A Selection Committee is a group of members that is charged with reviewing and selecting the best candidate for a particular position. In addition to a chair, members are often assigned different roles (such as convener or voting member).
The process of interviewing, evaluating and ultimately choosing candidates for positions should be conducted without bias. It is important to ensure that all committee members are aware of and are addressing potential conflicts of interest. In addition, the committee should review and approve a Conflict of Interest policy before each Selection Committee meeting.
It’s an intense job, but one that is crucial to the tournament’s integrity. The process starts long before the selection committee convenes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays leading up to Selection Sunday. Committee members are assigned conferences to monitor during the regular season and have monthly calls with conference representatives to discuss anything that may impact a school, like injury reports or statistics. The committee also assigns primary and secondary monitors for each team.
Once the conference tournaments are over, the committee begins to compile its “official” seeded list. The process involves a lot of discussions and debates. The committee then works to ensure that teams from the same conference are not pitted against each other – for example, UConn and Houston were placed in the same region this year despite being the top three at-large seeds. The committee also works to make sure that each region is represented by at least two schools.
While there are a lot of moving parts, the final result is always in the best interests of college basketball and March Madness fans alike. That is why a committee comprised of former coaches, current athletic directors and academics – with at least one member with a PhD in math or statistics – is so critical.
During the selection process, it’s easy for some committee members to fall prey to judging a candidate solely on the vibe of their interview. It is critical that a selection committee be cognizant of the fact that a strong interview is a two-way conversation and not a formal presentation.
It is also vital for committees to have a clear understanding of the expectations and roles of each member during the interview process. This will help to reduce the sense of unease that can arise from a highly structured and formal interview, and help to prevent the creation of a committee culture in which one person’s feelings are more influential than another’s. It is also helpful to set a clear time frame for each nominee’s interview, so that the process is not overly lengthy or intimidating. Finally, it is critical that each selection committee member has the opportunity to ask questions of the nominee. In this way, the committee can better evaluate and compare candidates. To facilitate this, the committee should consider a variety of seating arrangements to create an environment that is welcoming and inviting for all participants.