Bottom of Bracket Racket: OU 7th Team Seeded 13th/14th to Reach Sweet 16
March 21st, 2012 - 21:14
NCAA tournament seedings can be misleading. With more bracket balance than ever before, there isn't a significant difference between a No. 3 seed and a double-digit seed. For instance, at least two double-digit seeded teams reached an NCAA Tournament regional semifinal seven straight seasons from 1997 through 2003.
If you make the criteria more restrictive, Ohio University became the 26th team seeded 12th or worse to win at least two games since the NCAA playoff field expanded to at least 64 entrants in 1985. If you make the parameters even more restrictive, the Bobcats became the seventh school seeded 13th or worse to win two playoff contests in the same year.
None of the first six "bottom of the bracket" clubs won their regional semifinal contest. Here is a look at the squads seeded 13th or worse that ignored the Division I committee's branding and exceeded expectations:
Year 13th or 14th Seed Coach Regional Two NCAA Tournament Victories 1986 #14 Cleveland State Kevin Mackey East Indiana (83-79) and St. Joseph's (75-69) 1988 #13 Richmond Dick Tarrant East Indiana (72-69) and Georgia Tech (59-55) 1997 #14 Chattanooga Mack McCarthy Southeast Georgia (73-70) and Illinois (75-63) 1998 #13 Valparaiso Homer Drew Midwest Ole Miss (70-69) and Florida State (83-77) 1999 #13 Oklahoma Kelvin Sampson Midwest Arizona (61-60) and UNC Charlotte (85-72) 2006 #13 Bradley Jim Les West Kansas (77-73) and Pittsburgh (72-66) 2012 #13 Ohio University John Groce Midwest Michigan (65-60) and South Florida (62-56)