Zips vs. Arkansas Little Rock

[Captain Kangaroo]

OK Mike Thomas...let's call the UALR AD and GET IT ON!

UALR snubbed by NIT despite better RPI than most

DAVID HAMMER

Associated Press Writer

LITTLE ROCK — In one of the most glaring snubs of Selection Sunday, Arkansas-Little Rock was not invited to the National Invitation Tournament, despite having a higher RPI than 32 of the 40 teams that received bids.

"We were told all week that we were in pretty good shape," UALR athletic director Chris Peterson told The Associated Press on Sunday. "You felt with the RPI like we had and having won the division, we'd get in. I just feel bad for our kids and out coaches who put so much into the past year and don't have a chance to continue the season."

The Trojans (18-10), who won the Sun Belt Conference's Eastern Division and enjoyed a Rating Percentage Index of 61, held a practice Sunday afternoon while the NCAA Tournament selections were being announced, fully expecting a call from the NIT Selection Committee in New York later in the evening.

An NIT bid looked almost certain when there were only nine teams with better RPI that weren't selected for the NCAAs. The RPI considers win-loss record, strength-of-schedule and performance against top opponents to rank the Division I college teams.

But Western Kentucky, with an RPI of 63, was chosen instead from the Sun Belt Eastern Division, even though UALR beat the Hilltoppers twice this year.

"Western's a great program with great tradition and we wish them luck," Peterson said. "But it's just a little frustrating."

NIT executive director Jack Powers did not immediately return calls seeking comment Sunday.

UALR sports information director Kevin Tankersley sensed some anxiety right after the NCAA selections.

"There were some kinks thrown into the deal when Maryland, Indiana and Notre Dame didn't make the NCAAs, so the NIT (selection committee) is working on that," he said while the Trojans practiced.

There are 65 teams that make the NCAAs, but because of automatic bids for conference champions, some higher-ranked schools are relegated to the NIT. That was even more unpredictable Sunday when the NCAA denied bids to Maryland (RPI 65), Indiana (83), and Notre Dame (93), all big-conference teams that the NIT covets for their draw at the gate.

But even small-conference schools that were ranked behind UALR were invited to the NIT. Davidson (62); Virginia Commonwealth (66); Drexel (71); Oral Roberts (79); W. Michigan (81); another Sun Belt school, Denver (87); and Cal State Fullerton (107) all received bids.

Of the 10 non-NCAA Tournament teams with the best RPI, only UALR and Akron didn't make the NIT. Akron had an RPI of 55 Sunday.

The Arkansas Razorbacks (18-12, RPI 112) had an outside shot an NIT berth, but coach Stan Heath made it clear earlier in the week that his tired team would decline an invitation. That squashed any hopes of a showdown between a satellite school, the higher-ranked UALR, and the team from the University of Arkansas' main campus. Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles' longstanding policy has been to not play other Arkansas schools, but had said he wouldn't try to stop the NIT from scheduling the in-state matchup.

[Dave in Green]

What an incredible PR opportunity! One of these two schools should be phoning the other right now to set up a game early next season. Bill it as the battle of the best two college basketball teams in America to get passed over for post-season tournaments. Send out news releases to all the media. Akron gets a double hit out of this by throwing in the football bowl exclusion.

I am not kidding you. I've been a part of, or worked with, the media for more than 35 years. This is a genuinely great "underdog" news story, and news people love underdogs -- especially those who've been screwed by the system.