The NCAA Tournament selection committee snubbed Georgia Tech when it announced its 64-team field Sunday, and Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski wasn't pleased.
"I was kind of disappointed about Tech -- not kind of, I was very disappointed about Tech," Krzyzewski said at his noon press conference Monday at the Durham Hilton. "I don't know how you do all those things when you're selecting, or what all the criteria may be."
The Yellow Jackets finished the regular season with a 16-11 overall record, including a 7-9 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Their downfall probably came last weekend at the ACC tournament in Charlotte, where Tech suffered a humiliating 74-49 opening-round loss to Wake Forest.
Still, Krzyzewski felt that the Yellow Jackets had the credentials to earn a berth in the Big Dance.
"Georgia Tech played a hell of a schedule," Krzyzewski said. "I'm not sure there's any team in the country that could have beaten North Carolina twice this year. And to beat Temple, St. John's, Vanderbilt . . . they were pretty good. And they got hurt -- they were hurt in February."
Georgia Tech was still playing hurt in the tournament, where James Forrest came off the bench for a team-high 31 minutes though still slowed by a sprained ankle. Guard Drew Barry, who broke a bone in his foot Feb. 11, contributed 27 minutes while limping noticeably.
But Krzyzewski said that the Yellow Jackets should have been rewarded for their strength of schedule outside the league, a hallmark of teams which play in the ACC. Tech lost their season-opener to fifth-ranked Michigan and fell to No. 15 Louisville. They beat 24th-ranked Vanderbilt as well as fourth-rated Temple.
"[Head coach] Bobby [Cremins] and I came into the league at about the same time," Krzyzewski said. "I think we took the lead from some of the people who were already in our league and very successful, in that we played tough, non-conference schedules. That's been a strength of the ACC."
In league play, the Yellow Jackets swept UNC, which was ranked No. 1 for both matchups, as well as 24th-ranked Maryland. They split games with the Terps, Virginia and Wake Forest, all of which are tournament bound.
"I feel bad about Georgia Tech," Krzyzewski said. "I feel they deserve to get in."
Krzyzewski also criticized the committee's penchant for seeding past NCAA Tournament opponents in the same regional bracket. The Blue Devils' own Southeast region contains several foes from Duke's tournament past: Seton Hall, Connecticut, Kansas and Kentucky.
"I'm not a big one on playing someone you've recently played in the NCAA Tournament," Krzyzewski said. "I would like to see that be a consideration [in the seeding process] -- it's a minor factor, but I would like to see it considered at least."
The Blue Devils defeated Seton Hall and Kentucky in consecutive games in the 1992 NCAA Tournament. The Pirates and Wildcats are potential opponents for Duke this year in Southeast Regional play.
Duke also played St. John's in consecutive tournaments (1990 and '91), as well as Connecticut (1990 and '91) and Iowa (1991 and '92).
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