A constant thread in the women’s college basketball landscape — at least this year — is that mid-major schools have given themselves enough opportunities to prove their worth, and they have taken advantage. It’s made for some weird bracket math. This week, for example, the Summit League brings in two teams (projected conference champion South Dakota and South Dakota State), the MAC still has three, and the Ivy League is on the verge of a second bid thanks to Harvard taking over as the top team in the standings.
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On its face, it doesn’t make much sense. But try arguing that South Dakota State, which as beaten NC State and has not lost to a team outside of the projected field, shouldn’t at least be considered. Or that Ball State, which has beaten Butler, won at Purdue, and not lost to a sub-80 RPI team, isn’t worthy. You have to get to 64 teams somehow, and right now, a whole lot of mid-majors have arguments for inclusion that are just as strong as middle-of-the-pack power conference teams.