Greg Byrne explains selection committee’s reasoning for putting Auburn in Birmingham
By Keith Farner
Published:
Greg Byrne serves on the NCAA Tournament selection committee, and one of the most watched men’s basketball groups has a tricky job at times. And because of that, the committee’s decisions sometimes yield developments like Auburn playing in Birmingham this week.
The Alabama athletics director explained how that could be, and pointed to bracketing, and said he doesn’t have anything to do with that.
“That’s something where there’s parameters and rules that we have as a men’s basketball committee when it comes to a lot of things, including bracketing,” he said on “Crimson Drive.” “It’s distance, it’s what’s available at the time your team comes up. I know there’s a theory out there that the committee in the back room is secretly putting together deals and saying ‘Let’s put this team there, that’ll be a really good matchup, and all those different things.’ It doesn’t happen. It literally does not happen.”
Byrne put it simply that Auburn being bracketed to Birmingham is simply where it fit in the rotation at the time, and of the options that were available, that made the most sense. Byrne admitted that Auburn-to-Birmingham is a popular topic, and that’s what makes March Madness great.
“It’s kind of weird that I’m sitting here talking about it as the AD at Alabama,” he said, and later noted he has 3 more years on the committee, so similar decisions could be up for discussion in the future.
. @Greg_Byrne serves on the @MarchMadnessMBB Selection Committee. He gives thoughts on bracketing, which is why Auburn is scheduled to play in Birmingham this week.
Full Interview on Wednesday’s Crimson Drive driven by @NASCAR at 2 pm on @UA_CTSN: https://t.co/3QqPvzFGZk pic.twitter.com/08eXLhjqXD
— Roger Hoover (@Roger_Hoover) March 14, 2023
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
