Boise State got screwed

The Boise State Broncos went 25-9 this year, making the NCAA tournament for the first time in quite some time. As their reward, the selection committee sent them 1,950 miles to play their first game. That's not entirely unheard of, some teams have to play in Seattle. What is unheard of is that they landed an away game against a team ranked lower than them in any computer system.

Yes, the Broncos played the play-in game against Dayton last night, and they lost. Dayton was supported by 14,000 of their rabid once a year fanbase and Boise State was supported by whoever from Idaho who could afford to make that trip. Boise is still, even after the game, ranked ahead of Dayton in KenPom, though they have now slipped behind them in the BPI. Should Dayton have been in the play-in game? Of course not, but the fact that the committee rewarded them with a home game is absolutely absurd.

The home court advantage in college basketball is generally somewhere between 2.5 and six points. What that is for one of the largest arenas for one of the biggest games of the year is up for debate, but it's almost certainly on the higher end. That was Boise State's reward for scheduling teams like Wisconsin and NC State in the non conference and beating the best team in their conference twice in regular season. For their season, which deserved more than a play-in game, they lost a one point game in a road arena. It made for a great start to the tournament, but it was decidedly unfair for a team that deserved better.