Gotham Classic: tOSU vs. Notre Dame, Sat 12/21 @ 7:30p ET, ESPN2

[Wells4Heisman]

Every time I think of a No. 8 seed, I think about playing Siena in Dayton and Bill Rafferty saying "onions" multiple times.

I had that game tucked away deep in the inner bowels of my mind.

 

[DZ83CK]

From my observations of Ohio State basketball over the past decade or so, the differences between being a 1 seed and an 8 seed really isn't all that much in terms of the difficulty of your road through the tournament.

If you are playing well you advance, if you're not playing well you drop- maybe a round or two earlier as a lower seed.

College basketball- where the regular season is as meaningless as you can make it. I can't wait to see college football follow suit.

You think the difference between being a #1 and #8 isn't all that much in terms of your chances for advancing?

You know, if you're a #8 you have to beat one of the top 4 teams in the country in terms of the resume over the course of the season just to make it out of the opening weekend. And of course being a #1 means you "only" have to beat a couple teams that are usually mediocre to make the S16. Of course, if you're truly the best team you've got to win all your games and may have to beat those #1 seeds anyway, but only one team wins the tourney and so for all the other teams success is gauged based on how far they go. Having an easier route in the tourney for as long as possible is always an advantage, that's why you want to do well in the regular season, to try to maximize your chances of advancement because it's generally easier to at least get to the Sweet 16 when you're a #1 seed and #2 as well (although the past 2 years OSU has played some pretty tough teams in Gonzaga and Iowa State just to get to the Sweet 16). Of course some teams play better than their seed typically plays, but in general it is a huge benefit to have a higher seed because you can roll in to the Sweet 16 (and in maybe 1 case a year the Elite 8) without playing a super tough team.

You say the regular season is as meaningless as possible, but the whole tournament structure helps teams who have had the best regular seasons. You aren't guaranteed anything when you get there, but there's not much benefit from beating tougher as opposed to weaker teams early in the tournament.

 

[Beano Cook]

Looking at Beano's fat mug in that avatar provides new affirmation to the dual BP label: "PUMPKIN"-head.

This from a guy without the balls to show the world his mug?

Go away, son, you bother me.