Wow UC got screwed

[Hoosier Red]

Who let Nancy onto the selection comittee?

[Reds4Life]

Yes we did, BIG TIME. Air Force is in over UC? Give me a break, they didn't beat a single RPI top 50 team all season.

This is friggin unreal.

[OnBaseMachine]

Alabama or Air Force over UC? Horrible.

Alabama went 17-12 and only had three or four key wins and still made it. I can think of a few team with as many quality wins as Alabama that didn't make it.

[KittyDuran]

Yes we did, BIG TIME. Air Force is in over UC? Give me a break, they didn't beat a single RPI top 50 team all season.

This is friggin unreal.

And the guys at CBS are giving the selection committee what for too... :

[Cyclone792]

I'd like to see how many games Air Force would have won had they played in the Big East this season.

What a joke.

[OnBaseMachine]

USC, who I know had zero shot at making the NCAA tourney, had just as an impressive resume as Alabama and SC may not even make the NIT. Cincy should have made it over 'Bama and Air Force.

[Reds4Life]

I know Zimpher and Thomas were planning on a tourney bid to help buy them some slack with the coaching hire, this is probably the last thing they wanted to see.

The pressure on them just went up about 3 levels. It's going to ignite the Huggins debate all over again.

[Freddie_Free]

This is almost as bad as GW getting an 8...

[Blimpie]

I agree that Air Force and even George Mason should not have gotten in over UC--but Alabama DID deserve the nod IMO.

Last year, Mark Gottfried (Bama Coach) was ticked off when they were passed over for the tourney. He was told then that it was because their non-SEC schedule was too weak. So, this year, Bama went out and scheduled a far tougher schedule than the previous year. Their RPI and conference record alone should have gotten them in this year.

Edited to show non-conference foes:

Cincinnati
Murray St.
Illinois St.
Holy Cross
Dayton
Memphis
Vandy
Ohio
Tennessee Tech
Arkansas-Monticello
LSU
Miami (OH)
NC A&T
Xavier

Alabama
Miami (OH)
Memphis
Alabama St
Louisiana Tech
Winthrop
Notre Dame
Temple
Georgia St
NC State
Jackson St
Oklahoma
Birmingham Southern

My take:

I give UC major props for scheduling LSU out of conference. Vandy and Memphis are tough, but Bama played both of them and had LSU twice. Xavier is a good one that Bama did not play.

Alabama had NC State and Oklahoma out of conference. They also played a pretty good Big East foe in Notre Dame (as did UC, of course). Winthrop is better than most people think, too.

Basically, if either Air Force or George Mason are out, you still have room for UC. Hell, I think Creighton deserved a nod over either or those two. The Big East was definitely tought this year than the SEC, but the non-conference RPI still holds much weight with the committee.

[reds1869]

I'm one Xavier fan who agrees with you. UC is much better than Air Force or Alabama either one. Granted, I still think it's pretty funny. <ducking>

[Reds4Life]

This is almost as bad as GW getting an 8...

I had GW at about a 5/6. The injury to Pops and the horrible schedule (3rd worst non-conference schedule in all of Division 1) killed them.

Air Force over UC, I still can't believe. I need a drink.

[KittyDuran]

I had GW at about a 5/6. The injury to Pops and the horrible schedule (3rd worst non-conference schedule in all of Division 1) killed them.

Air Force over UC, I still can't believe. I need a drink.

This thread might help with some ideas...

http://www.redszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43684

[WMR]

Dang, I can't believe UC got left out... that's horrible. If anyone deserved to get in, they did.

[TeamBoone]

I'm sick; just sick.

The 7th toughest schedule in the country! 8-8 in their first year of the Big East. At least it's comforting to hear the commentators also bemoaning the fact that UC was overlooked... but it really doesn't help me feel better. I didn't think the head guy on the selection committee was very convincing in defending the Alabama and AF selections... I don't think the commentators did either. (what's his name? Littlepage?)

Sick; just sick. It's ruined the entire tournament for me, and I'm usually so excited.

PS - I'm glad to see the Muskies make it.

[Reds4Life]

This is from the editor of the Louisville Sports Report, these guys have tons of connections to the L'Ville AD's office and to Pitino himself.

If this is true NANCY ZIMPHER SHOULD BE FIRED TOMORROW AT 8AM.

Interesting info: Cincinnati left out.

So we're hearing that Cincinnati's new President Nancy Zimpher and their brand-new A.D. didn't necessarily lobby for the Bearcats to make the NCAA Tournament this season, despite finishing 8-8 in the Big East and 19-12 overall.

The word on the street says they were a little tense with Kennedy until it became completely clear they had no intention of hiring him as the head coach, which is when he brought in Bob Huggins for the last regular season game for Senior Night. Apparently, that made the UC academes so angry they had no intention of pushing to hard for their bubble team.

So Cincy - a team ranked No. 32 in the RPI - got left out, but Boston College, Bradley, Indiana, Kansas, Air Force, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Georgetown, Creighton, Syracuse, UAB, Arkansas, Alabama, Seton Hall and Texas A&M all got in and were all ranked below the Bearcats.