Why has the 2017 tournament been so boring?

… an SI writer analyzes 

Was the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship really that boring?

As Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel wrote this morning, "This tournament has been as riveting as a CSPAN marathon of Congressional energy hearings."

That bad?

Well, first, whenever you have a 16th seed playing a 1, a 15th a two, a 14th a 3, a 13th a 4 … you cannot expect anything exciting.

However, there are also 8's playing 9's and 7's playing 10's, so there is some hope.

The SI writer goes further, talking about the boredom of this year's event. "Watching the NCAA tournament this year has been like rooting for the 1985 Bears, investing in Apple or betting on Tom Brady. There’s been no buzzer beaters and little drama. When the biggest story revolves around a Vanderbilt player's unfortunate brain cramp, you know we’re searching for shorelines."

Thamel attributes this to the selection process. He ignores the fact that many of those woeful 15th and 16th seeds do not belong there in the first place. When is the last time a 15th beat a 2? Has a 16th ever beaten a 1? No, of course not.

The lowest seed to earn any kind of win was an 11th, Rhode Island and Xavier, which should tell you something. Those were somewhat interesting and provide some good second-round matchups.

But, exciting?

Thamel, however, does have some good points. The mid-majors, those from 6th through 15th, are not given enough respect as the top five "Power" conferences are. One matchup that he criticizes -- justifiably so -- if the Wichita State-Dayton one.

"No. 10 Wichita outslugged the No. 7 Flyers, 64–58, in a taut game hallmarked by sharp elbows and MMA intensity. The quality of both teams offered another reminder that it never should have been played. Wichita (31–4) getting a No. 10 seed from the selection committee was as idiotic in retrospect as it was in real time. And that ended up being completely unfair to Dayton (24–8), which should have been higher than No. 7 and definitely shouldn’t have had to play a 30-win team with a kenpom rating of No. 8."

How could the tournament make Wichita State a number 10 seed after winning 31 games? That is because their conference is a mid-major, and as such, xxx gets not respect.

Dayton Coach Archie Miller, who is now being touted as the next coach at Indiana, agreed that the Shockers should have been ranked much higher. “A No. 4 seed ,,, I don’t think you’re going to get a 30 or 31-team with that depth who can fire that amount of bodies at you. Their depth and size in the 3, 4, and 5 position is as good as anyone in the country.”

Wichita State hails from the Missouri Valley Conference, while Dayton is in the Atlantic-10. Both are considered mid-major.

Thamel points out that the number of mid-major bids was down this year. "Double-digit at-large bids came from outside the power conferences in 2012, 2013 and 2014. This year, there were only four. And the seeding for the A-10, AAC, Conference USA and Valley schools was all shaky," he wrote on the SI website.

Miller, whose brother Sean now coaches Arizona, lamented the fact that the A-10 received no respect this year. "It’s discouraging, They don’t’ want to say they’re pushing you out. In many ways, they are,” he said in an interview prior to the tournament.

Small schools will not make excitement

Thamel is wrong when he posits that the small conferences deserve more respect. Those from 27 to 34 never, or rarely, win games, though they do sometimes. I am not talking about the Patriot League or Ivy League here. The Ivies have been strong as Princeton showed in their opener against Notre Dame.

And Bucknell has been very competitive over the years in the Patriot League.

However, Thamel is right that the committee demeaned the mid-majors this year, and that is sad.

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/03/17/ncaa-tournament-march-madness-wichita-state-dayton