NCAA Regionals

[PushupMan]

Tough to be sitting on the sidelines this year!

Notre Dame and NC State have won their way through the winners brackets in their regionals and need just one more win in their next two games to advance to the Super Regionals.

Virginia and Georgia Tech are still alive, but both will have to come out of the loser’s brackets to win, so not nearly as likely. Tech has the unenviable task of trying to knock off Vandy twice in a row in Nashville.

ACC Tourney champion Duke, FSU, Miami and UNC have all been eliminated. Each team went 1-2 in their respective regionals.

 

[gocds]

Hey PuMan appreciate your input. Thanks.

GO CARDS!!!

 

[2330859]

I have watched more of this several of these regional tournament games that I would like to admit; with particular interest comparing the SEC conference teams against those outside.

Not surprising, once again I could see, and even hear the significant influence that ESPN has with their bias favoring the SEC. The Selection Committee used the preseason polls to give the SEC a distinct advantage, where beating each other only increased the number of their own conference schools gaining lofty ratings in advance of determining invitations and host locations.

Nebraska is an example of being discounted by the Committee, to the point where they arrive with one of the very best records in all of college baseball, but are placed in the Fayetteville Region; opposite a very well deserving #1 Arkansas team on their home field in front of a capacity Razorback crowd. The Huskers beat Arkansas last night, but will be forced to do it twice in a row in order to advance. Hosts schools enjoy a huge advantage, something Nebraska earned themselves.

Vanderbilt advanced, but it took 11 innings to get past GT in Nashville. Florida lost their coveted host position by losing 2 straight, and rather badly In Gainesville.

The SEC is admittedly one of the very best baseball conferences in America year in and year out; but they do not need any political assistrance from ESPN. It is schools like OD, Nebraska, USF, USCB, USM, Liberty and California Irvine who have been disadvantaged by the skewed media influences and subsequent Committee bias that follows ESPN influence.

 

[nccardfan]

I have watched more of this several of these regional tournament games that I would like to admit; with particular interest comparing the SEC conference teams against those outside.

Not surprising, once again I could see, and even hear the significant influence that ESPN has with their bias favoring the SEC. The Selection Committee used the preseason polls to give the SEC a distinct advantage, where beating each other only increased the number of their own conference schools gaining lofty ratings in advance of determining invitations and host locations.

Nebraska is an example of being discounted by the Committee, to the point where they arrive with one of the very best records in all of college baseball, but are placed in the Fayetteville Region; opposite a very well deserving #1 Arkansas team on their home field in front of a capacity Razorback crowd. The Huskers beat Arkansas last night, but will be forced to do it twice in a row in order to advance. Hosts schools enjoy a huge advantage, something Nebraska earned themselves.

Vanderbilt advanced, but it took 11 innings to get past GT in Nashville. Florida lost their coveted host position by losing 2 straight, and rather badly In Gainesville.

The SEC is admittedly one of the very best baseball conferences in America year in and year out; but they do not need any political assistrance from ESPN. It is schools like OD, Nebraska, USF, USCB, USM, Liberty and California Irvine who have been disadvantaged by the skewed media influences and subsequent Committee bias that follows ESPN influence.

Well, first of all host schools should gain some advantage based on their seeding. However a team like South Carolina should not be allowed an opportunity to host as a 2 seed. There were thousands of fans in Columbia. Luckily they didn’t win.
Baseball is not like football and basketball. It doesn’t have the revenue to say seed teams from 1 to 64. They will always emphasize location and minimal travel requirements and also important, how many fans can be put into the stands. If a school like ODU doesn’t have a large enough facility, select a nearby minor league stadium to host.

 

[CardX]

I watched the USA/Florida elimination game on Saturday, and the SC/UVA game yesterday. College baseball is just so much fun. It's so different from MLB. Getting back to the USA/Florida game, USA was up 4-1 in the sixth, and with two outs, they plated 10 runs. The UF coach lost it. He should have been tossed, but, you know, the Regional is in Gainseville. I was certain South Carolina was going to walk off win yesterday against UVA, but when it didn't happen, I realized that's just me being gun-shy about our own bullpen. For as much success there has been the last 15 years, there's been an equal amount of heart ache.

 

[2330859]

NC Card: No disagreement with rewarding schools with hosting privilege; my issue is with the selection system that is tilted towards the SEC, a result of the influence ESPN has on the process.

This can be best described as a self-fulfilling prophecy; the polls starts out weighted heavily in favor of the SEC. Rather than penalizing inter-conference SEC losses over the course of the year, as we witnessed with the other conferences; it elevates the balance of the SEC member Schools. For example, despite UK’s rather pedestrian season, prior to their series with Alabama ....... ESPN was projecting the winner of that series as rewarded with the invitation to the tournament.

Vandy and Arkansas deserve their respective hosting, but how can anyone explain Nebraska being omitted as a host based on their performance?

 

[Deeva]

Softball has been good! Amazing plays. FSU is really good.

 

[PushupMan]

Super Regionals are now set. Virginia claims the 16th and last spot with the dramatic solo home run in the bottom of the 10th.

Three ACC teams in the Supers: NC State travels to #1 overall seed Arkansas, #10 overall seed Notre Dame will be at #7 Mississippi State, and Virginia will “host” Dallas Baptist in Columbia, South Carolina, in the Cinderella SuperRegional. Virginia and DBU were both 3 seeds in their regionals.