Bellarmine Knew the Deal

Congratulations to Bellarmine on winning the Atlantic Sun Tournament in just its second year as a Division I program.  However, since this is Bellarmine's second year at Division I, that means they're ineligible for the NCAA Tournament.  Which, if you ask their fans and the media, is a "travesty" that immediately needs to be corrected because they're "screwing" the Knights.  There's even a petition going around about it!

Unfortunately, that's not remotely the case!  It's simply an NCAA rule.  Bellarmine knew that.  When they transitioned to D1, they knew that they wouldn't be eligible for the NCAA Tournament until 2025.  Just like every other school that reclassifies!  So, it's not like they changed the rules here!  Bellarmine was never going to the Big Dance this year.  Or next year.  Or the year after that.

This rule doesn't apply to just Bellarmine, either.  There are seven other schools that are currently in the same boat, and another three that will start the reclassification process next season.  Which is the same process that applied to every other school that's made the jump to Division I in recent years!  None of whom were crying foul about NCAA Tournament ineligibility!

Also, I know no one cares about this point, but it applies to every team at each of these schools!  Cal Baptist is also reclassiyfing.  They went 40-16 last season and won the WAC title.  They didn't play in the NCAA Tournament.  Because they were ineligible.  In 2020, Merrimack was the NEC regular season champions in men's basketball.  They didn't play in the conference tournament...because they were ineligible for the NCAA Tournament as a reclassifying institution.

So, you see, this isn't remotely close to an isolated case.  It's simply the most recent example.  The biggest difference, though, is that Bellarmine's conference, the A-Sun, played a big part in creating this situation.

The A-Sun created this situation by letting Bellarmine play in the men's basketball tournament...even though the conference also knew that they were ineligible for the NCAA Tournament.  Which meant that if they won the A-Sun Tournament, the automatic bid would go to regular season champion Jacksonville State.  That was the conference's choice.  And, unfortunately, that's exactly how it played out.

Had the A-Sun simply withheld Bellarmine from the conference tournament, this entire situation could've been avoided.  There's plenty of precedent for that, too.  Conferences regularly keep schools out of the conference tournament if they can't represent them in postseason play.  (Sometimes schools make that decision on their own, as well.)  Just last year, in fact, Arizona didn't play in the Pac-12 Tournament and Auburn didn't play in the SEC Tournament.  (Although, it should be noted, those were both self-imposed sanctions.)

Since Arizona and Auburn were self-imposed postseason bans, let's look at the other reclassifying teams instead.  Merrimack: fourth in the NEC, didn't play in the conference tournament.  WAC Tournament: only Cal Baptist is playing, Dixie State and Tarleton State are not.  UC San Diego: didn't count in WAC standings.  St. Thomas: tied for eighth in Summit and only eight make the conference tournament, so I'm not sure if they weren't eligible or just didn't qualify.

Only two other reclassifying teams were in the same boat as Bellarmine--North Alabama, who's also in the A-Sun, and Cal Baptist.  Should Cal Baptist win the WAC Tournament, they, too, will be replaced in the NCAA Tournament by the regular season champion.  It's not some big conspiracy to punish the new kids on the block.  It's an NCAA rule.  Plain and simple.

Whether people agree with the rule or think it's stupid is a completely separate debate.  It's also completely irrelevant!  This is the rule that's currently on the books.  All of these schools understand that.  They knew it was part of the deal when they made the move to D1.  So, no, nobody was "screwed" by it!

And, frankly, Bellarmine winning its conference in men's basketball in just its second season at the D1 level, while a great accomplishment, isn't going to give the NCAA any incentive to change it.  What exactly would that change be anyway?  They're ineligible for postseason play...unless they win their conference tournament?  And how about individuals from those schools in sports like track, swimming and golf?  Or does this exemption only apply in team sports?

Should they also get rid of the reclassification rules when schools go down a level?  Should the University of Hartford be immediately eligible to win Division III conference and national championships next season?  Or does it only count when you move up and face harder competition?

Something else that people seem to be forgetting here is that it isn't just Bellarmine's men's basketball team that can't play in the NCAA Tournament.  Their entire athletic program is in the reclassification process, which means none of their teams are eligible.  Further proof that Bellarmine men's basketball isn't somehow being singled out!  (It's also important to note that none of Bellarmine's other teams are Division I-caliber yet...another reason why the reclassification process exists.)

Winning your conference in your second season after moving to Division I is an incredible achievement to be sure.  But that's also the exception to the rule.  The reclassification process exists to give the school an appropriate amount of time to get its budget, facilities, etc., up to Division I standards, as well as giving them the opportunity to have a full complement of scholarship student-athletes on the roster.   Once they complete that process, they can apply for full Division I membership and become eligible for Division I NCAA Championships (and receive NCAA Tournament shares, which they don't get until they're full members).

It's also worth noting that Bellarmine's season isn't over, either.  While they're ineligible for the NCAA Tournament or NIT, they can (and likely will) be selected for the CBI or CIT.  Speaking of the CIT, they used to award an automatic bid to the Great West Conference, which, when it existed, had no NCAA automatic bid and was made up pretty much entirely of reclassifying schools that were ineligible for the NCAA Tournament.

Bellarmine men's basketball is ahead of schedule.  But that doesn't mean the NCAA reclassification process needs to be completely overhauled just because some people on social media think it's unfair that they can't play in the NCAA Tournament.  Especially since the players, coaches and administration knew that was never gonna happen!  Not until 2025 anyway!