So the internet is all abuzz with phony outrage that UNC got into the Big Dance— barely, as one of the First Four. And here is why that is beyond stupid. UNC played one of the toughest schedules in the country. One estimate is that it was the second or third most difficult schedule, and other than Duke, the only quad one team they played at home was Alabama, and they played well against them. Their so-called NET was better than all four of the ‘first four out’ at 35.
But more to the point— what is the goal of this year ending tourney? If it is to bring the 68 best teams to play in a one and done tourney, then without question UNC is better than various of the teams that got into the tournament (including some with NO quad one wins). As it turns out, there are a variety of criteria that lead to the picking of the 68, not just ‘those with the most quad one wins’. But it is also not just ‘lets pick the best 68 teams’, or some teams that won conference championships would not be in the tourney at all. Take for example St. Francis with a losing record! So it would appear that one criteria not usually mentioned is to have a balance between the blue blood major universities who have actually won national championships or nearly so, and the smaller universities who have managed to become Div.1 schools over the more recent history of the tourney. They add local color, and the potential for a David vs. Goliath thing with David throwing the last stone. Cheers to my hometown team, High Point University who made the Big Dance for the first time, and a shout out to my old youth leader, now for many years the President that brought High Point from average small college struggling to survive when I taught there to where it is today— kudos to Pres. Nido Qubein.
In short, it’s not all about Quad One wins, nor is it all about ‘let’s have the best 68’ teams in the big dance. But if it was…. as so often is claimed, then clearly there are not 68 division one teams out there better than UNC. I rest my case.
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