NCAA Tournament S-Curve, Explained: How the March Madness Selection Committee Shapes the 2021 Bracket

March Madness in 2021 may be the most accurately bracketed tournament in recent memory.

Maybe anytime.

This is because geography, at least in 2021, will not be the determining factor in how the selection committee positions teams in specific areas; As COVID-19 has forced the entire NCAA tournament to take place in Indiana, the committee will now primarily rely on the S-curve to come up with its 68-team bracket.

The NCAA explained its decision to use the method 15 January news.

NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt said, “As the committee discussed the subject, it became clear that the S-curve bracketing option is the most important, given the unique circumstances playing this tournament.” “In a typical year, bracketing is given keeping as many teams as possible on their campus, reducing the team’s journey and providing as many fans as possible the opportunity to see their favorite teams. This year With the entire tournament played only in Indiana, the committee believes it is a different approach. “

But exactly what is S-curve? Sporting News told you how it works and why it has not been the primary tool for the selection committee in recent years:

More: NCAA selection committee has no excuse for bringing 2021 bracket on geography

What is the S-curve in the NCAA tournament?

The S-curve is a bracketing method that ranks each NCAA tournament team, numbers one through 68, and orders them in such a way that the best teams with a particular seed line are rewarded.

The four 1-seeds are ranked first, second, third, and fourth; The four 2-seeds are ranked fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, and 16-seeded through. Teams are then ordered and placed in their specific area using a snacking pattern – think of a snake draft in fantasy football – ensuring the top team in a particular seed line is the most from another seed line. Low-ranked teams play.

For example, the top 1-seed (No. 1 overall) will play the worst-ranked 16-seed (No. 64) in the opening round, while the lowest-ranked 1-seed (No. 4 overall) will face off. Strongest 16-seed (No. 61). This methodology does not matter in earlier rounds when there is a more pronounced disparity in talent, but it becomes more prevalent as the tournament progresses and the narrow division.

Here’s how it will be for the entire tournament, not keeping track of the First Four games. (For the purposes of this article, areas will be given a letter to A, B, C and D; official sector names have not yet been released).

This method is not only for 1-seeds. This ensures that every team with a shot at winning the national championship has a tough road to the final, based on rankings. For example, in the Elite Eight, it is the difference in the 2-seed facing the fourth best team versus the top overall seed.

Won Chalk through the first two rounds of the tournament, here’s how each region will headline the Sweet 16:

Area a

• No. 1 composite seed (1-seed line)
• No. 8 Composite Seeds (2-Seed Line)
• No. 9 composite seed (3-seed line)
• No. 16 Composite Seeds (4-Seed Row)

Region B

• No. 2 composite seed (1-seed line)
• No. 7 Composite Seeds (2-Seed Line)
• No. 10 Composite Seeds (3-Seed Row)
• No. 15 Composite Seeds (4-Seed Line)

Field c

• No. 3 composite seed (1-seed line)
• No. 6 composite seed (2-seed line)
• No. 11 Composite Seeds (3-Seed Row)
• 14 Composite Seeds (4-Seed Row)

Field d

• No. 4 composite seed (1-seed line)
• No. 5 composite seed (2-seed line)
• No. 12 Composite Seeds (3-Seed Row)
• No. 13 Composite Seeds (4-Seed Row)

Why does the selection committee not always use the S-curve?

selection committee Does Use the S-curve every year. But, Gavitt noted in the NCAA news released on January 15, it is not the final factor in how teams are drafted; That difference comes in geography. If the selection committee feels that a team will travel an inappropriate distance to play in a certain regional host city – as is the case in most years – it is said that teams along the seed line to ensure that travel Is the more acceptable distance to do.

A particularly great example of this came in 2019, when Michigan State – the second-strongest 2-seed, ranked sixth overall – was moved from the Midwest Region to the East Region. cause? The Spartans would have to travel 711 miles from East Lansing, Michigan, living in Kansas City, Mo., to the Midwest; Moving to the Eastern Region, the team only had to travel 591 miles to Washington, DC

The committee saved Michigan State from flying an additional 120 miles. This forced the Spartans to face Duke, the top overall in the Elite Eight.

The move gave both teams more difficult matchups in the tournament than before, when there should have been an “easy” regional final in their tournament rankings. This gave fans a chance to see both teams in the Final Four and, since Michigan State won, eliminated Duke freshman Sion Williamson – the tournament’s biggest attraction from the field.

This will not be an issue in 2021. Most of the games in Indianapolis will be in Indiana.

S-curve exceptions

The S-curve will be the primary bracketing method for the 2021 NCAA tournament, but to reduce the number of regular-season rematches, the selection committee will take several factors into consideration.

From NCAA:

• If they get seeded in the first four rows, each of the top four teams selected from a conference will be placed in different regions.
• If teams from the same conference do not meet before the regional finals to include conference tournaments, they play each other three or more times during the regular season.
• If the conference tournament is played twice each other during the regular season to include the tournament, teams from the same conference will not meet before the regional semifinals.
• Teams from the same conference can play each other at the beginning of the second round, if they have not played more than once during the regular season, to include the conference.
• If possible, remakes of non-conference regular-season games in the First Four and First Round should be avoided.