Outside the Hashes

In my last post, I discussed evaluating teams based on what they accomplished (“most deserving”) versus what they are capable of (“best”). I argued that in selecting teams for the NCAA Tournament, only a team’s wins and losses–not their margin of victory, their statistics, or their “look”–should be considered against their schedule strength in order to determine which teams deserve the reward.

Today, I put my plan into action. I introduce to you the “Achievement S-Curve”. There is no margin of victory, no rebounding margin, no NBA prospects, and certainly no “eye test” where the ASC lives. The ASC doesn’t care how you won or lost, just if you won or lost. This is based solely on each team’s achievements to-date, not their future projections.

First, a disclaimer. I am NOT projecting what the NCAA Tournament field will look like. There are plenty of sites that do that already and do it well (although, when you get spotted 31 of 68 teams, it’s not all that difficult). What I am concerned with here is what the field SHOULD look like…what the committee should look at in determining who is selected and how they are seeded. (more…)