Although the AU men's basketball team's season ended last weekend with a loss to Bucknell in the Patriot League semifinals, for 65 teams, Sunday will mark the beginning of a new season as the brackets for the NCAA tournament will be released.
Although the recipient of the PL's automatic bid will not be decided until Friday's tournament final, it is possible the league PL will have more than one team in the tournament. If Holy Cross (20-11, 11-3 PL) defeats Bucknell (25-4, 14-0), it is likely the Bison would still earn one of the 34 at-large bids.
Last year, the 14th-seeded Bison upset the third-seeded Kansas Jayhawks, 64-63 - the first NCAA tournament victory in PL history. Even though the core of that team has returned this season, last year's surprising victory doesn't guarantee it anything this seson.
"What they did a year ago will not affect their seeding this year," said Craig Littlepage, chairman of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee, in a teleconference Wednesday. "They will be seeded based on how we feel they stack up with the rest of the teams in the field."
Selection Sunday will also have an effect on the local basketball scene, as No. 6 George Washington (26-1, 16-0 Atlantic-10) and No. 23 Georgetown (19-8, 10-6 Big East) are locks to make the tournament regardless of their performances in conference tournament play. George Mason (23-7, 15-3 Colonial Athletic Association) could earn an at-large birth.
With Verizon Center serving as host to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds of the East Regional, it is possible that GW or George Mason could end up playing in the District. However, tournament rules prohibit Georgetown from playing on its home court.
"Georgetown specifically, since they play home games at the [Verizon] Center, would not be assigned to the region in Washington, D.C.," Littlepage said.
However, the seeding of both GW and George Mason could depend on the status of key players who may not be able to play.
Colonials senior center Pops Mensah-Bonsu is out for the conference tournament following surgery on his left knee, but is expected to be back for the first round of the NCAA tournament. George Mason suspended its second-leading scorer, Tony Skinn, after he punched a Hofstra player in the groin during the semifinal game of the CAA tournament.
"We do rely on having to do surveillance, going to the schools themselves to find out about injury status and the relative strength of that player if they were to return," Littlepage said. "We want to be able to select, seed and bracket these teams based on who is going to be entering the tournament."
The 2006 NCAA tournament will begin on Tuesday night with the play-in game in Dayton, Ohio, between the 64th- and 65th-seeded teams. The first round begins Thursday.
