Selective Sunday: Breaking Down the NCAA Tournament Snubs and Surprises

Somewhere in the bowels of a meeting room in Kansas City the 34 at-large teams are selected, along with the 31 automatic bids that go to the teams selected for the NCAA tournament.

But venerable coach Bob Knight brought up an interesting point during the Sunday evening proceedings. Why not have 128 teams in the tournament? You'd certainly have your bubble teams in the tournament and you'd still have the possibility for some upsets. But as Dickie V so eloquently put it, you'd still have teams sitting at home bitching and moaning that they, too, were left out. For them, well, there's always the National Invitation Tournament or the College Basketball Invitational, the new kid on the block.

So that begs the question: Is it time for the NCAA Tournament to expand to 128 teams, as Coach Knight suggested? Certainly there are several teams who believe so. In all there were some snubs and surprises, which is always the case during the Big Dance and its selection process.

THE SNUBS: THE FADING FOUR

1. Arizona State (19-14)

After beating Arizona twice in the regular season, as well as playing in one of the toughest conferences in the country in the Pac-10 one could argue that the Sun Devils were snubbed. A tenacious defense befitting their fiery coach Herb Sendek along with a young and talented lineup, Arizona State looked on paper to make it into the Big Dance. But with an RPI of 82 the Devils were sent to the NIT with the hope that they would make it to Madison Square Garden and look toward next year.

2. Virginia Tech (19-13)

Narrowly losing to No. 1 seed North Carolina in the ACC Tournament, many thought Bruce Greenberg's team-first squad would make it to the biggest show of 'em all. But a rough stretch of games in which the Hokies struggled down the stretch along with not arguably having a big-name marquee type of star prevented the Hokies from getting in. They too will try to make their presence felt in the NIT.

3. Florida (21-11)

How could you possibly not let in the defending two-time national champions? Granted the Gators lost eight of their final 11 games, but this is the Florida Gators we're talking about. We're also talking about a coach in Billy Donovan who led Providence as a player to a place they'd never been and then led the Gators beyond what the Friars ever did when he played and where the Gators had ever been! But for those in the know, it was painfully obvious that the departures of Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and others due to the NBA's early departure rule cost Florida another opportunity at making a run deep into the tournament. The best they can hope for, along with the Devils and Hokies, is the NIT.

4. Ohio State (19-13)

Obviously missing Mike Conley Jr. and Greg Oden hurt the Buckeyes chances to make it back to the Big Dance, but some actually thought they would get in based on their end-of-season record. That dream evaporated when they were defeated in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, however. So their hope for postseason glory also comes in the form of the NIT.

Honorable mention:

Southern Illinois (24-9) - The Salukis had offense but they faltered down the stretch when it counted.

Dayton (26-7) - Again the Flyers were high-flying but crumbled in their conference tournament.

THE SLEEPERS: THE FOCUSED FOUR

1. Indiana. Although the Hoosiers are in as a No. 8 seed, meaning they were on the bubble to a degree, the firing of their coach Kelvin Sampson may yet prove to be the motivation they need to get through No. 1 seed North Carolina and stun the critics.

2. George Mason. Rarely in one region are there two sleeper picks but George Mason knows what it takes to get to the Big Dance. After all, they made it to the Final Four not too long ago and face a tough but not overwhelming task to make it to the Sweet 16.

3. Gonzaga. I don't care where you play this team, or what seed they get, the Bulldogs are always going to be a tough foe no matter where they're playing. Buffered by a brutal schedule and a treacherous West Coast Conference that saw three teams get into the Big Dance, Gonzaga's not the team you want to be facing, even if your name happens to be Georgetown.

4. Arizona. I'm probably going to receive a lot of hate mail for saying this, but the Wildcats may not have been the popular choice to make it into the tournament. Having said that they are by far the most dangerous team in the tournament because they are now healthy. No. 2 seed Duke is in some serious trouble come the second round, particularly if Wildcat star Chase Budinger controls the paint. If the 'Cats get past the Blue Devils there really isn't another obstacle they've have to overcome until a potential matchup with UCLA came in the West regional final.

Honorable mention:

USC (21-11) - Sayonara O.J. Mayo and Davon Washington. Been nice knowing ya!

BYU (26-7) - The Cougars are dangerous but they are looking at a potential second-round tilt with UCLA.

Georgia (17-16) - How can you not root for the 'Dogs? They just won the SEC title despite going 4-12 in the regular season.