SMU Snubbed? Mustangs Left Out Of NCAA Tournament Despite Being Ranked In The Top 25

The Biggest NCAA Snub?
DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 6: SMU Mustangs head coach Larry Brown has words with his team against the Temple Owls on February 6, 2014 at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 6: SMU Mustangs head coach Larry Brown has words with his team against the Temple Owls on February 6, 2014 at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

There was a party but no celebration on the campus of Southern Methodist on Selection Sunday.

When the field of 68 teams for the 2014 NCAA Tournament was unveiled, Larry Brown's SMU Mustangs (23-9) were the most notable absence. Despite being ranked No. 25 in the AP Top 25 and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll for the Week of March 10, the Mustangs were left on the outside looking in.

CLICK HERE for printable 2014 NCAA Tournament Bracket

The SMU players and their fans congregated at Moody Coliseum on campus to watch as the bracket was unveiled during a live selection show on Sunday.

Despite being upset by Houston in the American Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals, SMU and its fans were hoping to earn one of 36 at-large bids in the NCAA Tournament.

“When I saw some of the teams that got in, Xavier, NC State, some of the late teams and then I didn’t see any American Athletic Conference teams in the first two regions, then all of a sudden I see Louisville at four, I knew we were going to be in trouble,” Brown said, via The Dallas Morning News.

As it became increasingly clear that the Mustangs were going to be left out, the mood at Moody changed.

As a consolation prize, SMU was named a No. 1 seed in the NIT. The Mustangs will host UC Irvine on Wednesday, March 19.

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