Should we go there?

[ConnMotors]

Should we go there or something close to that? This was from the ESPN young studio announcer at the half of the Michigan - Louisville game. She was getting ready to imply the fact that UConn was playing in Bridgeport and that NC State had a huge disadvantage. I was watching the game with a friend and I brought this us a few times during the game with her. When are they going to say that UConn is playing at home. Granted they did have the advantage. And, I'm sorry that NC State got burned. But in the end if you have the better team you will prevail. Did the committee screw up? Maybe! Or they should have thrown the S Curve the other way and sent NC State to Wichita instead.

 

[psconn]

It was a tough situation for NC State. I don't pretend to know in any detail how the NCAA Tourny sausage is made. There has to be a way to avoid making the number one seed play in such non-neutral circumstances.

That said, if the goal was to sell out an arena, putting UConn in Bridgeport was a lock.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Maybe deep down the committee knew UConn was the 4th #1 seed, but making them so with five losses would have enraged a lot of people.

 

[Aluminny69]

They did more than imply. They showed a map with Bridgeport 80 miles from Storrs, while Raleigh is 454 miles away. Not very subtle.

 

[Aluminny69]

Maybe deep down the committee knew UConn was the 4th #1 seed, but making them so with five losses would have enraged a lot of people.

I thought the debate was over Baylor/Louisville as the fourth #1 seed. In the end, the committee chose Louisville, and were proven correct.

 

[ScottCT]

What do you mean should we go there? We've been there for about 2 weeks now.

 

[sarals24]

I also think people fail to understand just how many UConn fans there are around the country. If the game had been anywhere in or near Texas I would have gone in a heartbeat, so most games probably feel like "home" games to the team.

 

[Waquoit]

Again, it's amazing that people are still trying to make hay about this. John Wooden played region finals on his campus.

 

[ThabeetDown]

Let's not pretend a healthy UConn team has the #1 seed in Bridgeport locked up months ago anyways. Things played out how they were supposed to. If NC State wanted to play in Greensboro they should have won more games. They played in tough road games this season; they were more than capable...

You didn't see a team like Creighton crying when they had to go play at Iowa City when they knocked off Iowa last week. It's only because UConn is involved that people make a big deal about this. If Stanford lost to Texas in San Antonio does anyone even bat an eye? On the men's side, Villanova had to play Houston in San Antonio and never heard anyone complain. They took care of business. NC State didn't. Their fans and the media can continue to cry their eyes out, meanwhile who's playing in Minny this weekend?

 

[hoopsfan22]

Ask Wes Moore if he'd like for UConn and N.C. State to switch places in the college sports world. See how fast he turns down that regional final home court advantage.

 

[Lynx23]

No one came out of the stands to help UCONN win. It's great to have the home crowd on your side and I'm sure it gets the adrenaline flowing, but a team can also fold under the pressure of having to live up to the expectations of the home crowd. I think it works both ways, at least to some degree. Paige will be playing before an amped-up crowd of home-town fans and family in Minnesota next weekend. Are the "talking heads" going to complain about that too? There are haters in the WCBB world who will always take issue with any perceived advantage that might fall UCONN's way, the legacy of success I suppose.

 

[psconn]

Again, it's amazing that people are still trying to make hay about this. John Wooden played region finals on his campus.

Kind of an ancient history example... that's around 50 years ago . Can't we expect a vastly more sophisticated seeding plan in 2022?

No way to know if it determined the outcome of this game, but NC State EARNED that #1 and should not have been playing so close to the #2 seed's campus (if UConn were the 12th seed it may not have been such an issue). I'm sure the committee could offer justification, and I'm not up for the work it would take to find an alternative seeding plan, just saying that this is a circumstance that really needs to be avoided as a priority in the planning of the tourney.

 

[Huskie837]

That was Monica “I can’t stand UCONN” McNutt who tried to get that conversation going. The other two commentators backed off.
McNutt won’t be happy until Geno retires and every D1 women’s team is coached by a female.

 

[my2cents]

The mistake made by the committee was the seedings. Louisville should not have kept the one seed, and the very least should have been the 4th one seed, moving NC state up.
UCONN because of the injuries should have been a one seed when all their players returned, but we never got the proper credit.
Bridgeport should have been Louisville and UConn.

