The bracket for the 2024 NCAA Tournament is officially set with the field of 68 being unveiled on Selection Sunday. As is the case with every bracket, there are teams on the bubble who get in and teams who don’t. Here’s a look at some of the schools that were snubbed by the committee.
The most obvious miss is Indiana State, which was ranked 29th in NET. The Sycamores didn’t win their conference tournament though, and that put them in a precarious position going into Sunday. If you aren’t in a power conference, you don’t get the benefit of doubt from the committee no matter what NET or any other metric says. It’s surprising Oklahoma, ranked 46 in NET, didn’t get in based on the committee’s previous decisions with bubble teams. The Sooners struggled down the stretch of the season and never really got a signature win to tip the scales in their favor. They lost in the opening round of the Big 12 conference tournament.
The committee is no longer afraid of Rick Pitino, which is why St. John’s has been left out. The Red Storm looked dead in the water at one point in the season with a 14-12 record but they did rip off six straight wins to get back on the bubble. The victory over Creighton should’ve given their resume more weight but they could’ve probably been on the right side of this if they beat UConn in the Big East conference tournament. St. John’s was ranked 32 in NET.
Pittsburgh not getting in isn’t a snub until you see Virginia getting into the field. The Panthers beat the Cavaliers late in the season, part of a stretch where they went 10-3. They lost to UNC in the ACC conference tournament but did beat ACC tournament champion NC State in the regular season. It’s hard to justify leaving them out, especially since they have a decent NET rating at 40.