March Madness: Vols can’t complain if they eventually face Cincinnati in Ohio
Tennessee basketball opens the NCAA Tournament in Columbus, and the Volunteers could face the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second round of March Madness.
As Tennessee basketball gets set to take on Colgate in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, some fans are already complaining about their draw. How could a No. 2 seed potentially be forced to play a No. 7 seed in the No. 7 seed’s home state in a March Madness game?
Such is possibly the case for the Vols. Assuming they win their game on Friday and the Cincinnati Bearcats beat the Iowa Hawkeyes, those two will meet on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio. And yes, that’s an easier drive for Cincinnati fans, obviously.
However, such a complaint is ridiculous for a team trying to stake a claim as a national title contender. That is, you might say, it’s own version of March Madness. Even if Cincinnati is four hours closer to Columbus than Knoxville, it’s still not too far for enough Vols fans to make the trip.
On top of that, look at what just happened last Sunday in the SEC Tournament Championship game. The Auburn Tigers had to face the Vols in Nashville, and three-quarters of Bridgestone Arena was filled with UT fans. Did it matter?
Of course not! Auburn won by 20 points. They ran away with it. If the Vols are truly a national title contending team, they should be able to beat a No. 7 seed at a venue an hour and a half away from that No. 7 seed’s hometown.
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For crying out loud, they beat the Gonzaga Bulldogs out West when the Zags were No. 1 and undefeated at the time! So how in the world could you say that they got a raw deal by maybe having to face Cincinnati in Columbus in a second round March Madness game?
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The Florida State Seminoles had to play Vermont in Hartford, Conn. in the first round despite being a No. 4 seed. As No. 12 and No. 13 seeds, the Oregon Ducks and UC Irvine Anteaters are in a first-round bracket in San Jose. Do you hear the Wisconsin Badgers and Kansas State Wildcats complaining about that despite being higher seeds?
What about the next weekend of games. If the Maryland Terrapins make it to the Sweet Sixteen, a strong possibility, they’ll be playing that weekend in Washington, D.C. That’s basically two home games for them. Should they get that as a No. 6 seed when the Duke Blue Devils are a No. 1 seed in that region? Duke might play Maryland in what is basically a road game.
Then you have the Kansas Jayhawks. If they make the Sweet Sixteen, they’ll be playing that next round of games 45 minutes away from campus in Kansas City, Mo. Do you hear North Carolina Tar Heels fans or Kentucky Wildcats fans complaining?
In fact, the Vols themselves have an advantage. If they get past the first weekend, they’ll be playing their next round of games in Louisville. In case you’re wondering, Knoxville is four hours closer to Louisville than the University of Virginia is.
Next. A look at the Vols' road to the Final Four. dark
See the point? March Madness has many flaws, but the location of games is not one of them. Champions don’t worry about those things. They just go out and win, regardless of where a game is played. And that makes all the difference. Rick Barnes knows not to complain about this. His players aren’t complaining. Vol Nation should follow suit.