Are Websites More Important for Mid Majors?

Websites and Digital Community are equally valuable for everyone, right? I mean isn't that the common perception? Everyone can equally benefit from having a solid presence online. I believe it's actually only half the story. While everyone can benefit, the real gains come from the smaller programs.

I came across the Tweet below, from Darren Rovell. Richmond Athletics had seen a traffic spike of 32%... and their Admissions site had an increase of 48% due to the athletics program making the spotlight that is the NCAA Tournament...

So let's go deeper.

Using the website Alexa, I dove a little deeper into the monthly traffic for this year's Final 4 teams.

First up, VCU. (Who would have seen this?) Web traffic to VCU Athletics.com is up 210% this month and 170% over the past 3 months. Wow.

Next, Butler. I couldn't find Butler Sports.com numbers so I pulled the Butler.edu up... 60% increase this month, 21% over 3 months.

Up next Kentucky (UKAthletics.com). Traffic this month is up 45% while the 3 year number is down 9%...

Finally, U Conn (UConnHuskies.com). These numbers are up 3% for the past month and 38% over 3 months.

Take that in for a minute...

The two big schools (UConn and Kentucky) had 1 month increases of 3% and 45% while the two mid-majors (Butler and VCU) had 1 month increases of 60% and 210%.

Feels like a big gap. A really big gap. And it makes sense.

There's an element of surprise and a frenzy of excitement when a mid-major school makes it that doesn't accompany a big guy. And they need to be able to seize that emotion. VCU responded in a big way after the incredible game today (shown below or here)...

Which no doubt will make an impact on an exponentially large number of individuals -- relative to other times of year. When a big moment happens, a spike in energy (and traffic) follows. Smaller programs don't have a sustained level of traffic to count on -- meaning to hit that window of time is so much more critical in a smaller program. And having a digital and social media strategy to do just that can pay huge dividends both in their athletics program and in the traffic to the academics site.

That's it for now -- Enjoy the Final 4!

Andy

How the Real NCAA Tourney would play out in Digital?

Here we go...

Just in case you wanted to fill out your bracket based on digital marketing and not on how good these teams are on the court, here's how I'd see it unfolding. (Not advised!)

East - clearly the toughest digital squads are Kentucky, Marquette, and Washington as all 3 give us great access and strong branding. Here's how they match up:

1 Ohio State over 16 UTSA/Alabama State
9 Nova over 8 George Mason
5 W Virginia over 12 UAB/Clemson
4 Kentucky over 13 Princeton
11 Marquette over 6 Xavier
3 Syracuse over 14 Indiana St
7 Washington over 10 Georgia
2 UNC over 15 LIU


9 Nova over 1 Ohio St
4 Kentucky over 5 W Virginia

11 Marquette over 3 Syracuse
7 Washington over 2 UNC

4 Kentucky over 9 Nova
11 Marquette over 7 Washington

4 Kentucky over 11 Marquette


West - Duke has a fairly easy road to the regional final, when they match up with a solid (surprisingly powerful) Penn State squad.

1 Duke over 16 Hampton
9 Tennessee over 8 Michigan
12 Memphis over 5 Arizona
13 Oakland over 4 Texas
11 Missouri over 6 Cincy
3 UConn over 14 Bucknell
10 Penn St over 7 Temple
15 N Colorado over 2 SDSU

1 Duke over 9 Tennessee
12 Memphis over 13 Oakland
11 Missouri over 3 UConn
10 Penn St over 15 N Colorado

1 Duke over 12 Memphis
10 Penn St over 11 Missouri

1 Duke over 10 Penn St

Southwest The toughest region, by far. Boston U is a 16 seed on the court, a 2-3 seed off the court. Illinois and Texas A&M are more than capable of making a digital impact.

