Slive: SEC won’t hurt teams’ chances for bid

The Southeastern Conference’s modest Ratings Percentage Index should not adversely affect individual teams’ chances of receiving a NCAA Tournament bid.

That was SEC Commissioner Mike Slive’s stated view on a teleconference on Tuesday. And his view counts for a lot considering he will serve as chairman of the tournament’s Selection Committee this year.

“The committee is not going to consider Conference RPI,” Slive said. “It’s not going to be a factor.”

That’s a good thing for member schools like Kentucky since the SEC has the worst RPI of any of the six so-called “major” conferences. The league also has a losing record against the other five top conferences and a losing record against ranked teams.

Slive, who according to the rules isn’t allowed to lobby for a team in his conference, said each team will be judged on its entire season.

Slive downplayed the importance of a fast finish. Over the year, much discussion has centered on how a team fares in its last 10 games going into the post-season.

While noting that each committee member is free to give as much importance to the last 10 games as he or she wants, Slive saw nothing magical in the home stretch.

“The last 12 games can’t outweigh what a team did, particularly if successful, earlier in the season,” he said.

Since the SEC expanded to 12 schools in 1991-92, the league has received at least four NCAA Tournament bids each season. That standard might be put to the test this year, most college basketball observers believe.