When the NCAA tournament bracket gets unveiled 13 days from now, it’s easy to predict what one of the most common complaints will be.
Where are all the little guys?
Teams from outside college basketball’s six power conferences are in jeopardy of receiving a record-low number of at-large bids this year. BracketMatrix.com, a site that combines dozens of online mock brackets into one composite list, projects as of Monday that just four out of 36 available at-large bids will be awarded to teams hailing from mid-major conferences.
Four non-power-six at-large bids would match the modern low set in 2009 before the NCAA tournament expanded from 65 to 68 teams. Teams from outside the power conferences have averaged eight at-large bids since 2000 and have received as many as 12 back in 2004.
Of the handful of non-power-six teams even in contention for at-large bids this year, most should hardly be classified as mid-majors. Programs like Gonzaga, Cincinnati, Wichita State and Dayton charter flights to games, practice in top-notch facilities and pay their coaches millions of dollars, hardly the hallmarks of the small-conference Cinderellas that typically give the NCAA tournament its charm.
The dearth of mid-major at-large candidates this season stems largely from the underwhelming performance of three of Division I basketball’s 32 conferences.
The Mountain West, which sent as many as five teams to the NCAA tournament as recently as four years ago, is in grave jeopardy of being a one-bid league for the second straight year. Flagship programs San Diego State, New Mexico and UNLV have regressed and the rest of the league combined for just one victory over a top 50 opponent during non-conference play.
The Atlantic 10, which has averaged 4.2 NCAA tournament teams per season the past five years, is in nearly as dire a position. Only first-place Dayton and second-place VCU are likely to secure bids unless Rhode Island makes a late charge or a bid thief wins the league’s conference tournament.
The American Athletic Conference, which boasts a handful of name-brand programs, has also underachieved. With UConn enduring an injury-plagued season and Memphis and Temple both rebuilding, it would be a surprise if anyone besides SMU and Cincinnati reaches the NCAA tournament.
The rest of the premier mid-major conferences have performed at their typical levels. Illinois State and Wichita State are both in contention for at-large bids from the Valley. Saint Mary’s will almost certainly join Gonzaga from the WCC.
Yahoo