When was the last time two Top 10 teams had the chance to meet four times in the same season? Maybe UNC-Duke? Are there any other possibilities?
↵Can you imagine if the men's bracket featured a possible fourth meeting between those two storied teams, at the height of their powers, and the game wasn't in the Final Four or NCAA Championship?
↵Well, that's exactly what the NCAA selection committee did to the Baylor and Texas A&M women. They gave Baylor a deserving No. 1 seed, but put them in the same bracket as Big 12 rival A&M, ensuring that the two will meet in the Elite Eight, not in one of the last three games of the season.
↵Sure, it's women's college basketball and the ratings or interest probably isn't as great as on the men's side. But, does that excuse poor planning on the selection committee's part?
↵As it stands, the Aggie women have lost three games to Baylor now, but were close in all three. After what's sure to be an emotionally draining meeting, if both teams get that far, will either have much left for the Final Four?
↵These are all questions the NCAA should have asked itself before building a bracket. It's not hard to place A&M in one of the other three regions, even if it caused them to travel a little more. Maybe they have little faith in both teams to make it that far, but I doubt that. From everything you read and hear this time of year, the selection process is very well-thought out. Which makes this pairing even more baffling.
↵