Selection Sunday: RPI (round one)

In December 2005, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's respected sports columnist Art Theil was asked on KPLU radio to name his biggest sports thrill of the year.

Do you think he chose Washington's national championship ... earned just days earlier by the Huskies' volleyball team against favored Nebraska?

Nope. Theil said his biggest thrill was sitting in Hec Ed Pavilion on Selection Sunday--for men's basketball--when Washington learned it was one of four #1 seeds in the upcoming tournament.

PS. The men's team did not win the national title. It did not even reach the Elite Eight.

Art still is a respected sports columnist. He lost a chunk of respect that day, however.

Washington's Lauren Barfield (9) blocks
Washington State's Meagan Ganzer (9)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Tomorrow is another Selection Sunday--for volleyball--and Washington won't be a number one seed. There is, however, a lot of drama about how and why teams are seeded and where they will be placed. We'll have a few things to say over the next 72 hours or so, but want to alert you to a couple of places you can get started:

• In tomorrow's Seattle Times (probably available on line this evening), reporter Terry Wood discusses the controversy over the role of the RPI in determining top seeds ... and gets some eye-opening quotes in the process.
• You can study the latest RPI by visiting the NCAA website. While you are there, ponder how Minnesota (currently 18-11) can be ranked twenty spots ahead of Washington (23-7). While you're there, consider these other teams ahead of the Huskies: Northern Iowa, Northern Illinois, Western Kentucky, Cincinnati, Texas A&M, Tulsa, Miami, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Oregon ... and on and on.

We'll have more to say in the hours ahead ...