I haven’t really said anything because I figured by this morning, the “bracketologists” would have us as a 7 seed. Everybody still has us as an 8 though.

I’m happy just to be in the tournament, but now I am a little bit shocked we haven’t moved. That seems wrong.

24 wins, a #18 national ranking, #10 NET, #9 KemPom, a regular season title, a conference tournament championship, winners of 18 of our last 19 games (with the only blemish being a 1 point overtime loss to a Q1 team), 19 double-digit wins against opponents, the number 1 defense efficiency in college basketball, 6 seniors, and a conference player of the year at center.

When all is said and done, there will be 64 teams in the first round. You’re telling me that we aren’t at least the 28th best team in the field deserving of a 7 seed???

Great post, Toledo, and all true. I'd only add that the one blemish on our record in the last 19 games, the 1-point OT loss to a Q1 team, was the second game in a back to back on the road.

Many of these bracket predictions are made from past year patterns, when scheduling was easier for mid majors (many MTEs, like ours were cancelled) and there were more games played in the season. Maybe the fact that an Athletics VP from Bradley, the AD from Toledo, and the Commissioner of the Mountain West Conference are on the Selection Committee will help us get some advocacy in the room.

Bart Torvik's tournament seeding predictor has us as the top 9 seed (33rd in his simulator) but his odds for Loyola to make the Round of 32, the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight are 25th, 28th, and 27th. He gives us a 4.9% chance of making the Final Four, which ranks 26th best odds among teams right now. All of those odds are consistent with a 7 seed, not a 9. The most "over-seeded" teams are Oregon, Clemson, Oklahoma, Rutgers, and LSU, all of which are in the 6 to 8 seeding range but have worse odds to advance than Loyola based on performance metrics and seeding range. In short, performance models say we should be a 7 seed at least, even when we're slotted as a 9.

I've resigned myself to the fact that we are getting an 8 or 9 seed. Praying for Michigan who will be without one of their best players and just hasn't been looking great. That is the most vulnerable #1 seed, in my opinion.

North Texas is 17 minutes away from dancing

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Oh boy.

Not looking so great now...

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Georgetown wins the Big East, Oregon State beating Colorado in the Pac 12 final.... Drake better hope Cincinnati doesn't upset Houston tomorrow....

Incredible series of chokes in this game. OT.

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Yes!

What a gutty performance by North Texas. 4th game in 4 days, 6th game in 9 days, their legs were clearly gone in the second half. And they somehow come back down 7 late to win in OT. Javion Hamlet basically willed them to the Tournament. You can see why we wanted him when he transferred.