Who is on NCAA Tournament Selection Committee?

As March Madness quickly approaches, so does Selection Sunday. Midday on March 15, we learn the 68 participants chosen by the NCAA Selection Committee. But who is on this committee, and how did they get the responsibility to format the entire tournament?

The NCAA Selection Committee is comprised of 10 members, all of whom are nominated by their conference. Each member is a conference or school administrator. Each member serves for five-year terms, and represent a cross-section of Division I membership.

Bernard Muir, director of athletics at Stanford, is currently the chair of the committee. The other nine members are Mitch Barnhart (University of Kentucky), Tom Burnett (Southland Conference), Janet Cone (UNC Asheville), Bernadette McGlade (Atlantic 10 Conference), Michael O’Brien (University of Toledo), Jim Phillips (Northwestern University), Chris Reynolds (Bradley University), Craig Thompson (Mountain West Conference), Kevin White (Duke University).

You might wonder, "If they work for a school, wouldn't they just try to get that school into the tournament?" Well, members who work for a school or conference cannot be present when the committee discusses the university/conference they work for. They also cannot vote for their school or conference members.

Although the final date is four weeks away, the Committee has released their preview of the top 16 seeds:

Much can change between now and the final date. When choosing teams, the Committee doesn't just look at the most recent games, but the entire body of work.

The committee takes a large amount of data into consideration, including wins against tough teams and strength of schedule. Even if your team hasn't performed well so far, a win streak against tough teams could catapult you into the tournament.