Friday, March 10, 2000
UC could lose No. 1 seed in NCAA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Minus the nation's top player, the top-ranked Bearcats are likely to lose a No. 1 seed when the 64-team bracket is announced Sunday. In Las Vegas, Kenyon Martin's broken leg already has dropped UC from the favorite at 3-1 odds to an outsider at 15-1.
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WHAT THEY SAID
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Some reaction to Kenyon Martin's injury:
• Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski: “Today is a sad day for Kenyon Martin and for college basketball. In our showcase month, you want to have your showcase player. I mean clearly, he's been the national player of the year.”
• Ken Griffey, Jr., baseball star and big hoops fan: “Man, that's upsetting. He's the best player in the world. I'm going to UC. They need somebody. I still have all of my eligibility left.”
• Xavier coach Skip Prosser: “It's a tremendous, tremendous tragedy,”.
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The tournament committee will view the Bearcats as a diminished team, especially after Thursday's loss to Saint Louis. In 1990, the committee dropped Loyola Marymount from a probable fifth or sixth seed to an 11th seed after its star player, Hank Gathers, died.
UC will probably be a No. 2 seed, a former committee member told ESPN.com.
"They were a shoe-in before but now they're likely a No. 2 with five or six schools in the hunt for No. 1 seeds. It will also be a factor that Saint Louis beat them. That becomes a bad loss for Cincinnati. Saint Louis isn't on the same level as Cincinnati."
What's the difference between being a No. 1 seed and a No. 2 seed? A No. 2 could mean playing tougher competition and farther from home.
UC was projected to be the No. 1 seed in the entire tournament and play its opening-round games in Cleveland. With the regional in Michigan, and the Final Four in Indianapolis, UC would never have been far from its fan base. As the top No. 1 seed, UC would have faced the lowest-rated team in the tournament in Round 1, a No. 8 or No. 9 seed in Round 2, and no team higher than the worst No. 4 in Round 3.
As a middle No. 2 seed, UC could be sent to any region and face better teams - a No. 15 in Round 1, possibly a middle 7 in Round 2 and possibly a middle No. 3 in Round 3. Worst is the prospect of playing Michigan State, a potential No. 1 seed, on its home court in the regional finals.
“I think it will be a difficult discussion for the tournament committee,” said Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick, a former chairman of that committee. “I think the philosophy has always been that you seed based on the strength of each team going into the tournament.”
Craig Thompson, Mountain West Conference commissioner and chairman of the tournament committee, was asked during a conference call Wednesday about player injuries.
“We need to know if a player is healthy enough to play in the tournament,” he said. “If there is definitive information that a player cannot play in the tournament, that could have a bearing on their selection or their seeding.”
Temple could claim the newly freed top seed if the Owls win the Atlantic 10 tournament. The SEC champ or Iowa State could slip in. Duke, Stanford and either Michigan State or Ohio State should grab the remaining slots.
The Bearcats' misfortune means that Michigan State or Stanford will be the oddsmakers' choice to win the title, said Joe Lupo, sports book manager for the Stardust Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
The 10-member committee, which is meeting in Indianapolis, will announce the tournament field at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
Join the discussion in our UC forum
Is UC's loss Ohio State's gain?
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