While the unveiling of the field of 68 teams selected for the NCAA Tournament sparked celebrations on 68 campuses, there were a handful of hopeful teams at the other end of the emotional spectrum after being left out of the bracket.
Prominent among those failing to secure a spot were the Kentucky Wildcats. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Kentucky is just the fifth defending champion to fail to receive an invite to the Big Dance since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE BRACKET
"They were unable to really take their show on the road," NCAA Div. I Men's Basketball Committee Chairman Mike Bobinski said of Kentucky during an interview with Andy Katz of ESPN after the selections were revealed. "They lost by double digits to four teams that aren't in the field and that's a tough way to sort of finish if you're going to impress upon us that you're one of the best teams in the country."
A pair of bubble teams in the ACC hoped that wins over one of the best teams in the country, Duke, would propel them into the field. In the eyes of the selection committee, Virginia's seven losses against teams ranked outside the top 100 in RPI must have outweighed wins over Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State and Wisconsin. Similarly, Maryland's two wins over Duke didn't compensate for a weak non-conference schedule and a few losses to middling ACC teams.
While disappointment among the teams who had their bubbles burst is unavoidable, the weaknesses of their resumes are at least as prominent as the strengths. Here is a look at the borderline teams who didn't make the cut. Where they snubbed or just not good enough?
