As chairman of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, one of Bob Bowlsby's job requirements is to create the impression that he and his colleagues will be open to almost every option. On Wednesday, Bowlsby uncharacteristically closed a few doors.

First, he indicated Southern Illinois would get a bid despite losing in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. That's not exactly surprising news, though the fact that Bowlsby would say it publicly, four days before announcing the brackets, is.

Second, Bowlsby said a Mississippi State vs. Kentucky final in the SEC title game would have this one huge ramification: The loser would not get seeded ahead of the winner in the NCAA Tournament.

While Bowlsby did leave open the possibility that both teams still could get No. 1 seeds, he made it clear that a three-loss Mississippi State team, should it fall to Kentucky in the SEC title game, would not get a No. 1 seed ahead of the four-loss Wildcats.

"The loser of that game is not going to be seeded ahead of the winner, no doubt about it," Bowlsby said.