1 Kansas over 16 Boston (tough draw for BU!)
9 Illinois over 8 UNLV
12 Richmond over 5 Vanderbilt
4 Louisville over 13 Morehead State
11 VCU over 6 Georgetown
3 Purdue over 14 St Peter's
7 Texas A&M over 10 Florida State
2 Notre Dame over 15 Akron

1 Kansas over 9 Illinois
4 Louisville over 12 Richmond
11 VCU over 3 Purdue
7 Texas A&M over 2 Notre Dame

1 Kansas over 4 Louisville
7 Texas A&M over 11 VCU

1 Kansas over 7 Texas A&M

Southeast Weakest region on the court is the 2nd toughest in digital marketing. Kansas State, Florida, and Michigan State are in the upper zone.

1 Pitt over 16 UNCA
8 Butler over 9 Old Dominion
5 Kansas St over 12 Utah State
4 Wisconsin over 13 Belmont
6 St John's over 11 Gonzaga
3 BYU over 14 Wofford
10 Michigan State over 7 UCLA
2 Florida over 15 UCSB

8 Butler over 1 Pitt
5 Kansas St over 4 Wisconsin
6 St John's over 3 BYU
2 Florida over 10 Michigan St

5 Kansas St over 8 Butler
2 Florida over 6 St John's

5 Kansas St over 2 Florida


Final Four Great matchups. I give the edge in this to Kansas because they translate branding and access into what their recruit needs (player development and the next level) better than anyone else is doing today.

1 Kansas over 5 Kansas St
1 Duke over 4 Kentucky

Title
1 Kansas over 1 Duke

Enjoy today's games!!!

Andy

Breaking down the Digital Marketing NCAA Bracket

So here we are, on the cusp of the REAL selection shows. Just in time, I wanted to summarize some of the findings I have. First, here's the full rundown of the 2011 Digital Marketing NCAA Bracket!

Which Conference is the Deepest?

Let's take a look at the list, by conference:

9 Big East

6 Big 12

5 ACC

5 Big Ten

5 SEC

3 MAC

3 MWC

3 Pac-10

3 Sun Belt

2 Atlantic 10

2 Horizon

2 MVC

2 WCC

So the 6 BCS Conferences garnered a total of 33 of the 68 bids. 8 at-large bids went to the smaller guys.

When you look at the top 16 teams in the tourney, the breakdown is as follows:

4 Big 12 (1-Kansas, 2- Kansas St, 3- Nebraska, 4- Texas A&M)

3 SEC (1-Kentucky, 2- Florida, 4- Alabama)

3 Big 10 (2- Illinois, 3- Penn St, 4- Michigan St)

2 Pac 10 (1- Stanford, 3- Washington)

1 ACC (1- Duke)

1 America East (2- Boston U)

1 Big East (3- Marquette)

1 MWC (4- TCU)

When you add in the fact that the other Big 12 teams to crack the field were 5-seeded Oklahoma and 6-seeded Baylor, you get a feel for the dominance of this league. Compare this against the Big East, who had only 3 of their 9 bids (3-seeded Marquette, 5-seeded USF, and 8-seeded Villanova) among the top 8 seeds.

Who were the biggest surprises?

Four teams dramatically exceeded expectations for me: Boston University as a 2-seed, Penn State (3-seed), Dayton (6-seed), and North Texas (7-seed).

Who did you have higher hopes for?

I expected more, due to recent success, from North Carolina (14-seed) and Butler (15-seed). Both have played for the title in the past few years, both have the opportunity to tell their brand story.

What's the toughest Region? Or, put differently, which 1-seed has the toughest road to the Final Four?

Let's start by laying out the top 4 seeds, by region:

W: Stanford, Florida, Penn St, Texas A&M

E: Duke, Boston, Nebraska, Michigan State

SW: Kansas, Kansas State, Washington, TCU

SE: Kentucky, Illinois, Marquette, Alabama

The E Region is loaded. Duke would need to square off against arguably the toughest 3-seed (Nebraska) and 4-seed (Michigan State). They also must matchup against one of the most active coaches in terms of access (2-seed Boston).

