In the US it's nicknamed The Big Dance, but Australian teenager Ben Simmons won't be getting his groove on.
Instead, the 19-year-old from Melbourne will likely be dancing straight to the bank with a $US100 million ($A132 million) shoe deal and a $US5 million ($A6.6 million) NBA rookie contract.
Simmons and his Louisiana State University team-mates, including Canberra's Darcy Malone, failed to receive an invite on Sunday to US college basketball's elite 68-team end-of-season NCAA tournament.
That was not a surprise.
LSU's dismal 33-point loss to Texas A&M on Saturday cemented that.
But just as the NCAA were announcing their line-up for what competes with the Super Bowl for status as America's biggest sporting event, LSU's beleaguered coach Johnny Jones issued a release to say his squad's season was over.
The announcement frees Simmons to turn professional.
Jones said the Tigers would not accept an offer to play in the second-tier National Invitation Tournament in New York's Madison Square Garden.
"We will be able to utilise this time to get better and start preparations for next season," Jones said in the statement.
Simmons, the expected No.1 pick in June's NBA Draft, has not officially said he would be quitting LSU and turning professional.
But after the disastrous LSU season and infighting with team-mates behind him, the shoe contract and NBA salary awaiting him, Simmons is expected to go pro soon.
"It's tough for any 19-year-old to be under that type of spotlight but he had a great season individually, even if his team suffered a bit," Australian point guard for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, Matthew Dellavedova, told AAP on Sunday.
"He shows a lot of potential and I think he's going to have a promising career."
It was Dellavedova's alma mater, St Mary's, dubbed Australia University because of their long history of recruiting Australians, which suffered one of the biggest snubs by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
The Gaels will accept an invite to play in the NIT Tournament.
St Mary's were loaded with six Australian players this season, including sharpshooting Sydney guard Emmett Naar and 206cm-tall Melbourne bruiser and leading rebounder Dane Pineau.
Despite a 27-win, five-loss season, including two victories over arch-rival Gonzaga, the NCAA selection committee didn't invite the Gaels.
Gonzaga guaranteed a place at the tournament after beating St Mary's 85-75 on Tuesday in the West Coast Conference final.
Sydney big man Isaac Humphries and his University of Kentucky squad did make the NCAA Tournament, with plenty of analysts tipping the Wildcats to win the title.
The University of Hawaii is also a traditional home for Australian athletes and they have Melbourne guard Jakob Cornelissen on their roster.
The top NCAA seeds are Kansas, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia, who feature New Zealand centre Jack Salt.
The knockout tournament begins on Tuesday, with the champion crowned on April 4 in Houston.
Share
