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Indiana State’s historic March Madness snub ignites college basketball world

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Indiana State will not be going dancing this year, much to the chagrin of the college basketball world.

For much of the season, the Sycamores were the talk of the country in large part to a captivating and dynamic big man in Robbie Avila. The 6-foot-10 and spectacled big man wowed fans with his scoring, rebounding and passing ability while also shooting the deep ball at a 40% clip.

In the regular season, Indiana State went 28-6 and won the outright title in the Missouri Valley Conference. Unfortunately, the Sycamores went cold while shooting 29% from 3-point range in the MVC Tournament championship and were eliminated from the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in the 84-80 loss to Drake.

Despite playing in a non-power conference, there was still some hope Indiana State could earn an at-large bid to the final NCAA Tournament field. Unfortunately, those hopes were squashed with Sunday’s reveal of the 68-team bracket and the Sycamores failing to earn a spot.

Remarkably, Indiana State maintained the 29th overall NET ranking ahead of Sunday’s reveal, making the Sycamores the first-ever team to finish in the top 30 of the NET and miss the final field. (The NET was first incorporated in 2019.)

RELATED: Ready to fill out your bracket? First, get caught up on the latest odds and trends for the NCAA Tournament with Tradition’s sports betting in Ohio links and apps!

Reaction to the snub

Rarely does one team generate the type of interest Indiana State did among college hoops fans, particularly for a smaller school outside of the power conferences. That’s the power of technology in this era, and the presence of a likable and dynamic big man in Avila.

Many fans were left fuming over the Sycamores missing out on the Big Dance while other struggling power conference teams, like Virginia, safely landed in the field of 68. Others could not hold back their disappointment from seeing Avila on the biggest stage of all in March Madness.

Take a look:

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.