It is like they just put the numbers in Excel and went - yep, that is good. And there is a REAL problem with the names of the last four in/last four out
On the other hand, I only see a few teams that have a legitimate gripe - Pitt is inexcusable - it is if they treated the ACC like two conferences and took the winner of each conference. Illinois was never even mentioned - despite Wisconsin getting in for no reason whatsoever with a terrible conference and overall record. USC Upstate didn't get a mention either - though Florida Gulf Coast did make the last four being considered. UMass didn't even get a mention despite going 21-0 in conference and losing in the final of their conference tourney. Really don't have a big problem with UNC missing out.
The other thing is teams like Kentucky getting to host with a 8-15 conference record... Michigan may have had a down year for them (or maybe the quality of softball is getting better over in the Big Ten), but they still went 18-3 in the BigTen with over 40+ wins overall. Considering that the BigTen was considered good enough to get 5 teams in the field - and probably would have got 6 if Indiana had turned it around 5 games earlier - that none of them deserved to host over a losing conference record SEC team is a little suspect.
The South Carolina regional will be the most fun. Those 4 teams can ALL play. This may be the hardest regional in terms of there not being an easier team.
And I know there is a cost of travel component in placing teams - but a team like Prairie View who won what is consistently the worst conference in D1 softball with a losing record should be playing #1 Oregon or #2 Florida - not #15 Texas A&M. It may seem inconsequential in the overall tournament - but it continues to be an issue at this point.
A lot of the at-large teams have a #1 pitcher good enough to cause an upset. It is lack of pitching depth that gets these teams in trouble.
Predictions on non-seeded teams:
- Michigan gets past Kentucky.
- Long Beach State is a toss up with Arizona State as long as they stay in the winner bracket in game two
- McNeese will end up beating Texas A&M. I know people are talking about Texas A&M facing Baylor. I don't know if that will happen
- James Madison will beat Tennessee at least once. Toss up
- South Carolina is playing so well it is hard to pick against them, but boy they have it tough. I would not be surprised to see anyone of the four teams come out of this.
- Same with the Arkansas bracket. While all 4 teams are not as strong as the SC bracket, spectators for all teams can all get there to watch so it should be packed and the teams are surprisingly strong.
- Texas State play a 1-0 extra-inning game against UCLA.
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