I recently bemoaned that Drexel’s loss to VCU in the CAA title game would relegate the Dragons to the NIT, with some barely deserving major conference team squeezing into the NCAA Tournament with 12 or 13 losses.
Not so fast.
After a day of madness and general lackluster performances by teams that had to win, Drexel is back in the field. In addition to the Dragons, I’ve got Texas and Seton Hall in the field. Those three are replacing Mississippi State, Northwestern and Washington.
Washington’s spot in the field was already tenuous as I wasn’t convinced that the Huskies had a legitimate at-large profile despite winning the Pac-12 regular-season title. The Huskies then turned in a defensive fail against No. 9 Oregon State, losing to the Beavers 86-84 in the quarterfinals and likely sealing the deal on an NIT bid.
Northwestern — ah, poor Northwestern — just couldn’t get out of its own way. The Wildcats choked up their first-round game against No. 10 Minnesota, a 13th loss that Northwestern just couldn’t afford to take. The Wildcats will likely remain oh-and-forever in their attempts to reach the NCAA Tournament. I feel bad for Northwestern. But I’d feel worse to see the Wildcats get in ahead of Drexel. Or even Seton Hall, which went out and beat more quality opponents than Northwestern did. If I’m right, look for some serious controversy because the Wildcats have a victory against Seton Hall earlier this eason.
And then there’s Mississippi State. I’ve suspected that this team belongs in the NIT all season, just by watching a handful of games. The Bulldogs did nothing to sway that opinion in their first-round loss to No. 11 Georgia in the SEC Tournament. Mississippi State is my first team out.
For more bracket madness, check out all the predictions at the Bracket Project.
