mrjames
Professor
Posts: 6062
Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
|
11-15-18 12:30 PM - Post#265688
In response to palestra38
Generally how these types of bracketed events always "appear" on the surface. But from recent Harvard and Princeton ones, crazy things can happen.
For instance, last year, Wash St. went bananas on St. Joe's and even though Harvard lost the opener, it got a much better (and near Tier 2 oppt) in St. Joe's AND a Tier 2 game vs. Cal St. Fullerton on the road. Princeton lost to MTSU to start and would have gotten a better opponent (Davidson) in the final round if it had *lost again* to Akron in R2. Both of those appeared on the surface to be lost causes with a R1 loss, but crazy stuff happens in these neutral site ones. (Not to mention the 2016 Diamond Head where Harvard got a much easier Auburn in R2 after the Tigers upset New Mexico and the 2012 B4A where Harvard got UCF in the finals after the Knights picked off UConn).
Maybe this tourney will be shockingly formful (though rarely do you see teams as bad as Kennesaw St and EKU in an actual bracketed event, so they are probably heavier favorites than normal to be the 7th place game), but Penn should expect at the very worst Northern Iowa and Oregon St./ODU which wouldn't be a bad couple games to leave the islands with. Opening round win is obviously a better path (UNI, KSt, Missou/Oregon St./ODU) but all is not lost with an R1 defeat - could still possibly end up with a matchup against a Tier 2 foe.
|
