Re: NCAA: Xavier v Maryland - Thurs 6:50pm 3/16/17
Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 6:15 amXavier quietly confident ahead of Maryland tourney matchup - Patrick Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer - March 15, 2017
Excellent preview article by Patrick Brennan – well worth a read. Best of luck to Chris Mack and the Musketeers tonight.
In March Madness, Xavier perfect example why matchups matter more than seeds - Gary Parrish, CBS Sports – March 15, 2017
Excellent preview article by Patrick Brennan – well worth a read. Best of luck to Chris Mack and the Musketeers tonight.
In March Madness, Xavier perfect example why matchups matter more than seeds - Gary Parrish, CBS Sports – March 15, 2017
The Musketeers will gladly take their No. 11 seed over Oklahoma State's spot in the NCAA Tournament
Coaches are way more concerned with their paths to the second weekend than the numbers beside their names. They’d much rather be an 11-seed with a diminished and struggling first-round opponent than a 10-seed with a first-round contest against a team that’s played well down the stretch. Which brings me to a pair of interesting matchups:
• No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 10 Oklahoma State
• No. 6 Maryland vs. No. 11 Xavier
Question: Would you rather be Brad Underwood or Chris Mack right now?
I would much rather be an 11-seed with Xavier’s first-round game than a 10-seed with Oklahoma State’s first-round game, and here’s why: Maryland is 4-6 in its past 10 games and 2-3 since Michal Cekovsky suffered a season-ending injury. So the Terrapins are neither at full strength nor playing well. Meantime, Oklahoma State’s first-round opponent, Michigan, is 10-2 in its past 12 games with six wins in that stretch over NCAA Tournament teams. The Wolverines enter this NCAA Tournament on a five-game winning streak that culminated with them winning the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday afternoon.
• Maryland is 45th at KenPom.
• Michigan is 20th.
So Oklahoma State got a better seed than Xavier. But Xavier got a more favorable game.
