Quick Takes On The Field of 64

By Will Kimmey
May 30, 2005

2005 NCAA Tournament Bracket

• The Ratings Percentage Index played too large a factor. It's a good tool with which to measure teams in the same conference and even those within a similar geographic region, but doesn’t accurately measure teams from opposite parts of the country against one another. It significantly favors teams in the Southeast while working against those in the West and North. The over-reliance on RPI--rather than on-field results--leads to most of the points of contention below.

• The West Coast didn't get enough credit. California finished fifth in the Pacific-10 and posted series wins against Long Beach State, Arizona, Stanford and Arizona State. It also finished a game ahead of Stanford in the conference standings. Cal Poly finished with the same conference and overall record as Big West brethren Long Beach State. It's true that the Mustangs didn't play nearly the same schedule as did the Dirtbags, but if the BWC can get two hosts sites and two No. 1 seeds, the third-place team from that league should be good enough to qualify for the tournament.

• Arizona drew the bracket of death at Cal State Fullerton. It didn’t want to take the financial bath of bidding to host and not drawing many fans, and took its chances of ending up in a loaded regional on the West Coast. The Wildcats ended up at the home of the defending champion with third-seeded Missouri and one of the nation's best pitchers in Max Scherzer staring right into its face. Had Arizona bid and served as a host, it very well would have the draw that Arizona State received, which clearly is more favorable. Of the eight College World Series participants in 2004, only Georgia has less of a chance to return to Omaha than Arizona. And the Bulldogs aren't in the field.

• Coastal Carolina doesn't have the same resume as the other No. 1 seeds. The Big South is a respectable league, and the Chanticleers went 48-14, 21-3 with road wins against Georgia Tech and North Carolina. But Coastal failed to win its conference tournament (losing to a game Winthrop club) and was 1-2 against Clemson, 1-1 against College of Charleston and 3-3 against Winthrop. That's not exactly the profile of a No. 1 seed.

• Florida State received the easiest draw of any No. 1 seed. The Tallahassee and Tempe regionals are close, but Florida State made out the best. Auburn finished tied for eighth in the Southeastern Conference, and FSU beat it two of three back in February.

• The best two pitchers in college baseball could meet in the Knoxville regional. Tennessee will be able to hold out Luke Hochevar against Austin Peay State, and Wichita State could gamble against Winthrop and save Mike Pelfrey for a potential winner's bracket matchup against the Volunteers.

• Rice could ruin the potential Tulane-Louisiana State super-regional. Last year, Rice earned a national seed and was set to play host to Louisiana State in a super-regional before it got upset. That left LSU to serve as a host, and it went to Omaha. This year, Rice possesses the pitching to pull an upset of its own.

• Cal State Fullerton will repeat as College World Series champions. The Titans struggled down the stretch and have to claw their way out of a tough home regional, but they match up with one of the easier regionals if they advance. After that point, the team's depth of talent in position players and pitchers, as well as its experience and mentality from last year, points toward a repeat.

• Most mid-major regular season champions that didn't win their conference tournaments still were rewarded. Creighton, Louisiana-Lafayette, Northwestern State and St. John's each deservedly ended up in the field of 64 while Illinois, UNC Wilmington and Troy won't continue their seasons. Wilmington deserves to gripe the loudest, as its season and RPI compared favorably to those of Creighton and St. John's.