If you look at our draws since Cal has been here

[EvilMD]

I can only think of two seasons where we didn't get the toughest draw on our seed line.

In 2010 we got the "fifth one seed" as our two, West Virginia.
In 2011 we got Ohio State as our 1. We beat Florida two out of three that year, the Gators got a two and we got stuck with that 4.
In 2012 we got the easiest of the four.
In 2014 we got hosed the worst of all. Wichita State, then Louisville as our 4?
In 2015 the only complaint we could make is that Duke got what should have been our draw. Kentucky, Duke and Wisconsin were three historically good teams.
In 2016 we again got hosed, big time. Texas A&M got our seed, we got stuck with Indiana then North Carolina.
This year was yet ANOTHER screw job of historic proportions. Wichita State should have been a five or a six. UCLA was 31-4. We and UNC should have been playing in the title game.

 

[Slowwalker]

I agree with most of that except the last bit about UNC. They shouldn't be playing for shit!

 

[RMorris33]

It's crazy how successful we've been in the tournament despite the NCAA being hellbent on giving us the hardest path every single year. Not only do they put the best teams in our region, they misseed either us or the opponent to make the matchup happen earlier than it should. 2012 was the only year since Cal's been here where it didn't feel like we got screwed

 

[Smashcat]

In 2012 we got the easiest of the four.

I agree it was a good draw. Yet we had Indiana in our path, one of two teams that had a win over us.

 

[rick64]

They shouldn't be playing for shit!

Absolutely!!!

 

[king of cali]

In 2010 UK had to play a 16, 9, and a 12 to get to the Elite 8. Hard to call that being hosed. When you get to the Elite 8 you're gonna play a really good team. As much as fans complain about that year, I can only imagine the outcry had they gotten Dukes draw and had to play Baylor in Texas.

2014 is laughable. They were an 8 seed. I guess you can say they were underseeded and should have been a 6 or a 7, but come on. Low seeds aren't gonna have a path paved in gold.

2011 and 2016 I definitely agree with.

 

[wcc31]

We have gotten hosed by the committee AND had terrible luck as our bracket NEVER opens up. It's ridiculous. We have to run the gauntlet every damn time.

 

[wcc31]

Look at Florida's paths the last 6-7 years. It's absurd how lucky they have been in their brackets.

 

[EvilMD]

In 2010 UK had to play a 16, 9, and a 12 to get to the Elite 8. Hard to call that being hosed. When you get to the Elite 8 you're gonna play a really good team. As much as fans complain about that year, I can only imagine the outcry had they gotten Dukes draw and had to play Baylor in Texas.

That 12 was Cornell, whom most of the pundits had getting to us in the Sweet 16. But I get your point. Still, I would much rather have faced Baylor in Texas than West Virginia in Syracuse. For one, WV was a much better team. For another, I think Syracuse is actually closer to Morgantown than Waco is to wherever that Duke game was played (Houston?).

 

[EvilMD]

2014 is laughable. They were an 8 seed. I guess you can say they were underseeded and should have been a 6 or a 7, but come on. Low seeds aren't gonna have a path paved in gold.

How were we an 8 seed? That's the laughable part. And then to cram Louisville and Michigan in our region as well? We had three of the previous year's Final Four teams in our region. It honestly feels like the committee sits there and says "okay, first order of business, how do we make that a-hole Calipari earn whatever he gets?"

 

[bthaunert]

That 12 was Cornell, whom most of the pundits had getting to us in the Sweet 16. But I get your point. Still, I would much rather have faced Baylor in Texas than West Virginia in Syracuse. For one, WV was a much better team. For another, I think Syracuse is actually closer to Morgantown than Waco is to wherever that Duke game was played (Houston?).

Couple things. I don't remember many people, if anyone, picking Cornell to reach the Sweet 16. Baylors second largest alumni base is in Houston, about a 2.5 hour drive from Waco too. Much closer that Morgantown to Syracuse and much larger alumni base.

 

[bthaunert]

How were we an 8 seed? That's the laughable part. And then to cram Louisville and Michigan in our region as well? We had three of the previous year's Final Four teams in our region. It honestly feels like the committee sits there and says "okay, first order of business, how do we make that a-hole Calipari earn whatever he gets?"

We were 24-10/12-6 in a 3 bid league that was not a top 25 team at the end of the season. An 8 seed was not far fetched.

 

[king of cali]

How were we an 8 seed? That's the laughable part. And then to cram Louisville and Michigan in our region as well? We had three of the previous year's Final Four teams in our region. It honestly feels like the committee sits there and says "okay, first order of business, how do we make that a-hole Calipari earn whatever he gets?"

They were an 8 seed because they finished the SEC tournament at 24-10, and were tied for second in a bad league. A league that only sent 3 teams to the tournament, and one of them was in the play in game. If anyone should have been crying it should have been Wichita St, not UK.

