UConn is disgustingly good. Last year there was some sneaking up on people – they were a 4-seed and there were a LOT of upsets leading to the Final Four, so they were good-sized favorites in both of their Final Four games in 2023 and delivered accordingly. This year they started the season #4 in the KenPom and somehow in the middle of a fourteen game winning streak fell to a season-low #8, but have been #3 or higher since 1/31 and now sit at #1. No idea what the betting markets look like, but I will state unequivocably from where I sit in my comfortable leather chair, on the morning of Selection Sunday: I can’t imagine a scenario where any other team beats them.
But our goals in this space are more modest than chasing titles and dynasties – here we rank and track the schools that have never made the Sweet Sixteen — that have Never Been Kissed — in the almost-forty years since the tournament first expanded to 64 teams back in 1985.
Friday night saw UC-Irvine bow out of this years sweepstakes, losing a nip-and-tuck battle with eventual Big West champion Long Beach St., extending lame-duck Dan Monson’s reign another week. The Beach are also NBK-eligible so we will be watching them closely.
Also Friday night, Utah St. were up three at halftime over defending national runner-up San Diego St., but the Aztecs ran away with it in the second half and won easily 86-70. Danny Sprinkle’s Aggies should be safely in the field of 68 regardless.
North Texas bowed out Friday night as well, falling to last year’s NBK darling Florida Atlantic 77-71 in the American Athletic Conference quarters.
Saturday saw Vermont win the America East, at home, for the third straight year. The Catamounts were down much of the game, unlike in past years, but got on top and held off UMass-Lowell.
Yale beat Cornell and Brown knocked off Princeton, so Yale takes on Brown tomorrow for the Ivy. Brown last made the NCAAs in 1986 so the Ivy will have an NBK representative in the tourney regardless of Sunday’s result.
Nebraska led Illinois for much of Saturday night before Illinois turned it on late. No defense was played in this game, by fiat.
South Florida were down eight early in the second half to UAB in the American semifinal, fought back, but lost a technical-foul fest. With Temple (five Sweet Sixteens since 1985) vs UAB (one, in 2004), the American Athletic conference officially has exited the NBK chat for 2024.
UNM vs SDSU on Saturday night on CBS. Incredible game, with the Lobos winning 68-61. New Mexico took a big lead in the first half, San Diego St went on their own run to pull even with nine minutes left, but the Lobos closed it down HARD, limiting the Aztecs to four points over the last seven minutes of action. New Mexico was shaping up to be a vexing case for the mock brackets and ultimately for The Committee, but they removed all doubt and made it a certainty that the NBK Conference, er, the Mountain West Conference would get a record six teams into the dance, four of which have Never Been Kissed.
Akron vs Kent St. for the MAC title Saturday night on ESPN+. Oh man the end of this was really crazy. Kent St, down one, went up for the shot with just a few seconds left. That shot missed, but their dude was there for the rebound and the nearly-uncontested put-back which he deposited easily. So the Flashers are now up by one with less than five seconds left. But one Flasher lost track of the score, and thinking they were down rather than up, fouls the Zip immediately after the inbound. The Zip makes both, the Zips go to the tournament, the Flashers are left to console their distraught teammate.
NC State vs North Carolina for the ACC on Saturday night on ESPN. The Wolfback beat Carolina and steal a bid – don’t give up, don’t ever give up.
Grand Canyon vs UT-Arlington for the WAC late Saturday night on ESPN+. In this space we were glad to see former Billiken Phillip Russell giving his all for UTA, but the Lopes had too much.
It has nothing whatsoever to do with the NBK – Iowa St has made 6 Sweet Sixteens in the modern era and Houston graduated from the NBK back in 2019 and has their sights set on National Championships instead – but we would be remiss if we did not note the Cyclones absolute waxing of Houston 69-41 in the Big XII Final on Saturday evening. Is this Iowa St making a statement? Is this Houston realizing conference tournaments are not the ultimate goal? It does seem like it will elevate ISU’s profile without hurting Houston’s position as a #1 seed, so from that perspective was the best outcome the conference could hope for. Next year, the Big XII will be nineteen schools, six multi-national corporations, three hedge funds, and two nepo-babies, so whatever the result this year it marks the end of a transitional era. I compare it to a kiss from a rose on the bend. No, actually, I don’t. Strike that. Sorry, Seal.
SELECTION SUNDAY NBK SLATE
Yale (77%) vs Brown – 11 AM CDT on ESPN2/ESPN+
Duquesne (47%) vs VCU – Noon CDT on CBS
Yale won’t make it as an at-large, and the A-10 was already declared a bid stealer on Saturday, so no additional teams will be crowded out by these two results.
Data courtesy Kenpom.com and ESPN Bracketology and ESPN Bubble Watch ($) and NCAA.com