Apparently, there’s someone in Tallahasee who thinks 10 non-conference wins — none of ’em against top flight opposition — was supposed to impress the NCAA selection committee. From the Palm Beach Post’s Tom D’Angelo.
In the end, it was Jacksonville, Alcorn State and Texas-Southern that kept Florida State out of the NCAA Tournament.
The Seminoles were snubbed by the NCAA selection committee Sunday, failing to qualify as one of the 34 at-large teams. Florida State (19-9) made history of sorts, becoming the second team in ACC history with a 9-7 conference record and not to make the NCAA.
Coach Leonard Hamilton (above), who took the Seminoles from four conference wins to nine in his fourth year at the school, was critical of the committee.
“When you really don’t have a total knowledge of what all the criteria is that the committee is using, you really are somewhat in the dark,” Hamilton said. ” I must say, I was confused by some of the other selections as well.”
FSU Athletic Director Dave Hart was as critical of the selection committee as Hamilton.
“We’ve lost our way, in my opinion, as it relates to the NCAA Tournament and the committee’s charge,” Hart said. “The charge has always been to put the best 34 at-large teams in the tournament. I don’t think that happened.”
Further lamentations from the University Of Cincinnati were captured by the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Bill Koch.
UC was shocked to find out that its string of 14 straight NCAA Tournament appearances had come to an end and the only reason interim head coach Andy Kenndy could think of was that the Selection Committee didn™t want to take nine teams from the Big East.
œTo me, the only explanation is that despite the rhetoric that we hear about not putting caps on teams from one league, I think they did not feel justified in allowing nine teams from one conference, Kennedy said.
UC was overlooked despite having a higher RPI than Air Force (50 RPI, 158 SOS), Arkansas (45 RPI, 67 SOS), Utah St. (46 RPI, 102 SOS) and Texas A&M (45 RPI, 67 SOS), all of which made the Tournament.
œI made no qualms about it, Kennedy said. œIf this team did not get to the NCAA Tournament, I felt like we failed. I know our kids, because of the proud heritage of this program, are very upset right now. What our next step is remains to be seen.
As reported everywhere else this morning, Temple coach John Chaney has announced his retirement. He’ll now have to threaten to kill John Calipari on his own time, just like the rest of us.