NCAA Tournament 2018: 5 biggest snubs on Selection Sunday
3. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Record: 23-7
RPI Ranking: 33
Conference (C-USA) RPI ranking: 15
SOS: 90
Non-Conference SOS: 10
Top 100 RPI/Quality wins:
- at Murray State (48)
- Western Kentucky/ at Western Kentucky — twice (39)
- at Old Dominion (78)
Early season wins at Vanderbilt (132) and at home against Ole Miss (141) were washed away due to those SEC foes underperforming in conference play.
Close Calls:
- Auburn (15): Lost 70-76
- USC (34): Lost 84-89
- Miami (FL), RPI of 28: Lost 81-84
As committee chairman Bruce Rasmussen stated in his post-March Madness reveal interview, close losses don’t count for much. It’s understandable to a certain extent, but the Raider competed in all three of those close losses.
And, their resume isn’t bare either with quality wins and have the 10th toughest non-conference SOS, which should be worth something — but it wasn’t (somehow). Also, twelve true road wins. The fact Middle Tennessee received a three-seed in the NIT shows the committee did not even pay attention. Like, not at all.
Jay Bilas on MTSU: “If this were the 68 best teams playing, Middle Tennessee would be in in a walk. They’d be in in a walk. But this is a populist tournament.” pic.twitter.com/gYQbwQfnjV
— Erik Bacharach (@ErikBacharach) March 11, 2018
Jay Bilas hits the nail on the head. Middle Tennessee should not have been a bubble team, but about an eight or nine seed.