Will 'mid-majors' be shut out of 2025 NCAA Tournament?
Thanks in large part to the Mountain West, eight "mid-major" teams received at-large berths to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
San Diego State, Nevada, Boise State, Utah State and Colorado State each received one of the 37 at-large bids awarded by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. The other three "mid-major" bids went to Dayton (Atlantic 10), Florida Atlantic (American) and Gonzaga (West Coast Conference).
The other 29 at-large bids were given to traditional "power-conference" schools.
The 2025 tournament is shaping up to look much different. With five weeks left in the regular season, it's looking likely that power-conference schools will gobble up at least 34 of the 37 at-large bids in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Mountain West Struggling
The Mountain West made a lot of noise last season, putting six teams in the NCAA tournament.
But the conference did not perform well, with only one team (San Diego State) advancing past the first weekend.
This season, the Mountain West is not as strong. Only one team is currently in the top 40 of the NCAA NET Rankings (Utah State), and the experts are predicting only three teams will get into the tournament — Utah State, New Mexico and San Diego State.
With the temporary additions of former Pac-12 schools Oregon State and Washington State, the West Coast Conference figured to be stronger this season. And it is. But only Gonzaga and Saint Mary's are in top 50 of the NET, and the Zags are far from a mid-major program.
In his latest Bracketology update, ESPN's Joe Lunardi predicts that only three "mid-major" programs will receive at-large bids to the 2025 NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga, San Diego State and Utah State.
Power Conference Takeover
In late January West Coast Conference Commissioner Stu Jackson — who also sits on the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee — released a statement warning about how the "autonomy four power conferences are seizing more decision-making power."
The four power conferences Jackson is referring to are the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12.
"The Power Four conferences are bulldozing their way through this and there hasn't been much attention paid to them, at least in my opinion, to the potential impact and effects. Their wants, how they'd affect conferences across the NCAA," Jackson told CBS Sports.
Their unchecked power — which largely lies in TV revenue and deep-pocketed boosters — is quickly widening the gap between "the haves and the have nots" across the college basketball landscape.
Look no further than the projected 2025 NCAA Tournament field.
