March Madness 2021: Louisville and the 5 biggest NCAA Tournament snubs

The March Madness 2021 bracket has been revealed but these five teams got snubbed not being enlisted among the 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament field. 

College basketball fans can celebrate for the simple fact that March Madness is on track to actually take place. The 2021 NCAA Tournament taking place solely in Indianapolis will be a welcome sight after COVID-19 forced the cancelation of the tourney last year. And on Selection Sunday, the bracket for the field of 68 teams was revealed.

While there were some no-doubt top seeds when the 2021 March Madness bracket was revealed, the likes of Gonzaga, Baylor and Illinois, there were several bid thieves like Oregon State and Georgetown that won their conference tournaments to punch their tickets to the Big Dance. But in doing so, they made the situation on the bubble all the more tenuous.

In the end, the Michigan State Spartans, UCLA Bruins, Wichita State Shockers and Drake Bulldogs were the Last Four In for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. However, while those teams had their merits, there were some snubs that just as easily could’ve been included in the field of 68.

With that in mind, let’s look at the five biggest March Madness snubs from the 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket.

Biggest March Madness snubs from the 2021 NCAA Tournament

5. Boise State Broncos (18-8)

In the end, it might’ve been a four-game losing streak to finish the year, including a first-round upset loss to Nevada in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, that doomed the Boise State Broncos from making it into the NCAA Tournament field. But even then, it’s hard to fully justify Derrick Alston Jr. and his team not getting into March Madness.

With two Quad 1 wins on the year and ranking 37th in the RPI, the Broncos built an impressive overall résume to get into the mix. It’s hard to believe that there are a full 68 teams (and actually 72 teams as they weren’t in the Last Four Out) better than Boise State.

4. Ole Miss Rebels (16-11)

The overall record for the Rebels doesn’t look particularly impressive but there is a strong case for Ole Miss to be in the field of 68 given their best wins. They were 3-5 in Quad 1 games and a solid 4-4 in Quad 2 games. That also includes some dominant wins against the likes of Missouri.

Ole Miss losing to LSU in the SEC Tournament was likely the final blow to keep them out of the tournament as the Rebels also suffered a troublesome pair of Quad 3 losses. But based on their best wins, fans in Oxford can definitely cry that their team got snubbed.

3. Saint Louis Billikens (14-6)

Few teams were hit as hard by the COVID-19 season than Saint Louis as the Billikens were off the court for over a month. Moreover, it’s worth noting that the A-10 program was also wildly unsuccessful when they had to play on the road in comparison to their performance on their home floor.

But while that’s the case for why the Billikens weren’t snubbed, the good things they did accomplish are tough to argue with. Saint Louis went 2-2 in Quad 1 and in Quad 2 games as well. Moreover, they ranked 47th according to KenPom efficiency, the sixth-highest among teams to miss the NCAA Tournament and the team with the best winning percentage among that group.

2. Louisville Cardinals (13-7)

There were two things that hurt the Cardinals’ case to make it into March Madness. First, like Saint Louis, COVID-19 simply limited the number of games they played this season. Secondly, they went just 1-6 in Quad 1 games, which doesn’t speak well of their performance against the top teams they played.

While that all may be true, Louisville’s quality was on display as they went 12-1 in all other games outside of Quad 1. It honestly feels as if the selection committee snubbed the Cardinals based on an upset ACC Tournament loss to Duke and, if that’s the case, that’s tough to swallow.

1. Colorado State Rams (18-6)

Of all the teams in the Last Four Out and that were snubbed, Colorado State stands out the most. For starters, they won every game they were supposed to, posting a pristine 14-0 record against Quad 3 and 4 opponents on the year. Moreover, they posted two Quad 1 wins, even if they had four losses on their ledger.

The Rams were one of only two teams to win at San Diego State this season and they played arguably a tougher schedule given the home-road splits than another Mountain West team, Utah State, that got in the tournament — even if they lost to the Aggies in the conference tourney. If you’re a Colorado State fan, you have a big, worthwhile gripe with the committee after Selection Sunday.

For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.