Should UNC Have Been Ranked A Five Seed?
Chapel Hill is coming into the tournament as a sixth seed behind Cincinnati’s placement as the fifth seed. The Bearcats come into this season currently sitting second in the legendary American Athletic Conference (cough) and squaring up against Harvard in the first round of the tournament. Many experts are picking this as an upset alert for Harvard. However, it should be noted that Chapel Hill should have been squaring off in the fifth slot of the East Region for a number of reasons.
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1) Compare the Conferences
The ACC has six teams in the NCAA. The AAC has four. Sure, you could make a case for AAC’s Southern Methodist to get into the dance, but guess what? They’re not. The teams that Cincinnati has to square off against in conference play include: #5 Louisville, #15 Connecticut, and unranked Memphis. Who do the Tar Heels have to square off against in the ACC? How about #3 Virginia, #8 Duke, #14 Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and NC State. There could also be a strong case for Florida State and possibly even Clemson to make it in.
2) Look at the Stats
UNC is 9th in rebounding, 24th in assists, 49th in points, and 75th in field goal percentage. Cincinnati’s best stat doesn’t beat Chapel Hill’s worst stat. The Bearcats are an abysmal 106th in rebounding, 165th in assists per game, 237th in points, and 256th in field goal percentage. Would you say that’s a little bit of a difference between the two squads? I’d say so, too.
3) Look at the Quality of Wins
Cincinnati didn’t beat a single team above 11th in the nation at the time. Chapel Hill beat the #1, the #3, the #5, and the #11 ranked teams throughout this season. There is a difference.
However, yes it’s true that UC had a better win-loss record than the Tar Heels. The Bearcats finished 27-6, 15-3 versus the AAC. Chapel Hill ended up 23-9, 13-5 versus the ACC. So, is that it? Those three games Cincinnati won in a weaker conference and with significantly weaker stats, gives them the nod ahead of the Tar Heels? Even with not even beating a single top-ten team at the time, while UNC beat three of them? That’s an answer I’d like to hear back from the selection committee on.
Let’s play pretend. Okay, so let’s imagine for a moment that UNC is a number five seed. That means in the second round, they’d square off against number four, Michigan State, instead of number three, Iowa State. UNC has already beaten the Spartans and we always seem to have their number, whether in the regular season or on an aircraft carrier.
Instead, with this selection committee oversight (in my humble opinion), we’re facing a strong Iowa State team in the second round. The Cyclones are a strong, strong, strong team. They’re currently first in the nation in assists (18.5 per game) and sixth in the nation in points (82.9 per game). They’ve also taken out some strong competition. Wins against #7 Michigan, #7 Baylor, and #10 Kansas mark their record. They’d be a strong opponent in the round of 32.
Chapel Hill can’t do anything about being ranked behind Cincinnati in the brackets now. All they can do is focus on what’s in front of them and go about their business. However, as it’s been shown, Chapel Hill should have been absolutely ranked a five seed instead of a six seed. It’s going to be a much tougher climb for the Tar Heels the way it’s set up right now.