UCLA/UNC - Committee favored UCLA
Does the ACC have a member of the committee this year?
It looks to me like Dan Guerrero, UCLA AD who is on the committe, was able to stack the deck for the Bruins. Rather than Wisconsin he has Duke as the 2 seed and makes Duke travel to Arizona (if we get that far) to play in the 1/2 game (again if it gets that far).
UNC gets the toughest bracket. Probably the strongest 2 seed in Tennessee.
SoCal
Geography and a few other things.
The Sweet Sixteen sites were chosen years ago. I am sure that the UCLA tried but failed to have the West Regional moved to Pauley Pavilion (just kidding).
The game sites for UCLA and UNC were really no brainers.
Wisconsin won its last 10 games. Duke was 6-4. Duke was playing better in December than they are today. Wisconsin is ranked 5th, Duke 9th. Wisconsin is a 3 seed and Duke a 2.
My point is that I think that UCLA got a good deal from the Committee and having their AD on the Committee helped. UNC got no favors from a Committee without an ACC rep.
Dick
Same story, different year
Every season, there are people on every message board across the country complaining about how so-and-so got a cakewalk while their team got stuck in the toughest region. I never know whether to laugh or get angry.
NOBODY has a cakewalk. Everybody's path to the final four is treacherous. If you don't believe me, ask uconn fans, who saw north carolina go down in their region a couple of years ago and must have been licking their chops at the prospect of playing George Mason! There are no series in the ncaa, it's one and done. And, with the possible exception of the first round for higher seeds, you are facing an opponent that is fully capable of beating you every single time to step on the floor.
This handwringing about somebody getting it easy and someone else getting it tough is silly.