NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Many of us have filled out our brackets are are eagerly awaiting the NCAA Tournament. But how does the field come together? What goes into picking seeds and what and who decides which teams get in and which are left out?
Old Dominion Director of Athletics Dr. Wood Selig was on the Women's NCAA Tournament Selection Committee from 2007-2010 while he was in the same position at Western Kentucky. If you look around his office, you'll see souvenirs from his time on the committee, from basketballs to commemorative chairs. He was a member of the ten person team, each of whom was assigned three primary and three secondary conferences. Among Selig's primary leagues, the SEC.
"When you discuss individual programs within conferences, that committee rep for that conference is the expert and the go-to person," Selig said.
The evaluation process begins with the season's tipoff in November. Committee members make their rounds to watch teams in the leagues they represent for the committee and catch others on game broadcasts. The first big meeting comes in February.
"We would all go to Indianapolis and we would have a two or three day breakdown on if the season ended today, what would we do?," recalled Selig. "We would kind of have a mock selection."
That all sets the stage for the week leading up to Selection Sunday in March. That's back in Indianapolis, where the committee members find themselves on lockdown.
"It's just the committee room, your hotel room and the workout room," he said. "That's all you see for five days."
Those five days are spent in intense discussion and evaluation, crunching numbers and making comparisons. The committee takes a look at which teams fare better against top competition and eventually puts together the field. That comes in groups of eight as the members lay out the 16 seeds in each region.
"Let's move four of the top eight, so the top four vote-getters go in as your number ones," ODU's athletic director explained. "Then the four remain, they say 'OK, now load four more,' so you put four more in, now you have eight and they say 'OK, this is for the twos.'"
Of course, there's always that battle on the bubble. Which teams will be the last four in and first four out? Selig said a handful of factors come into play. Which team is hotter at the end of the year coming down the stretch? If these two teams play, which does the committee think would win on the floor?
"We had a stat. You could say 'OK, of the field that's already in the tournament, how do these teams stack up against those who have already been admitted to the tournament?'"
The final vote locks in the field. Dreams come true for some, hearts get broken for others. Selig has been on both sides of the coin in that regard during his professional career and took some calls from some disappointed coaches and administrators during his time on the committee.
"I never got sent any nice bottles of wine or any great thank you gifts," he smiled. "It was usually the other way around, like 'what's going on here? Why didn't we make it?'"
His experiences allowed him to commiserate a bit with those he spoke with in the aftermath of decisions, conversations he was more than open to having. There were ups and downs to serving on the committee. Selig had to spend long periods of time away from his family and missed some key events at Western Kentucky, but values the memories and friendships that came from his time serving with that group.
"It really expands one's network and it gives you a greater appreciation of what you're doing and the value of what you're providing for student-athletes and their families."
While Selig was on the Women's NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, he says the men's process is identical. He also noted that he is in favor of expanding the NCAA Tournament field to 96 teams.
