Monmouth University gets snubbed and Seton Hall going dancing, but road is hard; who just beat Villanova for Big East Crown gets 6 seed after three strong wins and 2 wins over #2 tournament seeds in three days…
The Seton Hall Pirates got a No. 6 seed in the Midwest and will open against Gonzaga in Denver. Beyond that, powers await.
It’s a hard road.
Fresh off winning the Big East Tournament for the first time since 1993, the 25-8 Pirates got the No. 6 seed — below expectations — in the Midwest Regional. They open vs. No. 11 Gonzaga Thursday, with third-seeded Utah looming in a potential second-round game Saturday. Michigan State, possibly the best team in the nation, somehow is the No. 2 seed in the region.
The six seed is a disappointment because the Hall checked two of the key boxes that the selection committee typically harps on — the last 10 games (Pirates are 9-1) and road wins (the Hall earned six of them in Big East play a program record.
Monmouth snubbed by NCAA Tournament selection committee…
By
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
Monmouth has been benched by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
The Hawks were not included in the 68-team field that was announced on Sunday evening. Monmouth will learn its NIT destination in the consolation tournament’s selection show on Sunday night at 8:30.
Monmouth (27-7) built its resume with wins over tournament teams Notre Dame and USC on neutral courts. The Hawks also knocked off traditional powers UCLA and Georgetown on the road.
Monmouth squandered a chance to earn an automatic tournament bid with a 79-76 loss to Iona in the MAAC Tournament championship on Monday. Losses to Manhattan, Army and Canisius outweighed those wins, according to NCAA Tournament selection committee chairman Joe Castiglione.
“We recognize teams like Monmouth have a hard time getting games against teams outside their conference,” Castiglione said on CBS’ selection show. “They did a good job. They did exactly what you would want a team like that to do. They went 3-4 against those teams that they played. But it’s those three losses over the 200 line that really hurt them when it was all said and done. Just not enough to overcompensate. I will say again, Monmouth was right there in that final discussion. It was a very difficult discussion. They had a great year.”
The Hawks will have the biggest gripe with Tulsa earning an at-large bid. The Golden Hurricane went 20-11 this season and earned a No. 11 seed in the West Region.
Many on social media were outraged by Monmouth’s snub:
Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.
