It’s finally March — but for some teams, this month will be more disappointing than exciting as they wonder what could have been. There are 11 teams that are ineligible to participate in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. For those who follow college football, you may recall when James Madison started their 2023 season with a 10-0 record, but were not in contention for a bowl game. The school petitioned the NCAA for postseason eligibility, but were initially rejected before eventually being invited to a bowl game due to a lack of eligible teams.
We’re here to explain why that can happen to teams that fans and onlookers may find deserving of a chance.
So why do some teams get left out of the postseason tournaments when their in-season performances meet or exceed the standards to get there? The NCAA requires teams to take a multi-year postseason ineligibility period when transitioning from Division II or Division III to Division I. Teams can apply for a waiver to shorten or eliminate that period of ineligibility, but it’s rare that the NCAA grants one. Two years ago, Bellarmine won the Atlantic Sun Conference championship, but were excluded from March Madness. In 2023 the same thing happened to Northeast Conference winner Merrimack.
However the rule can sometimes cause more excitement than disappointment. The only reason Fairleigh Dickinson qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season was because Merrimack was still ineligible in their transition period to Division I. And then FDU went on to make history with just the second ever upset of a No. 1 seed in the first round when they beat Purdue 63-58.
Here are the 11 teams that are ineligible for the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Teams that are ineligible for postseason play in 2024
- Bellarmine (ASUN) – transition from Division II
- UC San Diego (Big West) – transition period
- Le Moyne (NEC) – transition from Division II
- Stonehill (NEC) – transition from Division II
- Southern Indiana (OVC) – transition period
- Lindenwood (OVC) – transition period
- Texas A&M-Commerce (Southland) – transition period
- St. Thomas (Summit League) – transition from Division III
- Tarleton (WAC) – transition from Division II
- Utah Tech (WAC) – transition from Division II
- Queens (ASUN) – transition from Division II