We are lucky in many respects, and for selfish reasons in some cases. That we'll get some sort of March Madness this year is something positive to look forward to, particularly at a time where such things take on greater weight. And if you're stuck waiting like I am, you're watching games and then hit in the face with whatever channel's "bracketologist." And hey, god bless these oafs for fleecing a broadcasting monolith for big cash to talk, make predictions, receive no comeuppance or flack for getting things wrong ("I guess the committee changed their outlook this year...oh well, now I'm on to predicting who's in the Mayo Bowl") and cash that check.
To feed into the interest (and "for clarity"...which...OK) the NCAA sends out their Net rankings on a daily basis. This, they claim, is the guiding tool for the seeding and at-large selections for the tournament. And, with the entire tournament being played in Indiana (thus removing the need for the incredibly biased "pod system" of seeding), you'd think the seeding and admittance would be crystal clear to fan and player alike.
When the Net rankings opened this year, right toward the top was Colgate. The question of if they'd take the league title from BU was removed by "What the? Colgate? Well, pandemic year blah blah" and immediately covered by how poopy Duke and Kentucky looked, and ranked, at the start of the season.
Well, here we are now in late February. Duke and Kentucky have rebounded to typical form. And there, still at the top, currently ranking #12 as of this writing, is Colgate. These self-styled "bracket knowers" once had our beloved Loyola-Chicago as a "first four out" with a Net ranking of #14, which gave us hearty laughs for minutes on end. That, it's clear, is something the windbags don't know, or are refusing to accept.
Back to Colgate. What does a #12 ranking get you? If it's a literal transition, it's a #3 seed. If it's a "yeah, but you're not Syracuse, so you get an #11 seed" then we know little has changed, that the selection committee hates small schools and smaller conferences for life. And if that's the case, then why fake transparency? Why go to those lengths?
Alas, for the next few weeks, we won't know. Depending on how they play, Colgate might move down a touch, or not. And, as the windbags prefer, they'll have 3 more weeks of free money in the bank account. It's not bank accountability when the shakedown happens for them. For us fans, all we can do is wait.
