Fairness Questioned...WaPo

[msf22b]

I apologize for re-posting...deserves its own thread

Is UConn's placement in Bridgeport fair?

The rest of the country thinks not...

The U-Conn. women playing near home makes the Bridgeport Region a nightmare for everyone else​

Washington Post Headline.

Also some good analysis...

Connecticut’s home-court advantage was significant this season. The Huskies scored almost seven points per game more at home than an average team after adjusting for strength of schedule, which is enough to raise a team’s win probability by 14 percent.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/03/13/uconn-womens-basketball-nc-state/

 

[Cornell Lt]

With all the BS that WaPo puts out, they now feel the need to enter NCAA WB arena. Stay in your lane !!!!!!

 

[visitingcock]

Yes, it is fair.

It was earned - not given!

 

[huskies29]

The rest of the country thinks not?? Wow, that was a fast poll since announced last night. Nobody here cares about what the rest of the country thinks about it. Paige looks healthy as do the rest of our wounded warriors and it wouldn’t have matterred where we went! Just take care of business and back to the final four we go!

 

[Bald Husky]

We knew it was coming, another reason to hate on UConn. Everyone was happy during the season when things were not going well, but SURPRISE, we're back. See you in Minnesota.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

After reading the article, I think the WaPo missed the mark. If all signs point to UConn being one of the top 4 teams, why didn't they get a #1 seed.
Teams playing "home" games in the NCAA tournament is not new. See Duke and UNC playing in Greensboro.

 

[Wilderness]

Bridgport is an advantage - true enough. We're celebrating it. The rest of NCAAW know it. Is what it is. Happy to have it. As Geno has said you play the games in front of you. It's like we won a coin toss. We've had our share of bad breaks this season. Let's not rag on WaPo - that's posters getting out of our Boneyard lane.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Like everyone is saying, they’ve earned the position in the polls and the seeding. We’ve discussed that ad nauseum.
Another angle: fairness to NC State. Where else could you put them? Obviously, Greensboro, but SC gets that spot. Isn’t it logical that UConn plays NC State? I know it’s crazy, but maybe that played into it big time. + of course, making money and creating buzz.

 

[oldude]

Cities bid on hosting the NCAA WBB Regionals precisely because they hope and expect a big draw from the likely presence of a nearby school with a big fan base. The school still has to win to get there. Albany & Bridgeport have been extremely fortunate through the years, because UConn always delivers.

But Albany & Bridgeport are hardly alone in their efforts to fill the stands with fans from a nearby school. Ft Wayne, IN has done the same with ND in mind. Unfortunately, the last time Ft Wayne held a regional, ND stumbled and didn’t even make the tournament.

Greenville, SC is also working hard to secure a Regional with the expectation that SC will show up bringing thousands of fans in tow…and make no mistake about it, had NC St won their early season matchup with SC, the Wolfpack would have had the benefit of some “home cooking” in nearby Greensboro.

This process has been set up by the NCAA. Is it a difficult challenge to take on UConn in Bridgeport? Absolutely. But is there something wrong with the fact that UConn has done a much better job than any other team getting to a regional where their passionate fan base has bought up all the tickets? Absolutely not!!!

 

[huskyd]

Most important observation in the WaPo article was "Ultimately, the teams’ Final Four chances will be decided on the court." Yup.

 

[Waquoit]

I'm waiting for the Post to comment on all those Regionals held in Greensboro to grease the skids for UNC and Duke on the men's side.

 

[huskeynut]

The Washington Rag speaks. I ignore!

For the WaPo - how about the year the final four was in Indianapolis? ND had home court advantage!

 

[RedStickHusky]

Article mentions the existence of other factors but doesn't really get into them. The real issue the committee had was NC State getting squeezed out of Greensboro by SCar. All the other 1s had natural regions. The overall 4 spot was always between Louisville and Baylor, so it seems natural that Wichita ended up as the S-curve 4/5 region. Greensboro as 1/8 and Spokane as 2/7 were set in stone, so UConn ends up as the 6 overall in Bridgeport with the Wolf Pack. They 'could' have swapped UConn with Baylor, but I don't see how that would've made anyone any happier. Sometimes whiners gonna whine and sometimes losers like their excuses up front.

 

[mbr33ct]

This is only an issue because the size CT is about 54 times smaller than Texas.

 

[Charliebball]

well everybody knows UConn will need it's "home town" advantage just to get by Mercer, maybe Central Florida and Kentucky.......

 

[Sifaka]

With all the kerfuffle about who plays where, something simple and basic seems to get overlooked.

Since when does a team ranked in the top four shiver and quake in abject terror at the prospect of competing with a lower ranked team?

Does a top four rating entitle a team to face nothing but cupcakes?

 

[HuskyNan]

well everybody knows UConn will need it's "home town" advantage just to get by Mercer, maybe Central Florida and Kentucky.......

Those games are worse - they’re at Gampel

 

[eyeroll]

I suffered through this enough in the Bracketology thread...

 

[triaddukefan]

After reading the article, I think the WaPo missed the mark. If all signs point to UConn being one of the top 4 teams, why didn't they get a #1 seed.
Teams playing "home" games in the NCAA tournament is not new. See Duke and UNC playing in Greensboro.

I knew someone would say something like this. One key difference is those are first and second round games, not regionals. Greensboro has only hosted one men's regional, that was in 1998. Charlotte last had a regional in 2008. Duke has never played in a regional held in the state of NC.

 

[RedStickHusky]

I suffered through this enough in the Bracketology thread...

It's what we do here.

 

[dogpause]

How many times have Duke and UNC mens teams played in Greensboro?

 

[eyeroll]

It's what we do here.

Ain't that the truth.

 

[HuskyNan]

If NC State is going to win, they’re going to hope someone knocks UConn off or they’ll have to play the Huskies some time.

For the record, it’s not NC State coaches, players, or fans complaining, it’s a writer for the Post

 

[CL82]

Maybe, but quotes like this are somewhat deceiving:

How much do you want to bet that Connecticut scores more points than average on the road as well? I’ll bet all the top eight seeds, at least, “score more than an average team.”