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There has been a lot of talk about the location advantage various teams will enjoy in the NCAA tournament. Given the rotation of tournament sites and the intention to give top seeds a geographical advantage, some teams will inevitably have a more favorable road. Of course a favorable path to the final four means nothing if a team is upset early and there are several recent examples where a big fuss was made after the brackets came out only to have the advantage become completely irrelevant. Here are some of the teams that may have an edge based on geography in the tournament.

MIDWEST (Indianapolis)

#1 Louisville
Distance to Dayton, OH: 152 miles
The Cardinals were given the #1 overall seed in the tournament and would have a very friendly path to the championship in terms of locations, going from Dayton, to Indianapolis, to Detroit. The main threats in a potential sweet 16 match-up would be at a huge location disadvantage unless Cleveland State can make a Cinderella run. A regional final that could feature Michigan State or Kansas would be much more evenly matched. The potential 2nd round match-up against Ohio State could be an interesting game as although Louisville is closer to Dayton than Columbus, facing the Buckeyes in the state of Ohio would be a dangerous situation.

#8 Ohio State
Distance to Dayton, OH: 223 miles
The run to the conference tournament final clearly upgraded the seeding for the Buckeyes and Ohio State has to be thrilled to be in Dayton for the opening games. The first game is a very tough match-up as many have pegged Siena as an upset pick and the Saints made noise with a first round upset in last year’s tournament. It will certainly be a challenging game but do not discount how big of an edge it is to get this game so close to home. A second round game against Louisville would obviously be a challenge but a rare favorable location for the underdog in a 1-8 match-up.

#14 North Dakota State
Distance to Minneapolis, MN: 238 miles
Expect the Metrodome to be filled with Bison fans for the opening tournament game in Minneapolis on Friday. Granted it was a down time for Minnesota’s football program in 2006 and 2007 but NDSU fans outnumbered Minnesota fans when the teams met in football those years and it was an electric atmosphere. The Bison were already going to be a dangerous draw for any team in the first round and getting this venue edge could really make things interesting should Kansas not come ready to play. A short drive from Fargo will be no problem for the fans and unlike some of the other venues, this early game will have a packed house.

WEST (Glendale)

#1 Connecticut
Distance to Philadelphia, PA: 239 miles
Some Huskies fans might be upset about getting shipped out West but the pod format allows the first two games to be played close to home. Connecticut fans will have to fight with Villanova fans over spare tickets but this should be a very favorable set-up for the Huskies to improve on some recent unsuccessful tournament appearances. The two teams in the 8-9 match-up face significant travel to get here and even potentially facing Washington in Glendale would not be much of a disadvantage for a sweet 16 game as it will be a new venue for both teams.

#4 Washington
Distance to Portland, OR: 176 miles
It is rare to see a convincing champion in the Pac-10 seeded this poorly but the Huskies will be glad to accept a spot in Portland and hope to eventually meet another Huskies squad in Glendale. Mississippi State made a great SEC tournament run but the Bulldogs will be at a huge disadvantage given the long travel, time change, and local fan base. A short trip from the Seattle area should not deter fans and there will already many UW alums and fans in the Portland area that probably already had tickets to these games.

#11 Utah State
Distance to Boise, ID: 305 miles
Things are much further apart out West but this is a nice draw for the Aggies, playing in a WAC venue that they are familiar with and facing a very manageable distance to travel compared with their opponent. Marquette has a great fan base but the injury to Dominic James and the slumping finish could lessen the enthusiasm for making a trip to Boise in March. Marquette has to be disappointed that they did not get a spot in Minneapolis, Dayton, or Kansas City.

EAST (Boston)

#1 Pittsburgh
Distance to Dayton, OH: 255 miles
The top seeded Panthers also received a choice venue for their opening games and although Boston is a much further distance than Indianapolis for potential sweet 16 and elite 8 games. Oklahoma State and Tennessee both present a tough match-up in round two and Tennessee fans would also have a very reasonable trip up to Dayton should that match-up occur. Aside from Michigan State, Pittsburgh would be the closest elite team to the Final Four venue in Detroit.

#2 Duke
Distance to Greensboro, NC: 56 miles
The Blue Devils have to be pleased to stay close to home especially after an early exit from last year’s tournament. The advantage could come into play in a big way in the second round as Texas and Minnesota will feel out of place among Tar Heel and Blue Devil fans. None of the regional venues would have presented a great edge for Duke but Boston would likely have been the preferred choice.

#3 Villanova
Distance to Philadelphia, PA: 17 miles
The Wildcats have the best opening venue of any team in the tournament as they actually play a few regular season games at the Wachovia Center each year. American will not have far to make the trip but this venue should be filled with fans for the Wildcats and the Huskies. The most likely second-round opponent UCLA would be at an incredible disadvantage in the second round, basically playing a true road game, and a cross-country one at that.

#11 Virginia Commonwealth
Distance to Philadelphia, PA: 243 miles
This is a nice draw for the Rams, who made noise in the tournament two years ago with an upset of Duke, and keep in mind that the Colonial Conference produced the great George Mason run a few years ago. Although this is a manageable trip for VCU the advantage comes in the opponent UCLA having to make a cross country trip. The Bruins have been dealt very favorable venues the past three years in Final Four runs, if they get there again they will have really earned it this year.

SOUTH (Memphis) 

#1 North Carolina
Distance to Greensboro, NC: 53 miles
UNC earned one of the top seeds and gets to share this venue with Duke for a very favorable setting in the opening games. Moving deeper in the tournament would shift the Heels to Memphis, but no team in this region would have a great advantage in that location as it is still a healthy trip from Norman and a serious journey from Spokane or Syracuse. Radford is only 137 miles away from Greensboro but it likely will not matter in round one.

#2 Oklahoma
Distance to Kansas City, MO: 368 miles
The Sooners will not be that close to home but will at least stay in Big 12 country and have a reasonable trek that should not prevent fan turnout. If Oklahoma moves on, they would be far closer to home than any other potential foe in Memphis although it is still quite a distance. With the lack of a powerhouse team in the SEC or in Texas, and with Memphis ineligible to play here, this South region basically is filled with leftover teams that had nowhere else to go.

#4 Gonzaga
Distance to Portland, OR: 352 miles
The South region would not be complete without a stop in Portland as the pod system allows for the bracket to be put together creatively. Spokane is on the eastern side of Washington so this is not as close of a venue as you might think but it should still be a very favorable location for the first two games, should Gonzaga play two games for a departure from the last few years. Gonzaga gets great support in the northwest so there should be a strong turnout for these games, giving the Bulldogs a leg-up on the competition en route to the sweet 16.