Ten highest rated teams to miss the Tournament (NIT seed given):
33. NC State (2)
35. Clemson (2)
38. Texas (2)
41. Furman (3)
46. Memphis (3)
48. Nebraska (4)
49. Lipscomb (5)
50. Penn St (none)
52. TCU (1)
53. Creighton (2)
Ten lowest rated teams to earn an at-large (seed given):
73. St. John’s (11)
63. Arizona St (11)
61. Minnesota (10)
57. Seton Hall (10)
56. Temple (11)
55. Ohio St (11)
47. Belmont (11)
45. Washington (9)
43. Iowa (10)
42. Syracuse (8)
Ten highest rated teams to miss the Tournament (NIT seed given):
31. NC State (2)
33. UNC-Greensboro (1)
43. Clemson (2)
44. TCU (1)
46. Indiana (1)
51. Nebraska (4)
55. Alabama (1)
56. Furman (3)
57. Texas (2)
58. Creighton (2)
Ten lowest rated teams to earn an at-large (seed given):
54. Arizona State (11)
53. St. John’s (11)
50. Florida (10)
48. Baylor (9)
47. Temple (11)
45. Mississippi (8)
41. Seton Hall (10)
40. Belmont (11)
39. VCU (8)
38. UCF (9)
Ten highest rated teams to miss the Tournament (NIT seed given):
29. Clemson (2)
30. Texas (2)
33. NC State (2)
39. Nebraska (4)
40. Penn St (-)
42. Indiana (1)
48. TCU (1)
50. Creighton (2)
53. Lipscomb (5)
56. Furman (3)
Ten lowest rated teams to earn an at-large (seed given):
78. St. John’s (11)
76. Temple (11)
61. Arizona St (11)
55. Seton Hall (10)
54. Belmont (11)
51. Washington (9)
47. Minnesota (10)
46. UCF (9)
45. Ohio St (11)
44. Mississippi (8)
The one improvement of the NET is that it’s not as easily manipulable, and it doesn’t so badly punish teams for some garbage teams on their schedule. The fact that NC State was even in the at-large consideration was an improvement, as the old RPI would have dumped them all the way to 97th, far outside where they would have been considered. The NET acknowledge NC State’s garbage non-conference schedule, ranking it dead last in the nation (353rd), but still rated them 33rd, keeping them in the at-large discussion until the final day. NC State’s athletic director whined about them being left out despite a high NET, but that’s just a misunderstanding of how computer ratings have ever been used.
But all of these are teams just one seed line off, and it’s hard to complain too much about that. The days of teams getting mystifying seeds three or four lines off of where they deserved seem to be over.
Why? Because everybody reads social media now. The Selection Committee members can all read the Bracket Matrix and know that they’re going to get creamed on social media if they whiff badly. I was arguing on Sunday that Belmont would get an at-large bid specifically because of social media – that they had become the avatar for those frustrated by the lack of mid-major representation in the at-large bids.