Is there a 12-5 Upset Game? I seeded this so I wouldn't pick it. But there's always an upset... Keep your eye on 12-seeded St Francis (PA) as they try to elevate Social to a level that could knock someone (in this case USF) off.

What's Next?

Later this week I'll complete the REAL bracket, based on social media. Note I don't advise that method to fill out your pool... But it'll be fun to follow. Then I'll take some time off for the tourney, and be back at you with a whole new approach in April.

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@pawlow34) or Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Andy

The 2011 NCAA Digital Marketing Bracket, Southeast Region

It's time to unveil the final region in the 2011 Digital NCAA Tournament Bracket. Up today, we'll dive into the Southeast Region, where we've seen the #1 seed Kentucky take hold.

Here's a final reminder in case you're joining late. These seeds were calculated using a weighted average between how the teams connect on social media, the level of access they give you to their program, the level of branding and emotion they deliver, the quality and depth of content, and (naturally) the intangibles... though it's digital so isn't everything intangible?

And finally, keep in mind that every team in this field of 68 is inspiring -- that's how they got here, to the big digital stage. And we can take great learnings from each of them.

Let's go.

1- Kentucky vs 16- South Carolina Upstate/Liberty

Kentucky is a great mix of grit and substance, getting a lot out of what they have (and they also have a lot). SCU and Liberty offer promise, but UK is a 1-seed for a reason...

Kentucky

Conference: SEC

Website: http://www.ukathletics.com and http://www.coachcal.com

Bid: SEC Champ, Automatic

Breaking Down Kentucky: Kentucky will impress you in surprising ways. They don't necessarily wow you with sizzle but instead by getting the most out of what they have. Coach Cal.com offers a great example of this philosophy with their postgame mashups, which combine the play-by-play with box scores with Coach Cal's interviews with photography taken from an iPhone. Pretty cool stuff, here's an example. If it's sizzle you want, they give us a look into the sites & sounds of each game, like the Florida game here. And, naturally, Coach Cal's one of the leaders in leveraging Foursquare, so we always know where he is.

South Carolina Upstate

Conference: Atlantic Sun

Website: http://www.upstatespartans.com

Bid: Atlantic Sun Champ, Automatic

Breaking Down SCSU: Head Coach Eddie Payne's site gets intimate with us -- via a photo gallery that shows us (in pictures, no words) how the team travels. We see what they see and there's power in these visuals, for sure.

Liberty

Conference: Big South

Website: http://www.libertyflames.com

Bid: Big South Champ, Automatic

Breaking Down Liberty: The home page gives us immediate access to two things: social media and when the next game is, by making both crazy prominent. When you add a crisp design, the result makes a solid impression.

8-Villanova vs 9- Bradley

Great matchup between two programs with the digital pieces to cause trouble in the tourney. Both have foundations to build upon -- now they just need to activate.

Villanova

Conference: Big East

Website: http://www.villanova.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Nova: The verdict on Villanova is tbd. I say this because the current basketball site, TheNovaNation is shown as "coming soon." Click in here... What Nova has done well is recognize that basketball is about more than simply on the court, building out a section on Life After Basketball that, literally, shows us a list of alums, majors, and where they work now.

Bradley

Conference: MVC

Website: http://www.bradleybraves.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Bradley: The depth and branding inside Bradley's recruiting guide is extremely strong -- as they take somewhat tough to digest stats and present them as what amounts to a visual resume. And it works - check it for yourself, here. If they can take this energy and apply it to the rest of their site, look out!

4-Alabama vs 13- Florida Atlantic

Interesting matchup involving an SEC powerhouse Alabama who uses digital as a pillar to build their program and a Sun Belt program who leverages digital to focus our attention on the right information.

Alabama

Conference: SEC

Website: http://www.crimsontidehoops.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Alabama: Coach Anthony Grant says his style is to aggressive, disruptive, and distinctive. That could apply to their digital style as well as the Tide are a fantastic example of using digital to build your brand. You even get a deep look into their coaching staff, via NBA Draft experts and the National basketball media, here.

