Why an 8/9 seed is a good thing.

Posted on: February 3, 2023 at 09:15:54 CT

Everyone here seems to fear the “death seed” (8/9) when really it’s a good thing (no really).

In the first round you are playing an equal - nothing wrong with that. No pressure to lose to a much worse seed (e.g. 15 vs 2).

In the second round you play the #1 but if you beat the number one YOU BECOME the #1 - which is to say you “inherit” the #1 bracket the rest of the way. You have to beat someone good at some point, why not early on?

For those who say “I don’t want to play a #1 that early” - you would have to play #1 in the next round anyway if you were the #4 seed. So why fret the difference between being a #4 vs. a #9 when it really is just a one game difference.

If your goal is to win one game then sure, agonize over not being a top 4 seed. If your goal is to win it all - then become a “#1 seed” as early as the second round.

This is exactly what North Carolina did to get to the finals last year. They were no longer playing an 8 seed bracket but rather a 1 seed bracket for rounds 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Edited by Lovely Rita at 11:39:54 on 02/03/23