowa St would be interesting.

Very, but it would also make already horrible airfare to any location from Des Moines completely unaffordable.

by **Bulldog2323** » March 6th, 2023, 10:59 pm

If anyone doesn't know, Drake is the host school for the Des Moines NCAA site so we are not allowed to play in Des Moines at Wells Fargo Arena. I'd say the 12 seed wouldn't get that anyway, but Bradley got Des Moines as a 14 seed the last time Des Moines hosted and there have been some other lucky geographical coincidences.

by **ValleyFAN** » March 7th, 2023, 9:00 am

Bradley fans should prepare to get screwed as it relates to the NIT. I know they'll be in, but be prepared to play a road game at a Power 5 school. The way they seed it now it weird. There are 8 teams in a bracket, but they only seed the top 4. The remaining 4 teams are then sent to any of the seeds based on proximity.

The Bears last season (NET in the 60s) had fingers crossed to perhaps host a game and maybe be seeded in the 4/5 range, as th'ats what all the NIT bracketology predicted. Instead they were sent on the road to #1 seed Oklahoma. They weren't an actual 8 seed, but thats what it certainly felt like.

As of now the NIT bracketology on The Barking Crow (one of the few actually good NIT bracketologists) shows Bradley as unseeded and traveling on the road to #4 seeded Florida.

by **Majik45** » March 7th, 2023, 10:38 am

Bulldog2323 wrote:If anyone doesn't know, Drake is the host school for the Des Moines NCAA site so we are not allowed to play in Des Moines at Wells Fargo Arena. I'd say the 12 seed wouldn't get that anyway, but Bradley got Des Moines as a 14 seed the last time Des Moines hosted and there have been some other lucky geographical coincidences.

Bradley was actually a 15 seed in 2019 in Des Moines playing against Michigan State. Aren't they supposed to try and get teams closer to their campus and even allow the committee to move teams up or down a seed to make that happen? The problem becomes that there aren't enough teams out west to fill those regions.

Columbus Ohio and Denver are the two closest other regionals for Drake.