Complaints of programs that miss out on the men’s Division I tournament field are nothing new, as much a tradition as the event itself.
The format of a 48-team field means deserving teams will miss out, no matter what, given the limited number of at-large bids available. When surveying the 2013 field, even after the second round, did the committee get it wrong?
The Ratings Percentage Index – used by the NCAA to help dictate at-large bids in most collegiate sports – is a confusing and complicated formula that the selection committee (a mystery unto itself) leans on to make selections. More can be learned about the RPI here, even though that is a site based around the women’s game.
