As is always the case on Selection Sunday, there are plenty of schools that felt hard done by not getting an invitation to the Big Dance.
One of those schools that got snubbed is Colorado (21-13, 8-8, RPI: 66), which beat tournament teams Texas and Missouri once, and another one, Kansas State, three times.
“I was shocked,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “That’s the only word that comes to my mind. Just absolutely shocked we weren’t in the field.”
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, who led the selection committee, said members investigated the resumes of the teams “more than I’ve ever done in my tenure on this committee.”
“Colorado is a good ballclub, and there were many good ballclubs we considered,” he said. “They just didn’t quite get the votes to get in. That’s just the reality.”
With an RPI of 66, and considering that Clemson and UAB both got invitations, with fewer quality wins, it’s astonishing that Colorado did not make this field. The Buffs’ three wins over Kansas State and victories over Missouri and Texas should have been enough to merit an NCAA tournament berth despite mediocre computer numbers dragged down by too many games against teams with RPIs 300 and above.
Three other schools that were on the bubble and did not get an invite:
Virginia Tech (21-11, 9-7, RPI: 64):
For the fourth straight season, Virginia Tech has been snubbed by the selection committee, A pair of wins over Florida State and a monumental upset of Duke were Virginia Tech’s main selling points, but the committee obviously couldn’t look past the Hokies’ inability to post a marquee non-league win.
Alabama (21-11, 12-4, RPI: 79):
Despite a 12-4 SEC record and a pair of victories over fellow bubble team Georgia in the past eight days, the selection committee apparently felt Alabama had not done enough to warrant a bid and the Bulldogs did. The reason had to be Alabama’s poor RPI, which was weighed down by dreadful early season non-league losses against St. Peter’s, Providence and Iowa.
4. Saint Mary’s (23-7, 11-3, RPI: 44):
What probably cost the WCC co-champion Gaels a bid is a late-season slide that included a pair of losses to Gonzaga, a home loss to Utah State and an inexplicable loss to woeful San Diego. Beating St. John’s to open the season and going 1-for-3 against the Zags was not enough to counteract that poor finish even though NCAA tournament-bound VCU had a similar résumé and late-season slide.
Who do you think should have got an invite but didn’t?
