Sixty-eight teams are dancing on Selection Sunday.
Several others are left fuming.
A number of teams can classify themselves as snubs after the March Madness 2024 bracket was revealed.
Here’s a look at six teams who were left staring blankly at their televisions after missing out on the NCAA Tournament.
St. John’s (20-13)
Conference: Big East
Coach: Rick Pitino (1st season)
Rick Pitino lambasted his squad after a loss to Seton Hall and the team responded with its best stretch of play this season, beating the Pirates in the Big East quarterfinals and pushing No. 1 overall seed UConn in the semis. But despite a NET ranking of 32, the Johnnies were not even among the “First Four Out,” a sign that they weren’t close to making the field.
Seton Hall (20-12)
Conference: Big East
Coach: Shaheen Holloway (2nd season)
Seton Hall’s tournament hopes took a huge hit late in the regular season, when the Pirates dropped consecutive lopsided games to Creighton and UConn. And despite the conference quarterfinal loss to St. John’s, the Pirates were ahead of the Johnnies as the second team in the “First Four Out.” Holloway coached Saint Peter’s to the Elite Eight in 2022 as a 15 seed after playing in the Sweet 16 at Seton Hall in 2000.
Providence (21-13)
Conference: Big East
Coach: Kim English (1st season)
An up-and-down debut for English after taking over for Ed Cooley, who left for Georgetown, but the Friars have a win over Marquette and two wins over Creighton under their belt, including their Big East quarterfinal upset of the Bluejays. The Big East only gets three teams in, and Providence, with a NET of 57, also was not among the “First Four Out.”
Indiana State (28-6)
Conference: Missouri Valley
Coach: Josh Schertz (3rd season)
Indiana State went 15-5 away from home and notched its most victories since reaching the national championship game in 1979. Some guy named Larry Bird was on that team. Yet they’re left out despite a NET that was even better than St. John’s at 29, the highest NET to ever get snubbed from the NCAA Tournament. They lost to Drake 84-80 in the MVC championship game.
Oklahoma (20-12)
Conference: Big 12
Coach: Porter Moser (3rd season)
Moser misses out again in his third year in Norman despite defending well, ranking 32nd in defensive efficiency, and sharing the ball well on offense, two characteristics of his best teams at Loyola-Chicago, which he famously led to the Final Four in 2018. The Sooners, with a NET of 46, were listed as the first team in the “First Four Out” after falling to TCU in the second round of the Big 12 tournament.
Pittsburgh (22-11)
Conference: ACC
Coach: Jeff Capel (6th season)
Pitt lost five of its first seven conference games before a win at Duke on Jan. 20. The Panthers finished 12-8 against ACC competition, but advancing to the ACC Tournament semifinals, where they lost by seven to West Region No. 1 seed North Carolina, wasn’t enough despite a NET of 40.
— With Zach Braziller, Dan Martin, Peter Botte and Jared Schwartz
