Originally Posted by
johnb
As is the case with a lot of conspiracy theories, the proponents- in this case KentuckySportsRadio- seem to misunderstand or ignore readily available facts which completely dispel the most outrageous elements of their "conspiracy". Take the following statement from the article describing a scenario where Duke is the first-team-out/first-replacement-team.
"So let’s say you’re our friends down at Alabama and you’re given a No. 2 seed in the tournament, as ESPN’s Bracketology currently projects. Your opponent is the No. 15 seed in your region, currently James Madison or whatever team earns the Colonial Athletic Association’s automatic bid.
But, oh no, James Madison’s starting point guard and social media manager flunked a rapid test on the way out of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Now you have to play Duke, one of the hottest teams in the country right now, in the first round? It seems incredibly unfair, but it’s the policy. We could have a 15-seed Duke or even a 16-seed Duke in the play-in game to meet Gonzaga in the first round. What a world."
What a world, indeed!
However, the real world is not so interesting. The first-four-out replacement teams will only be eligible to replace teams from multi-bid leagues. Ineligible teams from one-bid leagues will be replaced by another team from their conference. So, if James Madison is unable to play because "the receptionist at your hotel tested positive" or "the pilot on your team flight was a false negative", they will be replaced by a team from the Colonial Athletic Conference. The NCAA won't get "a 16-seed Duke in the play-in game to meet Gonzaga in the first round".
That being said, unless I am misunderstanding something, the following "conspiracy" is theoretically possible. Because replacement teams will inherit the seed of the team they replace, it is theoretically possible the first-team-out to replace a highly seeded team and inherit their seed.
So, I guess what I am saying is that Duke isn't out of the running for a 1 seed this year! Talk about a good conspiracy!