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In search of direction

By the Numbers: The compass and the NCAA Tournament

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Posted: Wednesday March 17, 1999 09:59 PM

By Ryan Hunt, CNN/SI

Compass companions Directional schools all-time records in NCAA Tournament Direction Teams Record Noteworthy North South East West Northeast Northwest Southeast Southwest 4 10 5 4 2 0 0 3 1-6 18-50 5-18 18-21 3-14 0-0 0-0 7-14 Northern Iowa has only win Southern California only 6-12 Eastern Michigan best at 3-4 Western Ky. has 15 NCAA wins N'Eastern won 3 with Jim Calhoun Still waiting on Northwestern SE Mo. St. stunned in '99 OVCs SMS 1 NCAA win before '99 Does not include state names

ATLANTA -- Rule No. 1 when looking at the NCAA Tournament bracket every March has usually been stay away from picking those directional schools. Over the years, those teams have had very little direction when it comes to tournament play.

But for every Northeast Louisiana, Georgia Southern, Eastern Illinois or Western Carolina -- all winless in NCAA Tournament play -- there is a little-known school once in a while that finds the directions to the elusive Sweet 16 party.

Southwest Missouri State is only the third "directional school" (not counting states like North Carolina or West Virginia) to advance to the Sweet 16 in the last 20 years, joining fellow compass-oriented teams Eastern Michigan (1991) and Western Kentucky (1993).

Of those teams, only Western Kentucky was seeded higher than 10th. The Hilltoppers were a No. 7 seed, beating Penny Hardaway and Memphis State and upsetting second-seeded Seton Hall to advance to the regional semifinal before losing to Florida State in overtime in the round of 16.

It usually takes upsets for it to happen.

Eastern Michigan upset UCLA in 1991 and beat Penn State, while SMS' run included wins over fifth-seeded Wisconsin and fourth-seeded Tennessee.

In all, directional schools have compiled a 15-52 record in the '90s, which includes Southwest Missouri State's run to the Sweet 16 this year.

Sixteen of the 28 schools are winless all-time, including longtime NCAA spectators like Southwest Texas State, Northern Illinois and Charleston Southern.

But even high-seeded teams have fallen victim to that directional-school jinx. Southern California couldn't get past the second round in 1992 despite earning a No. 2 seed.

Northwestern, meanwhile, perhaps the king of the multidirectional schools, still is waiting for its first NCAA Tournament invitation.

So what's rule No. 2? When in doubt, blame the compass.

 

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