Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Seed Edition: Who Would Get What Seed?

It's March- the time of year where every team has renewed hope that maybe they can get their fifteen minutes of fame by getting to the NCAA Tournament and pulling off a couple of upsets.

Every team believes as they head into the SoCon Tournament that they can get into the Dance. Fans around the conference want to know what seed their team will get in the Big Dance if they can get there.

This is the breakdown for each team's most faithful, optimistic fans.

Here goes.

Appalachian State- Play in game. The Mountaineers are currently 12-15 against D1 teams. They would win three games to get the NCAA Tournament. They have only beaten Elon of any reasonably good team, in out of conference or SoCon play. No way these team avoids the play in game if they win. The Mountaineers have one of the byes, and despite their inconsistency this year, they are one of the teams to watch in the SoCon Tournament since they have a bye.

Chattanooga- Play in game. The Mocs are currently 11-18 against D1 teams and would win four games to get to the NCAA Tournament. That would put them at 15-18. They beat Samford twice, Appalachian State, and Elon of the decent SoCon teams.  They would not be able to avoid the play in game with a win in the tournament. The Mocs may have a fighting chance in that game, as they played Kansas very close in Phog earlier this year. The Mocs would need to start playing their most consistent of the whole season, but with Z Mason and Gee McGhee, maybe it is time.

College of Charleston-  15 seed. The Cougars are 22-8 against D1 competition. Hey! Here's a team that gets to drop a loss to a non-D1 team from their record. Anyway, the Cougars have beaten Baylor. But with the SoCon's low RPI and the Cougars loss to Anderson, I think they will be downgraded a notch. They will still not be a 16 seed (they did beat Baylor after all), and I do think they could get a 14 seed. They have struggled traditionally in the SoCon Tournament, but could certainly win this time.

Davidson- 13 seed. They are 22-7 against D1 competition. The Wildcats beat West Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Richmond. They played competitively against Gonzaga and New Mexico. If they win the tournament, they would have won seventeen straight games. I think Davidson could get a 12 seed. The thing that will hold back Davidson is the SoCon RPI. I think that will hold them down in the end. They are the massive favorites in the SoCon Tournament.

Elon- 15 seed. The Phoenix are 18-10 against D1 competition. They did beat South Carolina, which probably helps them avoid the 16 seed. I think the Phoenix could be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament with the right match-up. They are probably closer to a 16 seed than a 14 seed. Elon has a really good chance at winning the SoCon Tournament.

Furman- Play in game. Currently the Paladins are 4-23 in D1 games. I'd say that if the Paladins advance to the Big Dance that we should all prepare for the apocalypse. Whether it is the second coming, the Mayans, or a meteor, we should all prepare for the end of the world. At 8-23, Furman would definitely be in the play in game, but there would be no need to prepare for it, because the world would end before then.

Georgia Southern- Play in game. The Eagles are 11-18 against D1 teams. It would take the Eagles four wins to advance to the Big Dance. With Eric Ferguson, they could have a real chance if he played brilliantly in the play in game and against the one seed. The Eagles would not be able to avoid the play in game though. Ferguson needs to get going for them to have a shot in the SoCon Tournament.

Samford- Play in game. Currently the Bulldogs are 10-20 in D1 games. The Bulldogs have to win four games to advance to the NCAA Tournament. They have beaten College of Charleston this year. I think Tim Williams and Raijon Kelly could get going and perform well in the SoCon Tournament, and maybe even win a play in game. But they'd be in the play in game.

The Citadel- Play in game. The Bulldogs are 6-21 in D1 games so far. With Mike Groselle, the Bulldogs could go on a big run. Still, there is no way that they avoid the play in game at this point. They would need a big run, and given their tournament history that is largely unexpected, but they could do it.

UNCG- Play in game. The Spartans are 7-21 against D1 competition so far. They would have to win four games in the SoCon Tournament. There is really no hope for doing better than the play in game. The Spartans could win in a play in game with Trevis Simpson and Derrell Armstrong. Could they win the SoCon Tournament? It would take a major turn, but with their offensive explosion, they could win in the SoCon Tournament.

Western Carolina- Play in game. The Catamounts are 11-18 against D1 teams. The Cats would have to win four games and need Trey Sumler to perform at his best to have a shot. But there is no way to avoid a play in game. Sumler could get going, and the abundance of fans could really help Western Carolina, and last year had a lot of good fortune to get through the SoCon Tournament. Could it happen this year? Sure, but it would take an even more magical run than last year.

Wofford- Play in game. The Terriers are 12-18 against D1 teams. They would have to win four games in four days to do it. They would really need a lot of luck to win a play-in game. The Terriers have a history of success in the SoCon Tournament. So they could get going, but with this bunch and their offensive inefficiency, they are going to need a lot of luck to win the tournament.

1 comment:

  1. There's good and bad about a play-in game.

    The Good - If you win, it's a NCAA tournament win, the conference does receive some money.

    The Bad - next game, you play a #1 seed.

    LOL.


    ReplyDelete