It is March. We are less than two weeks from the beginning of the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. As I write this, in exactly two weeks the first round in Sacramento will already have been played, and four of the teams will already have advanced and the other four will be heading home, wondering what could have been had they just made a couple more baskets or had a couple more stops or just not turned it over as much.
Concrete plans have also been made concering the sojourn to Sacramento. Rooms booked and off-day plans begun. Tickets haven’t been bought for the actual tournament yet, that would be silly. Who needs tickets two weeks before? Thanks to the secondary ticket market, buying tickets in advance for anything is almost- almost- totally unnecessary at this point unless you absolutely know the event will be sold out. I have bought under-face-value tickets for the Fiesta Bowl the day before and I have bought near-face-value tickets for the NCAA Elite 8 on the day of. At this point I think the only events you absolutely have to buy the day they go on sale if you want to spend anything close to face value are Bruce Springsteen concerts. I’ll be fine here.
As we are in March, things are starting to coalesce among all our six chosen Bracketologists. And the big thing is: They are all ignoring that Gonzaga is going to be the second major team in Sacramento next to UCLA (at least that part has been settled since November). They all insist Arizona will be that other team. This is because they are positing that Denver, another host of the 1st/2nd round, will be taken over by the Big 12, with Baylor and Texas as their two top teams (this selection is universal to all 6 Bracketolgists). Therefore, they say Arizona will be in Sacramento and Gonzaga will be sent east. I keep telling you here that Denver is closer to Tuscon than Sacramento is, and I keep telling you that Spokane is closer to Sacramento than it is to Denver. I also say it makes more sense to send one of the Texas teams east than Gonzaga if you’re really interested in having alumni see their team in person. Greensboro and Orlando both make more sense for Baylor than Gonzaga.
So I finally gave up, and went to the sources: Google maps and Flightsfrom.com. Let’s find out EXACTLY the distances between those four cities. Mapping the driving time I went from basketball arena to basketball arena, and for the flights I chose the non-stop option (obviously).
And here are the results:
Arizona Wildcats:
McKale Center, Tucson to Ball Arena, Denver: 13 hours, 45 minutes, 868 miles
McKale Center, Tucson to Golden 1 Center, Sacramento: 13 hours, 20 minutes, 872 miles
Tucson to Denver flight time: 1 hour, 58 minutes, 642 miles
Tucson to Sacramento flight time: no direct flights, approx 750 miles
Gonzaga Bulldogs:
McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane to Ball Arena, Denver: 17 hours, 9 minutes, 1,091 miles
McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane to Golden 1 Center, Sacramento: 13 hours, 39 minutes, 822 miles
Spokane to Denver flight time: 2 hours, 26 minutes, 839 miles
Spokane to Sacramento flight time: 1 hour, 55 minutes, 652 miles
So, who looks like they have it easier to get to Sacramento? It’s Gonzaga by every travelling metric. Shorter mileage but slightly longer drive time due to the fact that Spokane is in the middle off nowhere, and as for flights? Well the part where Tucson doesn’t have a direct flight to Sacramento is kind of the sealing of the deal for me.
Therefore, I won’t even bother commenting on the individual Bracketolgists. We already know they’re wrong. I will, however, note where they are (incorrectly) placing Gonzaga.
Midwest: (2) UCLA vs. (15)Youngstown State and (7) Texas A&M vs. (10) Pitt
West: (3) Arizona vs. (14) UC Irvine and (6) San Diego State vs. (11) Mississippi State/Wisconsin
Gonzaga: 3-seed in Albany. Yes, New York. Yes, upstate New York. Just ridiculous. You can’t get further away from Spokane for a location!
West: (2) UCLA vs. (15) Vermont and (7) Kentucky vs. (10) FAU
South: (3) Arizona vs. (14) Hofstra and (6) Duke vs. (11) Mississippi State/Rutgers
Gonzaga: 3-seed in Greensboro (4 hour 29 minute one-stop flight from Waco, where Baylor is located, or an 1,100 mile drive- about the same distance from Spokane to Denver)
West: (2) UCLA vs. (15) Eastern Washington and (7) Illinois vs. (10) Boise State
East: (2) Arizona vs. (15) Vermont and (7) Iowa vs. (10) Memphis
Gonzaga: 3-seed in Orlando (4 hour 52 minute one-stop flight from Waco, or an 1,100 mile drive- see above Greensboro note)
Bracketville (Bracketguy Dave)
Midwest: (2) UCLA vs. (15) Eastern Washington and (7) Missouri vs. (10) Rutgers
South: (3) Arizona vs. (14) UC Irvine and (6) Duke vs. (11) Auburn
Gonzaga: 3-seed in Albany.
Delphibracketology (group effort)
West: (2) UCLA vs. (15) UC Santa Barbara and (7) Northwestern vs. (10) West Virginia
Midwest: (2) Arizona vs. (15) Youngstown State and (7) FAU vs. (10) Boise State
I like to keep pointing out this is a high school club in small-town Delphi, Indiana that has been going on for at least a decade and their seeding is consistently good. Way to go kids!!!! Even though you have Gonzaga as a 3-seed in Albany.
West: (2) UCLA vs. (15) Eastern Washington and (7) Illinois vs. (10) Boise State
Midwest: (2) Arizona vs. (15) Youngstown State and (7) Texas A&M vs. (10) West Virginia
and another vote for 3-seed Gonzaga in Greensboro.
Nobody has them in Sacramento. Not a one. It just doesn’t compute.
Brilliant and funny! The passion that NCAA March Madness stirs is stimulating.