Bulldogs shook up field

Phil Coale, Associated Press

Georgia players celebrated when their NCAA tournament bracket position was announced Sunday.

By CHIP SCOGGINS, Star Tribune

Last update: March 17, 2008 - 2:18 AM

A tornado and an improbable performance by Georgia created a ripple effect that brought another layer of drama to an event that produces plenty of it each March.

Winners of only four SEC regular-season men’s basketball games, the Bulldogs completed a stunning conference tournament run Sunday to earn the league’s automatic NCAA tournament bid after winning three games in a span of 30 hours.

That unlikely scenario — coupled with the late outcomes of other conference championship games — forced the NCAA tournament selection committee to consider eight different contingency plans with the bracket and kicked March Madness off on a promising note.

“In all honesty, it was such an unusual situation that it put us in a little bit of a time crunch,” said NCAA selection committee chairman Tom O’Connor, whose group finalized the bracket 20 minutes before the nationally televised selection show. “It was a little bit more stressful for us, but we were prepared.”

North Carolina earned the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed and can earn a trip to the Final Four without leaving the state. The Big East claimed eight bids. The entire bracket, for the most part, contained few major surprises.

However, the 11th-hour maneuvering helped give the tournament a historical subplot and might have cost the Big Ten another entrant.
For the first time since 1980, the two finalists from the previous season failed to make the tournament field. Florida essentially had no chance of receiving an at-large bid; Ohio State was a bubble team that came up short.

As a result, the Big Ten will send only four teams to the tournament — Wisconsin, Michigan State, Indiana and Purdue. Since 1985, when the field was expanded to 64 teams, the Big Ten has had fewer than five teams get bids only once — 2004, when three got in.
Ohio State thought it deserved a spot. The Buckeyes had a 19-13 record and were ranked No. 49 in the RPI, according to CollegeRPI.com.

O’Connor declined to identify which teams were the last ones in or out. He said Ohio State’s road record — 5-10 with only one victory against a top-100 team — hurt its chances.

“That’s one that came at the head of the reasoning,” he said.

It’s unclear if Georgia knocked out Ohio State or another bubble team, but the Bulldogs bucked the odds to earn the No. 14 seed in the West Region.

The entire SEC tournament became unsettled after a tornado hit downtown Atlanta, causing damage to the Georgia Dome.

Tournament officials moved the event to Georgia Tech and adjusted the schedule, which led to Georgia’s historic two victories in one day Saturday. The Bulldogs punched their tournament ticket by upsetting Arkansas 66-57 in the championship Sunday.

While Georgia celebrated on the home court of rival Georgia Tech, No. 1 seed North Carolina could reach the Final Four in San Antonio without leaving its state borders. The Tar Heels’ first- and second-round games will be held in Raleigh, and the next two rounds take place in Charlotte.

As expected, UCLA and Memphis also received No. 1 seeds. Tennessee’s loss to Arkansas in the SEC semifinals opened the door for the final No. 1 seed.

Kansas, which defeated Texas 84-74 in the Big 12 tournament final Sunday, got the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region. Texas was No. 2 in the South Region. Tennessee, which is ranked No. 1 in the RPI, fell to the No. 2 seed in the East.

O’Connor said the outcome of Big 12 championship had a “big impact” on seeding. That game was one of the different contingency plans in play on an eventful and uncertain final day.

“When we got to [Sunday] and we had to go through the bracketing exercise and have eight contingency plans, that was the most difficult part,” O’Connor said.

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