Busting Brackets
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March Madness: Three biggest surprises to get bids to the 2018 NCAA Tournament

By Brad Cavallaro

SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts to a play against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at the Carrier Dome on February 3, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts to a play against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at the Carrier Dome on February 3, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 07: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils reacts during a first-round game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Colorado Buffaloes at T-Mobile Arena on March 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Buffaloes won 97-85. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 07: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils reacts during a first-round game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Colorado Buffaloes at T-Mobile Arena on March 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Buffaloes won 97-85. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

The 2018 NCAA Tournament has already had its fair share of surprises. Who were the three most surprising inclusions in the tournament field?

Each year the NCAA Tournament selection process is a contentious subject. From seeding to selection, to emphasized criteria, the tournament committee cannot avoid criticism and backlash from the fans. Critiquing and complaining about the process is one of the few things that can unite fans of even the most hated rival squads.

This year is no different. While there are some head-scratching seeds and snubs from the field, this article will touch on the three teams who were surprising and polarizing inclusions. I will analyze the reasons why the received a bid and why they could (or should) have been relegated to the NIT.

While fans of Middle Tennessee, St. Mary’s, and Nebraska may be irate over their misfortune, they should have seen this coming. The Blue Raiders relied on a gaudy road record that was built by beating up on mostly sub 100 teams. Their non-conference strength of schedule was a strong point in their favor, but late-season losses to Marshall and Southern Miss were devastating and impactful.

St. Mary’s played a soft non-conference schedule, despite knowing the importance of that criteria. Their entire resume was built off a win at Gonzaga, which is undeniably impressive, but losses to Washington State and San Francisco worked against them.

Nebraska’s 13-5 conference record was smoke and mirrors. Their only notable win is over Michigan at home and the Huskers shockingly had only six wins against teams with winning records. You can cite the eye test until you are blue in the face, but you will not get in the NCAA Tournament unless you have quality wins away from home.

These three questionable inclusions all had that one quality in common. They all won games away from home against tournament-caliber teams. This is why they were rewarded with NCAA Tournament bids.

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