1. Gonzaga gets a No. 1 seed, while Duke and Miami find one and only(a)self No. 2 seeds.
The Zags had the weakest strength of schedule ever by a No. 1 seed. But Mark Few's police squad up lost only two games all season, one of which came on a buzzer scolder at Butler. Miami may have won the ACC regular season and tournament titles, but losses to erupt Forest, Florida Gulf Coast and Indiana State had to weigh heavy on the committal's decision. And though Duke had a stellar season, particularly when Ryan Kelly was healthy, how could the blueish Devils gets a No. 1 seed over Miami?
BRACKET: Check come in the full field of 68
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The committee made the right call here. Also, you may be surprised to know that barb Vitale disagreed with the decision to put Duke at No. 2. (Though, to be fair, he also praised the committee for seeding Gonzaga as a top seed. whence he had cake while eating it too.)
(Getty)
2. Middle Tennessee State gets a bid.
The Blue Raiders were going to be a key faker in Selection Sunday either way. Their bid path the committee let in a team up with one boost over the RPI top 100. If MTSU didn't get a bid, the team would have had the most wins of any team ever left-hand(a) out of the tournament.
(AP)
3. Louisville gets the top overall seed and the Indianapolis regional to go with it.
It was all but assumed that Indiana's path to the nett Four would go through Indianapolis. But on the net weekend of the season, Louisville stormed through the Big East tournament and realise the berth in the nearby regional. Indiana will preferably travel to Washington D.C. for a potential (and juicy) Sweet 16 game with Syracuse.
(USA right away Sports)
4. Mid- studys gets the final at-large bids over teams from major conferences.
Where's Virginia? How about Tennessee? Et tu, Testudo? The biggest schools saw the little guys like capital of Idaho State, La Salle, MTSU and St. Mary's. I'd be giving a standing ovation, if it was workable to type while standing and applauding.
HAPPY DAYS: Teams celebrating Selection Sunday
The major conference teams with burst bubbles had countless opportunities to win their way into the tournament. Would Virginia beat La Salle in a best-of-seven series? Probably, but they didn't win the big games when it mattered. Give the little guy a triggerman to do so.
(USA TODAY Sports)
5. Kentucky stays home.
This wasn't a surprise in the moment -- the Wildcats weren't expected to receive a bid on Sunday. However, they break down the first team in more than 25 years to be ranked in the top tether to start the season and miss the tournament. They're also the fifth argue champion of the modern tournament to miss out on next year's tourney, joining North Carolina (2010), Florida (2008), Kansas (1989) and Louisville (1987).
(USA TODAY Sports)
6. North Carolina vs. Kansas in deuce-ace round?
Roy Williams returns to Kansas City for the NCAA tournament and could face his old team in the third round. If that's just dumb luck (as the extract committee will insist), it's dumb luck of the delicious variety.
(USA TODAY Sports)
7. They did a fine job.
To be honest, Selection Sunday has become a lot less fun over the other(prenominal) few years. Whether because of the popularity of bracketology, the addition of quaternity more bubble teams or an increased reliance on worthwhile metrics, the selection committee has done great work over the past four years. Any complaints about the field are half-hearted, at best. The snubbed teams ne'er have much of a beef and seeding errors aren't as master(prenominal) as the media makes them out to be. It will always take six wins to cut down the nets, whether you're a No. 1, No. 16 or anywhere in between.
Materials taken from USA Today
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