Villanova is 24-7, got bounced out of the Big East tournament in the quarterfinals and has lost five of its last seven games. For that, the Wildcats not only got a No. 2 seed, they got it in a South Regional that serves as a gilded path to the national quarterfinals.
As for RPI, that holiest of holy numbers to the bracketology nerds, Temple's was 8 after its victory over Richmond in Atlantic City. Villanova's was 11. Oh, and Temple beat Villanova head-to-head. So let's not even bother with the Big East vs. Atlantic Ten stuff.
No one is suggesting the Owls should have been No. 2 seeds or that 'Nova should be an 11. But there's no rational way to explain the gap in their seedings. None.
Temple coach Fran Dunphy shrugged that part off. Really, it's immaterial to him and his team what line their Big Five rivals are on. And in some ways, it doesn't make a huge difference whether Temple was seeded at No. 4 or No. 5. The Owls would be favored in their opening game Friday and would likely be facing Wisconsin in the 4-5 matchup Sunday.
But Dunphy did smell something a bit fishy about Temple's spot in the bracket. As usual, he stood outside the packed viewing room at the Liacouras Center. This time, though, he already suspected what the players, cheerleaders, family, friends, and students would see.
Temple vs. Cornell.
Dunphy, the longtime Ivy League coach, vs. the Ivy champion. Dunphy, the longtime Penn coach, vs. his former assistant, Steve Donahue.
"If there's one team you don't want to play," Dunphy said, "it would be Cornell. Steve and I are good friends. I learned a lot of basketball from Steve Donahue when I was coaching with him. It's a difficult matchup. I planned on a difficult matchup, but I think this was a planned endeavor by the committee."
Meaning?
