From Here, It’ll Be Performance-Driven

All the fun of dissecting the Ratings Percentage Index, strength of schedule and bodies of work has ended.

The focus today shifts to basketball -- NCAA tournament style.

The Division I men’s basketball committee did its work, for better or worse, to select and seed a tournament field reduced to 64 after Oakland defeated Alabama A&M; in Tuesday’s play-in game, and the rest is up to the participants.

Complaints about seeding, location and matchups, actual and potential, are shelved now as office pools begin.

The three-week party culminates with the Final Four in St. Louis, April 2 and 4, and getting there is all that matters.

Illinois (32-1), North Carolina (27-4), Duke (25-5) and Washington (27-5) supposedly have the smoothest paths to St. Louis, though nothing is guaranteed.

It’s all about performance, so let the games begin.

“I don’t pay any attention to predictions and I never have,” said Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose team is seeded first in the Austin Regional.

“I’ve never seen predictions win basketball games. That’s why you play.”

The Blue Devils played into a top seeding by winning the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

The committee also rewarded Duke, third in the conference standings, and North Carolina, winner of the ACC regular-season title and seeded first in the Syracuse Regional, with plum spots at the Charlotte sub-regional, fewer than 150 miles from Durham and Chapel Hill.

Duke and North Carolina seemingly have significant advantages in the first two rounds, playing in what amount to home games at Charlotte Coliseum.

Top seeding has its privileges.

“I think we earned it,” Krzyzewski said. “We have been a top-10 or top-eight team all year, we’ve had one of the toughest schedules in the country and played the toughest conference schedule this year.”

Of course, the Blue Devils gladly accepted their ninth top seeding, which, theoretically, makes things easier for them.

On the other hand, North Carolina’s 10th No. 1 seeding might make life more difficult for Coach Roy Williams.

Sure, the committee granted the Tar Heels’ wish in keeping them close to Chapel Hill, but their 16-team regional appears to represent the most difficult of the four.

North Carolina, eager to redeem itself after a shaky performance in the ACC tournament, might have to face second-seeded Connecticut (22-7) -- the defending national champion -- or third-seeded Kansas (23-6) to advance to St. Louis, if it gets that far.

Fourth-seeded Florida (23-7) has won seven straight and routed top-seeded Kentucky, 70-53, in the Southeastern Conference tournament final. Big East co-champion Connecticut could repeat because swingman Rashad Anderson has returned from an infection and point guard Marcus Williams plays tough.

Kansas has the nation’s top RPI, according to websites that attempt to recreate the formula the committee uses as a selection tool. The Jayhawks started 14-0 and were ranked No. 1, but six losses in their last nine games ended their bid for a No. 1 seeding.

A potential Elite Eight showdown against Kansas would be uncomfortable for Williams, who coached the Jayhawks for 15 years and led them to four Final Fours, including two championship games.

Moreover, Williams recruited most of Kansas’ top players and has remained in contact with some of them. Many were upset in Lawrence, Kan., when Williams returned to his alma mater after the 2002-03 season, and Williams wasn’t happy Sunday when the bracket was revealed.

“I didn’t want it and I don’t like it,” Williams said of a potential North Carolina-Kansas regional final. “It gets too much attention and that ticks me off. It’s like oral surgery. You aren’t looking forward to it when it happens and feel worse afterward.

“I’m not going to give any quotes that could add to the story line. If we win three games and they win three games then that means that we will play. But right now, we aren’t playing Kansas.”

Kansas Coach Bill Self could face a similar sticky situation if the Jayhawks and Illinois advance to the national-title game.

Self left Illinois to replace Williams at Kansas, and the coaching carousel ended with Bruce Weber’s moving up from Southern Illinois to fill the Illinois opening.

There were hard feelings in Champaign, Ill., when Self, who had agreed to a five-year contract extension, bolted after three seasons to succeed Williams.

Unlike Williams, who has remained in contact with some current Jayhawks, Self cut the cord in an attempt to help everyone move on.

“With the way it went down with me leaving, it wasn’t in those players’ best interests to stay in contact with me,” Self said in a recent interview. “That could have created some ill feelings with the new staff, and I didn’t want to do that, so I removed myself completely from that situation. But I’m happy for the players.”

No team has accomplished more than the Illini, seeded first overall in the Chicago Regional, but they’ve experienced trying times beginning the NCAA tournament.

Weber’s mother, Dawn, died last Friday after having suffered chest pains in Chicago at the Big Ten tournament. Illinois defeated Wisconsin for the tournament title as Weber, who publicly has appeared composed, remained on the sideline.

The Illini didn’t shoot well in winning the tournament, renewing concerns about their consistency on offense. But the Illini are all about defense. Guard Dee Brown, selected both the Big Ten player and defensive player of the year, doesn’t have to score to play well, and the Illini follow his lead.

If Illinois advances from the Indianapolis sub-regional, it would return to Chicago’s United Center to play for a spot in the Final Four for the first time since 1989. Second-seeded Oklahoma State (24-6), third-seeded Arizona (27-6) and fourth-seeded Boston College (24-4) could be potential road blocks.

To hear some supposed experts tell it, Washington might not clear an early hurdle.

The committee surprised in putting the Huskies on the first line of the Albuquerque Regional, igniting criticism from teams such as fourth-seeded Louisville (29-4), which won the Conference USA season and tournament titles.

Washington played a better nonconference schedule than Louisville, finished second in the Pacific 10 Conference to Arizona and defeated the Wildcats in the conference tournament. Second-seeded Wake Forest (26-5) was expected to receive a top seeding before it lost its opening game in the ACC tournament, and Gonzaga (25-4) is seeded third.

“You know it’s not going to be easy, but the kids and the staff have worked hard to get to this point and we deserve it,” Washington Coach Lorenzo Romar said. “We’re going to carry the conference flag and do our best to represent the Pac-10.”