There's something to making the NCAA tournament. There's a prestige. There's an excitement. There's the feeling of glory that comes from earning their team's name on a bracket line. But how you earn your spot differs from squad to squad. For nearly half of the field, the "tickets" are provided from the automatic bid of the conference tourney title. For many, the passage through to playing in mid-March is achieved from great play over four months of parquet exams. For a select few, though, the invitations may be more based on potential and reputation than actual results.
It's a well-known fact that conference strength is a huge boost when the NCAA selection committee decides the at-large bids for its postseason. The most powerful of leagues get more benefit of the doubt when it comes to leeway and losses. The ultimate evidence of this is the number 0.
* Over the last quarter-century, 60 teams out of the 1,598 tournament entries sported losing non-conference records.
* Thirty-four of those specific participants were at-large bids.
* All of these 34 teams originated from the six most powerful leagues in the game (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC), meaning zero mid-major teams with below .500 league records were offered a seat at the tourney.
* Thirty of the 34 squads were 2 games in the red for that season's conference schedule, meaning that one single result flip would put that league record at even.
All of the above means that 4 times in the previous 25 years, tourney tickets were provided for teams with conference results fairly below average levels.
Needless to say, holding a decidedly sub-par league mark is rare when it comes to getting in to March Madness. However, this season may be a pivot point when regarding the strength of a conference and the ability to earn a postseason, bid despite lack of league success. As the Tuesday night slate of games is running its course, many teams well below .500 have pretty consensus consideration for the tournament (among media types).
Indiana (7-9), Ohio State (7-10), and Nebraska (7-10) are all Big Ten squads in bubble consideration. Each of them have at least one game against another of the triumvirate over the next two weeks (the Buckeyes close with these other two). With losing league records pretty much guaranteed, can any of the three make a last-minute run to stay afloat?
West Virginia (7-9) is teetering on the edge of an even Big 12 mark. They should probably be favored in three of their last four matchups. A couple of losses, though, may trigger a need for the Mountaineers to make a deep run in Kansas City.
The biggest watch, however, will be in the SEC. As I type this, I'm watching Georgia finish off a huge victory over #3 Florida. This win moves the Bulldogs to 5-10 in the conference. As I mentioned in my last column, the conference's otherworldly non-conference record gave many schools a ton of wiggle room ... but how wide of a berth should be allowed?
Vanderbilt (6-8) appears to be in the steadiest position, at the moment. It's the group below them that are attracting the eyeballs. Texas (5-9), Arkansas (5-9), the Dawgs, and Oklahoma (4-10) seem to be in line for a minimum sweat on Selection Sunday. If these potentials lose out, will their names be called for a seed line? Hard pass. However, would a 6-12 record and a win in Nashville merit more than just consideration?
So, why all of this consternation over the final at-large spots in the field. Well, just ask the preeminent broadcaster in the game. Dick Vitale's comments over the weekend will probably fall on deaf ears when the committee makes their choices. And, yes, having a great win percentage in the AAC, MVC, Mountain West, or WCC isn't quite the same. But how much of a leg-up will participation in a Power conference provide you? Looks like we're going to find out in a few weeks.
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