Q: Why did the NCAA selection committee allow North Carolina home court advantage all the way to the Sweet 16 round? No other “top” team seems to enjoy such an advantage. Is this another instance of East Coast bias?
—Gary Redmond, Spokane, Wash.

A: There is a combination of factors involved here, Gary, but it is not an instance of East Coast bias. First, since the pod system came into play, the committee has made it clear it will reward top seeded teams by allowing them to play close to home. I don’t have a problem with that. A team such as North Carolina, which earned the No. 1 overall seed with a terrific regular season, deserves a reward. If there is any problem, it is with this year’s site selection, which is done several years in advance. The state of North Carolina has several arenas that are suitable for hosting the NCAA Tournament. That doesn’t mean Raleigh and Charlotte should be hosting different rounds in the same year. It seems to me the rotation was off just a little this year. It was obvious North Carolina or Duke would enjoy this advantage this season. But let’s remember this: Fans of North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and other traditional programs travel very well. They would show up wherever their teams are sent. There’s no doubt a partisan crowd helps motivated a team. But listen to the coaches and players talk. Crowds can’t win games; players and coaches do that. Is it convenient to play close to home? Of course. But there are more distractions, including ticket requests, when you are with miles of your own campus. Many coaches would rather be shipped to the opposite coast. Finally, did you notice Texas is playing in Houston this week? That’s 147 miles from Austin. Charlotte is 109 miles from Chapel Hill. I don’t see a big difference there, but we don’t hear near as much complaining about that one.

Q: It’s another sub-par tournament for the ACC. How much longer will their “rep” as the best conference last?
— Obrecht, Lincoln, Neb.

A: I think it’s already over. The only place you saw the ACC listed at the top this year was in the Conference RPI, and that is a flawed statistic. The selection committee doesn’t pay any attention to the Conference RPI. Most educated observers of college basketball the past two years have ranked the Pac-10 as the toughest conference in the nation. This season, I think it was a tossup between the Pac-10 and the Big East, with the Big 12 not far behind. The work of the selection committee supported that when the Big East got eight teams in the NCAA Tournament and the Pac-10 and Big 12 each got 6. The ACC was limited to four teams, and North Carolina was the only one to reach the Sweet 16.

Q: How much longer is Tony Bennett going to be at Washington State?
—Roach, Kent, Wash.

A: My guess is that Coach Bennett will be calling the moving vans in April. Bennett has been mentioned as a prominent candidate for the Indiana job since the news broke that Kelvin Sampson couldn’t curb his telephone addiction. I can’t imagine him turning down an opportunity like that. Bennett was already one of the hot names in coaching heading into the NCAA Tournament. Now he has taken the Cougars to the Sweet 16. He is 38 and he holds all the cards. He has a good job at Washington State, where he has won 52 games in two seasons, but he can certainly upgrade when he wants to. And that opportunity should come soon. If Indiana is doing its homework, the Hoosiers should be putting together an offer Bennett can’t refuse.

Q: Why did the committee think Western Kentucky was a 12 seed? They won a ton of games!
—Carissa, Owensboro, Ky.

March Madness NCAA men's tournament bracket Get game stories, scores, stats, rosters, more from our special feature. NBCSports.com

A: The Hilltoppers did win 27 games, including 11 consecutive victories in the Sun Belt during January and February. But the selection committee evaluates a team’s entire body of work, Carissa. Seeds are not handed out based only on the number of wins. Western Kentucky played all year in the shadow of South Alabama, the Sun Belt regular-season champ. South Alabama swept the season series with Western Kentucky but lost in the semifinals of the conference tournament, opening the door for the Hilltoppers to get the automatic bid. Western Kentucky’s best wins during the regular season were against Michigan and Nebraska — not exactly triumphs that turn a lot of heads. WKU lost to Gonzaga by three and to Tennessee by six — nice efforts, but not victories. Western Kentucky is a fun team to watch, and Darrin Horn is a terrific bench coach. The Hilltoppers deserve a lot of credit for reaching the Sweet 16, but I had no problem with their No. 12 seed heading into the tournament. WKU fans should be proud of their program for making the second weekend of the tournament. Fans will remember the dramatic win over Drake for years. And they will remember that more than the seed assigned by the committee.

MORE FROM COLLEGE BASKETBALL

College basketball Section Front

Jennings a trendsetter? Game over: Kentucky basketball museum closes Opinion: Teams want ‘proven,’ not project’   Sound off in our message boards Full coverage of every men's team Full coverage of every women's team MORE ON COLLEGE BASKETBALL College basketball Section Front   Add College basketball headlines to your news reader: