I’m not much into the conspiracy theories when it comes to college athletics, but you have to wonder how NDSU could get the No. 1-ranked team in the country two years in a row in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Keep in mind this is a Bison softball program that won a regional two years ago and plays one of the toughest schedules of any mid-major in the country.
The Bison will play Arizona State in Friday’s Tempe Regional. Last year it was Washington. When the announcement hit the big screen at Buffalo Wild Wings on Sunday night, NDSU head coach Darren Mueller let out a yell, and I’m saying it was a sarcastic reaction.
At 114 in the latest RPI, NDSU has a better power rating than seven other teams in the tournament: Iona (131), Liberty (134), Albany (141), Lehigh (158), Sacred Heart (180), Bethune-Cookman (186) and Jackson State (233). Keep in mind the tournament is seeded 1-16, not 1-64, so the rest of the field after the top 16 is filled with criteria like geography. Six of the schools below NDSU in the RPI are in the East and one is in the South, but it’s not like NDSU is a bus trip to Tempe.Â
And if strength of schedule doesn’t matter, how do you explain Western Michigan and its 25-28 record getting a No. 10 seed in Michigan State in its opening game?
It just doesn’t seem to add up.
It’s NDSU and it’s the Summit League. Quit assuming the comittee or people outside of the Dakotas pay that much attention to the Dakota schools. Or care.
Wow thats a rip off. I guess well have to do something amazing and beat the #1 team in America. I wouldn’t be shocked if we do it. Were getting hot at the right time. A pitcher who is pitching the best of her career = a shot
yea.. either is punishment for “fluke” winning a regional a couple years ago… or its typical east coast bias. I think the ranking group probably doesn’t think highly of ND. We were solid vs Washington last year… I dont see us being total push overs in this game either.
i dont like the seeding either for the bison. I know the summitt league is not the top league around but to draw # 1 overall team seems strange. I figured the bison would play a seeded team right away but just not this high of one. Gotta beat the best at some point i guess whether its first round or championship game. Bison have a chance against arizona state i believe but it will be tough. They score a ton of runs it seems and against some pretty good teams that they’ve played. Bison will need some good offense. Hope whitney keeps up her good pitching and keeps walks down. Anyway, go bison.
Beat ‘em.
Shock ‘em.
Bring home an NCAA championship.
That’s what NDSU’s about.
Is BILL FETTE on theae committee?
Maybe you should send the committee an email telling them they will feel the wrath?
Honestly – you still post on the internet as Lakes, Sam? The fact that you haven’t been shamed into at least changing your user name proves that you have a sickness.
I’m probably just making it worse by giving you the attention and platform that you so desperately crave. Get help. Or better yet – throw your computer away and cancel your internet.
und, staying hostile & abusive, heavy on the abusive huh?
he cant cancel the internet, then he wouldnt get any porn.
It is kind of hypocritical of you to complain that someone didn’t post using their real name when you post that complaint under an anonymous user name as well.
Pot calling the kettle black.
what complaint? all i see are facts posted.
do you guys offer a “SPIN” 101 class up there?
It was a reply to Maybe, not bozo.
Who cares. It’s one person with mulltiple user names making conversation with himself.
Jeff,
I appreciate you throwing a bone to the softball team, but come on. The women’s fastpitch tournament is never going to be a money maker for the NCAA. I’m sure they’re spending more than whatever the contract with ESPN2 (or whoever is showing it) is paying just to administer it. Moreover they probably only get that coverage by making it part of the negotiating package for MBB tounament.
Are there any other mid-major teams that won their softball conference in the west region who aren’t ranked and are closer to Arizona? I doubt it, but I have not looked it up.
Enough of the “everyone is out to get NDSU paranoia†and just play the game.
Yep, thats right – the NCAA is “out to get” NDSU Softball because they actually won a couple games 2 years ago. Makes sense. Mueller couldn’t come off as a bigger loser in the article and of course Jeff gets out the pom-poms and joins in.
Maybe, just maybe, they don’t think very much of the Summit League?
“Something very fishy”. LOL.
I agree with Jeff. We’d be laughing if it was any other school in the tournament which always gets the worst seeding. Now its us and I don’t think we should accept it. The NCAA obviously has something against NDSU and it wouldn’t suprise me if it was the nickname issue at UND. The NCAA is now grouping us with them. They need to change that now before they bring us down with them.
probably right on the nail.
NDSU….WHINNING!
Perhaps the NCAA is confusing NDSU with UND?
BTW Susie’s, why don’t you all simply stay home and talk amongst yourselves on your SueSports network and the GF Heretic? Or perhaps there isn’t anything to talk about with Sue sports?
That’s right. Whenever NDSU is playing in any sport and we see the referees or offcials huddle they are talking about ways to screw the Bison and they are taking directions on their headsets from people at UND.
i concur
here’s a bone for you jeff/dom
Zach Schroeder, a 22-year-old St. Cloud native and student at North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo, has begun a dream internship with the American Junior Golf Association (www.ajga.org). His eight week internship has him traveling around Florida, North Carolina and Georgia, helping to put on golf tournaments for elite teenage golfers.
That paid internship must beat slinging sandbags for free to stem the flood along the Red River in Fargo.
You UND people really need your own lives, im on top of the world, dont be jealous, its lakes time its summer!!!
Props to the softball team, bad draw.
The sooner NDSU goes FBS, the better for them, andy volleyball andy basketball no doubt
this blog sucks just for the basic fact that every und troll sits and waits to jump on people and ambush them like mike mcfeely and geraldo rivera.
please, if you’re not a ndsu fan, get out it would be much appreciated, and thanks lakes for the tips/comments, especially lining up the montana state tailgate since ndsu wouldnt pay a measely $500 for it.
This: It’s one person with mulltiple user names making conversation with himself.
yeah, because people will really pay attention to some little WAC or Sun Belt school way up north. LMAO @ the little man syndrome of the north…..
darin mueller has every right to complain about ndsu’s placement with the overall 1 seed
The Bison have been to the NCAA Tournament three years in a row. They won the regional the first year they were in and played pretty well against the #1 overall last year. The Bison are also entering the tournament very hot, their pitcher hasn’t allowed a run in 40 innings and they have won a bunch at the end of the season. The Bison played an extremely difficult schedule that was made much more difficult by the fact they had to play a bunch of their “home” games out of state because of the weather. The Bison have a strong RPI which is better than many of the teams playing easier first round games. If the Bison getting matched up against the #1 team in the nation isn’t getting jobbed I don’t know what is. Hopefully the Bison play a strong game and knock the #1 overall team out of the tournament.
Will someone please post a link to the entire bracket for all teams in the tournament.
http://www.ncaa.com/brackets/softball/d1/2011
Well said Bison Fan. The NCAA has tried to give us the raw end of the deal the last few times they’ve bracketed this tournament. As upset we are we have to play the #1 seed I guarantee Arizona St. is upset they got paired against us in the first round. They definately didn’t get the pairing a #1 deserves by having to play us first round.
Softball team, in the words of Herb Brookes during the 1980 Olympic hockey tournament: “Play your game.” Have fun and play your hardest, and you will make NDSU proud!!
wow, #1 seed twice? NDSU is being penalized, sorry.
NDSU basketball getting a 14 seed was a slap as well. NDSU volleyball being stuck in minnesota section twice, and soccer stuck in minnesota section really didnt sit well either.