5 major teams set to miss March Madness 2023 feat UNC, Michigan, and more

The brackets are set, and March Madness is officially upon us. The committee has made its selections, and the top 68 teams have been given their opportunity to compete for this year's title.

However, the competition has always been stiff to make the cut, and this season has felt as wide open as ever. Here are a few surprisingly big programs that will not be competing in the NCAA Tournament this year.

Five March Madness snubs:

#5, North Carolina

For the first time since 2010, the University of North Carolina will not be competing in the NCAA Tournament. This comes just one season after making a run to the 2022 NCAA championship game and returning four of the starters, but the team was unable to capture the same magic.

They are now the first team ranked No. 1 in the preseason to not make the field of 68 since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

UNC went 20-13, but struggled against the top teams and had a seeming inability to come through in close games. They were just 1-9 in Quad 1 matchups, lost twice to Duke, went 1-2 against Virginia and suffered losses to Miami, Alabama and Indiana as well.

North Carolina has made the tournament in 44 of the last 47 seasons. The Tar Heels also announced that they would not be participating in the NIT this season.

#4, Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines will miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. It also snaps an impressive streak of five consecutive Sweet 16 appearances.

A 17-14 record was not enough to punch their tickets. Their nonconference losses to Central Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky left them with little margin for error in the Big Ten. They also had several nonimpressive wins over the non-Power Five Conference and failed to register a true statement win all season.

It is the first time under Juwan Howard that Michigan will not make the tournament. #3, Rutgers

When Rutgers faced off against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament opener, many believed a trip to the NCAA Tournament could be on the line. This proved not to be the case as Rutgers rallied in the second half to produce an impressive 62-50 victory on Thursday but did not make the cut.

It was a difficult end to the season for Rutgers (19-14) as the Scarlet Knighs lost seven of their last nine. A season-ending knee injury to starting forward Mawot Mag occurred at the start of this skid, and his absence was greatly felt.

This marks the first time in three years that Rugers will miss the tournament.

#2, Oklahoma State

Listed as the first team out of the NCAA Tournament, this will be a difficult pill to swallow for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys (18-15) finished seventh in the Big 12. They went 6-12 in Quad 1 matchups, which is one more victory than many of the bubble teams around them, but on several more opportunities.

Injuries have been a notable hurdle, with several key members missing games. They lost on Nov. 10 against Southern Illinois, which is the most notable blemish on their resume. Despite OSU holding a 13-point lead early in the second half, SIU put forth a comeback effort. The Cowboys have suffered two other blown leads of 15 or more points this season as well.

Oklahoma State made the tournament just once during Mike Boynton's tenure as coach. This occurred in 2021, although it should be noted that OSU was banned last year due to sanctions from the FBI's probe, and the tournament was canceled the year prior. At their best, they were absolutely the top 68 team this season, but they failed to put this on display regularly enough.

#1, Clemson

Clemson put forth its best season since 2017-18, producing a record of 23-10. They finished third in the ACC with a solid 4-4 record against Quad 1 opponents.

However, their resume was dragged down by losses to Louisville, Loyola Chicago and South Carolina, who all finished outside the top 230 in the NET rankings. They also had a fairly weak nonconference schedule which helped pave the way to an impressive record. Clemson was firmly in the bubble heading into conference tournament play. A 20-point loss to Virginia ultimately blew their chances.

This season leaves plenty to build off for the program, but Clemson will fall short of its goal this year. The full NIT bracket will be announced soon, but Clemson will be considered a notable threat to win a championship there.