Bowlsby and NCAA Basketball

Jan. 12, 2004

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From ESPN.com’s Andy Katz…

Right now, it’s just a “what if” scenario that, come March, might be a large enough issue to give the NCAA Tournament selection committee fits.

Imagine a major conference team that finished among the upper half of its league heading into Selection Sunday without a win over a potential NCAA Tournament team. The team in question could have as many as 17 or 18 wins and have finished third or fourth in its league, but none of its wins will have come against teams headed to the Dance.

Sound impossible? Well, check out the Big Ten and Pac-10. Or, even the Big East.

What would the committee do in these cases?

“[The teams will] likely be judged like some of the mid-majors get judged,” said Iowa athletics director Bob Bowlsby, the chair of the 2004 NCAA Tournament selection committee. “Sometimes, there are teams that have glitzy records but there isn’t much to compare them against. You’ll have to take a close look at how they’ve played in their league.”

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