Many people had complaints after the NCAA announced the men’s and women’s tournament fields Sunday, but no one complimented the selection committees on its wicked sense of humor.
CBS aired the men’s tournament field Sunday at 6 p.m. (ET), and one of the most interesting match-ups in the first round pits No. 8 Nebraska against No. 9 Texas A&M in the South Region Friday night. That’s notable because new Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts unexpectedly left that post at Nebraska on Wednesday.
And before basketball fans could say, “Oh, that’s just a coincidence,” the NCAA announced the women’s tournament field. The No. 6 Cornhuskers will play No. 11 Texas A&M in the first round in Corvallis, Oregon.
Nicely done, NCAA.
Alberts tweeted congratulations to Nebraska men’s coach Fred Hoiberg and women’s coach Amy Williams, then reportedly deleted the post. A similar post reappeared with minor alterations.
“Well this will be fun,” Alberts posted, with a smiling/crying emoji. “Congratulations coach Hoiberg. Congratulations coach Williams!”
In tournaments filled with interesting first-round matchups and intriguing possible later matchups, the Nebraska/Texas A&M pairings drew plenty of attention. Omaha KFAB radio host Emery Songer noted, “The odds of this happening are what? Similar to getting hit by a bolt of lightning? No chance this is unintentional, btw. I don’t believe it.”
It’s clear many Nebraska fans are still livid with Alberts’ defection.
Someone explain this to me because I love mess. https://t.co/1fbiuPn6M7
— Dirty D (@akgrl33) March 17, 2024
[Amie Just; Photo Credit: Texas A&M]