Chances are, come the end of March in Minneapolis, four Division I universities who play football will compete for the NCAA basketball championship. Football, after all, is the tail that wags the Division I dog. Schools with football generally have larger enrollments, superior facilities and the vast resources necessary to compete -- in all sports -- at the highest level.
The irony is that roughly two-thirds of Division I basketball members do not play Division I-A football. And, if many of the I-A football schools had their way, they would go it alone in both sports. Why share the wealth with Gonzaga if you don't have to?
Since the NCAA basketball championship expanded to 64 teams in 1985, there have been 68 spaces available in the Final Four. Exactly seven of those slots (10.3 percent) have been filled by non-DI football schools, and only two of them -- Villanova (1985) and UConn (1999) -- have beaten the big boys at their own game.
It says here, though, that 2001 will be a banner year for the underdog. While the Final Four will again be comprised of schools taking a breather between bowl games, the overall NCAA field is looking more diverse than usual.
What do Gonzaga, St. Joseph's, Butler, Georgetown, Xavier, UC Irvine, Hofstra, Marquette, Georgia State, Creighton and Providence have in common? They are non-DI football schools who should not only be in the tournament, but are each good enough to win multiple games when they get there.
No wonder the football schools want to leave them home.
A reminder: Teams preceded by their conference name in ALL CAPS are the current league (or RPI) leaders of those conferences. Teams so labeled are projected to qualify via their league's automatic bid. Projections as of Feb. 19:
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MIDWEST REGION
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March 16: Dayton, Ohio
University of Dayton Arena
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1. Illinois
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16.SWAC/Alabama State-IVY/Princeton
(NCAA play-in game) |
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8. California
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9. Maryland
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5. Notre Dame
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12. C-USA/Marquette
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4. Alabama
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13. MAC/Central Michigan
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March 16: Kansas City, Mo.
Kemper Arena
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3. Arizona
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14. MAAC/Iona
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6. Tennessee |
11. Wyoming
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7. Fresno State
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10. TAAC/Georgia State
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2. Iowa State
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15. OVC/Tennessee Tech
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REGIONAL FINAL
March 23-25: Alamodome, San Antonio
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SOUTH REGION
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March 16: Memphis, Tenn.
The Pyramid
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1. Duke
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16. SOUTHERN/East Tennessee State
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8. Cincinnati
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9. Penn State
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5. Syracuse |
12. Tulsa
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4. Kansas
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13. MCC/Detroit
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March 16: New Orleans, La.
Superdome
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3. Florida
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14. SUN BELT/Western Kentucky
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6. MVC/Creighton |
11. Oklahoma State
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7. Providence |
10. Wake Forest
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2. Michigan State
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15. SOUTHLAND/McNeese State
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REGIONAL FINAL
March 23-25: Georgia Dome, Atlanta
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EAST REGION
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March 15: Greensboro, N.C.
Greensboro Coliseum
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1. North Carolina
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16. BIG SOUTH/Radford
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8. Georgia |
9. USC
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5. Wisconsin |
12. WCC/Gonzaga
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4. Oklahoma
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13. CAA/George Mason
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March 15: Uniondale, N.Y.
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
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3. Mississippi
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14. PATRIOT/Holy Cross
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6. St. Joseph's |
11. Butler
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7. Iowa |
10. Georgetown
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2. UCLA
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15. MEAC/South Carolina State
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REGIONAL FINAL
March 22-24: First Union Center, Philadelphia
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WEST REGION
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March 15: San Diego, Calif.
Aztec Bowl Arena
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1. Stanford
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16. NORTHEAST/St. Francis-N.Y.
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8. Indiana |
9. Xavier
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5. Texas
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12. BIG WEST/UC Irvine
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4. Virginia
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13. AMERICA EAST/Hofstra
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March 15: Boise, Idaho
Boise State University Pavilion
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3. Boston College
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14. BIG SKY/Cal-Northridge
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6. Georgia Tech |
11. MWC/BYU
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7. Ohio State |
10. Missouri
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2. Kentucky |
15. MID-CONTINENT/Southern Utah
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REGIONAL FINAL
March 22-24: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, Calif.
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FINAL FOUR
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Humphrey Metrodome
Minneapolis, Minn.
