NCAA Tournament Selection

Question
Hi Bret,

I'm not sure whether or not this question lies within your expertise, but your description was the closest I could find.

I'm wondering if regular season (non-exhibition) games vs. Division II opponents are considered by the selection committee of the Division I Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. I understand that games vs. Division II opponents don't factor into the RPI, but is the committee even allowed to consider the result? For example, could a loss to a Division II opponent be considered a proverbial "bad loss"? Or is the particular game just not even "admitted as evidence"?  Thanks, Michael

Answer
Michael,


Thirty one teams gain automatic entry into the tournament by winning their conference's championship, commonly through winning a conference tournament. Or in the sole case of the Ivy league, the regular season title.

The remaining 37 teams for men, 33 for women rely on the selection committee to award them an "at large bid" in the tournament.  The selection process generally takes place on Selection Sunday and the days leading up to it.  This is also when the brackets and seeds are released to the public.  There is a lot more to how the selection committee chooses the teams but this is a snapshot explanation.

I hope that helped out. Thank for the question. March Madness happens to be my favorite time of year for sports. Nothing beats high level college basketball, Not even the NBA.