Obviously Florida has the easiest path to the Final Four. And since pretty much everyone has them there anyways, even if they lose, it doesn't really matter.
But for the other 3 regionals my bracket is relying on Home Court Advantages. The distance might not seem like a factor, but it plays a role in how well students/fans are able to travel, plus a time zone difference can lead to fatigue. Here are the driving distances from each campus to their regional site.
San Jose
My bracket: UCLA 5 hours
KU 27 hours
SIU 32 hours
Pitt 38 hours
East Rutherford
My bracket: Georgetown 4 hours
UNC 8.5 hours
Vandy 14 hours
USC 41 hours
San Antonio
My bracket: Texas A&M 3.5 hours
Memphis 11 hours
Tennessee 17 hours
Ohio State 20 hours
For what it's worth here are the distances for the Midwest Regional:
St. Louis
Butler 4 hours
My bracket: Florida 13.5 hours
UNLV 23.5 hours
Oregon 31 hours
Does that mean that I'm worried Butler can knock off Florida? I shouldn't be, but yeah, a little.
Has it historically been a factor? Because I think travel time would be pretty insignificant/inconsequential. It's not like you can't function, and if anything the people travelling for 13 hours got a lot of sleep on the way.
ReplyDeleteThink about the Illini bus tour in 2005. Pops wouldn't have been at the Arizona game if it weren't in his back yard. 5 of us wouldn't have been at the final four if we couldn't drive to st. louis.
ReplyDeleteBut you must have the wrong Butler. the one playing basketball is in indianapolis.
the home court is why i picked ucla over kansas (also i will never pick kansas/BS (bill self?). on that thread, i hate UNC just as much.
however, i kind of regret taking OSU over A & M. lets hope that regret is premature.