Semifinals: March 31 (East vs. West; Midwest vs. South)
Championship Game: April 2
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Bracket Bits
Please note that Georgia Tech cannot be placed in the South Region, where it is an institutional host at the Georgia Dome for the regional semifinals and finals.
Who's hot? The following projected postseason teams are 10-0 or 9-1 in their last 10 games: Gonzaga (10-0), Hofstra (10-0), McNeese State (10-0), Central Michigan (9-1), Holy Cross (9-1), Illinois, (9-1), Iowa State (9-1), North Carolina (9-1), St. Joseph's (9-1), Stanford (9-1), Valparaiso (9-1), UC Irvine (9-1), Western Kentucky (9-1).
Who's not? With less-than-great records in their last 10 games: Purdue (2-8), Oregon (3-7), Seton Hall (3-7), Tennessee (3-7), Vanderbilt (3-7), Colorado (4-6), Connecticut (4-6), Iowa (4-6), Minnesota (4-6), Mississippi State (4-6), New Mexico (4-6), North Carolina State (4-6), Pitt (4-6), South Carolina (4-6), Toledo (4-6).
The committee continues to emphasize a team's play away from home. Check out the following R+N (road+neutral) records: Stanford (13-0), Hofstra (12-2), Duke (11-2), North Carolina (11-2), Georgia State (10-4), St. Joseph's (10-4), Pepperdine (10-5), Georgetown (9-2), UC Irvine (8-2).
Road Woes: Hawaii (0-7), Arkansas (1-7), USC (1-5), Connecticut (2-7), North Carolina State (2-7), Pitt (3-8), Mississippi State (3-7), St. John's (3-7), TCU (3-7), New Mexico (3-6), Seton Hall (3-6), South Carolina (3-6), Vanderbilt (3-5), Bradley (4-8), Tennessee Tech (4-8), BYU (4-7), Marshall (4-7), Miami (4-7), Saint Louis (4-7), UAB (4-7), Utah (4-7), Butler (4-6), Georgia Tech (4-6), Ohio State (4-6), Purdue (4-6), Wake Forest (4-6), Princeton (5-9), Indiana (5-8), Indiana State (5-8), South Florida (5-8), Cleveland State (6-9), Detroit (6-8), George Mason (6-8).
Movin' Up: (Alphabetical order, as determined by RPI): Alabama State, Baylor, Bradley, Charlotte, Connecticut, East Tennessee State, George Mason, Hampton, Hawaii, Kent, McNeese State, Miami, New Mexico, Radford, Southern Mississippi, Southern Utah, Yale.
Goin' Down: (Alphabetical order, as determined by RPI): Colorado, Eastern Washington, Indiana State, Memphis, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Purdue, St. Bonaventure, SMU, South Florida, Toledo, UTEP, Valparaiso, Winthrop, Wyoming, Xavier.
Last Four In: Butler, Oklahoma State, Wyoming, Tulsa.
Last Four Out: Minnesota, Villanova, Richmond, Utah State.
Multiple-conference breakdown: Big Ten (7), ACC (6), Big 12 (6), SEC (6), Big East (5), Pac-10 (5), Atlantic 10 (2), Conference USA (2), MCC (2), Mountain West (2), WAC (2).
Overrated: Georgetown, Maryland, Syracuse, Wake Forest.
Underrrated: Kentucky, UCLA.
Games of the Week
Wednesday: Boston College at Notre Dame; Mississippi at Florida.
Saturday: Iowa State at Texas; George Mason at Richmond; South Carolina State at Hampton; Alabama at Florida.
Sunday: North Carolina at Virginia; South Florida at Memphis.
Seeding Specials
Monday: Oklahoma at Missouri
Tuesday: Indiana at Michigan State
Wednesday: Georgia at Tennessee
Thursday: Illinois at Ohio State
Saturday: Duke at Wake Forest; Syracuse at Georgetown; Boston College at Providence; Wisconsin at Indiana; Iowa at Illinois.
Joe Lunardi is a regular in-season contributor for ESPN.com and the editor of www.bracketology.net. Write to Joe at jlunardi@home.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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ALSO SEE
Cinderella Watch: Feb. 18
Feb. 18: Sweet 16
Bracketology: Feb. 12
Bracketology: Feb. 5
Bracketology: Jan. 29
Jan. 22: Bracketology
2001 NCAA Tournament Sites
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