Florida Atlantic

Conference: Sun Belt

Website: http://www.fausports.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down FAU: FAU is the third Sun Belt member to crack this field, after North Texas and Middle Tennessee State. They lead with access to social, elevating social. (Top Stories, Headlines, Tickets, and Social are always front and center -- giving the squad the right framework to build upon.

5-Oklahoma vs 12- Western Michigan

I love these 5-12 matchups, as they involve teams with distinct digital systems trying to lead with what they do best. OU leads with video, WMU with mobile. Both use these as ways to start their connections with you.

Oklahoma

Conference: Big 12

Website: http://www.soonersports.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Oklahoma: The Sooners lead with video, bringing us one of the deepest video vaults, here. This sets the tone. Then they follow up with a strong blog and Coach Capel on Twitter for your daily connection fix.

Western Michigan

Conference: MAC

Website: http://www.wmubroncos.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Western Michigan: The Broncos lead with mobile. I've been really impressed with their thinking, as they find a way to use an app for a purpose -- to take over your clock. Don't worry, it still works as a clock, but it also delivers WMU branding and the latest news + scores. Get it for yourself, here.

3-Marquette vs 14- Vermont

Marquette goes with deep, emotional content built on top of a system of blogs and social -- giving you the right content and easy ways to share it. Vermont won the MAAC by also being a leader in social, with the NCAA's best Flickr presence.

Marquette

Conference: Big East

Website: http://www.gomarquette.com and http://www.wearemarquetteathletics.com

Bid: Automatic, Big East Champ

Breaking Down Marquette: This is one of the few teams I've found that I'd say actually leads with content. Marquette created a digital program, "Revealed" that gives us a behind-the-scenes look into Marquette basketball. As you can see here, these webisodes give you a look into the players, coaches, and most importantly team culture... and that's something few tap into in as strong a way.

Vermont

Conference: MAAC

Website: http://www.uvmathletics.com

Bid: Automatic, MAAC Champ

Breaking Down Vermont: The MAAC Champs are one of the best on Flickr, even finding a cool way to give you a campus tour via Flickr photos. As you will find, by creating your own photo gallery, you tap into emotion that comes from creating personal albums and sharing them... And, speaking of images, wow what a mustache that is in the image below.

6- Baylor vs 11- Cal-State Fullerton

Intriguing matchup from a program that leads with athletics and a program that leads by thinking beyond athletics. The beauty in this matchup is simply the contrast in style.

Baylor

Conference: Big 12

Website: http://www.baylorathleticsexperience.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Baylor: Baylor brings a great example of a fantasticly branded experience set on top of a need to build for the future. The content you'll find below is dead-on: Coach Drew, success in the league and at the next level, and impressive facilities. But you'll also find a prominent callout to last year's team... signaling a need to build this in a way that we can always hype this year's team!

Cal State Fullerton

Conference: Big West

Website: http://www.fullertontitans.com

Bid: Automatic, Big West Champ

Breaking Down Cal State Fullerton: The Titans look beyond basketball, and even beyond sport, in creating a video series called "Everyday Champions." This looks at the impact former student-athletes have had in the world, and how their time on campus shaped them. It scales across sports and builds an identity for the programs. Great stuff, here.

7- Illinois State vs 10- Buffalo

Two programs with recruiting sites you might not have expected... Illinois State goes deeper into a basketball experience while Buffalo makes it easier to browse cross-sport and into academics. Which style is more effective? (Or impactful?)

Illinois State

Conference: MVC

Website: http://www.redbirdexperience.com

Bid: Automatic, MVC Champ

Breaking Down Illinois State: The Redbirds won the MVC by delivering a digital experience that goes deep into life as an athlete -- and focusing it on what matters the most to a current athlete: connection to coaches, the gear you get, and how coaches will help get you ready to maximize your talent. Hit the basketball experience, here,

Buffalo

Conference: MAC

Website: http://www.buffalobulls.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Buffalo: The Become a Bull website is aspirational in title, placed inside the Recruits menu, and filled with a nice mix of academics + athetics, across all teams. Check for yourself, here.

