Basketball

Which designation officially gets a team into the NCAA men's basketball tournament?

Suppose Kansas was the number one team in the nation in men's basketball. It would be clear that they would get invited to the tourney as an at-large member. But say they also win the Big 12. Would they be officially invited as an at-large bid or as the Big 12 champions?

Public Comments

1. They would get the at large bid simply because they would be the #1 team in the country.
2. If they won the conference tournament that would be their invitation. If they didnt win it they'd get an at-large bid
3. Almost all of the conferences have "conference tournaments" at the end of their seasons. The winners of these tournaments get an invitation to March Madness. That is why every year we have one or two teams with losing records invited to the Big Dance. These teams get hot for 3 or 4 games and unexpectedly win their tournaments. For instance, you mention Kansas. At the the end of the regular season, say they win the Big 12 with a 14-2 record. In the conference tournament, Iowa State catches fire and wins it over Kansas. Iowa State gets the automatic invitation to the NCAA Tournament, while Kansas would certainly receive at at-large bid. Only conference tournament winners and conference champions (where there is no tournament) receive automatic bids. If a team wins the regular season title but loses in their tournament, they will receive an invitation (unless they are from a weak conference with a low RPI rating). The RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) numbers rank the strength of teams. The NCAA Tournament Committee uses these numbers to determine who will receive an at-large bid. Each year, several deserving teams are left out.
4. If they won their conference tournament than they get a conference bid. That way, it frees up an at-large invite for a team that didn't win their conference. There is a free community of college basketball fans at http://www.bracketball.net that I would recommend if you like college basketball.