There are 345 Division-I teams in college basketball eligible for the postseason 2014 NCAA Tournament. Obviously, not every team can get an invite.
These teams were all on the bubble, but failed to make it into the field of 68.
There were some big upsets (NC State) and a few teams that deserved a nod, but were passed over. I honestly can’t believe the Wolfpack made it into the tourney.
Here is a list of bubble teams which had their bubble burst.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles (27-6) – Southern Miss was on the bubble last season as well and didn’t get in. The were the Conference USA regular season champions, but the 2/3rds of the conference was horrible. The don’t have any marquee wins and had a cake non-conference schedule.
Minnesota Golden Gophers (20-13) – Minnesota doesn’t have any marquee non-conference wins. They do have conference wins against Ohio State, Wisconsin and Iowa, but they went 8-10 in the Big Ten.
Florida State Seminoles (19-13) – Florida State played an above average non-conference schedule, but only won two games against a ranked team all year (VCU & UMass). They didn’t beat a single ranked team in conference play.
California Golden Bears (19-13) – Cal looked like they cemented a spot in the NCAA Tournament after beating then #1 ranked Arizona. The wheels came off a bit after that going 4-6, including losing their first game in the Pac 12 Tournament.
Arkansas Razorbacks (21-11) – I would have loved to see Razorbacks’ high-paced offense in the tournament, but they came up short. Their non-conference schedule was a joke. They weren’t helped by the SEC strength of schedule. Every team except Florida has double-digit losses. They do own two wins against Kentucky, but that’s it.
Missouri Tigers (22-11) – Like Arkansas, the SEC schedule hurt Mizzou. Their only win against a ranked team was against UCLA. They only faced two other ranked teams losing to Kentucky and twice to Florida.
Southern Methodist Mustangs (23-9) – I am utterly shocked SMU didn’t make the tournament. Larry Brown turned this team around and had wins against then-ranked teams UConn (twice) and Cincinnati.
Georgia State Panthers (25-8) – Georgia State needed to win the Sun Belt conference tournament. It’s a shame they didn’t win. Ryan Harrow would have been fun to watch in the tournament.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (20-12) – The Hilltoppers is also in the Sun Belt, but Louisiana-Lafayette earned the only Sun Belt spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Green Bay Phoenix (24-6) – Green Bay was the regular season Horizon League champions. They lost to Milwaukee in the conference tournament semifinal. Their 158 strength of schedule and an RPI of 57 isn’t quite good enough to earn a spot.
Belmont Bruins (24-9) – Belmont looked to be headed to the NCAA Tournament, but lost in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament final to Eastern Kentucky. Their schedule wasn’t strong enough for an at-large bid.
Indiana State Sycamores (23-10) – Indiana State had the best shot of any Indiana school to make the tournament, but they lost to Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament final.
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.