As his team’s leading scorer, rebounder and assist-maker, Ben Simmons certainly has impacted LSU’s odds of making the NCAA tournament. But whether or not the freshman star will sway the opinions of the NCAA tournament selection committee is not so clear.
Debunking the notion that the selection committee wouldn’t dare produce a bracket that doesn’t include the best player in college basketball, several people associated with the committee said that, outside of player availability due to injury or suspension, they do not recall a single time an individual has been discussed in the committee room. At-large teams are selected on the totality of their accomplishments throughout the season, not because of the allure of one single player.