Kansas City, Mo. — So pulling almost 300 jobs out of Kansas City and abandoning its long-time home town for a pot of gold in Indiana wasn't enough?
The NCAA once again has given the back of its hand to this place the pioneers called Possum Trot.
Thanks to the NCAA selection committee, there'll be no Big 12 Conference teams in Kemper Arena this week for the men's Midwest Regional, even though Kansas City is a Big 12 town and the conference is the official host.
"I was shocked," Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said. "Two things shocked me the most, Texas being a No. 6 seed and the fact we don't have a Big 12 team in Kansas City."
Of course, the members of the selection committee were not involved in the decision several years ago to leave Kansas City and move the NCAA's headquarters to Indianapolis. But to basketball fans in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma that may be a subtle, meaningless distinction.
None of the teams assigned to the Friday-Sunday format in Kansas City is closer than about 400 miles from Kemper Arena, where Oklahoma beat Texas on Sunday in a thriller of a title game in the Big 12 tournament.
As the 65-team bracket was unveiled Sunday evening, Sampson was happy to see that his Sooners had not been sent to the first regionals that were announced.
Then they were identified as the No. 4 seed in the South, shipped to Memphis, Tenn.
"Our name hadn't shown up on the board and neither had Kansas City," Sampson said. "I was thinking maybe the committee will assign us to Kansas City and how great that will be. We would have been tickled pink to play in Kemper and represent the Big 12."
"The fact (no Big 12 team) is in Kansas City, I have no idea what the thought process would be."
Equally puzzled was Eddie Sutton, whose Oklahoma State Cowboys were made the No. 11 seed at Greensboro, N.C., in the East Regional.
"I thought they'd send Iowa State, Missouri or Kansas to Kansas City," Sutton said. "That really surprised me. My wife and I were talking about that last night."
Kansas was made a No. 4 seed in Dayton, Ohio. Missouri got a No. 9 seed in Greensboro, and Iowa State, the conference regular season champ, drew a No. 2 seed and was sent all the way to Boise, Idaho.
The teams that did get to Kansas City include Butler, Iona, Wake Forest and Xavier.
It's not a lineup to generate much excitement among Big 12 fans.
A Kansas City television station had a shot of the Kemper Arena box office where NCAA game tickets were being sold shortly after the end of the Big 12 tourney. Instead of Iowa State, Kansas or Missouri fans shouldering their way to the window, the place was deserted.
Perhaps as angry as anybody at the tournament committee's decisions was Texas coach Rick Barnes. His Longhorns won eight of their last nine games and advanced to the conference tournament finals but got stuck with a No. 6 seed in the South.
"There are a lot of things I'm surprised about," Barnes said. "Our No. 6 seed when you end up ninth on the RPI and sixth on strength of schedule and you get a No. 6 ... "
Barnes is ready to throw off the tight secrecy the selection committee shrouds itself in.
"I'm not sure we shouldn't make it pay-per-view so everybody would know what goes into the discussion," Barnes said.
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