5 Teams Left Wondering "What Could've Been"
College Basketball expert Jon Rothstein gives you his top 5 teams that will forever be left wondering "what could've been" with the 2020 NCAA Tournament being canceled.
Video Transcript
JOHN ROTHSTEIN: Hi, this is John Rothstein with Yahoo Sports. There is no NCAA tournament in 2020, and many teams are left wondering what could have been this March. Five that stand out from the rest of the list right now will be highlighted right here on Yahoo.
We start out west with the San Diego State Aztecs. The Aztecs had a season to remember prior to the NCAA tournament, winning 30 games, and were set to be the number 2 seed in the West region, opposite Gonzaga, who was supposed to be the 1. I said all year long that San Diego State would have been better in terms of its hopes of making the Final Four if it was the 2 seed out West versus the 1 seed in the East, because that would have meant a regional game in Los Angeles. Regardless of what happens moving forward, San Diego State may never have a season like the one it just had.
Another team in the non-power conference that will be left wondering what could have been is the Dayton Flyers. Anthony Grant's squad was on track to be the number 1 seed in the East region this year, and did not lose a game in regulation this season. The flyers 2 defeats a pair of overtime losses to Kansas at the Maui Invitational and Colorado at the buzzer in Chicago.
Another non-power conference team well that will be left wondering what could have been is the BYU Cougars. This team to me was primed to make a second weekend run in the NCAA tournament because of the age and the experience of this basketball team. Yoeli Childs was a veteran big man who was one of the best with his back to the basket in all of college basketball. Jake Toolson was a player who was a graduate transfer from Utah Valley that gave Mark Pope the type of experience he needed to be dominant on the wings shooting the basketball. And TJ Haws, the maestro for this BYU team, was another player that was older than many of his counterparts at the position he played because he was in a situation where he left school for a couple of years to go on a Mormon mission.
Meanwhile, some power conference teams that will be left wondering what could have been. Obviously, the Seton Hall Pirates. This was Seton Hall's best chance in a lot of ways to get to a Final Four since the pirates lost in the national championship game in 1989 with PJ Carlesimo and company.
And then lastly, Florida State to me is the fifth team wondering what could have been. Look at what this program has achieved in the last couple of years under Leonard Hamilton. For the past two seasons, the Seminoles went to the second weekend of the field of 68. Two years ago they lost to Michigan in the Elite Eight, coming up just short of the Final Four. Hamilton finally broke through, won an ACC regular season title this season, and looked like it was going to be in position to be in a scenario where Florida State could finally break through and get Leonard Hamilton into the Final Four for the first time in his career.
Those are five teams that will be left wondering what could have been during the 2020 NCAA tournament.
I'm John Rothstein. This is Yahoo Sports.