Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
2009 NCAA selection committee chairman Mike Slive
OK, let me rephrase: It's too bad those mega-games weren't valued the same way that late-season games were during recent seasons by the NCAA selection committee. Starting next season, that changes:
The Division I Men's Basketball Committee has decided to no longer consider the results of a team's last 12 games as one of the tools available in the selection criteria for the 2009-10 season.While the basketball committee uses several variables when it comes to selecting the 34 at-large teams that are placed into the bracket each March, its members concluded that college basketball stakeholders were confused by the last 12 games being part of the process.
"As the committee continues to hone its message regarding how it views the season, parsing a particular segment of games and implying it had greater weight than others seemed misleading and inconsistent," said committee chair and Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive. "The removal of this reference avoids confusion in the room and brings our reporting in line with our process."
What does it mean? It means if Mid-Major University defeats Big State U. during December, that win won't be overshadowed by, say, the fact that MMU lost three games late in a scrappy mid-major league late in the season.
How many times in recent years have we watched a team perceived to be on the bubble make a ridiculous leap up the seed lines with a spirited conference tournament run? I'm looking at you, 2006 Syracuse Orangemen.
So a tip of the cap to the NCAA for getting this one right. It makes me almost as excited as the new block/charge rules. Wait, they're not painting a semi-circle on the floor? Oh no.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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Actually, it doesn’t mean what you think it means at all.
All the looking at the last 12 games (prior to this it was last 10 games) meant was to determine if a team was on a ‘winning streak’ coming into the tourney. Most of the mid-major teams usually benefitted from this, since their competition is usually weaker and they would be 11-1 or 10-2 down the stretch while at-large super conference teams were likely 7-5 or 8-4.
With so few mid-majors getting chosen as at-larges this past NCAA tournament, they cried ‘foul’, citing the last 12 criteria for why some of them should have been chosen over super-conference teams who did get chosen.
by omnicarrier on Jul 2, 2009 6:33 AM EDT reply actions
Remember, this is midmajor teams who were strong during the regular season but were upset in their tourneys. The hope was getting teams like Davidson and St. Mary’s from last year into the dance.
by faustus1500 on Jul 2, 2009 1:53 PM EDT reply actions
Remember, this is midmajor teams who were strong during the regular season but were upset in their tourneys. The hope was getting teams like Davidson and St. Mary’s from last year into the dance.
by faustus1500 on Jul 2, 2009 2:52 PM EDT reply actions
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