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The field of 68 is finally out and we are on the brink of the four greatest days in any sport in any country on any continent. The NCAA Tournament is an entirely different animal, and the first four days of this behemoth are the most fun days you'll have watching sports, even if it's by yourself!
Which teams were left out of the field that had a strong case for being included? We have a few per year. Here are the three that I think were the most deserving this season.
In this article, I will be providing you with my three teams that should have made the 2023 NCAA tournament. Be sure to also check out the rest of our NCAA Tournament articles and analysis including previews, predictions, sleepers, busts, and guides on how to fill out your brackets. Good luck RotoBallers!
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Oklahoma State (18-15, 11-9 Big 12)
It has been said that the Big 12 was the best conference in history this season. After watching the Big 12 week in and week out, and watching Big 12 doormat Oklahoma thump Alabama, I tend to believe it.
The committee likes to cite Quad-1 wins, but they penalized the Pokes for Quad-1 losses. Why? It seems counterintuitive to both help and penalize for the same thing. They let eight Big 12(10) teams in last year and likely should have this year. The Cyclones made it with a 7-11 conference record last season and the Cyclones made it to the Sweet 16.
The Cowboys finished with six Quad-1 wins and 43rd in the NET Rankings. Historically, that has been good enough to put a team in the tournament.
Clemson (23-10, 14-6 ACC)
The Tigers don't have that coveted big out-of-conference win, but the Penn State win looks better and better with the run they went on to make it into the tournament (over Clemson, no less). Two Quad-4 losses are hard to swallow, but Clemson also beat North Carolina State three times and the Pack still got in. That seems a bit off.
So, the question is: do we penalize a team for losing to Illinois-Chicago and Louisville four months ago? Do we penalize them for scheduling teams like Louisville, South Carolina, and Cal, knowing that they are Power-5 teams but they turned out to be generationally awful this year? 23 wins in a major conference is usually good enough to get in, but the part that really stings is that they beat the Pack three times and the Pack still got in with the same record and a worse conference record.
North Texas (26-7, 16-4 CUSA)
Anyone who is everyone is calling Rutgers a snub, but I don't really see it. The idea of expanding the tournament was to get better teams in, right? Who said they all have to be power conference teams?
The Mean Green only have one Quad-1 win (a road win over UAB), but they picked up three Quad-2 wins and went 20-2 in Quad-3 and Quad-4 matchups. On top of that, North Texas is the highest NET-ranked (38) team not in the field. This is the type of team that expansion was supposed to let in. Two losses to FAU and a loss to St. Mary's shouldn't be held against them.
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