Who were the biggest snubs for the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament?
The full 2025 NCAA tournament field is set, but a few notable teams were left on the outside looking in.
Texas, Xavier, San Diego State and North Carolina — who will all play in the First Four games in Dayton on Tuesday and Wednesday — were the “Last Four In” the Field of 68, according to Selection Committee chairman Bubba Cunningham. Conversely, West Virginia, Indiana, Boise State and Ohio State were the “First Four Out.”
West Virginia had a NET ranking of 51 and six Quad 1 wins. However, the Mountaineers were just 19-13 overall and 10-10 in the Big 12, and lost to last-place Colorado in its first game in the conference tournament.
The team with the highest NET ranking left out was Ohio State at 41. The Buckeyes had a KenPom ranking of 39 — extraordinarily high for a team that did not make the tournament, but just a 17-15 overall record.
Boise State is also sitting home from the tournament, despite a 44 NET ranking, a 24-10 record and a 14-6 mark in the Mountain West. The Broncos were just 3-6 in Quad 1 games, however, and lost to a Quad 4 team — Boston College back in November.
Indiana — 48 in KenPom and 54 in NET — is also left out, despite four Quad 1 wins and no losses in games vs. Quads 2-4 opponents. The fact that Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson announced his resignation (effective at the end of the season) in February might have played a role.
North Carolina was the last at-large team to make the tournament, though UAB could have knocked the Tar Heels out. According to Selection Committee vice-chair Keith Gill, had the Blazers beaten Memphis in Sunday’s American Athletic Conference title game, UAB would have secured the league’s automatic bid to the tournament and the Tigers would have taken North Carolina’s at-large spot.