Yes, we're still in the Big Ten tournament, but I can't help but look ahead to the draw on Sunday.
Let's summarize our luck so far:
2013: We play a Tennessee team in the first four that ends up making the Elite Eight.
2014: We get a Davidson team who virtually everyone picked to beat us as a ten seed (though maybe it turned out to be lucky, since we killed them) and Gonzaga as the two. This is the best draw we've had along with 2018.
2015: Temple was a fine matchup, but we get a Nova team that turned out to be the best team in the nation in the 2/7 game.
2018: This was an OK draw -- Cincy and then Tennessee.
2019: Either the second or third best team of the McCaffery era and on their way to a 5/6 seed, but the tournament is cancelled for COVID.
2020: We earn the 2 seed, but a hobbled Iowa team gets the Pac-12 regular season champ in the Round of 32. The dumbest conspiracy theory a part of me believes is that Pollard did what he could to screw us with this matchup.
So, three terrible draws and two OK ones, in my estimation.
It would be just like our luck to play our way onto the 4 line so an Iowa team that has the ability to do real damage this year gets Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. That is, if we survive getting some criminally underrated team like Houston in the 4/5 game.
Let's summarize our luck so far:
2013: We play a Tennessee team in the first four that ends up making the Elite Eight.
2014: We get a Davidson team who virtually everyone picked to beat us as a ten seed (though maybe it turned out to be lucky, since we killed them) and Gonzaga as the two. This is the best draw we've had along with 2018.
2015: Temple was a fine matchup, but we get a Nova team that turned out to be the best team in the nation in the 2/7 game.
2018: This was an OK draw -- Cincy and then Tennessee.
2019: Either the second or third best team of the McCaffery era and on their way to a 5/6 seed, but the tournament is cancelled for COVID.
2020: We earn the 2 seed, but a hobbled Iowa team gets the Pac-12 regular season champ in the Round of 32. The dumbest conspiracy theory a part of me believes is that Pollard did what he could to screw us with this matchup.
So, three terrible draws and two OK ones, in my estimation.
It would be just like our luck to play our way onto the 4 line so an Iowa team that has the ability to do real damage this year gets Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. That is, if we survive getting some criminally underrated team like Houston in the 4/5 game.
