Totally fair. I do have a feeling that Redondo will underperform at NXN and if Simi had gotten 3rd or better, Redondo would not have gone perhaps in lieu of a team like Monarch.
my 2 cents wrote:
I think there are multiple teams feeling slighted right now. From a SW region perspective, Monarch girls beat Fort Collins consistently during the season and finished 3rd in the region behind FC and Xavier. Likewise, Fort Collins boys were 3rd in the SW, ranked high nationally (behind SW #1 American Fork and #2 Davis) very recently, undefeated in CO, finished on the podium a year ago with the same group of boys, and they did not get an at-large. Seems absurd.
From my standpoint, I'd say the SW region was overlooked and California (once again) was given too much consideration. No offense, Cali Dreams. I understand the quality and depth of your state, but teams from Colorado traditionally run very well in Portland.
At-large berths are a double-edged sword: great opportunity for those on the bubble, but very difficult to evaluate performances across the country. Every year someone is going to feel overlooked. This year it's the likes of Bozeman, Monarch, Fort Collins, etc.