Getty Indiana Hoosiers guard Romeo Langford
There may be nothing worse in all of sports than being a fan of a college basketball team on the bubble who winds up just missing out on the NCAA tournament. And just like every year previously, there’s a great debate on at least a few teams who the committee made a mistake on. Not surprisingly, the 2019 NCAA Tournament was no different as a number of teams were left out who had a strong resume.
But with the field set and March Madness officially set to get underway, a few teams will be on their way to the NIT after getting snubbed by the committee. We’re going to take a look at a few of those teams, and while this won’t come as a surprise, a few of these teams have very legitimate reasons to be frustrated after being left out.
Let’s kick things off a team from arguably the toughest conference in the country who many believed would be in after a first-round win during the conference tournament.
Biggest 2019 NCAA Tournament Snubs
GettyNC State guard Markell Johnson
NC State Wolfpack (22-11, 9-9 in ACC)
A statement made by the announcers after the North Carolina State Wolfpack defeated the Clemson Tigers in what was dubbed as an NCAA tournament play-in game sums this up best. They stated that there should be eight teams from the ACC in the field and after NC State took down Clemson, it was expected they would be that team.
But some kickback came about their non-conference schedule and the fact that they didn’t defeat any top-tier teams. A four-point loss to the Wisconsin Badgers hurt but considering they faced a brutal ACC schedule, this was a tough out.
The real kicker here for the Wolfpack is that they defeated the Auburn Tigers earlier this season, a team who just won the SEC tournament. Not only that, but they defeated the Tennessee Volunteers by 20 in the title game.
Indiana Hoosiers (17-15, 8-12 in Big Ten)
On the one hand, it’s easy to look at a 17-15 record and argue that it makes sense for the Indiana Hoosiers to be on the outside looking in. On the other, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Along with their 26-point win over the Marquette Golden Eagles earlier this season, they defeated the Louisville Cardinals, Butler Bulldogs, Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan State Spartans twice.
That’s a solid group of wins, but a brutal stretch in which they lost 12 of 13 games nearly derailed their season. The Hoosiers finished out the year by winning four-straight heading into the Big Ten tournament, but an early exit against the Ohio State Buckeyes may have doomed their chances.
TCU Horned Frogs (20-13, 7-11 in Big 12)
I was on the fringe about the Horned Frogs, but this was a tough blow after seeing a few surprising teams get the nod over them. It seems the biggest issue for TCU was the fact that they lost an early-season game to Lipscomb and were unable to pick up potential resume-building wins along the way.
Their non-conferences schedule wasn’t overwhelmingly tough and aside from defeating Iowa State twice, they didn’t grab any big-time wins which would bolster the outlook. Their loss to the Kansas State Wildcats in round two of the Big 12 tournament may have been what did them in when all was said and done.
Creighton Blue Jays (18-14, 9-9 in Big East)
The Creighton Blue Jays were among a four-team group that all tied for the No. 3 spot in the Big East. But even with an 18-14 record, many believed they were right on the NCAA tournament fringe. Their seeding in the Big East Tournament led to a crucial matchup with the Xavier Musketeers, which could have potentially been a “win and get in” situation.
Unfortunately, Creighton suffered a narrow 63-61 loss in that game and pairing that with a tough midseason stretch was enough to derail their tournament hopes. They lost five of six from late January to mid-February, each of which came against tournament teams. Early-season losses to the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Oklahoma Sooners and Ohio State Buckeyes also could have helped their tournament resume.
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