Roster turnover attacks the hairlineAfter Sunday's disappointing loss to Michigan, most fans agree the Buckeyes are NIT bound. Not that it'll make you feel any better but it looks like Ohio State's opponent in last year's NCAA Final, Billy Donovan's Gators, could also find themselves on the outside looking in come Selection Sunday.
Both teams sport sagging resumes in need of some high profile wins. The Michigan debacle gave OSU two losses against teams sporting an RPI over 150 and they're 0-7 against teams in the RPI's Top 40.
The Gators find themselves in slightly better shape however they've lost 4 of their last 5 and playing the nation's 119th toughest schedule certainly diminishes the quality of their 19-7 record.
Interestingly, according to the folks over at The Meaningful Collateral, if both OSU and Florida miss the dance it will be the first time the previous year's finalists were left out the following year since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Further, the only other instance in the last 40 years occurred in 1980 when Michigan State and Indiana State failed to earn a bid (48 teams) after Magic's Spartans beat Bird's Sycamores in the legendary '79 Final.
So, look on the bright side...At least this year's team might be the answer to a dubious trivia question asked during another failed attempt by ESPN to create a watchable game show a few years down the line. Of course, most of you won't remember the answer since the creation of the BTN meant you only witnessed 5 games anyway.
