At this point, we'll be anywhere from a 7 to 10 seed, most likely an 8/9. The question is, where might we play? Do we know which sites host a 7/10 game vs. an 8/9 game? Or is that all TBD? I can't find a website that shows that, but I assume somebody here has done the research.
NCAAs: Where and when might we play?
- Thread starter ParisCat
- Start date
Thanks BosCat. If we get an 8/9 game, looks like the 4 sites are Indy, Brooklyn, Charlotte, and Memphis. But I recall hearing that they won't pit conference teams against each other in the first two rounds. Assuming Purdue gets the #1 seed in Indy, that leaves 3 potential sites for us as an 8/9.
Tennessee is currently projected as a #1 seed which would put an 8/9 game in Charlotte rather than Salt Lake.
Agree that Memphis (Houston), Brooklyn (UConn) and Indianapolis (Purdue) are the other likely sites for 8/9 games. And yes, as noted above, NU cannot be placed in the bracket in a spot where they could face a Big Ten team in the second round.
If NU rises to #7 or falls to #10 then that opens the chance of Omaha (if Iowa State is a #2), Salt Lake (if Arizona is a #2), Indianapolis (if Marquette is a #2) and raises the likelihood of Charlotte (UNC) or Memphis (Baylor).
As much as I personally want it to be Brooklyn… Memphis is a doable drive for our hardcore fans who want to see our Cats live and might not be able to afford the flight & hotel. So, I’ll abide if we end up there.
I sure wish direct flights from NYC or Newark to Memphis still existed.
If it ends up being on the West Coast again, I will lose my shit.
DL and AA have flights to Memphis from LGA. I’m guessing it’s easier for you to leave from EWR. No nonstops from there. Memphis is a schlep via car.
There are oodles of flights to Nashville. I’d probably do that.
Hotels in downtown Memphis are pretty damn expensive for that weekend.
LGA is indeed no bueno for me.
I need to likely fly to a location and back that day - or the very first thing the next day.
Brooklyn is my top choice with Charlotte a distant second. I haven’t looked into Omaha flights yet.
Not everyone’s a Ballin’ Bachelor like you my friend!
The way I'm seeing it, there's only one site that seems out of the question: Spokane. That's looking like it's going to have two 4-5-12-13 pods. Pittsburgh also looks unlikely.
If we're in an 8-9 game (the most likely scenario) we'll be in a 1-8-9-16 pod.
Three of the 1 seeds are locked in: Purdue, Houston, UConn.
Purdue will be in Indianapolis but we aren't allowed to play them that early, so that's out.
Houston will be in Memphis, so that's an option
UConn will be in Brooklyn, so that's an option
Then it comes down to the final 1 seed. The contenders for that seem to be Tennessee, Arizona and North Carolina.
It looks like if it's Tennessee or Carolina, they would be in Charlotte. If it's Arizona, they would be in Salt Lake.
Arizona losing to USC yesterday probably puts them solidly as a 2 unless they win the Pac-12 tourney and Tenn and UNC falter early next week.
So if I were betting on where we'll go, I'd be focusing on Brooklyn, Memphis and Charlotte.
It's a bit odd that Tennessee wouldn't go to Memphis, but the rules say the 1 seeds play at the site that is geographically closest to their school and Knoxville is closer to Charlotte than it is to Memphis. I wonder if the NCAA would give Tennessee the option to play in their home state instead if they get a 1.
If we end up in a 7-10 game then Omaha and Salt Lake become realistic possibilities.
Great analysis. Thank you for confirming 3 my top 4 locations are in play (Pittsburgh is even easier for me to get to than Charlotte…).
Now, excuse me while I vomit all of my innards out at the thought of a second round matchup with Tennessee.
I was living vicariously through you bro.
I’ll settle for knowing you as a NYC party animal who can fly off to sporting events on a whim!
Regardless, if it’s Brooklyn or Charlotte I will be there in purple barring another family emergency like 2018 or 2023.
Ok, you motivated me to book at hotel in CLT too.
Just as likely as us winning the BTT: when @SimpsonElmwood wins the MegaMillions lottery, he’s flying every board member to the first round game and paying their salary for the days off too.
Selfishly, hoping we land in Brooklyn, though it might be unlikely! It’d be a train ride up from Philly plus I’ve never been to New York.
Added bonus: if you apologize I might buy you a drink before the game.
I don’t do shots like @IGNORE2 . But that first Michelob Ultra is on me.
It will be for the National Championship Game in FB or BB whichever comes first.
Bottles of water, iced tea, and diet Coke probably cost $10 at these games. And that’s before they ask for the tip.
I would have bought you one, but now you’re on your own.
If you're a projected #1 seed and you know who the other projected #1 seeds, you might have an idea where you might play in the first round now. But most any other seed, it is hard to tell.
It isn't just that there are so many games to play with some upset conference tourney champs taking automatic qualifier spots and causing seeding adjustments from what is prognosticated, but the Tourney Committee will also do things avoiding seeding conference from possibly meeting before the Elite 8 (especially if they've played 2 or more times already) and while a team cannot play on its home court in the 1st round, the Top 4 seeds in each region will not be scheduled at a potential "home-crowd" disadvantage... for example, a #2 seed Arizona would not be seeded to face #15 UNC-Asheville in Charlotte, NC.
