Selection Sunday is here, will BYU get in the Big Dance?

Mar 30, 2013; Washington, D.C., USA; General view of the NCAA logo prior to the finals of the East regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament between the Syracuse Orange and Marquette Golden Eagles at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

I received my college basketball pre-season magazines in the mail back in September.  Six months have passed since those pre-season mags came out, and now we are at the day that makes everyone a college basketball expert, selection sunday.

These past six months have been a long road for BYU who have had some tremendous high’s, but some awful low’s.  The type of low’s that leave BYU wondering what their post-season fate is heading into selection sunday.

The biggest question mark with BYU over the past 13 years with being in the NCAA’s is what type of seed will they receive?  This is a different animal.  BYU is not used to sweating it out to see if they are in the field.  Everyone around the BYU program is being tight-lipped about Selection Sunday, not common for Dave Rose teams. Never has a BYU squad with 10+ losses received an at-large bid in the NCAA’s.  So there is valid reason to sweat.

Does BYU have enough a resume to get in to the field of 68 as an at-large?  During Championship Week, all the bubble teams that are competing for one of those final spots have been bounced early from their conference tourneys. Enhancing BYU’s chances of receiving a bid, one would think.  But until we hear BYU announced by Greg Gumbell, there is no sure thing.

I’ve been curious to see how much the no Sunday play will impact BYU’s chances to receive a bid this year.  BYU is always a difficult team to schedule in the field of 68 in any given year, but trying to find a spot for them in a bracket where they might be the last team in is even trickier, I would assume.

I feel BYU deserves a bid, but I’m skeptical that they will actually receive one.  Joe Lunardi, who’s the expert on Bracketology has BYU in the field of 68, but he has never had a perfect bracket.  It truly is a toss-up at this point.

If BYU does receive the coveted at-large bid, here’s some of my predictions for what we will see take place this evening on Selection Sunday.

• The Cougars will be in the First Four.  No way around that, BYU will be opening in Dayton on Tuesday night if they get into the field.
• For those of you who might want to go to the game, flights aren’t cheap.  From Salt Lake City to Dayton on Tuesday, come back Wednesday, flights are starting at $645 roundtrip.
• If BYU gets in the field of 68, they will take on the home team, Dayton Flyers in the play-in game.  It’ll be one of those situations where the selection committee can say, yeah we tossed you a bone BYU, but here’s a true road game in the NCAA Tournament.  Earn your bid still.
• The only brackets BYU is able to be in are the South and West brackets. Both have Thursday & Saturday regionals.  If I had to guess, BYU will probably land in the South regional.  Remember in 2003, when BYU was placed in a bracket with a Friday & Sunday regional?  Had the Cougars got past UConn and the 2nd round opponent, BYU would have been switched to another bracket.  The first of its kind in the NCAA Tournament.  Talk about a bracket buster.
• BYU will be the most discussed team if they get in the field of 68 on ESPN’s Bracketology shows.  Selection Sunday breakdown’s on ESPN always focus on the last four teams in, rather than recap the entire field.
• Seth Greenberg will have many opportunities to say Matt Carlino, a.k.a. “Matty Basketball”, is his Tournament MVP pick.

There’s going to be a lot of anxiety over the next 10 or so hours.  As a side note, if BYU doesn’t make the NCAA Tournament, bank on the Cougars receiving a 1-seed in the NIT.  Which wouldn’t be too bad, but still BYU needs to get in the big dance.  Pull off the unthinkable.