More USF news courtesy of Mark Bradley. AAC is a 2 bid conference and USF, which won the regular season by 2 games, didn't get one of the bids. I think AAR has a case about being slighted. BTW, USF beat UCF in the NIT last night. Here's what Bradley sez:
We've mentioned Amir Abdur-Rahim many times. He took Kennesaw State to the ASUN title and the NCAA Tournament last season. He led South Florida to first place in the American Conference by two full games, and the league managed two NCAA bids. At 22-7, South Florida didn't receive one.
This wasn't surprising. It was clear from mid-February on that, even as USF was on a 21-1 run from Dec. 9 through March 5, the Bulls would have to win the league tournament to make the NCAA field. They lost in the semis to eventual champ UAB. South Florida arrived at Selection Sunday ranked 78th in NET. It was 1-0 in Quad 1 games. (Virginia was 2-7, FYI.)
Abdur-Rahim after the UAB loss: "With all due respect, I don't know who the bracketologists are. I guess they have a team somewhere sequestered. But what I would say is this: If you want to see what South Florida's all about, if you want to see if we're one of the best 68 teams, put us in one of those First Four games, put us against your best team. Whoever it is in that first four, come see about us."
But this isn't about bracketology, either. Bracketologists try to predict what the NCAA selection committee will do, and the committee tends to give the benefit of every doubt to teams from the bigger leagues. Difference is, teams from bigger leagues never have to worry about having enough Quad 1 chances.
Florida Atlantic didn't finish first in the American and didn't win the league tournament, but it went 2-2 in Quad 1 games and made the NCAA as an at-large. Its November victory over Arizona in Las Vegas trumped all else, but FAU could get matched against such an opponent because it made the Final Four last year.
South Florida has reached the NCAA Tournament three times ever β once from the Sun Belt, then from the Metro, then from a much-in-flux Big East. It had never been ranked in the AP 25 until this March, when it made its debut at No. 24 and, after a loss at Tulsa, dropped out.
The Bulls wound up in the NIT, which handed them a road game at UCF, which went 17-15 and tied for 11th in the Big 12. South Florida won 83-77.