Looks like Kansas is going to end up being the Big 12 champion this year. They beat Iowa State and have Baylor left. Barring a miracle, they'll be one game ahead of Texas at the end of the year. Bummer. On the other hand, at the end of the K-State game Jerritt got on the microphone and did his end-of-the-year (although we have one more game to go) plea to fans to go buy post-season tickets. He said (paraphrasing) "It looks like we'll be hosting the first two rounds of the post season. And you know the Aggies will be coming here again. So buy up all the tickets so we pack the house" Poor Aggies, it must be really suck to end your season and know you have to travel to Austin to visit the blocking wall they encounter every time they play us. On the bright side, Kansas has played in a lot of 3-2 games it's only a matter of time before their luck runs out. And we have to top RPI....I'm guessing the committee will seed us 4th...and that would qualify us to host regionals if we're alive after the first 2 rounds.
Somehow I completely missed getting first round tickets, but I bought regional tickets and scored some pretty good seats. Don't know how I ended up doing that, but hoping all works out! I see that tickets are still available for the first round next weekend, but it's giving me tickets in the first row of the very top sections which means people walking in front of you the entire game. I'm going to give it another day or two and try to get seats in a different row.
One thing I've been wondering is if the Regional is awarded to the remaining top 4 SEEDS or the remaining top 4 RANKED? The reason I ask this is that at the end of the season, barring an upset in the Big 10....Texas is going to be ranked #5 and Kansas ranked #4. However, I believe that Texas will be SEEDED in the tournament as a top 4 and that Kansas will not be seeded as a top 4. So if both Texas and Kansas, which both hosts the 1st and 2nd rounds wins.....who hosts the regional? The top remaining ranked or the top remaining seeded?
Hosting depends on seeding, not ranking. And seeding depends more on RPI [and strength of schedule] than ranking. Our strength of schedule is much better than Kansas', but our ranking is a bit worse. Who knows what will happen tonight....Washington may slip in ahead of us.
Yeah, Horns ended up #4, where I predicted they would. Ended up with #2 RPI and I knew the committee would look at Nebraska, Wiscy, and Minn and say, "Nah, these 3 could beat Texas...in fact two did" and put us #4, which is fine. I was worried we'd be #5 or #6 and end up having to play at Lawrence against KU. KU in Austin? Beatable. Poor Aggies, yet another end of the year game in Austin for them. I guess the only solution would be to play better, have a higher RPI so they would be a seeded team and get to host, thus avoiding Austin.
