NCAA TOURNAMENT SELECTION PROCESS OUTLOOK
2012 DIV. I MEN’S BASKETBALL COMMITTEE
Steve Orsini Director of Athletics, SMU
Ron Wellman Director of Athletics, Wake Forest
Jamie Zaninovich Commissioner, West Coast Conference
Lynn Hickey Director of Athletics, Texas-San Antonio
Joe Alleva Director of Athletics, LSU
Doug Fullerton Commissioner, Big Sky Conference
10th Member Undetermined as of Oct. 19
REVIEW
Mike Bobinski (2012-13 chair) Director of Athletics, Xavier
STAFF
Scott Barnes Director of Athletics, Utah State
PLAYERS
Jeff Hathaway (2011-12 chair) Consultant, Big East Conference
What is the most important factor for being selected? No single factor guarantees selection. Committee members individually form their frame of reference for decisions regarding selection and seeding.
What is the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and how important is it to the process? Developed by NCAA statisticians, the Rating Percentage Index was first used by the Men’s Selection Committee in 1981 and the Women’s in 1985. The basic RPI consists of a team’s Division I winning percentage (25 percent weight), its opponent’s winning percentage (50 percent weight) and its opponents opponent’s winning percentage (25 percent weight). The RPI is one of many factors the committee uses for selecting and seeding teams.
VOLMANAC
What teams make up the field? The field is divided into automatic qualifiers and at-large teams. The championships have 31 automatic qualifiers that play their way into the tournament by winning their conference regular season or conference tournament championship. The committee then selects the at-large teams.
How does the committee handle key injuries, unavailable players or unique circumstances that occur during the regular season? Committee members evaluate teams based on outcomes of games played with and without missing player(s) and make an evaluation. Ultimately, if the committee as a whole feels the impacted team merits inclusion, the team is selected, seeded and placed in the bracket.
POSTSEASON
How does the committee prepare for selection weekend? Committee members spend countless hours evaluating and discussing teams during the regular season. They strive to be experts on the teams within their assigned regions and have a broad-based knowledge of Division I basketball.
How fair is the process? To ensure impartiality, committee members are prohibited from voting for teams they represent. This includes conference representatives who cannot vote for teams in their conference. In fact, committee members must leave the room when such teams are being discussed.
HONORS
Who’s on the committee? Institutional and conference administrators are nominated by their conference, serve five-year terms—with between one and three members rotating out and the same number rotating in every year—and represent a cross-section of NCAA Division I membership. The committee is balanced geographically, with no fewer than two members representing the East, Midwest, South and West regions at any one time.
Are selection, seeding and bracketing the same for the men and women? There are a few minor differences. The most obvious is the men’s championship now features 68 teams with Nos. 65-68 meeting in the "First Four" round in Dayton. On the women’s side, 64 teams participate.
RECORDS
How about a quick overview of the process? The Division I Men’s Basketball Championship has a 10-person selection committee responsible for overseeing all aspects of the event. The committee selects and seeds the teams by secret ballot according to established principles and procedures.
RESULTS
NCAA MARCH MADNESS: BRACKETOLOGY 101
MEDIA INFO
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