5 biggest March Madness snubs for the 2023 NCAA Tournament

1. Biggest March Madness Snubs – Rutgers Scarlet Knights

If you told a college basketball fan in mid-February that Rutgers would miss the NCAA Tournament they probably would have laughed in your face. The Scarlet Knights had proven themselves as tournament-worthy with some outstanding wins highlighted by a road win at Purdue, which should have been liquid gold on Rutgers’ team sheet.

Having a NET of 40 should have been enough for Rutgers to make the field on the strength of four Quad 1 wins. The problem is that the season didn’t end in mid-February and Rutgers limped down the stretch, dropping seven of their last ten games to fall out of the field.

That run included a pair of Quad 3 losses against Big Ten doormats Nebraska and Minnesota, making it four defeats in that quadrant when earlier setbacks against Temple and Seton Hall were factored in. A pitiful non-conference strength of schedule also hurt the Scarlet Knights as their best victory outside of Big Ten play came against a Wake Forest team that was nowhere close to the cutline.

It appears Rutgers’ biggest gripe would be with the fact that their 4 Quad 1 wins were passed over for an NC State team that went just 1-6 against the top quadrant. Poor scheduling and blown opportunities to take care of business cost the Scarlet Knights dearly but they do have the biggest gripe of any team that missed the dance in 2023.