Slive Says Not To Underestimate The SEC’s Tourney Chances

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Everyone is talking about the down year that the SEC is suffering through.  The conference is currently ranked sixth among the nation’s top six conferences in overall RPI.

So will that cut down on the league’s potential NCAA Tournament bids?

Not necessarily, says conference commissioner and selection committee chair Mike Slive.

What will matter more than league RPI?

1)  Who a team played and that team’s quality.
2)  Where the game was played.
3)  With whom did a team play while they had a healthy line-up
4)  How the team played.

Game-by-game, the committee will scour the records and schedules of all the at-large challengers.  Thirty-four will eventually be selected.

Mark McCarter of The Huntsville Times has more on Slive’s view of the selection process in his latest column.



But I’m still left wondering how an opponent’s quality is judged.  At some point, a mathematical number has to be assigned to some team.  Or else it would be a never-ending circular discussion.

So wouldn’t RPI grades come into play at that level?  And if opposing teams’ RPIs are used, then isn’t that where the SEC’s at-large candidates will get a kick in their pants for the league’s low individual RPI scores.

In other words, the committee probably won’t say this: “Mississippi State doesn’t get in because the SEC’s RPI is too low.”

But they may well say this: “Mississippi State doesn’t get in because they didn’t beat enough teams with good RPIs.”

It’s the same thing really, really.