NCAA Selection Fallout - An Absolute Travesty And Criminal Hose Job For The MIAC

Managed to follow the NCAA Tournament pairings while at work this afternoon and watched in absolute disbelief as the pods that I thought would for sure include either Augsburg and/or UST - didn't.  It's been roughly three hours since the Selection Show ended and I still can't quite absorb the how and why both Augsburg and UST were left out of the NCAA Tournament.  It just defies common sense when you look at the numbers and overall records. 

I'm trying my very best to be an adult about this and not let my emotions get in the way while I write this.  But I know there's some broken hearts on the Augsburg team this evening that deserved a chance to show their stuff in the NCAA Tournament; seniors such as Tamira McLemore, Camryn Speese, Aiza Wilson, Ari Jones, K'aezha Wubben and Abby Jordan and now they won't get to.  Instead, the team that did get the nod over both Augsburg and UST was none other than UW-La Crosse that lost in the semifinals of the WIAC Playoffs to UW-Eau Claire at home in La Crosse this last Thursday night.  Now, to be sure, I don't necessarily have a problem with the Eagles themselves being "in", but I do have a problem with them getting the nod before either Augsburg or UST.  Consider:  UW-La Crosse was sporting a 19-7 overall record after the WIAC Playoff loss to UW-Eau Claire and, more importantly, the Eagles were only 1-5 against regionally-ranked teams.  Compare that now with Augsburg's 22-5 overall record (17-3 in conference play) and a 3-3 record against regionally ranked teams.  UST meanwhile finished at 21-6 overall (16-4 in conference play) and was 2-5 against regionally-ranked opponents.  What likely did in Augsburg last year was their poor record on the regionally-ranked opponents front.  This year, they made up for that and were a respectable 3-3 on that end.  So exactly how/why do they come up short this time around?  And Augsburg made it to the MIAC Championship Game as well while UW-La Crosse lost in the semifinals of the WIAC Playoffs.  Can someone provide me with some answers here? 

Benedictine out of the NACC is another head scratcher as to how they got in over both Augsburg and UST.  Their story is somewhat similar of Augsburg as both were ranked fifth in their respective regions.  Both made it to their conference championship games - and both lost.  Interestingly, Benedictine was ranked ahead of UW-La Crosse in the last Central Regional Ranking that was released but both slipped into the Dance while Augsburg and UST did not. 

The thing that concerns me now, more than anything else, is that the fact that this has now happened TWICE to the MIAC in as many years and this cannot possibly bode well for the conference when it comes to women's basketball.  I have no way of knowing for sure what happened but somehow, some way, at the most crucial moment, something went terribly awry today when it came to both Augsburg and UST in the selection process.  Someone needs to be a strong voice for the MIAC in all this and ultimately that responsibility lies with MIAC Commissioner Dan McKane to do just that.  I can write about the injustice done to both Augsburg and UST in all this until I'm blue in the face.  But I believe Mr. McKane has to do something to ensure that this does not happen again.  I do think that there are some solutions that MIAC coaches can do on their part.  I have always been a proponent of having a MIAC - WIAC Challenge or a MIAC - ARC Challenge or, failing that, have the top teams in the conference start scheduling home-and-homes with some of the top teams in the nation - a Bowdoin, an Amherst, a Tufts, a Hope - something that'll help put MIAC Women's Basketball back on the map where it belongs.

Before I forget, a hearty congratulations to Bethel as they will host a pod this coming Friday evening at Robertson Center as they square off against Bethany Lutheran out of the UMAC in one of the two games.  They've earned it and they deserve to host.   

Right now though, I'm heartbroken for the players at both Augsburg and UST - and angry as well that this happened again for the second consecutive year.