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Bracketing for Big East b-ball Ty (slightly OT)

Posted By: Chuck Bower
Date: Wednesday, 11 March 2009, at 2:34 p.m.

I'm only a peripheral college b-ball fan but things there have been ratcheting up for the past week and will continue for another month.

For those not familiar with US college basketball, the Division I teams play non-conference until the holidays, then conference round-robin for 2 months, then a conference (single elimination) tournament. Finally there is a 64-team tournament to determine the national champion. Winning the conference Ty gains an automatic entry (there are minor exceptions) which fills more than half the 64-team field. Then a committee chooses the remainder ("at-large" teams) of the field and seeds all 64. (Technically 65 as the two "worst" teams must play an extra round.)

OK, so what about the Big East conference, which this year has several of the very strongest teams in all of Division I. They previously only allowed the top 12 into the tournament with eight playing the first round and four getting byes into the quarters. This year 16 teams are playing but rather than running a full 16-bracket, they have a 32-bracket with 8 teams playing the first round, the four winners joined by four byes for the second round, and those subsequent winners playing the four super-byes in the quarter finals. So to win the Ty "weakest" teams have to win five games (one per day on five consecutive days) while the "strongest" teams only have to win three, with two extra days rest.

What you think??

Messages In This Thread

• Bracketing for Big East b-ball Ty (slightly OT)
  Chuck Bower -- Wednesday, 11 March 2009, at 2:34 p.m.
  • Bracketing for Big East b-ball Ty (slightly OT)
    Steve Mellen -- Wednesday, 11 March 2009, at 10:38 p.m.
    • Bracketing for Big East b-ball Ty (slightly OT)
      Chuck Bower -- Thursday, 12 March 2009, at 1:14 p.m.