For some teams, March Madness ends before they can even take the court. It’s over when their name is left out of the field of 65 on Sunday evening.
For North Carolina, it was about sewing up a No. 1 seed in the East regional, which would keep the Tar Heels in their home state until the Final Four, assuming they get that far.
But teams such as Villanova, which helped its hopes considerably with a win over fellow bubble team Syracuse on Wednesday, would gladly hop on a rickety bus ride across the country if it means the Wildcats have a chance to dance in the field of 65, instead of an NIT death sentence.
“There are a lot of teams that are going to be nervous wondering if they fit into the tournament,” said CBS analyst and former Ohio State forward Clark Kellogg. “It’s going to be real anxious and antsy around those teams.”
Kellogg’s alma mater is one of those teams on the bubble, but the Buckeyes certainly can sway the selection committee with a Big Ten quarterfinal win over Michigan State.
“There are about 15-20 teams that will sort themselves out during the conference tournaments,” Kellogg said. “Those teams are going to play themselves into consideration or out of the tournament.”
Those bubble teams have to hope the little guys don’t steal more at-large spots, like San Diego did when it upset Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference final on Monday night.
But there is still hope for the power conferences such as the Big East, where Scotty Reynolds’ Villanova team resides.
“It is the responsibility of the committee to choose the teams that have the best chance of winning a national championship,” said CBS/ESPN analyst and former Duke Blue Devil Jay Bilas. “You have to give it to the best teams, without regard to the populous notion of giving the little guy a chance.
“The little guy did have a chance with the automatic bid from their conference, and they didn’t get it done.”
While those teams will be sitting on pins and needles on Sunday, others will be simply making travel arrangements when they find out where they will play. The closer to home the better.
“Those big teams are looking for who they are playing, but more importantly where they are going,” Bilas said.
When half the field takes to the court on Thursday, after Tuesday’s play-in game, not one team is overlooked. Not even the No. 16 seeds, who have four more chances to make history as the first to pull the biggest upset in tournament history by knocking off a No. 1 seed team in the first round. The next time that happens will be the first time.
“All of the preparation goes to that first game,” said Bilas, who was a member of the ’86 Duke team that lost to Louisville in the title game. “That’s all we would talk about. You can’t win it all unless you win the first game.”
Bilas and Kellogg both pointed to UCLA and Kansas as the favorites to win the national championship in San Antonio on April 7.
“Kansas is the least flawed team when they’re on the top of their game,” Kellogg said. “But I would lean a little toward UCLA because of their experience in making the Final Four the last two seasons. That’s invaluable.”