March Madness 2014 Snubs: Biggest Mistakes Made by Selection Committee

Selection Sunday wasn't a day to remember for everybody.

Although 68 teams learned of a place in the 2014 NCAA tournament, spare a thought for those who had their dreams of dancing dashed.

All Your Bracket Essentials:

• Download the Printable Bracket
• Follow the Latest Bracket Updates Live
• Play the Free Bracket Challenge

B/R

Especially with the way that parity is rising in college basketball, it's impossible for the selection committee to appease everybody. That's how it's always been, and as a neutral fan, you'd much rather have a tournament that is more exclusive than inclusive. Some might argue that 68 is already too many.

Looking back at those who can take umbrage with the committee, these three teams have the strongest case.

SMU Mustangs

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Without a doubt, no team was snubbed more than Southern Methodist. The Mustangs are 55th in RPI, beat Connecticut twice and had home wins against Cincinnati and Memphis. In the most recent AP poll, SMU was ranked 25th.

None of that was good enough for the selection committee, making SMU the first Top 25 school since 2004 not to make it, per Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis:

Ron Wellman, chairman of the selection committee, said that the Mustangs' weak nonconference schedule hurt their NCAA tourney chances, per SI College Hoops:

The team held a viewing party at Moody Coliseum, which undoubtedly took a turn for the worst when it was revealed that SMU wasn't in. Speaking to the crowd, head coach Larry Brown said, per Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com, "I feel bad for our team and you fans. I feel like we let you all down."

The Mustangs undoubtedly made huge strides this year, but they'll definitely rue this missed opportunity.

Green Bay Phoenix

Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

Rising from the ashes won't salvage the Green Bay Phoenix's NCAA tournament hopes.

ESPN.com's Dana O'Neil felt that the regular-season Horizon League champions were a bigger snub than SMU. Green Bay is 56th in RPI, right behind the Mustangs:

The Phoenix beat Virginia at home earlier in the season and more than held their own against Wisconsin, losing by three points. Beating Conference USA tournament champion Tulsa also looks good on Green Bay's resume.

What doesn't are losses to Milwaukee, Valparaiso and Eastern Michigan.

If Green Bay had advanced to the Horizon League final, perhaps it would be dancing. But losing to Milwaukee in the semifinals was the final nail in the coffin.

Florida State Seminoles

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

If you're going by RPI alone, Florida State had a better case than both SMU and Green Bay. The Seminoles finished 52nd.

The problem they had is that their best wins are against Virginia Commonwealth, Pittsburgh and Massachusetts. If the 'Noles could have beaten Michigan—to whom they lost by two—or Florida—to whom they lost by one—they're probably in.

Instead, those two games went in the loss column, and moral victories don't help your tournament resume.

But compare Florida State's resume to that of North Carolina State. The Wolfpack are in the tournament despite having a slightly lower RPI (53rd) and a worse record against RPI Top 25 teams (1-7) than FSU (2-8).

The Wolfpack did win their only meeting during the regular season, but a four-point win at home is hardly a definitive statement of their superiority, especially when you consider Florida State had the much tougher nonconference schedule.