Those scheduling quirks add too much uncertainty to really know where rank-and-file teams will be going a week before the selection show, but the sentiment that Northwestern is around a #7 to #10 seed is probably accurate, although I'll hoping for a B1G tourney performance that will push it to more to a #6 seed as a possibility as I want to avoid facing an elite team in round 2.
It isn't just that there are so many games to play with some upset conference tourney champs taking automatic qualifier spots and causing seeding adjustments from what is prognosticated, but the Tourney Committee will also do things avoiding seeding conference from possibly meeting before the Elite 8 (especially if they've played 2 or more times already) and while a team cannot play on its home court in the 1st round, the Top 4 seeds in each region will not be scheduled at a potential "home-crowd" disadvantage... for example, a #2 seed Arizona would not be seeded to face #15 UNC-Asheville in Charlotte, NC.
Those scheduling quirks add too much uncertainty to really know where rank-and-file teams will be going a week before the selection show, but the sentiment that Northwestern is around a #7 to #10 seed is probably accurate, although I'll hoping for a B1G tourney performance that will push it to more to a #6 seed as a possibility as I want to avoid facing an elite team in round 2.
Will Knucklehead Airlines pick someone up from NYC? If so then let’s figure something out.
Lol. I try to avoid the east coast. Now, I’ve had my eye on a reasonable twin since I got licensed and if I can pick the funding to acquire such a wonderful and pressurized machine, I would definitely fly that benefactor around.
Can you fly a Gulfstream? When I hit the big one, gonna pick up one of those babies.
Yeah based on the assumption that we are probably in an 8/9 game (75-80% chance?) and maybe in a 7/10 game if the Committee differs from the prediction folks in either direction, I put the chances roughly along these lines:
30-35% Memphis (1 Houston, maybe Baylor gets a 2)
30% Charlotte (1 likely Tenn or UNC, the other a 2)
25% Brooklyn (1 UConn)
5-10% SLC (likely 2 Arizona, outside shot at a 1)
5% Omaha (2 Iowa St, maybe extreme outside shot at a 1; also Kansas but they are looking like a 3)
<5% Indy (2-3 Marquette but they seem to be trending toward a 3 since the unfortunate Kolek injury)
rounds to 0% Spokane and Pittsburgh
Personally I'm also cheering for Brooklyn selfishly as an NYC resident, but Memphis or Charlotte are relatively easy destinations as well and I would be totally fine with a trip to either. SLC we've already done once and is far away, but there is the benefit of potentially skiing on the off day (Fri or Sat). Spokane clearly the worst of the bunch, but would put Omaha next lowest after that. Indy I've been to so many times for BTT or football conf champ games, but it has the benefit of maximizing our potential fanbase so I'm fine with that one.
I agree with both the analysis and the sentiment, even to the point of skiing on the off day if it's SLC. SLC is a surprisingly fun town, even if they measure their liquor to the milliliter.
Yeah I’d agree with those estimates.
I don’t particularly care where we go, but I don’t like seeing us on the consensus 9 line and Boise State sitting as an 8. Not excited about the lingering possibility of the least-anticipated rematch in tournament history.
If the 'Cats were to win the BTT (long shot but not impossible with a double-bye), they would shoot up above a 7, probably to a 5.
If they beat Wisconsin, Purdue, and Illinois on Friday/Saturday/Sunday, they’d certainly move up in the seeds, but a 5 seems very unlikely. Maybe to a 6.
There are of course easier paths to winning the BTT that involve our friends from West Lafayette and/or Champaign suffering an upset before they would face NU. In those circumstances, NU could win the BTT but not move up much in seeding.
If we beat Wisconsin and Purdue we’ll get a 6 for sure which would be huge. I’d bet anyone $10,000 we do.
Remind me how many times NU has won the Big Ten Tournament?
Do you not want this team to have a shot at making history?
If we could have both, then that would be great. But I am a realist and we only have 5-7 players we can count on right now.
I want them to focus and make history that matters. Fans want March Madness wins, not conference tournament ones.
The BTT has been around 25 years and has arguably hurt our conference, and hasn’t done much to help our team.
With the Big Ten championship game being so late and so close to the tourney selection announcement, I wonder if it might be the case that it only matters to make the title game for NCAA seeding purposes and less whether there is a victory or not. I'm thinking the tourney committee is not going to make late adjustments to the seedings or assignments unless a team that was not going to otherwise get in, like Indiana or Minnesota, ends up winning the Big Ten tournament championship.
Yet, it didn’t even help PSU in their seeding last year!
Recall: PSU made a run to the conference finals and lost to Purdue. Then PSU was seeded 10th and beat A&M but ran out of gas.
But hey, let’s waste our starters’ legs trying to win this silly tournament!
Where are all our posters with Kellogg MBAs when our fans need help with strategy?
I can't wait for the BTTT to be over so you can stop beating this dead horse. The horse is a bloody pulp. Show some respect. Of course, you may resurrect the horse-zombie as soon as we lose an NCAA game and blame any minutes played by starters in the BTTT
