For 65 teams across the nation, this is the happiest time of the year. Of course that number will slowly dwindle starting tonight at 6 p.m., but for now, this is the happiest time of the year.
For these 65 teams, their goals have been accomplished. For at least the next few days, teams like Oakland University can claim to be on equal ground with Illinois.
But while these teams finish celebrating their selections to college basketball’s most prestigious post-season tournament, several other teams are agonizing over their tournament snubs. With that in mind, I’d like to take some time to look at a few of those snubs and talk about just why they didn’t make it.
Maryland Terrapins 16-12, 7-9 RPI: 65 SOS: 15
I’ve got three words that explain why the Terps didn’t make the Big Dance: the Clemson Tigers. For whatever reason, Gary Williams’ squad had no answer for the Tigers this season. Maryland couldn’t beat them on the road at Littlejohn Coliseum, they couldn’t beat them at home in the Comcast Center and they couldn’t beat them at a neutral setting at the MCI Center in the conference tournament. And the funny part is, Clemson only had five conference wins this season, two coming from the Terps.
A 16-12 overall record doesn’t get any team into the tourney, unless you win your conference tournament. The only reason Maryland garnered a modicum of consideration for a bid was because of their pair of victories over Duke, and that just isn’t a good enough resume.
The Terps also struggled down the stretch, dropping their final four contests, including their third loss to Clemson. With guard John Gilchrist playing streaky, and the loss of D.J. Strawberry for the season the Terps just didn’t have enough offense to win the close games. When it came down to it, Maryland suffered from playing in the ACC where the midlevel teams pounded each other out of the tourney.
Miami (Ohio) Redhawks 19-10, 12-6 RPI: 28 SOS: 48
If any team has a reason to be angry by their snub it’s the Redhawks. Miami won the regular season Mid American Conference title, only to lose to the Ohio Bobcats in the MAC tournament finale.
In the underrated MAC conference, 12 wins is quite a feat. Miami picked up big wins against fellow bubble teams Buffalo and Wichita State. Their victory over Wichita State came at a time when the Shockers were 18-5 and one of the most highly touted Cinderella stories in the nation. However, a late season loss to league doormat Marshall really hurt the team’s at-large chances.
Led by seniors Danny Horace and Chet Mason, who combined for nearly 29 points per game, the Redhawks would have been a much more formidable opponent at the No. 11 seed than the Northern Iowa Panthers. The Redhawks became the latest victim of the conference tournament setup, playing themselves out of the Big Dance with their tournament loss in a one-bid conference.
Indiana Hoosiers 15-13, 10-6 RPI: 79 SOS: 23
Indiana was given the benefit of the doubt. They struggled through their non-conference schedule, which included games against top-25 teams Kentucky, UConn and North Carolina, posting a dismal 5-7 record. But Mike Davis’ squad turned it up in the Big Ten season. They notched 10 victories, including a win over then No. 9-ranked Michigan State.
The Hoosiers strength of schedule worked in their favor, and a strong showing in the Big Ten tournament could have punched their ticket to the tourney, but Indiana flopped. In a must-win game against Minnesota at the Big Ten tournament, Indiana was embarrassed 71-55 by the Golden Gophers. The loss cemented the Hoosiers exclusion from the dance.
To add insult to injury, Indiana made history with their snub, becoming the first eligible 10-win Big Ten team to not be invited to the tournament.
The bottom line is that the Hoosiers couldn’t handle the pressure. They dealt with a suicidal early season schedule. They survived a season of speculation surrounding the departure of head coach Mike Davis. But this young squad wasn’t ready to survive the pressure of making it to the tourney.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 17-11, 9-7 RPI: 92 SOS: 109
It’s true that the Fighting Irish compete in the toughest college basketball conference in the nation, but much like Indiana, Notre Dame flopped in crunch time.
The athletic Notre Dame team fell on hard times near the end of the year, dropping four of their last five. But the nail in the coffin was their loss to Rutgers to open the Big East tournament. The Scarlet Knights had won only two conference games before their win over the Irish.
The Irish’s reliance on outside shooting became their Achilles’ heel all season. Their top three scorers, Chris Thomas, Chris Quinn and Colin Falls, were all primarily jump shooters. When the trio wasn’t hitting shots, the Irish rarely won. And struggling was far from out of the question for this trio of guards, as only Quinn shot better than 40 percent from the field.
Notre Dame did record big wins over tournament teams UConn, Boston College and Villanova. But none of these victories came on the road. The only tournament-bound team the Irish defeated on the road was the West Virginia Mountaineers, who used a strong Big East tournament showing to grab a bid.
The Irish’s late season struggles, combined with a strength of schedule and RPI rating both over 90, kept Mike Brey’s squad home this March.