 

[psconn]

No one came out of the stands to help UCONN win. It's great to have the home crowd on your side and I'm sure it gets the adrenaline flowing, but a team can also fold under the pressure of having to live up to the expectations of the home crowd. I think it works both ways, at least to some degree. Paige will be playing before an amped-up crowd of home-town fans and family in Minnesota next weekend. Are the "talking heads" going to complain about that too? There are haters in the WCBB world who will always take issue with any perceived advantage that might fall UCONN's way, the legacy of success I suppose.

Not a Husky hater by any stretch. It just didn't seem appropriate to seed that way. Picture us as the #1 seed having to travel to Greensboro or Winston-Salem where #2 seed NC State is in the bracket and the stands are packed with their fans. Follow through the scenario to a double OT loss for UConn. You think everyone here would serenely say "oh well, that's the way it goes, no big advantage..." Would you? I know I would be a bit butt-sore about it. Just trying to be fair-minded here.

 

[visitingcock]

It was a tough situation for NC State. I don't pretend to know in any detail how the NCAA Tourny sausage is made. There has to be a way to avoid making the number one seed play in such non-neutral circumstances.

That said, if the goal was to sell out an arena, putting UConn in Bridgeport was a lock.

They weren't "the number one seed. If they had been "the" number one, they would have been "at home" in Greensboro, North Carolina.

 

[Boreifs]

The mistake made by the committee was the seedings. Louisville should not have kept the one seed, and the very least should have been the 4th one seed, moving NC state up.
UCONN because of the injuries should have been a one seed when all their players returned, but we never got the proper credit.
Bridgeport should have been Louisville and UConn.

Louisville was the fourth one seed. NC State was third and UConn was sixth. Baylor was fifth and would have played Louisville.

 

[mbr33ct]

I also think people fail to understand just how many UConn fans there are around the country. If the game had been anywhere in or near Texas I would have gone in a heartbeat, so most games probably feel like "home" games to the team.

There's a reason they say whenever UConn travels a Circus breaks out.

 

[psconn]

They weren't "the number one seed. If they had been "the" number one, they would have been "at home" in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Should have said "a" number one seed. No offense intended . For the purpose of the example, that's a distinction without a difference. I don't know what the fix would be, but that was a tough, and likely avoidable, draw for NC State. Just trying to be fair-minded.

 

[darkstar1]

I thought the debate was over Baylor/Louisville as the fourth #1 seed. In the end, the committee chose Louisville, and were proven correct.

But would Louisville have advanced if NC state was in Wichita and Louisville in Bridgeport? I guess we’ll never know, but based on what I’ve seen, their higher ranking hurt NC State and I’d wager NC state would have advanced out if Wichita.

 

[UcMiami]

I think the Bridgeport fire marshal has some splaining to do ... the Bridgeport Arena's own web site says in basketball configuration the capacity is up to 9,000 attendance while for concerts it is 10,000 - last night's reported attendance per ESPN was 10,119 so 1,119 above max attendance for basketball and 119 above max attendance for any event! And ... that is why the NCAA has so often accepted bids from Bridgeport - it is no college team's home court and it consistently outdraws other regionals. For example this year:
Greensboro: 6,579
Wichita: 4,695
Spokane: 7,739

 

[ShmiCO]

The driving distance between Greensboro and Raleigh is about 80 miles. Practically on top of each other. Unless you're suggesting the #1 overall seed get pushed to a different region (again)?

It's a problem for NC State regardless of their seed, unless they place so high they push SC to a different region. Same problem for any two teams in such close proximity.

 

[pacific 44]

Now will our opponents say that Paige has an unfair advantage because she grew up 10 miles from the tournament site in Minnesota? Does she have to recuse herself and not play? The tournament has two sites next year and one of them is in North Carolina. Will all of the North Carolina schools be happy or will they be sad? They need to get over it and realize that half of your games are on someone else's court. Next year they will be doing cartwheels to play close to home.

 

[HuskyNan]

Geno has stated many times he doesn’t care where they play. People can howl all they want. UConn is in the Final Four. Period.