Quote:
Originally Posted by Archaea
Let's hope they give BYU the benefit of the doubt.
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BYU got a home game against one of the weakest teams in the field (UVU). But then they probably get 1 seed Stanford next. There is quite a bit of griping on Cougarboard over it.
Some things to keep in mind though:
The NCAA only seeds the top 16, so only 4 seeded teams per region. After that they just try to make things regional and easier for travel for everyone else. So just because BYU gets Stanford next doesn't mean they're an 8 seed, any more than UVU is a 9. UVU would get a 16 under a tournament where everyone was seeded and BYU would probably get a 5. The idea of getting a 5 seed is consistent with BYU's #18 in the rpi.
So why did Santa Clara get a 4 seed when BYU didn't? Well, BYU didn't beat Santa Clara, so that's a wash. Also, Santa Clara's schedule turned out to be a little harder than BYU's. BYU tried by scheduling a bunch of P12 teams, but unfortunately except for Stanford to whom they lost, and Cal, who did alright, the rest were all from the bottom of the conference, including the utes. Santa Clara also beat Stanford, which is completely escaping those who are complaining. BYU had some ok wins, but except for rpi #24 Cal, none against teams that made the field.
However, BYU can play through this. They should clobber UVU. After that, I fully believe they're capable of beating Stanford. If anything, the committee gave BYU a break there by giving them a rematch against a 1 seed they came pretty close against. Toward the end of the match something seemed to click and BYU had Stanford on its heels with a couple of shots hitting the crossbar. They know they can play with them. I think it's going to be a great game.