In case you may have missed it, something big happened last night. Not in a sky-is-falling way, but in a way that should force people to stop copy-and-pasting the same top line in every bracket update.
UConn wound up getting upset by Rick Pitino and St. John’s, a game that should have serious implications for bracketology. Despite that, UConn is still being slotted on the one seed line, and that is a real problem.
Consider Iowa State. The Cyclones sit at 20-2; they have not lost a home game, and they are 7- 1 in Quad One games. They aren’t just winning close games either; they have been leaps and bounds better than just about everyone they’ve played, and they continue to pass the test on a nightly basis.
Joe Lunardi has his own way of looking at things, but the metrics support the Cyclones jumping to a one seed over UConn. Iowa State is currently ranked one spot ahead of UConn in the NET at No. 5. Hell, they’re even five spots ahead in KenPom (No. 4 vs. No. 9)! If those metrics only matter when they confirm biases, then just say that and move on.
UConn is still very good. No one is saying otherwise, but recent games still count, and losing to a St. John’s team that has struggled for consistency should at least open the door for someone else.
This is not about disrespecting the Huskies, but Iowa State should join Arizona as a one seed. Plain and simple. TJ Otzelberger’s crew has done everything a one-seed candidate is supposed to do so far. It’s an embarrassment to try to justify that UConn lost when there are eight other worthy teams that continue to win, playing better ball than them right now.
If that is not enough to move the needle, then the needle was never real to begin with.
