In Crum, DII, three #16 seeds won in the first round.  Since my Drury team was one of the losers (AGGGRRR!!!!  Ok, I feel better now), I examined it further.

Since the last engine update, big upsets are less common and every NT team is good.  The seeds of the winning #16 teams was 54, 63, and 77, not bad teams at all.  In fact, I defeated one of them, W. Alabama, by only 6 points in the regular season. W. Alabama also lost twice to another #1 seed, St. Mary's, by 73-72 and 91-84 (OT).
 
Last season, in DI NCAA,  the teams with the equivalent RPIs were #54 Dayton; #63 Arizona St;, and #77 Charlotte.

Strong #16 seeds have nothing to do with the engine generating upsets, it has to do with recruit generation.

I like the fact that #16 seeds won. Too many people were complaining that the higher seeds were all winning too much now.

Personally, I believe that 16 seeds winning, although funny, is so unrealistic. I would be so frustrated if I spent the 4 seasons to cultivate good prospects into great players only to have all that be washed away in the end. I think that if HD wants to someone incorporate a fair way for there to be upsets is to have them in the conference tournaments. That way the winners will be mid-range teams in their conference that will have to thrown up against #1 seed giants. It would be completely more realistic, and I believe that it is a fair way to go about things. This could be completely uncontrollable, but there has to be some way.

-Head Coach of the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers (D II Crum)

anything that artificially insulates No.1's or any high seeds from getting upset is wrong in my opinion.

Posted by lmschwarz on 1/26/2011 11:28:00 AM (view original):
anything that artificially insulates No.1's or any high seeds from getting upset is wrong in my opinion.

+1

Posted by dbarth101 on 1/26/2011 11:22:00 AM (view original):

Personally, I believe that 16 seeds winning, although funny, is so unrealistic. I would be so frustrated if I spent the 4 seasons to cultivate good prospects into great players only to have all that be washed away in the end. I think that if HD wants to someone incorporate a fair way for there to be upsets is to have them in the conference tournaments. That way the winners will be mid-range teams in their conference that will have to thrown up against #1 seed giants. It would be completely more realistic, and I believe that it is a fair way to go about things. This could be completely uncontrollable, but there has to be some way.

-Head Coach of the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers (D II Crum)

Hate to tell you in real life a 16 seed in D2 or D3 would have a great chance of beating the 1 seed. The talent gap is not that big at the lower levels. Don't look at D1 and think that's how the talent is dispersed in all the divisions.

I'm not 100% sure how the tournament works in D3 but in D2 there actually is no 16 seed, there are 8 regions, and 8 teams from each region make it, and often times the 8 seed beats the #1 seed and the lower seeds many times come out of their "pod" to advance to the final 8.

not to mention, but how many coaches here dont even gameplan for a game of that nature, when they are #1 seed. some feel its locked up i presume.

^^^^^  definitely applies to alblack.   

I had one of the 16 seeds that won.  What is this gameplanning you are referring to?

I had one of the #1 seeds that lost and was guilty of skimping on gameplanning after I checked out the opposition and was feeling pretty confident. Oops.

One of those 16 seeds is a conference mate of mine.  I played him 3 times this season (won once and lost twice with inferior talent).  In those 3 games, I lost by 9, won by 10 and lost by 11.  Game plan was almost the exact same in the 10 point win and 11 point loss.

In the PIT in DII Crum I won as an 8 seed last night against a 1 seed, so another theoretical big upset (his starting PG fouled out in 9 minutes, which for a FCP facing another FCP team is not a good thing).

Posted by mduncanhogs on 1/26/2011 2:47:00 PM (view original):
One of those 16 seeds is a conference mate of mine.  I played him 3 times this season (won once and lost twice with inferior talent).  In those 3 games, I lost by 9, won by 10 and lost by 11.  Game plan was almost the exact same in the 10 point win and 11 point loss.

In the PIT in DII Crum I won as an 8 seed last night against a 1 seed, so another theoretical big upset (his starting PG fouled out in 9 minutes, which for a FCP facing another FCP team is not a good thing).

IMO there are no upsets in the PIT, and definitely no big upsets

this 3 16 seeds thing winning is pretty crazy though. makes me feel better, i recently got upset at SIUE in the first round as the #1 overall seed, it was pretty brutal

Posted by coach_billyg on 1/26/2011 3:23:00 PM (view original):

Posted by mduncanhogs on 1/26/2011 2:47:00 PM (view original):
One of those 16 seeds is a conference mate of mine.  I played him 3 times this season (won once and lost twice with inferior talent).  In those 3 games, I lost by 9, won by 10 and lost by 11.  Game plan was almost the exact same in the 10 point win and 11 point loss.

In the PIT in DII Crum I won as an 8 seed last night against a 1 seed, so another theoretical big upset (his starting PG fouled out in 9 minutes, which for a FCP facing another FCP team is not a good thing).

IMO there are no upsets in the PIT, and definitely no big upsets

An 8 beating a 1 in the PIT is definitely no where close to a 16 beating a 1 in the NT.  In retrospect, calling it a "theorectical big upset" was definitely an overstatement.

I think it's pretty indicative that these #1 seeds were only 14, 12, and 12-pt faves.  I guess it's hard to normalize what the D2 tourney in RL is really like, obviously it's not Duke vs. Sisters of Mercy and favored by 45 in the 1st round for #1 vs. #16.  I found kmason's post above about the D2 RL tourney enlightening as I didn't know that's how the tourney was run.  Maybe the talent gap shouldn't be as big at D2 as it is at D1...but I'd be pretty ticked off if I lost in the 1st round as a #1 seed, even at D2 or D3.  Crazy night in Crum!!!!