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No matter the teams that make the NCAA Tournament and the seeding, there will be one group of fans outraged on Selection Saturday.
Outrage from a certain of group of fans about the NCAA Tournament field is as annually of an event as the unveiling of the brackets.
With Selection Saturday less than a week away, check out the biggest outrage and who was outraged each season about the selection of the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament during the last 10 years.
2014 NCAA Tournament
Outrage: No. 11 Lewis received the final at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament instead of No. 3 Pepperdine. Despite having a lower ranking in the coaches poll, that national ranking is not part of the criteria used by the selection committee to determine the NCAA Tournament field. In addition, the Flyers became the second non-West Coast team to earn an at-large bid in the history of the tournament.
Who was outraged: Pepperdine fans, MPSF fans, MPSF coaches except for Marv Dunphy, MPSF players, MIVA haters, The Net Live crew, NCAA Tournament selection conspiracy theorists
2013 NCAA Tournament
Outrage: UC Irvine after losing to Long Beach State in the conference tournament was still able to narrowly beat-out the 49ers for the only at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. While Long Beach State had that postseason victory, the Anteaters were 3-0 against the 49ers during the regular season.
Who was outraged: Long Beach State fans, NCAA Tournament expansionists, Twitter handle @MikeDalessandro
2012 NCAA Tournament
Outrage: USC, which was the MPSF regular season champions and playing host to the NCAA Tournament that year, received the at-large bid after losing in the MPSF Tournament semifinals. Stanford at the time became the first team in three years to reach the MPSF Tournament championship match and not qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans, though, received the at-large bid instead of Cardinal because they held the advantage in the majority of selection committee criteria categories.
Who was outraged: Stanford fans, NCAA Tournament selection conspiracy theorist, UCLA fans
2011 NCAA Tournament
Outrage: UC Santa Barbara became the first MPSF team to receive the No. 4 seed to the NCAA Tournament. The Gauchos reached the NCAA Tournament after finishing the regular season with slight winning record and pulling off three consecutive upsets to win the MPSF Tournament as the No. 7 seed.
Who was outraged: UC Santa Barbara fans, MPSF fans, The Net Live crew, conference tournament enthusiasts
2010 NCAA Tournament
Outrage: Despite playing in the perceived weaker conference, Penn State beat-out Ohio State to receive the No. 3 seed for the NCAA Tournament. The Nittany Lions went undefeated in conference play and were 2-1 against the Buckeyes. That lone loss, though, came in their final meeting and contributed to Penn State going 5-4 in its final nine regular season matches.
Who was outraged: MPSF fans, Penn State haters, EIVA haters, Ohio State fans
2009 NCAA Tournament
Outrage: UC Irvine earned the No. 1 seed as the at-large bid after losing to the MPSF Tournament champions USC in the conference tournament semifinals. The Anteaters held the advantage in the majority of selection committee criteria categories against every team in the nation, including head-to-head record advantage against the Trojans. In addition, UC Irvine edged No. 2 Pepperdine for the only at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Who was outraged: USC fans, Pepperdine fans, NCAA Tournament expansionists, conference tournament enthusiasts
2008 NCAA Tournament
Outrage: Long Beach State earned the at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament instead of BYU after both team finished as co-MPSF regular season champions and lost in the conference tournament. The Cougars had a better overall record than the 49ers but did not hold the advantage in the majority of the selection committee criteria categories, including the head-to-head category.
Who was outraged: BYU fans, NCAA Tournament expansionists
2007 NCAA Tournament
Outrage: Penn State received the No. 3 seed for the NCAA Tournament ahead of IPFW after the two teams split their regular season series and had identical overall records. Despited being tied in several of the criteria categories, the Mastodons were projected to have held a slight advantage in the criteria category of teams under consideration for the NCAA Tournament.
Who was outraged: IPFW fans, Penn State haters, EIVA haters
2006 NCAA Tournament
Outrage: UC Irvine as the at-large team earned the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament ahead of UCLA following their loss to the Bruins in the conference tournament. UCLA finished the regular season in sixth place in the MPSF, while UC Irvine was the MPSF regular season champions and held the edge in the majority of criteria categories compared to every team in the nation.
Who was outraged: UCLA fans, conference tournament enthusiasts
2005 NCAA Tournament
Outrage: UCLA received the lone at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament despite losing in the conference tournament quarterfinals, while Long Beach State reached the MPSF Tournament championship match before losing to Pepperdine. The Bruins finished the regular season in second place and held the advantage in the overwhelming majority selection committee criteria categories against the 49ers.
Who was outraged: Long Beach State fans, UCLA haters, USC fans, NCAA Tournament selection conspiracy theorists, conference tournament enthusiasts