They were 7th in the coaches' poll and were Top 15 in RPI as well. There are certainly metrics that support their argument with the biggest, IMHO, being they went on the road to Tuscaloosa and save for a questionable set of calls might have won the subregional. The NCAA selection committee was the one talking about Top 10, Top 25 and SOS and much like their basketball selection counterpart an argument can probably always be crafted as to why some one is excluded and those factors can shift from year to year to fit whatever narrative is needed. Truth be told, Tuscaloosa and the other locations probably offered better travel options, attendance projections, and favorable weather for games which appealed to the committee and people running tourney. Not saying that is right, just reality.