Who’s number one? Who cares?

Tyler Hansbrough and the Tarheels are headed for another number one seed in March Madness, but does it really give them an advantage?

It’s the eve of Selection Sunday. The conference tournaments are winding down and after tomorrow’s finals, only 65 teams in the entire nation will extend their seasons. But of those 65 teams, only four will earn the coveted number one seeds in their brackets.

Teams like North Carolina and Pittsburgh are virtual locks for the spot, but for teams like Memphis, UConn, Louisville or maybe the out-of-nowhere pick by the committee, number one is less of a guarantee. And so the inevitable question arises: “Who’s number one?”

Who cares?

What benefits come with being the number one seed? An easier path to the Final Four? Well, I would hope a number one team would find it easy to play a number 16 team. But by the same token, I would hope they find it easy to play a number seven team.

I actually tend to believe that the team with the best path to the Final Four would be the teams just below the number one spot (note the use of the word “best” rather than “easiest”). I’ll give up the contention that number one has the easiest path, but easiest is not always best. Pittsburgh slamming past pushover opponents won’t do them much good once they run into UCLA. And although the opponents faced by the teams right underneath aren’t exactly dynamos themselves, tuning up against better competition makes a team’s game better.

Regardless of the seeding, though, the good teams will find a way to win no matter who the opponent is. If Memphis is truly the best team, they can beat CSUN or North Carolina. If Louisville deserves the title, they can take out Akron or Pittsburgh. Maybe none of them deserve the title. Maybe it belongs to Syracuse. They won’t be a number one seed, but that’s why you play the tournament.

That’s why we’re here. That’s why it’s March Madness. There’s a certain unpredicatbility about this month and nothing is guaranteed.

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