Las Vegas Favorites Don't Line Up with NCAA Tournament Seedings
By Jason McIntyre
Before the NCAA Tournament seedings were revealed, this was the list of favorites in Las Vegas:
NCAA Champ favs:
— RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) March 13, 2016
Kansas 7/1
NC 8/1
Mich St 8/1
Kentucky 14/1
Virg 14/1
Okla 15/1
Nova 15/1
Xavier 16/1
WVU 20/1
Duke 22/1
Immediately, Kentucky jumps out as a major surprise. Despite having the 4th best odds to win the title – ahead of #1 seed Virgina, and #2 seeds Oklahoma and Villanova – the Wildcats were a 4th seed … in the 2nd most difficult region.
What a joke.
After the brackets were leaked online, and the field was revealed, the committee announced this was their order of seeding:
Kentucky was 15th! I know, I know, resume matters. But Kentucky beat Texas A&M in the SEC Championship game today (and lost to them on the road on a buzzer-beater during the regular season), and the Aggies were a #3 seed. Miami, another #3 seed, lost two of three heading into the tournament.
Finally: The committee doesn’t take into account advanced metrics, but it should be noted that Kentucky is 8th, and the #1 team in offensive efficiency.