Selection Sunday: Did the right teams get in?
Whether it was the glacial two-hour pace, the technological difficulties, or an anti-climactic leak, Selection Sunday didn't have the same excitement as it has in years past.
But now that the show is finally over and the bracket is officially set, it's time to break down the participants in this year's Madness.
Surprises
Tulsa
Although a play-in matchup with Michigan will determine whether the Golden Hurricane break through to the round of 64, no one saw this one coming. Tulsa finished fifth in the AAC, and was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Frank Haith's squad ranks No. 59 in the country in BPI and No. 61 in RPI, but nonetheless, Tulsa has earned its first at-large berth since 2002.
Syracuse
Syracuse in the tournament, let alone as a 10-seed, simply doesn't make sense. The Orange's record of 19-13 is far from impressive, especially considering they stumbled down the stretch, losing five of their last six games. Syracuse did earn some decent wins in the regular season, but Jim Boeheim's troops have been in the bottom half of the ACC standings for entirely too long, and didn't do enough in the conference tournament to deserve a bid. Staying afloat during Boeheim's nine-game suspension shouldn't have had any merit in Cuse's tournament bid.
Snubs
Monmouth
The Hawks took the college basketball world by storm in the beginning of the season with their infamous bench mob, but beyond amazing sideline antics, Monmouth deserved a berth in the tournament. Monmouth earned 27 wins this season, 17 of them on the road or at a neutral site, while playing the 20th most difficult schedule in the nation. Losing the MAAC title game hurt its chances, but it's difficult to find a more impressive mid-major resume than Monmouth's.
South Carolina
The Gamecocks started the season 15-0 and finished third in the SEC standings, holding the tiebreaker over Vanderbilt, which earned a play-in berth. South Carolina's one-point loss to Georgia in the SEC quarterfinals hurt its chances as a bubble team, and so did its record down the stretch, but with a 4-1 record against BPI top 50 teams, the Gamecocks certainly had the resume to crack the bracket.