From Here to Futility: Why Were Belmont and Green Bay Consigned to NIT?

March 13th, 2014 - 6:28

The "Road to the Final Four" is a highway lined with daydreamers and potholes. But it defies logic why Belmont (Ohio Valley) and Green Bay (Horizon League) were promptly consigned to NIT participation after losing in their conference tournaments as No. 1 seeds. Rather than automatically focusing on underachieving middle-of-the-pack power alliance affiliates, shouldn't 24-win teams warrant extensive consideration as at-large entrants to the NCAA playoffs after defeating ACC marquee members North Carolina (Belmont) and Virginia (Green Bay)?

Season-long excellence needs to count more than always paying homage to a power league. Actually, we got a pretty clear picture the ACC is down this season in pre-league play when Boston College (lost to Massachusetts), Miami, FL (UCF), North Carolina State (North Carolina Central), Notre Dame (Indiana State) and Virginia (VCU) bowed at home against in-state mid-majors. How could anyone get a reading on Pittsburgh when the Panthers played such a lame non-conference slate?

Davidson had two of nine teams from mid-major conferences - Lafayette '78, American '81, Temple '82, William & Mary '83, Coppin State '94, Davidson '96, Austin Peay '04, Davidson '05 and Norfolk State '13 - going undefeated in league round-robin regular-season competition but not participating in the NCAA playoffs after losing by a single-digit margin in their conference tournament since at-large bids were issued to schools other than conference champions in 1975.

Stephen F. Austin, rejected for the second time in six years in 2013 despite a sterling 27-4 worksheet, is a classic example depicting why many mid-level schools have an inferiority complex. Utah State was shunned in 2003-04 despite winning nearly 90% of its games (25-3 record). Louisiana Tech (27-7) and Southern Mississippi (27-6) became the 15th and 16th schools in the last eight seasons denied an at-large bid despite posting in excess of 25 victories.

Prior to joining the Big East Conference, Creighton's splendid season five years ago was downplayed. Jay Bilas and other know-it-all national media types may haughtily belittle their achievements because they're from the other side of the tracks, but following is an alarmingly long track record listing chronologically eligible teams winning more than 25 games yet failing to earn invitations to the NCAA playoffs since the field expanded to at least 64 in 1985:

Season School Conference Coach W-L Pct.
1986-87 Howard University Mid-Eastern Athletic A.B. Williamson 26-5 .839
1989-90 Southern Illinois Missouri Valley Rich Herrin 26-7 .788
2006-07 Akron Mid-American Keith Dambrot 26-7 .788
2007-08 IUPUI Summit League Ron Hunter 26-7 .788
2007-08 Robert Morris Northeast Mike Rice Jr. 26-7 .788
2007-08 Stephen F. Austin Southland Danny Kaspar 26-5 .839
2008-09 College of Charleston Southern Bobby Cremins 26-8 .765
2008-09 Davidson Southern Bob McKillop 26-7 .788
2008-09 Creighton Missouri Valley Dana Altman 26-7 .788
2008-09 Niagara Metro Atlantic Athletic Joe Mihalich 26-8 .765
2008-09 Saint Mary's West Coast Randy Bennett 26-6 .813
2010-11 Cleveland State Horizon League Gary Waters 26-8 .765
2010-11 Coastal Carolina Big South Cliff Ellis 28-5 .848
2011-12 Drexel Colonial Athletic Association Bruiser Flint 27-6 .818
2011-12 Oral Roberts Summit League Scott Sutton 27-6 .818
2012-13 Stephen F. Austin Southland Danny Kaspar 27-4 .871
2013-14 Louisiana Tech Conference USA Michael White 27-7 .794
2013-14 Southern Mississippi Conference USA Donnie Tyndall 27-6 .818

NOTE: Cleveland State (defeated Indiana and Wake Forest), College of Charleston (Maryland), Creighton (Alabama, Florida, Louisville and Texas), Davidson (Georgetown, St. John's and Wisconsin), Louisiana Tech (Ohio State and Pittsburgh), ORU (Louisville and Syracuse), Saint Mary's (Villanova) and SIU (Arizona, Georgia, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech) collectively won NCAA playoff games in other years against 18 different power conference members.