Bellarmine, Where are You?

A brand new team won their conference championship but this team is too new. Bellarmine is just in its 2nd season in Division I so because of the 5-year transition period, beating Jacksonville in the final got them just the title, not an automatic bid to March Madness (which now, the women can use). Had Bellarmine lost, Jacksonville would have made the tourney for the first time since 1986. But alas, the automatic bid goes to the Atlantic Sun regular season champion, Jacksonville St., who last made the tourney in 2017.

But for the 26th straight year of our pool, we will have at least one new team in the proper 64 tourney since we started our pool in 1995. Longwood U. (Big South) not only qualified for their first tourney but so did the women’s team. Bryant (NEC) also qualified but they may be in the First Four so they may have still have to win one more game to make the proper 64. First-time hopefuls Quinnipiac (MAAC) and Grambling (SWAC) are still alive and tournament drought teams such as Seattle (1969) and Toledo (1980) have a chance. Alabama A&M who lost in the First Four and thus didn’t make the proper 64 in 2005 are still alive (though as a sub .500 team, would be in the First Four).

Last July, during the Delta variant, I was actually able to get the logo and 2022 site up (as well as the 2022 World Cup pool site) so less work to do as we head into Selection Sunday. With “masks off” being the current trend (weird to walk into a Panera Bread in strict L.A. County and see almost everyone without a mask), I assume last year’s protocols still exist if a team gets a COVID-19 outbreak (similar to how VCU had to withdraw before it’s first round match vs Oregon last year).

Spread the love