The NCAA Division I women’s volleyball selection committee released the bracket for the 2017 tournament Sunday night, announcing the 64 teams that will battle for a chance to play in the national semifinals, December 14-16, in Kansas City.

Here’s our breakdown of the 2017 bracket. 

Biggest Snubs

Every year, there are teams that don’t get in that maybe should have. This year, put Maryland at the top of that list. The Terrapins went 18-14 overall this season, 7-13 in the Big Ten, and finished ranked 52 in the last RPI ranking of the regular season. Their biggest argument for being tournament-worthy, however, is their pair of top-25 wins — over USC and Purdue. 

My beautiful 7 year old daughter MJ was in full tears. We were not good enough to make the tourney. And I got to teach her that the beauty is never in the result, but the journey.

And for that...I am forever grateful.#TerpsRising

— Steve Aird (@CoachAird) November 27, 2017

Iowa, another of the teams listed by the NCAA committee as one of the last four out, also went 7-13 in the Big Ten (18-14 overall) and ranked slightly ahead of Maryland in the latest RPI (50), but only had one top-25 win (over Michigan) and lost to Maryland in four sets when the two went head-to-head on November 17. 

North Texas, too, was a last four team out and could have made an argument for a bid. The Mean Green boasted wins over Western Kentucky and Oregon State this season and went 28-3 overall, ranking 47th in the latest RPI. However, in the end, North Texas lost to Western Kentucky in the Conference USA championship match and the committee did not believe its resume was strong enough for an at-large bid.

Disappointing news for #MGVB, but the season’s not over yet! Stay tuned for the announcement of the @WomensNIVC bracket! #GMG #MakeItCount pic.twitter.com/zM2wDStyls

— MeanGreen Volleyball (@MeanGreenVB) November 27, 2017

Most Questionable Selection

The most questionable choice was High Point. The Panthers lost head-to-head to Dayton, which was not selected for the tournament, and had no wins over teams ranked in the top 50 RPI. The biggest things going for High Point were their 24-7 overall schedule, their undefeated conference record (until their Big South championship match loss to Radford), and their No. 39 RPI ranking. 

Biggest Surprise Top-4 Seed

The No. 4 seed Kentucky certainly had a fantastic regular season. The Wildcats boasted out-of-conference wins over Utah, Northern Iowa, USC, Marquette, and Louisville, but they also suffered three losses on the season, all three in straight sets. Those losses came at the hands of Creighton (seeded ninth), Kansas (unseeded), and Florida (seeded No. 2). 

Nebraska, the No. 5 seed and the team I would have seeded fourth, went 26-4 on the season, with losses to Oregon (unseeded), Florida (seeded No. 2), Northern Iowa (unseeded), and Wisconsin (unseeded); however, none of Nebraska’s losses were in straight sets. Playing in the Big Ten conference, the Huskers went 17-1 in league matches, and were the only team to take down No. 1-ranked and -seeded Penn State. 

Despite a No. 2 ranking from the NCAA Selection Committee on Nov. 1, and an undefeated record and #B1G championship since then, the #Huskers will not be a Top 4 seed. Official bracket will be unveiled at 8 p.m. on @ESPNU. https://t.co/YG40wxshMh

— Husker Volleyball (@Huskervball) November 27, 2017

Another thing to note is that when the NCAA Selection Committee released its preliminary top-10 ranking on November 1, Nebraska was ranked No. 2, behind only Penn State; Kentucky was No. 5. That very night, Kentucky lost to Florida. The Wildcats went on to win out the remainder of the season; however, the Wildcats did not play a single ranked team. Since the release of that ranking, Nebraska took down ranked Purdue and won out the remainder of the Big Ten season.

The good news for the Huskers — and their army of pretty ticked of fans — is that as the five-seed, they’ll have a chance to prove themselves head-to-head against Kentucky in the regional final, if neither teams gets upset in an earlier round. 

Biggest Surprise Top-16 Seed

Wichita State earning the No. 16 seed over Michigan State (ranked 12th in the latest AVCA Poll and 23rd in the RPI), Wisconsin (11th in AVCA Poll and 18th in RPI), and San Diego (ninth in AVCA Poll and 20th in the RPI), was unexpected to say the least. 

The Shockers have only one top-25 victory on the season (a 3-1 win over Creighton on September 15), and they lost a five-set match to Cal Poly in preseason. Wisconsin, on the other hand, is the only team to beat Nebraska in Big Ten play; Michigan State took down Minnesota and Wisconsin (twice!); and San Diego has only lost to other seeded teams and is one of only two teams to beat BYU this season.

Who has their tickets for Friday? pic.twitter.com/rbnawktlgR

— WichitaSt Volleyball (@GoShockersVB) November 27, 2017

In my opinion, another miscalculation was seeding Creighton ninth. The Bluejays deserved a spot in the top 16, but as No. 9, they’re seeded ahead of No. 10 seed USC, No. 14 seed Iowa State, No. 16 seed Wichita State, unseeded Purdue, and unseeded Marquette, all of which scored head-to-head victories over Creighton this season. The Bluejays also suffered a straight-set loss to Villanova late in the Big East season. 

Most Competitive First-Round Matches

Illinois vs. Hawaii @ Washington

Friday, December 1 | 8 PM ET

The Illini looked good at the end of the season, handing Minnesota one of its few conference losses. Hawaii lost twice to Cal Poly in Big West play and went 6-5 in preseason out-of-conference play; however, those five preseason losses all came at the hands of seeded and ranked teams, with the exception of the Wahine’s season-opening five-set loss to Marquette. 

Michigan State vs. Missouri State @ Creighton

Friday, December 1 | 5 PM ET

Missouri State is 28-5 for the season and has won 21 matches in a row heading into the NCAA tournament. The Bears beat Northern Iowa — which notably defeated Nebraska in preseason — three times this season, including in the Missouri Valley Conference final. Michigan State starts six seniors and went 21-8, including taking down Minnesota and Wisconsin in the opening weekend of Big Ten play.

Colorado State vs. Michigan @ Stanford

Friday, December 1 | 7:30 PM ET

In the last three weeks of the regular season, Michigan defeated Illinois, Michigan State, and Purdue (twice). The Wolverines will carry that hot streak into their first-round matchup with Colorado State. The Rams rank 32nd in the latest RPI (just three spots ahead of Michigan at 29), and have only lost three times this season to Duke, Colorado, and San Jose State. CSU also boasts preseason wins over Michigan and Florida State.

Florida State vs. Washington State @ Nebraska

Friday, December 1 | 5:30 PM ET

This young Florida State team took down Baylor in preseason and boasts this season’s ACC Freshman of the Year Taryn Knuth. In the Pac-12, Washington State scored big-time upsets over Colorado, UCLA, and Oregon. 

Missouri vs. Kansas @ Wichita State

Friday, December 1 | 7 PM ET

The Border War between Missouri and Kansas may have ended over a hundred years ago, but the rivalry between these two schools still burns hot. Three-time First Team All-Big 12 opposite Kelsie Payne will be looking to lead the Jayhawks to a first-round victory that might help redeem their loss to West Virginia in the last match of that regular season. Mizzou finished third in the SEC behind Florida and Kentucky and starts one of the best middles in the country, Alyssa Munlyn.