Bid thief. The two words that can crush a bubble team’s dreams. There were some surprise winners during Championship Week, which is bad news for teams hoping to receive an at-large bid from the selection committee.
Saint Mary’s upset No. 1 Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference championship game as a 14-point underdog. VCU’s early exit from the Atlantic 10 paved the way for Saint Louis to earn the league’s automatic bid.
Oregon, a 6-seed, won four games in four days, including a 68-48 thumping of top-seeded Washington in the Pac-12 tourney to force its way into March Madness.
The Zags, VCU and Washington were going dancing regardless of what happened in their respective conference tournaments. But the surprise wins by Saint Mary’s, Saint Louis and Oregon limited the number of at-large bids available.
Even with a 68-team field, there are a few teams left out that deserved to get in. Based on Sean Koerner’s college basketball power rankings, these are the biggest snubs from the 2019 NCAA tournament.
Clemson (19-13, 9-9 ACC)
26th in Power Rankings
Advanced statistics say Brad Brownell's squad is a tourney team. Clemson ranks 35th in NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool), 29th in KenPom and 26th in Koerner’s power rankings.
On paper, the Tigers should be preparing for a first-round matchup, however, the committee couldn’t overlook a glaring hole in the team’s resume: 1-10 record in Quadrant 1 games. The Tigers had a chance to prove themselves but didn’t take care of business against the best teams in the nation.
Texas (16-16, 8-10 Big 12)
28th in Power Rankings
Wins over North Carolina, Purdue, Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State — all tournament teams — is impressive. But no team with a .500 record had ever made the NCAA tournament. That trend will continue this season.
NC State (22-11, 9-9 ACC)
29th in Power Rankings
Why did the Wolfpack not hear their name called on Selection Sunday? This is pretty easy to figure out. NC State’s nonconference strength of schedule ranked No. 353 — the worst in college basketball. It is one thing to play a cupcake schedule, it is another to play no one at all.
Nebraska (18-16, 6-14 Big Ten)
36th in Power Rankings
Blind resume:
- Team A: 10-10 record in Quad 1 and 2, two Quad 3 losses, strength of schedule (62nd)
- Teams B: 9-16 record in Quad 1 and 2, zero Quad 3 losses, strength of schedule (5th)
Team A is St. John’s, one of the last four teams in the tournament. As you might have guessed, Teams B is Nebraska. A much better strength of schedule and no bad losses for the Cornhuskers, but 14 losses in Big Ten play likely sent Nebraska to the NIT.
Penn State (14-18, 7-13 Big Ten)
38th in Power Rankings
If the Nittany Lions had finished above .500 they would have been in consideration for a bid, but now Penn State, last year’s NIT champion, has to hope for an invitation to defend its title. That is no guarantee.
Since 2007, in the current 32-team format, no sub-.500 team has made it and only one .500 team has earned a bid (North Carolina in 2010).
