Read the opposing arguments from Sports Geek and Bleacher Fan.
I am a huge fan of Selection Sunday. It is one of my favorite sporting days of the year. Not only do I get to watch three of the big six have their championship games (ACC, SEC, and Big Ten), but I also get to watch the brackets being filled out. There is nothing more maddening than being one of those teams on the bubble and having to wait the selections out. I fully believed the Florida Gators were one of those teams on the bubble. I had serious reservations about whether or not they would even make the tournament at all. Judging by the seeding, the Gators evidently were not really on the bubble, as they were awarded a ten seed. To me, that is the biggest surprise from the announcement of the teams in the tournament. Does Billy Donavan have scandalous pictures hanging over the heads of all of the committee members?
The Gators finished the regular season with a 9-7 in a conference that, after Kentucky, was a mediocre conference. Sorry Tennessee and Vanderbilt but your teams are too inconsistent. After beating an Auburn team that actually fired its coach after losing Thursday night, and losing to Mississippi State in the quarterfinals on Friday, the Gators sat at 21-12 and by all indications, were straight on the bubble. After upset losses by California, and UTEP in their respective conference tournaments, I had the feeling that Billy Donavan’s squad would be playing in the NIT for the third consecutive year. That feeling was wrong.
One of the big components to be considered when deciding whether or not a team belongs in the tournament is the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). A quick look at the up-to-date RPI standings shows the mighty Gators at 56!! Fifty-Six folks! That is low for an at-large team, much less a ten seed. That RPI is lower than the rating that teams like Mississippi State and Rhode Island, teams that are preparing for that other postseason tournament. Not to mention they lost four out of their last five games, with two of those losses coming to teams that eventually did NOT make the tournament (Georgia and Mississippi State). Does that mean they passed the so-called “eye test”?
As a ten seed, the Gators will be playing the seventh seed in the West Region, which is the BYU Cougars. This is not exactly an easy matchup. BYU ran into a hot UNLV team in the Mountain West Conference or they would be a much higher seed. Even with that loss, the Cougars are still ranked #16 in the current rankings.
Obviously, it is impossible for the NCAA selection committee to get everything right (and by the way, if any of the powers that be are reading this, Loyal Homer would love a spot on that committee). But they really surprised me with not only the selection of the Florida Gators but also the seeding.
