Bracketology: How to compile the resume of an at-large bid

Getting marquee wins and avoiding bad losses

Playing steady basketball against middle-of-the-road teams is solid, but it’s not good enough to make the NCAA Tournament. In order to make a real impression on the selection committee, a team needs to show that they have the ability to knock off some of the top programs in the country. When given the opportunity to play against a powerhouse, a top-of-the-line mid-major team or a middling power conference team needs to take advantage and either secure the victory or be at least competitive.

Showing an RPI top-25 win on a resume can go a long way for a mid-major. For high-major teams in desperate need of a big win, a top-25 win can nullify some of their missed opportunities.

Winning big games is extremely important, but equally as important is avoiding the “bad loss.” Losing to a team with a 200+ RPI can be the nail in the coffin for a bubble team, especially if it occurs on the team’s home floor with a completely healthy roster. There is no benefit to be gained from playing a game against a team with a 200+ RPI.

If a bubble team wins this game, it negatively affects their strength of schedule while losing the game is a major issue for their resume. Given this, so much of building a high-quality resume comes down to luck. When building a schedule, nobody knows how good their opponents are going to be. With that being said, creating a great strength of schedule does come down to luck.

Even if a team is able to schedule some powerhouse programs to play in the nonconference, it is important to also note the poor teams on their schedule. They might seem meaningless, but if those poor teams stay inside the RPI top-200, that can have a larger impact on a team’s resume than most think.

Of course, when the season comes to a close, there is only one thing left for bubble teams to do, though: hope.