2- Illinois vs 15- Oakland

Are we on a crash course for an Illinois-Illinois State matchup? Illinois brings one of the highest levels of social thinking I found, leading them to the Big Ten title. Oakland looks back and leads by highlighting success of their program.

Illinois

Conference: Big Ten

Website: http://www.fightingillini.com

Bid: Automatic, Big Ten Champ

Breaking Down Illinois: The Illini lead with access like few others - delivering player interviews on a regular cadence after practices or games (like this one). They give us access via their site, and also go deep on Facebook with easy ways to Like their men's program, right from the men's basketball home page (yes, you don't even have to actually visit their Facebook page to do it!). Finally, check out how current NBA athletes talk about Coach Weber. Powerful stuff, here.

Oakland

Conference: Summit

Website: http://www.ougrizzlies.com

Bid: Automatic, Summit Champ

Breaking Down Oakland: The Summit League champs did it by leveraging their history. As you'll see here, Oakland makes you feel like hitting the NCAAs is expected and a part of their DNA. If you want to win, that makes a statement.

That brings us to the end of our 68-team field. Who did I miss? Who has the toughest road to the title? Come back tomorrow as we break down the tourney field.

As always, you can follow me on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @pawlow34)

Andy

The 2011 NCAA Digital Marketing Bracket, Southwest Region

It's time to unveil the third of our four regions in the 2011 Digital NCAA Tournament Bracket. Up today, we'll dive into the Southwest Region, where we've seen the #1 seed Kansas take hold.

First, a reminder in case you're joining late. These seeds were calculated using a weighted average between how the teams connect on social media, the level of access they give you to their program, the level of branding and emotion they deliver, the quality and depth of content, and (naturally) the intangibles... though it's digital so isn't everything intangible?

And finally, keep in mind that every team in this field of 68 is inspiring -- that's how they got here, to the big digital stage. And we can take great learnings from each of them.

Enjoy!

1- Kansas vs 16- Lamar

The classic 1-16 matchup. Both with their own style but one clearly ahead of the other in terms of impact they can make when they are "on".

Kansas

Conference: Big 12

Website: http://www.kuathletics.com

Bid: Big 12 Champ, Automatic

Breaking Down Kansas: The Jayhawks were behind the times. Then came the relaunch of their site, featuring Coach Self's KU home page, here. Inside this world, you get access to a great insider blog, powerful branding on the legend status that permeates this program, inside looks into their facilities, and (most importantly) a relentless focus on getting you to the next level -- skill development told the right way. You should check this out: Powerful stuff.

Lamar

Conference: Southland

Website: http://www.lamarcardinals.com

Bid: Southland Champ, Automatic

Breaking Down Lamar: The Cardinals go the personal route, introducing you to student ambassadors who break down why their decisions to choose Lamar were the right ones. Solid, emotional stuff we can all learn from -- check it here. And solid Lamar branding throughout this site experience...

8- Portland vs 9- Nevada

Two strong programs who lead with social. One makes it a priority to get to, the other gives you depth and intimacy when you arrive.

Portland

Conference: WCC

Website: http://www.portlandpilots.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Portland: The Pilots are one of the best programs in leveraging social media. Their Facebook page, here, gives you a personal look into the team, complete with intimate, regularly scheduled videos from their assistant coaches and insider photography on the team from the road. And Head Coach Eric Reveno is one of the best on Twitter (here) because he is authentic and open -- which gives you a feel for who he is as a leader before you decide to don the purple & white.

Nevada

Conference: WCC

Website: http://www.nevadawolfpack.com

Bid: Automatic, WAC Champ

Breaking Down Nevada: The WAC Champions hit the tourney as a 9-seed, led by strong access to social and a powerful, easy to navigate digital guide to their program... which you can find, here.

4- TCU vs 13- American

Interesting matchup between two teams that recognize its about the collective power of all sports, not simply the power of your individual team.

