SI.com caught up with Seth Davis to get his reaction to the announcement of the NCAA tournament field.
SI.com: What was your initial reaction when you saw the bracket?
Seth Davis: First of all, they faxed it over to CBS later than I've ever seen it done. I asked Greg [Gumbel], 'have you ever seen them take so long?' And he said 'no.' I assumed when they were waiting so long it was to see if Kansas was going to win and be a No. 1, but then [tournament committee chair] Gary Walters said they were going to be a No. 1 regardless.
The first thing that jumped out was Arkansas, because after I see the No. 1 lines, I go to the [Nos.] 11 and 12. Those are usually the last at-large teams. Arkansas kind of raised my eyebrows. That was a surprise to me, but I was glad because they were going to fire Stan Heath if they didn't get in and now they'll have to find some other reason to fire him.
It also dawned on me that Drexel wasn't in and that was really the only decision that bothered me.
SI.com: Why did it bother you?
SD: Everybody knows how hard it is to win on they road in college basketball and Drexel won 13 games on the road, which, if I'm not mistaken, is a record in D-I. I mean, they won at Villanova, at Syracuse and at Creighton in the BracketBusters. Ironically, their not getting in probably hurt Syracuse and visa versa.
SI.com: Who do you think helped themselves the most over the weekend?
SD: Arkansas was a big surprise in that regard. Aside from that, I think the team that helped itself the most in terms of seeding was Oregon. It was probably looking at being on the 8-9 line, but to go through the Pac-10 tournament and win, and win impressively, they end up as a No. 3. They really improved their seed the most.
SI.com: Who do you think has the easiest road to Atlanta?
SD: I think that belongs to Florida and I say that largely because I think Wisconsin is the weakest No. 2. I think the Badgers are flawed because it they don't have Brian Butch. The Badgers cannot score without him. I think they're a team that's likely to get clipped in the second or third round. I mean, whoever wins that UNLV-Georgia Tech game is going to give them a hard time. And Florida is Florida. What more can you say?
SI.com: Did you agree with the Gators as the No. 1 overall seed?
SD: I was very surprised, and I think that the committee was inconsistent in doing that, based on what Florida has done on the road and how it ended the season. I don't think it warranted being a No. 1 overall seed. I had Florida as a No. 1, but the overall No. 1 is a reflection of your body of work and I don't think anyone's was better than UCLA. I think you have to look at Ohio State there too, I mean, all [it's] done is win 17 games in a row. Then again, Florida beat OSU, so maybe that comes into play, but Kansas beat Florida, too.
SI.com: Can you talk about the 8-9 games. There are some interesting matchups there.
SD: The winner gets the No. 1 so it's always an interesting game and that's where you find those power-conference schools since the mid-majors end up a bit lower at the 11, 12, or 13 seeds. I think a lot of people are going to look at that Tom Crean-Tom Izzo [Marquette-Michigan State] matchup and say it was intentional, but I don't think so. I didn't even realize it until after the show. I think both Villanova and Xavier are very dangerous coming out of those games.
SI.com: What makes Xavier dangerous?
SD: They're a team not many people know about. They've been playing well lately. They have a new point guard there who's a transfer from Oklahoma, Drew Lavender. He's a little guy, I like him because we see eye-to-eye. He's 5-foot-7 in heels.
SI.com: Who's your pick for an upset?
SD: My upset special is Oral Roberts. I intimated last year it might be the first 16-seed to beat a No. 1, but it couldn't quite pull it off against Memphis. They returned their core from that team, where as Washington State is making its first tournament appearance in years. ORU is really the more experienced team. They won at KU, they won their league again and they have a really good player in Caleb Green. He's kind of unconventional-looking, but he puts the ball in the hoop.
SI.com: Who's your next household name?
SD: Is Jeff Green, a household name? I don't think so. He was the Player of the Year in the Big East and Georgetown is good, but I don't hear his name mentioned along with Kevin Durant, Arron Afflalo, Tyler Hansbrough. I think more people have even heard of Aaron Gray than Green. He's good and if Georgetown plays deep into the tournament it will be because he's playing good. He's a 6-[foot-]8 guy, a good passer an can score in a variety of ways. If they play deep into the tournament, he's going to earn himself some money.
SI.com: Gut reaction, who's the pick?
SD: I couldn't fall asleep thinking of this. To me, over the last week, I have been trying to decide between Kansas and Florida. Those are the only two teams I would consider. I think I'm going to have to go with the Jayhawks. I'm just feeling them right now. There are two things I like: No. 1 they've learned how to win when they're not playing well, which is what they lacked in the past. They had to grind out some wins when things weren't going well. They were up big at Oklahoma and relaxed for a second. Oklahoma got fired up and Kansas lost the lead, yet they dug deep and they still won. Their freshmen are also really good. Sherron Collins, their little point guard, almost won that Texas game for them. Florida is the better team, and they're the team to beat. I mean, until someone beats the champs, they're the champs. But I'm feeling the Jayhawks right now.