 

[CUJO_1970]

How did South Carolina end up with an easier path to the FF than us this year?

Or Florida, if they made it? Unreal.

 

[Mojocat]

We have gotten hosed by the committee AND had terrible luck as our bracket NEVER opens up. It's ridiculous. We have to run the gauntlet every damn time.

Yep. And then if/when we finally lose, our own fans join with rivals and talk about "underachieving".....

 

[UKUGA]

Would have gladly played Baylor in Houston in 2010.

Duke played them there and the refs had no problem calling the game in their favor.

 

[gojvc]

Couple things. I don't remember many people, if anyone, picking Cornell to reach the Sweet 16. Baylors second largest alumni base is in Houston, about a 2.5 hour drive from Waco too. Much closer that Morgantown to Syracuse and much larger alumni base.

I not only remember people picking Cornell to get to the Sweet 16 that year but some of the wise guys predicted they would beat us.

 

[BlueRunner11]

I agree it was a good draw. Yet we had Indiana in our path, one of two teams that had a win over us.

And we played UL, which is historically a game where records, rankings, etc can be thrown out the window due to the intensity of the rivalry. Imo, UK/UL should never play in the tourney unless it's for a title.

Fortunately for us, it was just damn near impossible to stack the deck against the 2012 guys but the ncaa bastards sure figured out how by 2015.

 

[mj2k10]

We were 24-10/12-6 in a 3 bid league that was not a top 25 team at the end of the season. An 8 seed was not far fetched.

It was when you looked at RPI and other power ratings. In the Bracket Matrix, the pre-tournament rankings of the teams, I'm not sure that anyone, at all, had UK as an 8. The average was 6, and pretty much every rating ranged from 5-7. It was blatantly obvious that they dropped UK at least one seed line to get that 2nd round game against Wichita State. Just like it was blatantly obvious that they kept UK at a 4 in 2011 to potentially get a game against OSU, and at a 4 in 2016 to line up potential games against Indiana and UNC.

There are structural issues with the tournament that are generally going to put UK in a difficult region (mainly, that UK is highly unlikely to be shipped West), but the NCAA has seemed to go out of its way to arrange high-profile match-ups for UK in a way they never seem to do for other big TV draws (looking at you, Duke).

 

[bthaunert]

I not only remember people picking Cornell to get to the Sweet 16 that year but some of the wise guys predicted they would beat us.

Guess I need to have my memory checked. Beating the 5 seed as a 12, yes. Then beating the 5 seed..I guess people must have known what they were talking about. In the grand scheme of thing, it was still Cornell.

 

[UKWildcats#8]

How did South Carolina end up with an easier path to the FF than us this year?

Or Florida, if they made it? Unreal.

SC beat Duke, which beat UNC twice, and Baylor, another very athletic/good team. I don't look at that path being much easier than ours. Duke/UNC are a wash, and Baylor/UCLA is not that far off either. They also had to play FL, who is probably better than WSU, and they also played Marquette which is a hell of a lot tougher than NKY. Overall it is a wash.

 

[wcc31]

They were an 8 seed because they finished the SEC tournament at 24-10, and were tied for second in a bad league. A league that only sent 3 teams to the tournament, and one of them was in the play in game. If anyone should have been crying it should have been Wichita St, not UK.

We beat three Top 10 teams in that region no matter how you slice it. Crap draw as usual.

 

[mj2k10]

SC beat Duke, which beat UNC twice, and Baylor, another very athletic/good team. I don't look at that path being much easier than ours. Duke/UNC are a wash, and Baylor/UCLA is not that far off either. They also had to play FL, who is probably better than WSU, and they also played Marquette which is a hell of a lot tougher than NKY. Overall it is a wash.

I don't think Baylor was anywhere near UCLA. Baylor pretty much sucked for the last 6 weeks of the season. It seemed pretty obvious that they were falling apart, and ripe to be knocked off.

You're generally right, though, that SC didn't have an easy path. Florida was the team that lucked out in that region. They didn't beat the 1 seed, someone else did. They caught a Virginia team that was disintegrating in the 2nd round, got an 8 seed in the Sweet 16, and a 7 in the Elite 8. Sign me up for that any day of the week.

 

[CatsnRoses]

Our draw in 2015 was great. No excuses for that one.

Every other year its been murderers row.

EDIT: 2010 was pretty good, too.

 

[mj2k10]

Our draw in 2015 was great. No excuses for that one.

Every other year its been murderers row.

Until the FF, when Duke got to play a pretty mediocre Michigan State team, while UK had to play Wisconsin.

Change those match-ups to put UK against Michigan State, have Duke and Wiscy in the other semi, and tell me how you think that tournament ends?