TCU

Conference: WCC

Website: http://gofrogs.cstv.com

Bid: Automatic, MWC Champ

Breaking Down TCU: The Horned Frogs learned one of the best secrets in digital -- they found a way for all their programs to support each other and work together. In "This is Our Story" (link here), we see how consistent themes (Next Level, Facilities, and Trophy Case) can play out across multiple sports. After all, seeing success across other programs raises the profile of basketball. Well done here.

American

Conference: Patriot

Website: http://www.aueagles.com

Bid: Automatic, Patriot Champ

Breaking Down American: The Patriot League Champs got here by consistent and powerful branding in their "Stay Connected" section (here). You see consistent and powerful branding across multiple social platforms, across multiple programs. Oh, and beyond that, it's easy to stay connected.

5- South Florida vs. 12- St Francis (PA)

5 vs 12 plays out here with the NEC Champion battling a Big East power. USF packs deep information on the program in their iGuide, while St Francis leads with social, first and foremost.

South Florida

Conference: Big East

Website: http://www.gousfbulls.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down USF: The Bulls established themselves as a Big East Powerhouse. They did this by delivering the right level of content inside their iGuide, available here. They top that off with a realtime feed of the USF Twitter presence.

St Francis (PA)

Conference: NEC

Website: http://www.sfuathletics.com

Bid: Automatic, NEC Champ

Breaking Down St Francis: The Red Flash definitely elevate social media, which led them to the Northeast Conference title and automatic bid. You can feel this the strongest in their YouTube channel (here), where they even brought their AD in, in order to make a statement about how important, how critical it is that they deliver the right message in social. (Really, that video is here)

3- Washington vs 14- North Carolina

UNC is one of the final at-large teams to crack the field. Can they pose enough of a challenge to topple UW? It's going to be a tough task, as UW simply delivers more branding and access across multiple social platforms.

Washington

Conference: Pac-10

Website: http://www.gohuskies.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Washington: The Huskies are another program that brings all sports together. But they do so in a section entitled "Recruits," which is pure brilliance. The way they tell parallel stories across sports led them to the 3-seed and puts them in a position to do damage in the tourney. Do yourselves a favor and witness this for yourself by clicking into meet your coach, here.

North Carolina

Conference: ACC

Website: http://tarheelblue.cstv.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down North Carolina: UNC is one of those schools that could literally blow the field away if they tell all of their tradition and mix it with their future. For now, we get a glimpse of the program's prestige and Coach Williams' appeal inside "This is Carolina Basketball," available here.

6- Memphis vs 11- St John's

Love this matchup. Two teams that take differing but intriguing approaches to giving the right kind of content. Tough one to play out!

Memphis

Conference: C-USA

Website: http://www.gotigersgo.com

Bid: Conference USA Champ, Automatic

Breaking Down Memphis: The Tigers actually bring fan interaction into their guide to Tiger Basketball -- the Tiger Hoops Experience, here. They do this by showing and getting participation for their intro videos. (And they maintain a sick history of them too) On top of this we see how they travel and how they get you stronger while you're on campus -- the level of authentic access we can all learn from.

St John's

Conference: Big East

Website: http://www.redstormsports.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down St John's: St John's is back. They do this by giving great content (also available across other sports) in their online video guide here. This content is the right stuff -- coaching philosophy and a tour of the campus from a player are my faves.

7- Santa Clara vs 10- Minnesota

Santa Clara

Conference: WCC

Website: http://www.santaclarabroncos.com

Bid: Automatic, WCC Champ

Breaking Down Santa Clara: Sure, the Broncos give you a virtual media guide. But it's their innovation (giving us access to the team via uStream, here) that allowed them to win a tough WCC Conference. The coaching staff is very active on social -- making it easy to feel connected to their journey.

2- Kansas State vs 15- Butler/Indiana

I love the fact that Butler and Indiana battle in a First Four matchup. But the winner is in for a tough one as K State awaits with an intensive presence.

