Projecting the Field of 65: Committee Nails It

Kudos to the Selection Committee for its best job in at least three years.  Aside from a few seeding question marks and blatant racism regarding the Play-in game (no, I won't call it the Opening Round), the committee deserves high marks for its choices. 

I got 64 of my 65 selections correct, missing on Dayton as the committee took Oregon instead. 

Oregon (18-13, 9-9)...RPI: 58...SOS:37...Top 50: 4-9...Top 100: 8-11...R/N: 6-10

Dayton (21-10, 8-8)...RPI: 32...SOS: 33...Top 50: 4-4...Top 100: 9-6...R/N: 7-7

Clearly Dayton has the better numbers, but I guess they got left out due to the injury suffered by star player Chris Wright.  I don't have a huge problem with Oregon getting in, but how in the world did they get a nine seed ahead of Saint Joseph's, Kentucky, Baylor, Villanova and Temple, all of which had better resumes.

I am confused as to how Tennessee, the number two team in the country in the RPI and number one in SOS, not only misses out on a one seed, but gets placed in the same region as the overall top seed North Carolina.  This means the Committee viewed the Vols as the eighth best team in the field.  How is that possible?

Tennessee (28-4, 14-2)...RPI: 2...SOS: 1...Top 50: 11-3...Top 100: 18-4...R/N: 13-4

Kansas (30-3, 13-3)...RPI: 5...SOS: 50...Top 50: 8-2...Top 100: 15-3...R/N: 12-3

Texas (27-6, 13-3)...RPI: 6...SOS: 4...Top 50: 11-4...Top 100: 17-5...R/N: 11-5

Duke (27-5, 13-3)...RPI: 7...SOS: 8...Top 50: 7-4...Top 100: 14-5...R/N: 12-4

Georgetown (27-5, 15-3)...RPI: 8...SOS: 32...Top: 6-4...Top 100: 10-5...R/N: 11-5

Not sure how Kansas, Duke and Georgetown are ahead of Tennessee.  Texas beat the Volunteers, so that would have been more understandable if the Longhorns had won the Big 12 Tournament, but they didn't.  As a result, the East region is stacked, which isn't really fair for UNC or Tennessee.

And then there's the issue of the play-in game, which for the second straight year, will not feature the two worst teams in the tournament, simply because of race.  Coppin State and Mississippi Valley State were far and away the two worst teams to win their conference tournament.  Then why is Mount Saint Mary's being forced to play the extra game, instead of Miss Valley St.?  Because Miss Valley State is a black school.  That's the only reason.

Mt. St. Mary's (18-14, 11-7)...RPI: 159...SOS: 203...Top 200: 6-12...R/N: 10-7

Miss Valley St (15-15, 12-6)...RPI: 228...SOS: 315...Top 200: 0-8...R/N: 9-11

Mt. Saint Mary's obviously has the better profile, so why the snub?

"The NCAA has faced criticism for too often forcing historically black colleges to play in the play-in game, and with Coppin State, a historically black college, having one of the slots, there was really no chance that Mississippi Valley State, also a historically black college, would get the other spot," wrote AOL Sports Blogger Michael David Smith.

Maybe the historically black colleges are playing in the play-in game because they're the two worst teams in the field.  Is this how we should be seeding teams, based on race?  What a shame for the coaches and players at Mt. St. Mary's who earned the right to play a glamour first round game on Thursday or Friday, but now must first win another game that no one will watch on Tuesday, in order to get there.

I know a way to get rid of this problem.  Eliminate the play-in game.  The bubble teams this year proved that there really is no need for 34 at-large spots.  Decrease the number to 33 and get the field back down to a perfect 64.