Ripped off
Everyone's got their own opinions about what teams deserve what seeds, or if those teams should even be in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, not everyone can be satisfied, whether it's in sports or in the working world. This same problem occurs in college football when the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) chooses which two teams should be in the National Championship.
Looking at the NIT (National Invitational Tournament) bracket, I see a handful of teams that I feel should be in the NCAA Tournament. Listed in order from the most worthy to the least worthy are the teams I feel should be in the NCAA Tournament: Mississippi State, Illinois, and Virginia Tech.
Most worthy of a bid
Mississippi State (23-11. 9-7 SEC)
Key wins – vs. Florida. vs. #22 Vanderbilt,
Key losses – vs. Rider, @ Western Kentucky, @ Auburn, vs. Kentucky
Falling twice to Kentucky this season, Mississippi St. could have gotten an NCAA bid by winning one of their two matchups with the Wildcats. Their second loss to Kentucky took place in the SEC Tournament in overtime, 75-74. Mississippi St. also lost five games to teams not in the NCAA Tournament. Of the number one seeds in the NIT, I believe the Bulldogs of Miss. St. earned a shot in the NCAA Tourney, but obviously the selection committee felt they did themselves in with losses to non-NCAA Tournament teams Rider, Western Kentucky, and Auburn.
Blind Resumes
A topic that has been brought up over the past few years is that the NCAA Tournament selection committee may be biased to teams more familiar with the tournament, even when a team that has played in the past 10 to 15 tournaments really had a down season. Something new that may help eliminate this from happening is giving the selection committee blind resumes. A blind resume would consist of just a team's overall record, RPI (rating percentage index), strength of schedule, key wins, and key losses, and overall ranking.
As I mentioned, a blind resume would eliminate the team's name while the selection committee chose the field of 65, and in my eyes, would make the seeding fair for all teams. The selection committee would be forced to evaluate a team by their strength of schedule and RPI. These use a team's wins and losses, combined with its strength of schedule, in order to calculate a certain number that ranks each Division I college basketball team.
Many college basketball analysts, including Jay Bilas, who is, in my eyes the most biased college basketball analyst for ESPN, also favor the blind resume when it comes time for the NCAA selection committee to seed the field of 65.
"NCAA Tourney Dress Code: No Heels"
The five-time National Champs North Carolina Tar Heels, will not be taking a journey through the tourney this season, even though they walked all over Michigan State in the National Championship. With the graduation of Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson, and Danny Green, the Tar Heels lost four of their five starting men and the leadership that they brought to the hardwood.
Sophomore big man Tyler Zeller went down with an injury and was only able to compete in 23 of the 32 games this season. Even coming off the bench, Zeller was effective, and the loss of any effective player hurts a team. Zeller averaged just under 10 points per game while rebounding at an average of just over four boards per game. Another loss to Roy Williams' squad was Ed Davis, who played in and started the first 23 games of the season at forward. Davis scored 13.4 points per game and averaged 9.6 rebounds per game, while tallying nearly three blocks per game.
The Tar Heels had embarrassing losses to College of Charleston and Duke, losing 82-50 in their final game of the regular season. Now, in the NIT, UNC has a chance to show that they are more than a 17-16 record and a 5-11 conference record. Williams' team beat William & Mary on Tuesday night, 80-72, and will face the number one seed in the NIT, Mississippi St.
Do not expect Roy Williams to not have his squad ready for the court next season. He has the players on his team now to return to the top half of the ACC and with incoming freshman that will be able to contribute early, I at least expect them to make a trip to the Sweet Sixteen next season.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article! Log in to Comment
You must be logged in to comment on an article. Not already a member? Register now