The 2022 NCAA Tournament bracket is officially set, and not everyone is happy.
As is the case every year, there is always a team that misses out on getting into the dance or a team that is put in an extremely difficult region.
This year’s Selection Sunday show was no different as we look at the teams who got screwed over in the March Madness bracket.
Texas A&M
The Aggies appear to be the clear and concise snub of the tournament. Fresh off their SEC Tournament run that ended with a 65-50 loss to Tennessee in the championship game, Texas A&M appeared to have positioned themselves to get an at-large bid. They ranked 43rd in the KenPom rankings — ahead of 14 other schools that did make the tourney. They had wins over Auburn, Arkansas and Alabama all within the last month.
Instead, not only did they miss the tournament, they were fourth on the first four out, leaving everyone shocked.
Dayton
Dayton seemed poised to get into the tournament as of Sunday morning, but the University of Richmond spoiled its plans. Not only did Richmond defeat Dayton int the semifinals on Saturday, but by beating Davidson in the championship and clinching the automatic bid, it effectively knocked Dayton out of the bracket.
Dayton ranked 57th in KenPom, so the Flyers were arguably a bubble team to begin with, but many felt the Flyers should have gotten in over the likes of Notre Dame, particularly with big non-conference win over Kansas on their resume.
Murray State
The Racers are back in the NCAA Tournament after a down year last year and are arguably one of the best mid-major teams in the dance seeded at No. 7. It is the second-highest seed ever given to a team from the Ohio Valley Conference. But it could not have come against a tougher opponent. Murray State matches up against another very good mid-major in San Francisco.
Not to mention, if they survive San Francisco they are staring at a second-round matchup against Kentucky. So the road to the Sweet 16 for Murray State certainly seems like a tall task.
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Tennessee
The SEC champions were awarded the No. 3 seed in the South region, which did not sit well with many folks, particularly Volunteers fans. Many thought Tennessee should have at least been a No. 2 seed and sounded off about that.
It probably isn’t too big of a deal. Tennessee is talented enough to make a Final Four run regardless of seeding, but many would have liked to have seen the easier path at 2.
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