Don't know if there is a good or bad draw

Don't know if there is a good or bad draw - too much balance
by NDoggie78 (2017-05-08 09:21:24)

In reply to: About the worst draw we could've received posted by ShermanOaksND

FWIW, the talking heads thought we got a good draw.
We have shown over the course of the year that we can beat anyone ...... or lose to anyone. We are 5-4 against teams in the NCAA tourney field.

Of our 5 losses on the season, 3 were by 1 goal. And the other 2 teams that beat ND by more than 1 goal (Duke & NC), we also beat them.

Of course, that's not factoring in the injuries. We are 1-2 without Perc and Garnsey at full strength and we don't know at what capacity they'll be able to play in the tourney.

As I understood it, the talking heads were talking

Only about first-round matchups. In that regard, they pointed out that Ohio State (the #3 seed) drew Loyola in the first round, whereas ND drew Marquette and Denver drew Air Force. On the basis of RPI, they're correct that Loyola is the toughest first-round draw of the three. But I'll take it, if only for the reason that the first round is geographically based, and we've gotten a rough draw a few times in the past for that same reason.

With that said, matchups are potentially crucial in any single-elimination tournament. Marquette seems to match up very well with us (not sure how well Loyola would match up), and Joe Amplo is an outstanding coach.

In any event, not to speak for ShermanOaksND (who certainly doesn't need anyone else to speak for him), but I think he was referring to the potential second-round matchup with Denver, which the talking heads never mentioned that I heard. Denver is one of those teams that just seems to have our number.