Blame it on Duke for being too dominant in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Or on the Big Ten for being too, uh, big. Or on folks from the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Ultimately, it was their decision.
If there was any more proof needed that this was a down year in the ACC, it came last night when only three of its nine teams were selected for the 64-team field. It was the fewest since two were chosen in a field of 40 teams in 1979.
In stark contrast, the Big Ten had seven of its 11 members selected for the field and would have had an eighth had Illinois upset Michigan State in yesterday's tournament championship game in Chicago. As it was, the seven teams tied the record set by the Big Ten in 1990 and equaled by the Big East in 1991. The Big Ten also had seven teams in 1994.
Asked last night about the lack of ACC representation, Maryland coach Gary Williams said: "That's terrible. I guarantee you if you put North Carolina State and Wake Forest against some of the other leagues, you'll see who wins."
Perhaps it all goes back to Duke's winning all 19 of its ACC games this year, something no other team ever accomplished. After continuing their streak of mostly one-sided blowouts with a 96-73 victory over North Carolina in the ACC tournament championship game in Charlotte, N.C., the Blue Devils hope to begin a six-game run toward their third national championship under Mike Krzyzewski.
"If we don't, we'll know that we did everything we could to try to win it and didn't," said Krzyzewski, whose Blue Devils are riding a 27-game winning streak and could become the all-time winningest team for a season should they take the title.
Duke (32-1) was deemed the No. 1 team in the country by the selection committee and thus was given top seed in the East. The Blue Devils return to the Charlotte Coliseum, where they will face Florida A&M; (12-18), surprise winner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament and the only team in the tournament with a sub-.500 record.
As a result of Duke's staying in the East, Big East champion Connecticut (28-2) was shipped to the West as the top seed. Big Ten champion Michigan State (29-4) remained as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest. About the only real debate came in picking the top seed in the South. Again, the selection committee chose to keep Auburn (27-3) in its region.
The Southeastern Conference regular-season champions but losers to Kentucky in the tournament semifinals, the Tigers were chosen over Maryland (26-5). The Terps were under consideration for a top seed until their loss to North Carolina in the ACC semifinals and were seeded No. 2 in the South.
"We went into last night really unsure [about the fourth top seed]," said Kentucky athletic director C.M. Newton, chairman of the selection committee. "Once the upsets started happening, we had to revisit the top line as well as the next couple of lines."
Asked about the fact that only three ACC teams were selected, Newton said, "That is a shock to everyone. Wake Forest needed to win a game in the tournament and they didn't do it. They had a chance to play their way in and, in fact, they didn't do that."
It left the ACC with as many teams in the field as the Atlantic 10, the Western Athletic Conference and the Missouri Valley, and only one more than the Mid-American. The ACC has one fewer than the Pacific-10 and Conference USA.
Newton said the Big Ten would have been given eight had Illinois won. What was also surprising was how high some Big Ten teams were seeded, Minnesota in particular. After struggling down the stretch during the regular season and losing in the opening round of the conference tournament, the Gophers were considered a bubble team at best. Instead they wound up the No. 7 seed in the West.
"We don't think in terms of conferences," Newton said.
Here's a look at how the regions shape up.
Which is the toughest bracket? In the Midwest, Michigan State could have some stiff competition to get to St. Petersburg, Fla., for the Final Four. Utah struggled earlier this season after losing several key players from its Final Four team but hasn't lost in two months. Kentucky, despite its inability to find a shooting guard, begins defense of its national championship having won the SEC tournament. Then there's No. 6 seed Kansas, which as a sixth seed won the title in 1988. But there is no Danny Manning among the current Jayhawks, and there likely won't be any miracles.
Which is the easiest bracket? If Auburn is a bunch of paper Tigers, as some are starting to suspect, and Maryland struggles as it did against the Tar Heels on Saturday, the field in the South is wide-open. St. John's is immensely talented but relatively inexperienced. UCLA has quite a bit of talent itself, but point guard Baron Davis comes in banged up, and the Bruins will be without freshman center Dan Gadzuric because of a knee injury. This will certainly be the most exciting region in terms of style of play. With the exception of Indiana, most of the teams like to get out on the break.
Will Duke run the table? If there was any doubt before, there shouldn't be any now. While the only team to beat the Blue Devils this year is also in the East, the Cincinnati Bearcats bear little resemblance to the team that knocked Duke off in Alaska back in November. Miami can match its starting lineup with the Blue Devils', but doesn't have nearly the depth. After that, the competition gets thin. The one thing that could possibly stop Duke is an injury to point guard William Avery, the only Duke starter without a true backup.
Which top seed is most likely not to make it through? The answer seems to be pointing toward Auburn. After winning their first 17 games and 25 of their first 26, the Tigers lost at Arkansas in their next-to-last regular-season game and to Kentucky in Atlanta last week. Aside from All-America candidate Chris Porter, Auburn has been inconsistent. A possible second-round matchup with Oklahoma State could be dangerous, given Eddie Sutton's ability to win games in March.
Which teams will make it to Tropicana Field? Aside from Duke, the only lock seems to be the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Blue Devils won't get an opportunity to avenge their only loss because Cincinnati will likely be done long before the Elite Eight. In the Midwest, look for the winner of a Utah-Kentucky rematch from last year's NCAA final to beat Michigan State in the regional final. In the West, Stanford will redeem itself for losing at home last month to Connecticut by beating the Huskies. It's anybody's guess in the South, but Maryland has as good a chance as it has ever had. The biggest test for the Terrapins could be a matchup with Gary Williams' previous employer, Ohio State, in the regional final.
Seeds for thought
Team with losing record: Florida A&M; (12-18)
Best records: Duke (32-1); Connecticut (28-2); College of Charleston (28-2); Auburn (27-3).
Top seeds: Duke (east); Michigan State (Midwest); Auburn (South)); Connecticut (West)
Conference with most teams (7):
First season in: Arkansas State; Florida A&M; Kent; Samford; Winthrop.
Most years in tournament in a row: North Carolina (25, 1975-1999). The Tar Heels' streak is 10 more than the next-best current streak, Arizona's 15.
Highest Rating Percentage Index not in tournament: 40, Oregon; 41, Texas Christian; 43, Rutgers; 46, DePaul; 47, Nebraska; 54, Florida State; 56, N.C. State; 57, Georgia Tech; 59, California; 60, Wake Forest.
Lowest RPIs in tournament (out of 310 teams): 263, Florida A&M; 171, Mount St. Mary's; 160, Texas-San Antonio; 153, Winthrop; 134, Valparaiso; 133, Arkansas State; 116, Alcorn State; 107, George Mason; 100, Lafayette.
Pub Date: 3/08/99