This is the first time since the 2001-02 season that the Spartans have failed to make it to the Big Dance.

MSU head coach Suzy Merchant wasn’t prepared for what to say to her deflated team after the selections were announced and MSU did not flash across the screen as one of 64 teams to continue in hopes of earning a national championship.

“Obviously it was frustrating as time went on when you saw some names pop up and you felt like you had every bit the résumé they had or better,” Merchant said while staring down at her lap. “There’s a couple at-large bids that I obviously am confused by.”

Teams that received at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament include Florida State, Auburn, Temple, Syracuse, UTEP, Utah and Wyoming.

“(When Florida State was announced) is when I got nervous because that is the 18-13 (overall) team and they went 1-11 against top 50 teams,” junior forward Aisha Jefferson said. “If that was a bubble team, that’s a team that I would’ve thought would have been off the bubble.”

The NCAA selection committee strongly considers RPI rating, strength of schedule, performance in the last 10 games and record against top 50 teams when creating the bracket.

MSU carried a 50 RPI, 7-3 record in its last 10 games, and a 33 strength of schedule, which was the third toughest schedule in the Big Ten. The Spartans have five wins over top 50 teams. Florida State, a No. 11 seed in the tournament, holds a 59 RPI and a 40 strength of schedule.

“Obviously when you get down to the last bracket and we hadn’t been called yet ? you kind of think it’s do or die,” senior guard Alisa Wulff said. “I think that’s when our guts started sinking down to our toes and we all started to get a little more worried.”

Wulff said that as a young team, the Spartans have to learn that who you play, the score, and whether its a conference or nonconference game are very important in the big picture of things.

“Everything counts in the NCAA,” Wulff said.

“We did think we had a great shot at making it to the tournament this year and we did think we had the credentials to do it,” she said. “The fact that we will now play in the WNIT — yeah, it is a disappointment.”

Merchant said losing to Illinois in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament probably hurt the Spartans.

“Had we got that one, we probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now,” she said.

Of the 64 teams that received bids into the NCAA Tournament, four were from the Big Ten — Minnesota, Iowa, Purdue and Ohio State. MSU beat four of the 64 teams and lost to eight of them.

“We’re optimistic and we’re not going to let this get us too down,” Jefferson said. “I’m just hoping that the pain never goes away to serve as a motivation for our younger and returning players.

“We still have the WNIT, and we plan on winning that.”

At press time, it was confirmed that MSU had a first-round bye and will not play until at least Saturday.