Kansas State

Conference: Big 12

Website: http://www.frankmartinbasketball.com/

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Kansas State: Dive into the players section, here, and you'll get a feel for this. K State plowed through the season to a 2-seed through their branding. It's emotional, it's honest, and it just makes you want to be a Wildcat. I think the best way to describe the program after clicking around is it is both intense and fun.

Butler

Conference: Horizon

Website: http://www.butlersports.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Butler: Dive into Butler Facebook page and you'll get a nice feel of personality around the program. But perhaps most notable is what you don't feel -- last year's crazy journey to an almost national-title is simply not celebrated at the level it could be!

Indiana

Conference: Big Ten

Website: http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Indiana: Most of the energy lives in a virtual guide, here. Coach Creen is active on Twitter -- and activeness = opportunity to understand a program.

What do you think? Which favorite would have the toughest matchup? Those questions in due time... But first, come back tomorrow as we conclude the tourney field.

As always, you can follow me on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @pawlow34)

Andy

The 2011 NCAA Digital Marketing Bracket, East Region

It's time to unveil the second of our four Regions in the 2011 Digital NCAA Tournament Bracket. Up today, we'll dive into the East Region, where we've seen the #1 seed Duke take hold.

First, a reminder in case you're joining late. (Read our recap of the First Four matchups here) These seeds were calculated using a weighted average between how the teams connect on social media, the level of access they give you to their program, the level of branding and emotion they deliver, the quality and depth of content, and (naturally) the intangibles... though it's digital so isn't everything intangible?

And finally, keep in mind that every team in this field of 68 is inspiring -- that's how they got here, to the big digital stage. And we can take great learnings from each of them.

Enjoy!

1- Duke vs. 16- Sacramento State

The classic 1-16 matchup. National powerhouse versus champion of a low-major. This is one that Duke doesn't take for granted -- hitting us with a level of connection and access that few others get at.

Duke

Conference: ACC

Website: http://www.dukeblueplanet.com and http://www.goduke.com

Bid: ACC Champ, Automatic

Breaking Down Duke: The Dukies give us one of the best examples of leveraging social. This plays out by giving us access to every blog and expert on Twitter you can think of... and those you can't think of. They add in highlight reels and athlete-led tours. In short, you'll find more access here than anywhere.

Sacramento State

Conference: Big Sky

Website: http://www.hornetsports.com

Bid: Big Sky Champ, Automatic

Breaking Down Sacramento State: Sacramento State created a virtual guide to athletics, accessible here, that gives you a deeper look into every sport. It's a nice visual experience that needs to break out and permeate the main athletics site.

8- Oregon vs. 9- Tennessee

Great matchup, as the 8-9 often is! Two solid branding examples...

Oregon

Conference: Pac-10

Website: http://www.goducks.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Oregon: The Ducks offer strong branding throughout, highlighted by their recruiting section appropriately entitled "BE A DUCK." Dive in for yourself, here.

Tennessee

Conference: SEC

Website: http://www.utsports.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Tennessee: Tennessee is a tough one to analyze. Early in the season, they offered a lot more ways to connect than they do now. Coach Pearl had his own Facebook page and website that have, naturally, scaled back of late. Still, solid branding and strong access to social. I guess they are the classic team that started the season hot but goes into the tourney with less momentum...

4- Michigan State vs. 13- Princeton

A defensive, physical, fundamental battle in real life becomes a battle of traditions online...

Michigan State

Conference: Big Ten

Website: http://www.coachizzo.com and http://www.msuspartans.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Michigan State: The Spartans hit you with one of the best branding jobs you'll find, anywhere. Amazing photography, solid copy, and an emotional feel that makes you kind of root for the Spartans. Really, check this out here.

Princeton

Conference: Ivy

Website: http://www.goprincetontigers.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Princeton: Easy access to the blog and podcasts, right from the main home page, make the Tigers both easy to follow and current.

5- Central Michigan vs. 12- Northeastern

Always pick at least one 12-seed in your bracket, right? But if CMU wins, we could see a dream matchup of CMU versus Michigan State.

