March Madness is perhaps my favorite sporting event of the year. Youd be hard-pressed to find a more exciting tournament in all of sports. 68 teams all have an equal (in theory) chance of winning the NCAA Championship come April… There are always a few Cinderella teams who defy expectations and give their fans some thrilling games.
Where else would you get to see Kentucky pitted against Princeton or BYU square off with Wofford? Some of the fun is seeing schools from very different parts of the country play each other. As someone who is interested in higher ed and colleges, it is also pretty interesting to see some very strong academic schools in the mix. What if academics were part of the equation?</p>
<p>I know what some of you are thinking:
SAT prep in the locker room?
Circle graphs on the sidelines?
Warming up to Beethoven?</p>
<p>Yes, the ratings would probably plummet, but it would be pretty interesting to consider what would happen? if we added an academic component. In this we would see which schools have the most balance between athletics and academics.
Without further ado, Admissions360 is proud to present the 2011 Admissions360 Tournament:</p>
<p>We are going to break it down by each region: East, West, Southeast, and Southwest and provide a little bit of analysis. Enjoy.</p>
<p>The East
The Eastern Region of the bracket is tough. Really tough. Ohio State is no slouch academically and has one heck of a basketball team this year. UNC and Villanova offer two extremely well-balanced programs in terms of academics and athletics and Princeton does not need any further explanation. However, one of the most intriguing match-ups of this region is Georgia against Washington. They are two very large schools with strong research programs. It will exciting to see them in action when they meet up in Charlotte for their first round game!</p>
<p>Possible Cinderella Team:
NCAA: Washington
A360: Washington</p>
<p>Washington is a school that does not get enough credit and is often forgotten (particularly by east coasters) during the college search. Plus, their basketball team is hot right now, coming off a very impressive victory against Arizona, so well see if their streak continues.</p>
<p>Regional Final:
NCAA: Ohio St. vs. UNC
A360: Princeton vs. UNC</p>
<p>Headed to the Final Four:
NCAA: UNC
A360: UNC
As a Wake Forest University alumnus, it pains me to laud UNC in anyway, few teams played better than them down the stretch and have one of the strongest balances between athletics and academics in the country. They are one of the few schools that are truly world class in both areas, which gives them the edge over Princeton in the Admissions360 Tournament.</p>
<p>The West
At first glance, Duke should roll over this region. The Blue Devils are the heavy A360 favorites to win tournament. Academically, Duke is on par with the Ivy League and they also happen to be the defending NCAA Champs. The toughest potential matchup for the Blue Devils would be if they played Michigan in the second round, but after that game there is little stopping them from making the Final Four again.</p>
<p>Possible Cinderella Team:
NCAA: Temple
A360: Michigan</p>
<p>While Michigan could be a formidable foe in the A360 Tournament, the most dangerous sleeper team in the NCAA tournament is Temple. The Owls finished an impressive season with five starters scoring in double-figures. This well-balanced attack could allow them to knock off San Diego State in the second round and make a little run.
Regional Final:
NCAA: UConn vs. Duke
A360: UConn vs. Duke</p>
<p>Headed to the Final Four:
NCAA: Duke
A360: Duke</p>
<p>Again, it gives me no great joy seeing Duke go this far, but this is just how good the Blue Devils are (both academically and in basketball). Connecticut is a very solid school and won the Big East tournament in impressive fashion, but they are simply no match for the Blue Devils.</p>
<p>The Southwest
The Southwest in both the A360 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament is the second-strongest region. Notre Dame would probably be the favorite to win this region for the A360 Tournament, but the region also features other solid schools like Purdue, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Illinois, and Richmond. It will be interesting to see if the USC Trojans win their play-in game, because they have the potential to make a run.</p>
<p>Possible Cinderella Team:
NCAA: Richmond
A360: Richmond</p>
<p>Every year certain things happen in the NCAA Tournamentnotably a 12 seed will beat a 5 seed. I think that the Richmond Spiders have the best shot at being that team. Richmond has quietly had a very successful basketball season and is also often overlooked during the college search process.
Regional Final:
NCAA: Kansas vs. Notre Dame
A360: Vanderbilt vs. Notre Dame</p>
<p>Headed to the Final Four:
NCAA: Notre Dame
A360: Notre Dame</p>
<p>Notre Dame will have a few challenges on their way to the Final Four, but they remain the favorite to win the region. They will have a harder time winning in the NCAA Tournament because of Kansas, but Notre Dame played a more difficult schedule and should be able to grind out a win.</p>
<p>The Southeast
The Southeast is an interesting region for the A360 Tournament, because at first glance there is no clear cut winner. Pittsburgh, Florida, Wisconsin, and BYU should all be competitive, but the region lacks the academic/athletic powerhouse like Notre Dame, Duke, or UNC. This is the first region for the A360 Tournament that is really up for grabs.</p>
<p>Possible Cinderella Team:
NCAA: Michigan State
A360: UCLA
UCLA is the closest to one of the aforementioned academic/athletic powerhouses, but their basketball team is too inconsistent. Despite this, they still could make some noise and win a few games in both the A360 and NCAA Tournament. As far as Michigan State in the NCAA A Tournament, Tom Izzo (their coach) is one of the best and his teams consistently show up in the tournament. In my brackets, they are my dark horse to make the Final Four.</p>
<p>Regional Final:
NCAA: Michigan State vs. Pittsburgh
A360: BYU vs. Pittsburgh</p>
<p>Headed to the Final Four:
NCAA: Pittsburgh
A360: Pittsburgh
Pitt gets the edge, although out of all of my A360 Tournament picks, I have the least confidence in them. BYU is a very underrated school academically, and has a great basketball team this yearthey could easily upset the Pitt Panthers. The NCAA Tournament is a different story, where I expect Pittsburgh to have an easy time dominating their region en route to Houston.</p>
<p>And then there were 4:
Final Four:
NCAA: UNC vs. Duke
NCAA: Notre Dame vs. Pitt</p>
<p>A360: UNC vs. Duke
A360: Notre Dame vs. Pitt
I think it is really cool that at the end of the day when we include academics, the Final Four could be the same for the both tournaments.</p>
<p>Headed to the Championship:
NCAA: Duke
NCAA: Pitt</p>
<p>A360: Duke
A360: Notre Dame</p>
<p>Champion:
NCAA: Duke
A360: Duke
So yes, I am expecting a repeat for the Blue Devils and an Admissions360 Championship to boot. Despite this, in the A360 Tournament, Notre Dame will give them a run for their money. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed this exercise as much as I did.
Happy hoop watching!