NCAA Tournament Mid-Majors Waste No Time Making Their Case

It happens every year. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament field is selected, the 31 conference champions are automatically included, and talk of worthiness ensues.

Mid-major conferences traditionally are under-represented in the 68-team field, and some tournament-watchers have gone so far as to question whether the champions of the less-publicized leagues deserve their automatic berths.

It did not take long for the mid-majors to again make their case.

The sixth game of the tournament supplied the first piece of evidence, when No. 12 seed McNeese beat No. 5 seed Clemson in the first round of the Midwest Regional in Providence, R.I.

No. 11 seed Drake followed a few hours later, when it dispatched No. 6 seed Missouri in the first round of the West Regional in Wichita, Kan.

Both McNeese (Southland) and Drake (Missouri Valley) were mid-major conference tournament winners, and there is ample reason to believe that neither would have been included in the NCAA field had they not won their conference.

Drake and McNeese entered confident, competent

“I would be lying if I didn’t say I didn’t expect it,” said Drake coach Ben McCollum, in his first season with the Bulldogs after winning four national championships at Division II Northwest Missouri State from 2017-22.

“I expected exactly this. I expected them to compete. I brought winners with me. That’s what I brought. I guess my super-power is finding winners, finding tough kids, and believing in them. I know I’ve tried to be humble in other ones, but man, I believe in these kids.”

McNeese coach Will Wade sprung a new defense on Clemson, something that pre-tournament metrics cannot gauge. Clemson made only five field goals and scored only 13 points in the second half.

“Our first half was flawless defensively,” Wade said. “We’ve been saving that zone all year. We haven’t played the 2-3 zone all year. We put it in for some stuff in the conference tournament and never used it. We thought this would be a good time to pull it out so our guys did a great job.”

Drake will play No. 3 seed Texas Tech in the second round Saturday and McNeese State will meet No. 4 seed Purdue. Neither will be favored.

Colorado State continues “yes, they belong” through line

Mountain West tournament champion and No. 12 seed Colorado State beat No. 5 seed Memphis 78-70 in the first round of West Regional early Friday. The Rams were projected to be among the first four teams excluded from the field before earning the automatic berth.

“Just when I don’t think this group can give us more, they find another gear and guys step up,” Colorado State coach Nico Medved said.

Even the debate over mid-major inclusion rankles Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, who spoke after his No. 1 seeded Cougars rolled to an easy 78-40 victory over over-matched SIU-Edwardsville, the Ohio Valley champion. The Cougars play No. 8 seed Gonzaga on Saturday.

“Most of these low, mid-major conferences are in one-bid leagues, and you never know if you can catch lightning in a bottle,” Sampson said. “Win three games (in the conference tournament) and you’re in. Once you get in, you never know.

“I hope we never get to the point where we (do) not allow everybody a chance to just to be involved at this and make memories for them.”

Soaking in the tournament experience

Sampson said he caught himself watching the SIU-Edwardsville players after the outcome of his game was determined.

“I was really focused on their kids there in the last four or five minutes, and I was thinking, ‘What a great memory for them,’” Sampson said. “It’s something they’ll be able to have this tape and to edit and be able to show to their kids one day. You know, we played in the greatest event in the world, which is March Madness.”

Five members of the NCAA tournament selection committee are from the five major basketball conferences — the Atlantic Coast, the Big 12, the Big Ten, the Big East and the Southeastern.

During Gonzaga’s recent period dominance, the West Coast Conference’s No. 2 team — usually Saint Mary’s — often found itself on the outside looking in when at-large bids were announced. The Mountain West (4) and WCC (2) were the only mid-majors with more than one bid this year.

A record 14 SEC teams were selected this year. Missouri, No. 8 seed Mississippi State, No. 9 Georgia and No. 10 Vanderbilt were eliminated in the first round. Missouri is the only one that won more than half its conference games.

“This game is bigger than any individuals,” Sampson said. “There are the people that sit in these back rooms and try to make decision on kids’ experiences. Some of those people forgot where they came from.”

Sampson’s first head coaching job was at Montana Tech before joining Division I at Washington State in 1987. He later coached at Oklahoma and Indiana.

“I remember I coached at an NAIA school (Montana Tech). It was one of the only jobs I could get when I was a young coach. Having conference tournaments and having a chance to play for this tournament is a great incentive for teams. It keeps teams in it.”