Questions on games in Minneapolis in April

[Blakeon18]

We've read on this board that IF Stanford and South Carolina get to the final four they would not be paired
in the semi-finals. That would make sense given their season-long performances. But...does the NCAA have some sort
of rule in that regard? Could they meet in the semis...or is that [kinda] forbidden by NCAA policy?

Also: suppose one of them don't make it to the final four....or both?
Would their region winners [Spokane and Greensboro] simply take their spots and NOT play each other?
Or...would the NCAA effectively reseed all the final four teams...whoever they are...and put 1 with 4 and 2 with 3 in the semis?

If just one of the two [Stanford/SC] makes it then would that team be regarded as the #1 final four seed and be placed with their presumed
weakest entry.

Idle speculation with an example:

Texas/UConn/South Carolina/Louisville make it.

Semis: SC/Texas UConn/Louisville ??? Or would other factors...such as trying to avoid matching teams that have already played
factor in...as in UConn/Louisville?

 

[BostonCanuck]

There's no re-seeding of teams at any time during the tournament. So once the committee determines the overall number one and two seeds and assigns them to their regionals, they place those two regionals on opposite sides of the official bracket. That way, the top two teams, in this case South Carolina and Stanford, do not meet in the semi-finals.

You'll see that Spokane and Bridgeport are both on the "right" side of the bracket, so that Stanford would meet NC/UConn in the semi-final game.

By the way, if I were re-seeding the teams today based on my eye test, I'd have Stanford, then UConn, then South Carolina as my overall number one, two and three, respectively. I'm quite surprised that FiveThirtyEight still has South Carolina as such a heavy favorite to win it all.

 

[jchusky]

no the Ncaa does not have a special rule that says for the 1st time in the tournament history we are going to change how the tournament is run.

 

[Larry 7237]

UCONN vs STANFORD April 1, 1995 in the semi-finals at the Target Center In Minn. History is repeating itself. (Uconn won 87-60)