Semi-OT: Wake Forest upsets #4 Duke
Wake Forest just defeated the Duke Blue Devils 82-72 at home. As Michigan positions itself for the best seed it can in the tournament, any upsets of teams ranked above our boys constitutes good news in my book. The more Madness for everyone besides us, the better chance that we get a #2 seed.
They have beaten us head to head but we both have 7 losses and we have a lot more top 50 RPI wins as well as 4 more top 50 RPI road wins. Add in a conference championship and our resume is better at the moment. Funny, they are ranked 4th right now. A 2-seed should still be possible for our team.
because they are named Duke. Plain and simple.
Kenpom has Duke at #4 before this loss. They spent most of the year right around that. We sit at #10. Not sure what that all means, but there it is.
...b/c Duke has 7 Ls and is #8.
Personally I don't think kenpom takes SOS into enough consideration. Lowest kenpom SOS to make the Final Four is George Mason in 2006 with the #78 SOS. Therefore, don't think Louisville or Wichita State will do much in the dance this year.
Looks like it's been updated. We're close to Duke in the basic metrics. I don't have access to home/road splits, but we have to be a lot better than they are. I live in the Triangle and have Duke friends who have been hanging their hat on the near-win at Cuse for a month. I've thought all season - especially after going to a number of games at Cameron this year - that Duke relies too much on their home court. Meanwhile, we notched a few signatures on the road this year.
named Duke... I know, cool story, bro
There are some projections which would put us at a #2 seed as it is along with Duke. TeamRankings has Michigan as a projected #2 along with Duke, Kansas and VIllanova right now. I would wonder if Duke actually drops to #3 in this projection, which right now is Syracuse, Virginia, North Carolina and Creighton on their site.
How bad were their loses though? That Charlotte loss is what is really dragging us down.
RPI | KP | Team | Where |
1 | 1 | Arizona | Neutral |
2 | 6 | Kansas | Neutral |
11 | 14 | Syracuse | Away |
18 | 23 | North Carolina | Away |
68 | 51 | Clemson | Away |
109 | 113 | Wake Forest | Away |
118 | 92 | Notre Dame | Away |
Funny; in a sickening puke-a-little-in-my-mouth kind of way.
I wouldn't even call this semi-OT. It's March!!!
If anything, it brings us closer to the scenario where we are the highest ranked 3 seed and they are the lowest ranked 2 seed. In that scenario, we would play each other. However, the committee tries to avoid rematches. Would be interesting to see what happens.
Specifically, the committee tries to avoid:
-- Rematches of a team you played once, until the "third round" (what normal human beings call the second.)
-- Rematches of a team you played twice, until the Sweet 16
-- Rematches of 3 games, until the Elite 8
By the time a 2 seed plays a 3 seed (possible only in the Elite 8) the committee will be long past caring about that rematch.
That's a good point. Looks like it wouldn't matter. Also means it wouldn't matter which of us gets a 2 and which gets a 3, since we'll be playing each other anyway assuming no upsets.
2 seed plays 3 seed in the Sweet 16. This wouldn't affect your logic for UM vs Duke but would affect other scenarios.
Pretty much guarentees a 2 seed for Michigan if they win out.