Williams doesn't regret slamming NCAA Tournament selection process

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Seven months later, Texas A&M basketball coach Buzz Williams has no regrets for comments he made about the NCAA Tournament selection process.

Williams was asked on Wednesday at Southeastern Conference Basketball Media Days if he ever had second thoughts about a passionate, eight-minute statement in which he questioned the legitimacy of the NCAA Selection Committee.

“No,” Williams said. “I’m going to always do that, regardless of what Twitter says or the opinions of others. I think that I’ve been blessed way more than I deserve. I think with that blessing comes responsibility. The No. 1 responsibility is to do what’s right for the people in the organization.”

“What I said is what I believe, regardless of the fanfare and the ferocity of things that were said about me. I understood going into that what was going to be said. If you can’t stand up for your people when you believe you should stand up for them, then I don’t believe you’re worthy of being a leader.”

There was surprise — even shock — in the last month when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee ignored A&M's victories over Florida, Auburn and Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference Tournament and omitted A&M from March Madness on Selection Sunday.

Two days later, Williams read his statement after a 74-62 victory over Alcorn State in the opener of the National Invitation Tournament.

He analyzed data of teams that received at-large bids and compared the data to Texas A&M.

“After studying all of this non-stop the last two days and looking at it from every vantage point, it defies logic that we are not in the NCAA Tournament,” Williams said then. “Despite repeated pleas, I have only been given generalities by those above me — not data-specific evidence — on why we weren’t invited.

“Without logical reasoning because the decision — while knowing I still have to explain this to our guys and their families — it has caused me to lose all respect and faith in the system and those that are in it.”

A&M settled for the consolation NIT Tournament. The Aggies stormed their way to the NIT championship game, where they fell 73-72 to Xavier on an off-balanced, banked-in, fade-away hook shot with 3.2 seconds remaining.

Meanwhile, mid-major at-large selections Davidson, Marquette, San Francisco and Wyoming were immediately eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.

The committee also selected Notre Dame even though it had lost to A&M in November, 73-67. Notre Dame entered the Tournament with a 22-10 record. A&M was 23-12 on Selection Sunday.

Williams did not mention Notre Dame or any other program in his statement.

“Do I think it’s good for my career to do that? No,” Williams said. “Do I think it helps me get another job? No. Is it offensive to others? Do I sound like a crybaby? All the stuff that people wrote me, texted me, DM’d me … I understood all that.

“But I felt as though it was right relative to the children and the families they represent. So, I don’t regret it, nor will I ever regret it.”