So if two teams are tied in the A-10, we use head to head match ups to decide the tie.
If more than two teams are tied, the team with the best combined record against the other schools gets the highest seed.
If there are multiple teams are still tied after, then the look at team's record against the top 4.
If we still don't have a clear winner after those tie breakers, the point guard and the center from each team participate in a 50 yard three legged race. Finally, the Dukes size disadvantage becomes an advantage and we see the true genius of Ron Everhart's plan.
Ok, that's only sort of the way it works thankfully our good friends at Cincinnati.com did all the hard work figuring out the seeding scenarios so I didn't have to. With the time I saved not working out the scenario's I wrote three jokes that will lead that my explanation of the article to the link. The final joke is for readers of the Blackburn Review. 1) Cincinnati.com normally doesn't parse it all out but that's probably because Xavier is never in danger of finishing anywhere from the 3rd to 7th seed. 2) I guess that's what interns are for. 3) Ass, Fart, Boobs, Weiner, Ayn Rand's vagina. Here is the link to the scenarios.
So what does it all mean? Well at noon, we really, really, really, really want our Dukes to win and at four, we all become really, really, really, really big Rhode Island fans. If the Dukes win and Umass loses, in every scenario the Dukes hold the tie break and get home court advantage against a crappy coach. It's not that likely this happens, but it's more probable than one might think. After all URI has beaten UMass once already this year and Jim Baron is the superior coach. UMass have dropped their other two return legs of home and away series. Playing better than they did at the beginning of the year, the Rams,, have won back to back against Fordham and impressively against St Louis. On the other hand, UMass played Temple tough before losing in OT but got absolutely destroyed by Dayton in their last two. Biggest concern; Umass does have home court advantage which they've defended quite well this year. I like the Dukes chances against SLU as three of the four Billikens losses came on the road. The Dukes were able to hang with them for much of the first half before St Louis sank whatever a Biliken has into us. They're also playing for a lot less than we are with a bye clinched and an NCAA birth pretty much secured. I also vividly remember what they did at the AJP last year.
Will it happen? Probably not, but the Dukes have had plenty of unlikely things come back to screw them the past few of years. I can't help but hope the universe balances itself out by giving us a break. And after all, doesn't this program deserve the best possible situation to arise for once?
With all three pages of scenarios we have to sort out, I think it's amazing none of the teams in the middle play each other on the final weekend. There is no head to head high drama to close the regular season I guess the sticky middle will be decided by wait and see what the rest of the sticky middle does. Great season in the A-10. Too bad we're likely to come out on the wrong side of it.
