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John Calipari wants S-Curve to determine seeding for NCAA Tournament

Cal doesn’t agree with how the brackets are set and offers a suggestion

NCAA Basketball: SEC Conference Tournament-Kentucky vs Tennessee Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

After the heartbreaking loss to Tennessee, John Calipari was asked after the game about the possibilities of still being a 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

“I don’t know. There’s a bunch of teams that can say it. I say we’re pretty good. It’s not if we’re a one or a two, it’s who’s the other team? And I have an idea of who it will be. But if you’re telling me we’re the No. 1, 2 seed, we should play the lowest of the 1 seeds. That’s all I’m saying. Or, if you’re saying the second, then we should play the third of the 1 seeds”

This sounds like Cal is referring to the likelihood of the Cats being matched up in the same bracket as Duke. With the loss to the Vols, the chances of that happening are much more likely.

What Cal continues to advocate for is that the Selection Committee seed the tournament on the S-Curve for the top-16 teams. Instead of doing it based on geography, coach Cal suggests making the highest 2 seed be in the same bracket as the lowest 1 seed.

However, that isn’t how the committee does it.

“The reason I say the S-Curve is all the, why did you do this? Why weren’t they doing, if we’re the No. 4 1 seed, why wouldn’t you play the No. 1 2 seed? Well, because of whatever.

“Everyone charters, it doesn’t matter where you play, and I believe you should do this. Well, this team has 11 teams from their league in the NCAA Tournament, so they’ve got a lot of teams. You gonna give them another advantage? Just do the S-Curve with the first 16 teams.”

I think a lot of people would agree with Cal that this is the way it should be. But it is not how they will do it and we will just have to wait and see if we are in fact put in the same bracket with Duke on Selection Sunday.