NCAAB · 8 months ago

March Madness: Selection Sunday Winners and Losers

Grant White

Host · Writer

Winners: Rocket Arena/Cleveland
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As always, the 68 tournament teams have been dispersed to various locations nationwide. While each venue has several teams and/or matchups to look forward to, Cleveland gets a close look at some of the top teams in the bracket.

Granted, a No. 1 seed hasn't been assigned to Rocket Arena, but there's hardly any joy in watching top teams easily dispatch their competitors early in the tournament. Rocket Arena will host a pair of 10 vs. 7 contests. The New Mexico Lobos take, and Marquette Golden Eagles represent the South bracket, with the St. Mary's Gaels and Vanderbilt Commodores sorting things out in the East. Moreover, we can't discount Robert Morris' chances against Alabama or Bryant's upset potential versus Michigan State in the 15 vs. 2 contests.

Cleveland boasts the upset potential that we crave in March Madness. While every venue will be part of the madness, we're circling Rocket Arena as the place where tournament dreams die.
Winners: North Carolina Tar Heels
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Undoubtedly, the most prominent winners from Selection Sunday are the North Carolina Tar Heels.

North Carolina was outside the bubble until the second half of their semifinal loss to the Duke Blue Devils. But somehow, after 20 minutes of championship-caliber basketball, the Tar Heels shifted everyone's perception and earned an at-large bid into the big dance.

Whether they can parlay this into a deep run remains to be seen. But at least Tar Heels can sleep easy knowing R.J. Davis is getting one more opportunity to win it all, even if it is undeserved.
Losers: Ohio State Buckeyes
In many ways, this was the poetic ending the Ohio State Buckeyes deserved. The Big Ten also-rans had promising analytics, but they couldn't find a way to make it work on the court. Consequently, they were dealt the hand everyone saw coming and were left out of the 68-team field.

The tournament committee sought any excuse to include Ohio State in this year's bracket. Their six wins versus Quad 1 foes were tied among the top 25 teams in the country. Still, a 2-4 record to close out the regular season and a loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament opener was just too much to overlook.

There's no shortage of Big Ten teams in the March Madness field, but Ohio State isn't one of them. In the best-case scenario, they can use some of these hard lessons to improve their product next season.
Winners: Bracket Busters
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Most of the joy from the NCAA Tournament comes from watching the brackets go up in flames. Along that vein, there's no shortage of upset potential in this year's tourney.

Look no further than the 12 vs. 5 seeds for validation of such. All four spreads are within -7.5, and the 12th-seeded Colorado State Rams are favored over the fifth-seeded Memphis Tigers. There are also many intriguing matchups in the 10 vs. 7 and 9 vs. 8 contests.

Several teams will be putting on their party dresses for March Madness and going on Cinderella runs. Given the level playing field, this could be one of the most maddening tournaments in recent memory.
Losers: Mid-Major Conferences
With so much parity among the power conferences, there weren't any additional spots for some elite programs from mid-major conferences.

The Boise State Broncos are a pristine example of such. Despite owning an 8-8 record versus Quad 1 and 2 opponents, the Broncos were left out of the madness. Likewise, the Santa Clara Broncos, San Francisco Dons, UC Irvine Anteaters, and, to a lesser extent, the Dayton Flyers all collected 20 or more wins but were easy cast-offs for the bracket.

In a more fair world, 19 wins in a Power 5 conference aren't worth more than 28 wins for a mid-major program. However, the NCAA has seats to fill and bills to pay.
Winners: Rocket Arena/Cleveland
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.

As always, the 68 tournament teams have been dispersed to various locations nationwide. While each venue has several teams and/or matchups to look forward to, Cleveland gets a close look at some of the top teams in the bracket.

Granted, a No. 1 seed hasn't been assigned to Rocket Arena, but there's hardly any joy in watching top teams easily dispatch their competitors early in the tournament. Rocket Arena will host a pair of 10 vs. 7 contests. The New Mexico Lobos take, and Marquette Golden Eagles represent the South bracket, with the St. Mary's Gaels and Vanderbilt Commodores sorting things out in the East. Moreover, we can't discount Robert Morris' chances against Alabama or Bryant's upset potential versus Michigan State in the 15 vs. 2 contests.

Cleveland boasts the upset potential that we crave in March Madness. While every venue will be part of the madness, we're circling Rocket Arena as the place where tournament dreams die.
Winners: North Carolina Tar Heels
Level up your college hoops bets with SportsGrid’s free CBB Picks & CBB Player Props.

Undoubtedly, the most prominent winners from Selection Sunday are the North Carolina Tar Heels.

North Carolina was outside the bubble until the second half of their semifinal loss to the Duke Blue Devils. But somehow, after 20 minutes of championship-caliber basketball, the Tar Heels shifted everyone's perception and earned an at-large bid into the big dance.

Whether they can parlay this into a deep run remains to be seen. But at least Tar Heels can sleep easy knowing R.J. Davis is getting one more opportunity to win it all, even if it is undeserved.

March Madness: Selection Sunday Winners and Losers

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