From Here to Futility: Three Schools With > 25 Wins Denied At-Large Bids

March 12th, 2017 - 17:47

The "Road to the Final Four" is a highway lined with daydreamers and potholes. But it defies logic why a total of three mid-major schools with more than 25 victories were consigned to NIT participation. Akron and Monmouth were shunned second successive season as a total of 26 teams in the last 11 campaigns were denied an at-large bid despite posting in excess of 25 victories.

Rather than automatically focusing on underachieving middle-of-the-pack power-alliance affiliates, 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. Actually, we got a pretty clear picture this season showing the power conferences really weren't all that powerful. Doubt many committee members know the following at-large entrants lost in previous tourneys to the following mid-majors: Florida (bowed to Colorado State and Creighton), Louisville (Creighton and Oral Roberts), Maryland (College of Charleston), Southern California (Illinois State), Virginia Tech (Southern Illinois), Wake Forest (Cleveland State) and Wisconsin (Davidson).

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.

Illinois State, rejected despite a sterling 27-6 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).

Prior to joining the Big East Conference, Creighton's splendid season eight 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:

Season Mid-Major 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
2014-15 Colorado State Mountain West Larry Eustachy 27-6 .818
2014-15 Iona Metro Atlantic Athletic Tim Cluess 26-8 .765
2015-16 Akron Mid-American Keith Dambrot 26-8 .765
2015-16 Monmouth Metro Atlantic Athletic King Rice 27-7 .794
2015-16 Saint Mary's West Coast Randy Bennett 27-5 .844
2015-16 UAB Conference USA Jerod Haase 26-6 .813
2015-16 Valparaiso Horizon League Bryce Drew 26-6 .813
2016-17 Akron Mid-American Keith Dambrot 26-8 .765
2016-17 Illinois State Missouri Valley Dan Muller 27-6 .818
2016-17 Monmouth Metro Atlantic Athletic King Rice 27-6 .818

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), 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 22 different power conference members.