Issue # 6.2.3 “ACC and Big East Perfect” [Prize Dist & Bonus] (3/26)

AARP - “To serve, not to be served”

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Tuesday, March 26, 2023
RECORD POT WILL BE SPLIT 9 WAYS:  TOP 8 + BONUS
Including Bonus, 171 entries can still win money

TORRANCE, CA (smt) – In our pool, we do not count any stats from the First Four, thus, in our eyes, the ACC is a perfect 8-0 (not including Virginia who lost in the First Four) and the Big East is 6-0.  Interestingly, #11S-NC State, who won the ACC tournament (where they beat Wake Forest, #4S-Duke, #10aMW-Virginia, and #1W-UNC in their 5 wins in 5 days), may have stolen a bid from fellow ACC members Pitt (4th team out) or Wake Forest. The Big East’s three teams were all top 10 (#1E-UConn (1), #2S-Marquette (7), #3MW-Creighton (10)) with no one in the middle (Seton Hall was 2nd team out, ~#46).  The Pac-12, which will temporarily cease for two years while Oregon St and #7E-Washington St join the WCC as affiliate members, started the tournament 5-0 (6-0 including #10bS-Colorado’s First Four win) before ending 0-3 and leaving just #2W-Arizona left.  The Mountain West got a record six teams in (five excluding the First Four) but went just 3-4 (4-5 including First Four) with #5E-San Diego St left standing.  The SEC and Big 12 each got 8 teams in but both have just two teams in the Sweet 16. The Big Ten got 6 teams in and is a respectable 6-4 with two teams in the Sweet 16.

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Issue # 25.3 “25 Years: The Conferences”

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Tuesday, April 7, 2020 [ 1-Entries | 2-Teams ]

25 YEARS:  38 CONFERENCES HAVE EXISTED IN OUR POOLS
30-32 automatic bids each year, 9 conf never getting more than 1 bid

Teams and Titles by Conference

EL SEGUNDO/HOME, CA (smt)- Would the Big Ten (B10) have gotten a record 12 (of 14) teams into the tournament?  More likely 10 which would’ve been the second-highest ever (Big East (BE) 11 in ’11).  Would the Big Ten top the record 19 wins by the Atlantic Coast (ACC) in ’16?  But we’ll never know.  So without a tournament, here is another 25 Year retrospective, this time focusing on the conferences who have made the tournament (the proper 64 that is).

What we do know is that for the past 25 years, 38 conferences have existed with only the American West (AW) (’95-’96) and Great West (GW) (’10-’13) not putting any teams in (no automatic bid due to not enough teams in conference those years).  Currently, all 32 Division I conferences get an automatic bid (though again, four of the worst conference tournament winners will vie in First Four).  Nine conferences have never gotten an at-large bid.  From ’01-’10 the two lowest auto bid tournament champions (team #64 and #65) played in the Opening Round game.  From ’11 to present, the four lowest auto bid champions play in the First Four.  13 conferences have put their auto bid team in the Opening Round/First Four with the Southwestern Athletic (SWA) doing it 11 of 19 years.  Because they have lost 9 of those Opening Round/First Four games, the SWA have only placed a team in the proper 64 bracket 16 of 25 years.

The Atlantic 10 (A10) is a perfect 3-0 in the First Four with five others 2-0 (America East (AE) – keeping a streak of all 25 years with just one team in proper 64, Big West (BW), Colonial Athletic (CAA), Ohio Valley (OVC), and Summit (SUM)).  The Pac-12 (P12) is 3-4 (including losing both in ’18, the only conference to ever have 2 teams in First Four) while the Big 12 (B12) has appeared just once (won in ’17).  The Northeast (NEC) has appeared in 7 straight First Four games (’13 to present) going 3-4 (4-5 overall).  The Mid-Eastern Athletic (MEA) has lost 3 straight First Four games (’17 to present) (3-6 overall).  Despite this, the MEA actually has 3 wins in the tournament (#15 Coppin St ’97, #15 Hampton ’01, and #15 Norfolk St in ’12).

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