As far as Selection Shows, this one was the best ever when it comes to UCF. There was considerable tension in the room beforehand. I was the cynic, believing the NCAA would give the final hosting spot to Texas, snubbing UCF of the opportunity. Obviously UCF was deserving, but we've seen this scenario play out before. Even D1Softball.com thought that would happen.
The unveiling of seeds went in chronological order, meaning it would be a long way to get to No. 16.
The first reaction shots you'll see are when McNeese State and then Louisiana are being sent to regionals outside of Texas... Eric Lopez was off the side, giving positive reactions as this was increasing the likelihood that Texas was not hosting. The girls were then reacting to Lopez's cues, that this was tremendously positive for UCF. When Louisiana was slated to go to the No. 10 Clemson regional, Lopez can be heard and you can see the response from Coach Bear. Somebody in the crowd said Eric Lopez is the "Joe Lunardi" of softball bracketology.
A few minutes later, Texas was announced to be going to No. 13 Washington's regional, and then Florida was seeded No. 14 and UCF wasn't in it. That's when it truly set in.
So you see the build-up of reactions until finally UCF's name was officially announced the final hosting seed at No. 16.
