Buzz Williams on selection process ahead of NCAA tournament snub

Following their loss in the SEC Tournament championship game, Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams wondered publicly about the Aggies’ NCAA Tournament fate and the selection process. The Aggies knocked off Auburn and Arkansas as they advanced through their conference championship tournament, a pair of wins that no team in the nation can claim to have matched last week.

Buzz Williams on NCAA Tournament fate

Entering the SEC Tournament, Texas A&M appeared to be playing their final basketball games of 2022 as they were outside of bracket predictions with their record. However, a shockingly deep run saw the Aggies reach the end of the tournament and had them one win away from an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. With the loss to Tennessee in the championship game, the automatic bid was no longer on the table and they were left at the mercy of the NCAA selection committee.

After the game, Williams was asked if he would be attempting to campaign for his team with the selection committee after being the number four and five teams in the national rankings on their way through the SEC Tournament.

“Yeah. I’m not sure how you earn the selection to the NCAA committee,” said Williams. “Do you know that process? And that’s why I try not to partake in conversations that I don’t understand the whole process. Like I understand there’s a committee, and so my question at the foundation is how do you get invited to the committee?

“Then is there a transparent way not on the internet that we as coaches who are responsible for these families that we can articulate, this is how you do it, and you see as each day in March passes how the opinion of others that are not on the committee seem to overwhelm the world.

“I not try to get into that because I feel like my responsibility is to the children and the families they represent, and so I don’t know, to be honest. I don’t know is it good enough? Should it happen? I do think this numerically is the best league. Maybe it’s 1-B numerically. I do study the numbers. I’m slightly more intelligent maybe than I come across. I know what the numbers are, and I do think that how the last three and a half weeks have transpired for us I would think for sure has to help our résumé. Is it good enough? I don’t know.”

Williams’ honest answer seemed to exemplify the confusion surrounding bubble teams when it comes to Selection Sunday. Every team feels they’ve made their case for why they should have a spot in the bracket, but the only noise they hear is what people are saying through media and fan support. Without a clear indicator of what it takes to be selected, Williams admits to focusing on what he can control — what he does for his players.

Ultimately, their SEC Tournament heroics didn’t result in an NCAA Tournament bid. The Aggies were listed as one of the “first four out” teams, just narrowly missing out on March Madness.