PROVO — You can't fault the BYU basketball team needing a map as much as a bracketing chart when figuring out its road through the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
The Cougars are in the South Regional, opening in Spokane, Wash.; set to face Connecticut — although there was some talk of Wisconsin as a substitute opponent.
And if they win two tournament games, the Cougars switch from likely facing South No. 1 seed Texas in San Antonio to likely meeting Midwest top seed Kentucky in Minneapolis.
Confused? Let's just say that Rand McNally was not a member of the 2003 tournament selection committee.
Selection Sunday for BYU started off innocuous enough and yet somewhat bewildering — but more on that later. BYU (23-8) was announced as the No. 12 seed in the South Regional, scheduled to face No. 5 Connecticut (21-9) Thursday in Spokane. The winner advances to meet the winner of No. 4 Stanford and No. 13 San Diego.
By the time Sunday evening rolled around — and well after travel reservations had been made — BYU officials and local media pointed out that the finals of the South Regional are scheduled to be played in San Antonio on Sunday, creating a conflict with the private university's policy of no Sunday play.
BYU athletic director Val Hale alerted selection committee members of the scheduling conflict. One corrective option considered early was to switch BYU and Weber State in the brackets. Also seeded No. 12 and sent to Spokane, Weber State faces No. 5 Wisconsin in the Midwest Region, with the winner advancing to play the winner of No. 4 Dayton and No. 13 Tulsa.
While it may seem perplexing to have two regions playing games at the same site (and regions like the South and Midwest both sent to Spokane in the Northwest), the NCAA Tournament is in its second year of "pod" scheduling, sending sections of the brackets — or pods — to specific sites and involving teams closer to that geographical area. The overall benefits are reduced travel and a more localized interest and attendance.
By Sunday night, the selection committee had decided not to switch BYU and Weber State and to play the first two rounds in Spokane as designated, with the Cougars meeting UConn and the Wildcats taking on Wisconsin.
Bracket shuffling occurs if BYU wins its first two games at the Spokane subregional and advances to the Sweet 16. BYU would then take the place of the Wisconsin-Weber State/Dayton-Tulsa pod winner in the Midwest Regional in Minneapolis, with the displaced team taking the Cougars' pod spot in the South Regional in San Antonio.
The result would create chaos in the tournament projections across the country, as basketball fans scramble to fill out their brackets with predicted advancing teams.
Of course, bracket shuffling becomes moot if BYU loses a game in Spokane.
Ironically, the BYU women's team — which also received an at-large invitation to the NCAA Women's Tournament and opens Friday at Colorado — could end up facing a Sunday game. But that is only if the Cougars advance to the women's Final Four.
With players and coaches and their families gathered at a closed pizza restaurant to watch the televised announcement of tournament bracketing and pairings, BYU didn't have to wait long to find out the who, what and where for this week. But they were left wondering why they were designated a No. 12 seed.
"I'm not sure I totally understand the seeding process," said BYU coach Steve Cleveland, whose team had a RPI score and strength-of-schedule rating both in the nation's top 20 and finished the regular season with 23 wins and a share of the Mountain West Conference regular-season championship.
Cleveland knew of national bracket projections with BYU predicted as an eighth or ninth seed. Conversations with conference officials and others had the Cougar coach expecting a seeding as high No. 7 and certainly no worse than a 10 after BYU opened the MWC tournament with a victory.
But BYU ended up at a No. 12, with co-champ Utah a No. 9 seed and tournament champion CSU No. 14. And despite the Mountain West having the nation's sixth-best RPI for conferences, the league only placed three teams in the NCAA. The Pac 10 and Conference USA — both ranked below the MWC in conference RPI comparisons — will have four representatives each.
"It's kind of a statement about the Mountain West," bemoaned Cleveland, watching both BYU and Utah drop in seeding from late-season projects to actual placement. "It appears to me that the conference tournament has no meaning whatsoever."
Historically, at least one No. 12 has always logged a first-round upset against a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, three No. 12s won. And had BYU been selected as a No. 8 or 9 seed, advancing with a first-round victory means meeting a No. 1 seed in the second round.
"I'm excited — we've got a great spot close to home," said senior Travis Hansen, mindful that UConn will have to travel across the country to Spokane. "We're sitting pretty — there's going to be a chance for us to make some noise and get on a roll."
Junior forward Mark Bigelow welcomes the Washington assignment, since it's only six hours away from his hometown of Olympia. He quickly shook off the No. 12 seeding.
"I was a little surprised initially, but now it's all the same," saying BYU and the Mountain West have to make a showing to enhance respect in coming postseasons. "We haven't done much lately, so I think overall we're short on respect."
NCAA NOTES: A tipoff time for Thursday's BYU-UConn game has not be determined yet. Schedules are dictated by CBS' broadcast schedules . . . It will be the first time the Cougars have ever played the Huskies . . . UConn has reached the postseason 15 straight times under coach Jim Calhoun, including winning the 1999 NCAA title . . . The Huskies reached the Elite Eight last year, losing to eventual champion Maryland.
E-MAIL: taylor@desnews.com