Central Michigan

Conference: MAC

Website: http://www.cmuchippewas.com

Bid: MAC Champion, Automatic

Breaking Down CMU: Once you get to the CMU Recruiting site, here, you get a feel for the impact this program has on the lives of its student athletes. I love how they elevate players for how they evolved as players and as people while on campus.

Northeastern

Conference: Colonial

Website: http://www.gonu.com

Bid: Colonial Champion, Automatic

Breaking Down Northeastern: Want live audio of your campus radio station? Northeastern delivers this for you inside their iPhone app -- no doubt making it easier to connect with the athletics programs... and the student body. Get it for yourself here.

3- Nebraska vs 14- George Washington/Middle Tennessee State

Nebraska is not just a football school, but they leverage that energy for good.

Nebraska

Conference: Big 12

Website: http://www.thisisnebraska.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Nebraska: This website (here) did more to change my impression of a program than just about any I came across. It positions the Huskers as a pro-like atmosphere that delivers pro-ready athletes. Really nice use of video and photography.

George Washington

Conference: A-10

Website: http://www.gwsports.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down GW: Get to Coach Hobbs' website, here, and you'll get a sense for the team's philosophy and style of play. That's really what you need as a recruit to see where you fit in.

Middle Tennessee State

Conference: Sun Belt

Website: http://www.goblueraiders.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down MTSU: The Blue Raiders have a clean site that makes it super easy to follow them on Facebook or Twitter. This site design shows you a simple philosophy can lead to a big impact.

6- Tennessee Tech vs 11- Syracuse

Funny to see these teams matched up with these seeds, huh? And odd that they'll be squaring off blog-to-blog. I feel like I'm always missing on the 6-11 games in real life.

Tennessee Tech

Conference: Ohio Valley

Website: http://www.ttusports.com

Bid: OVC Champ, Automatic

Breaking Down Tennessee Tech: Tennessee Tech delivers one of the best blogs in college hoops, here. It's one of the best not because its glamorous or expensive but rather because it gives you an honest feel of what the culture and vibe on this team is like... and it makes you want to be a part of that.

Syracuse

Conference: Big East

Website: http://suathletics.syr.edu

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Syracuse: The Orangemen offer a great blog of their own right, here. And they package social in prominent, strong branding.

7- New Mexico vs 10 Rutgers

New Mexico

Conference: MWC

Website: http://www.golobos.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down New Mexico: The Lobos elevate Recruiting content by sport inside "Be a Lobo." Dive in here and you'll see a deep wall of video content including some amazing shots of their gym, the Pit.

Rutgers

Conference: Big East

Website: http://www.scarletknights.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down Rutgers: Rutgers makes the tourney because of a consistent and clean style that is built upon. They make it easy to get the right content (recruiting info, for example) and they pump in Twitter updates to keep the site alive.

2-Boston vs 15- NC State
Interesting matchup. Maybe the most surprising in this region?

Boston U

Conference: America East

Website: http://www.goterriers.com

Bid: Automatic, America East Champ

Breaking Down Boston: I'm betting the America East conference has never earned a 2-seed in the NCAA Men's Basketball tourney. But they earned this one with access to the team that's pretty tough to stop. Coach Chambers delivers a fantastic blog that includes a personal touch in FlipCam videos. He even lets his players guest write from time to time. That not only gives a cool perspective but it subtly shows trust between coach and players. Check this blog, here.

NC State

Conference: ACC

Website: http://www.gopack.com

Bid: At-Large

Breaking Down NC State: The final team in the East Region. NC State does a nice job of thinking big (They have a platform for Fan Photos in Facebook, here). And they do a nice job of the essentials (easy access for Recruiting info and Twitter updates). All packaged in a nice design -- making them a strong 15-seed.

That's a stacked region. But is it the toughest? Which favorite would have the toughest matchup? Those questions in due time... But first, come back tomorrow as we dive into the third of our four regions...

As always, you can follow me on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @pawlow34)

Andy