From Here to Futility: March Madness Can Turn to Sadness Via Single Game
The alluring "Road to the Final Four" is a highway already lined with daydreamers and potholes. Davidson was burned before (26-7 in 2008-09), but secured an at-large berth last season despite failing to capture Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament. The same didn't hold true for Toledo with same worksheet while Chattanooga avoided similar fate via buzzer-beater Hail Mary. Holy Toledo! The Rockets exploded on the NCAA launch pad again this year despite 27 triumphs. It defies logic why so many mid-majors have been consigned to NIT participation at the expense of power-league members with non-winning conference records. Belmont, which lost to #6 seed Maryland by two points four years ago, was shunned two seasons ago despite being the only school in the country with as many victories as unbeaten Gonzaga (26). Adding insult to injury, Belmont wasn't even invited to participate in the NIT's 2021 16-team field. It's as absurd as believing FBI probe involving Louisville, Oklahoma State and Southern California didn't impact their at-large status five seasons ago.
Rather than automatically focusing on underachieving middle-of-the-pack power-alliance affiliates with losing league records, shouldn't teams capturing undisputed regular-season crowns in a Division I conference warrant more extensive consideration as at-large entrants to the NCAA playoffs? Season-long excellence needs to count more than always paying homage to mediocre members of a power league.
Davidson had two of 11 teams from mid-major conferences - Lafayette '78, American '81, Temple '82, William & Mary '83, Coppin State '94, Davidson '96, Austin Peay '04, Davidson '05, Norfolk State '13, Murray State '15 and North Carolina Central '15 - 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.
Saint Mary's is a classic example depicting why many mid-level schools have an inferiority complex. The Gaels five years ago, UNC Greensboro four seasons ago and Coastal Carolina in 2010-11 are the three teams to win 28 games and still be shunned by the committee. Utah State was shunned in 2003-04 despite winning nearly 90% of its games (25-3 record). Would Stephen F. Austin had been shunned three years ago with 30 wins if it lost in Southland Conference Tournament title tilt? SFA (.871 in 2012-13) is also the only shunned school with a higher winning percentage than Belmont (.867).
Prior to joining the Big East Conference, Creighton's splendid season 12 years ago was downplayed. Know-it-all national media types and committee members may haughtily belittle mid-major 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:
NOTE: Cleveland State (defeated Indiana and Wake Forest), College of Charleston (Maryland), Colorado State (Colorado, Florida and Missouri), Creighton (Alabama, Florida, Louisville and Texas), Davidson (Georgetown, St. John's and Wisconsin), Illinois State (Alabama, Southern California and Tennessee), Liberty (Mississippi State), Louisiana-Lafayette (Oklahoma and Texas), Louisiana Tech (Ohio State and Pittsburgh), North Texas (Purdue), ORU (Louisville and Syracuse), Saint Mary's (Villanova), SIU (Arizona, Georgia, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech), Stephen F. Austin (West Virginia), Toledo (Iowa), UAB (Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan State, Missouri, Virginia and Washington), Valparaiso (Florida State and Mississippi) and Vermont (Syracuse) collectively won NCAA playoff games in other years against a total of 35 different power-conference members (including 17 in this year's event).