Life on NCAA tourney bubble getting tougher for the little guys: 'The opportunity is disappearing'

Life on NCAA tourney bubble getting tougher for the little guys: ‘The opportunity is disappearing’

This March, optimism has taken a precipitous dive in Murfreesboro, twinning with a larger trend outside of college basketball’s top conferences. The NCAA tournament committee has felt more like a cartel the past three seasons, as just three at-large teams have been selected for the NCAA tournament from outside the top seven conferences – ACC, AAC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC – in each of the last three seasons. The nine at-large bids from smaller leagues over the past three years is a stark comparison to the 28 at-large bids for teams outside the top leagues in a three-year span from 2012 to 2014.

And I don’t think it is entirely coincidental that UH and Wichita are both facing non “power 5’s” in the first round. This gives the committee the opportunity to oust of two of the 'little" guys right away.They don’t want to risk one of their boys getting bounced early.

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