 

[wcc31]

Our draw in 2015 was great. No excuses for that one.

Every other year its been murderers row.

EDIT: 2010 was pretty good, too.

No, it wasn't great. It would've been great if Wisconsin- a Top 3 team was on the other side of the bracket.

 

[gojvc]

Until the FF, when Duke got to play a pretty mediocre Michigan State team, while UK had to play Wisconsin.

Change those match-ups to put UK against Michigan State, have Duke and Wiscy in the other semi, and tell me how you think that tournament ends?

The tournament should be re-seeded each weekend. Critics of the game complain that the regular season is meaningless and when you look at how these draws play out they kinda have point. In what other sport are playoff matchups determined largely by luck? The highest seeded teams should always be facing the lowest seeded teams.

 

[LukaszObrzut]

No doubt that our draw has been brutal. Some type of excuse every year for it.

This year made me sicker than most. Everyone kept picking us to get beat, all year, had no respect despite our record. Give me a West Coast final.

Unfortunately, we could've been one shot away from putting it all to rest.

 

[king of cali]

We beat three Top 10 teams in that region no matter how you slice it. Crap draw as usual.

So the 8th seed should receive a favorable draw? Or at best should have been a 6th seed? Totally laughable.

 

[king of cali]

Until the FF, when Duke got to play a pretty mediocre Michigan State team, while UK had to play Wisconsin.

Change those match-ups to put UK against Michigan State, have Duke and Wiscy in the other semi, and tell me how you think that tournament ends?

It's not like Duke got to hand pick their opponent. But as a practice I would like to see the Final 4 reseeeded.

 

[Rafe Guttman]

TV ratings. That's all it's about anymore. UK vs UNC was second highest rated regional final since 2005.

 

[EvilMD]

They were an 8 seed because they finished the SEC tournament at 24-10, and were tied for second in a bad league. A league that only sent 3 teams to the tournament, and one of them was in the play in game. If anyone should have been crying it should have been Wichita St, not UK.

That doesn't make sense. Why would Wichita State have a beef if, like you say, we were a legitimate eight?

 

[UKcatXXXL]

If anyone ever thinks we aren't going to have a demanding road to the final four then you are out of touch with reality........

They hate us - never forget that

 

[EvilMD]

They were an 8 seed because they finished the SEC tournament at 24-10, and were tied for second in a bad league. A league that only sent 3 teams to the tournament, and one of them was in the play in game. If anyone should have been crying it should have been Wichita St, not UK.

And yet, Kentucky and Florida both made the Final Four.

 

[Titles1]

No excuse for not getting it done in 10, 14, 15 no matter what the draw was. 10 and 15 we were best team. 14 we made the championship game and were playing a team we should beat.

 

[EvilMD]

So the 8th seed should receive a favorable draw? Or at best should have been a 6th seed? Totally laughable.

The argument is we shouldn't have been an 8 seed, which even the naysayers are admitting when they say that Wichita is the one who got screwed.

 

[mj2k10]

So the 8th seed should receive a favorable draw? Or at best should have been a 6th seed? Totally laughable.

What was laughable was that entire region. It was the most ridiculously stacked region ever. That region had the teams KenPom ended up rating #1, 6, 8, 12, and 13, with 1,6, and 13 lined up against each other in just one HALF of the bracket. And it was the classic example of moving targets. They seemingly dinged UL for a weak RPI (they were 19), when every other metric put them much better than a 4 seed. Then they seemed to completely ignore UK's strong RPI (16), and put them at 8. With that type of inconsistency, you go Occam's Razor. The most likely explanation is that they saw potentially huge TV match-ups, so they arranged things to make them happen.

 

[FilsonCat]

In 2015 the NCAA had to send in Higgins to finish the job. This year, Arkansas was hosed too against UNC and likely should have been right in the game until the last shot. So, if the draw doesn't do it, our "ceiling is the roof," per MJ.

 

[51stFan]

Would have gladly played Baylor in Houston in 2010.

Duke played them there and the refs had no problem calling the game in their favor.

Baylor a much better draw for Duke. Drew teams where very soft back during that time and Duke has historically been knocked out by physical athletic teams in the tournaments . Their 2015 draw had Duke in the most unathletic bracket in NCAA history. They had to beat Utah and Gonzaga to get to the final four. I posted a few stats of the paths others had taken to the championship since Cal has been here and Cal has historically had more difficult paths. Someone posted the other day UNC record of top 4 seeds and they were only like 1-4 going into this year and Cal had played 8 or 10 of those seeds in that span.

 

[EvilMD]

In 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2017, everyone called ours the region of death. In 2010 we got a nice draw into the Elite Eight, but then we had the fifth one seed waiting for us there. Two of the other ones lost on the first weekend so WV probably should have been the fourth one seed.