Brad Brownell weighs in on selection committee, NET rankings

On3 imageby:Griffin McVeigh01/26/23

griffin_mcveigh

If you’re looking at the ACC standings, you would think Clemson is having one of the best seasons in the country. Head coach Brad Brownell has his team in first place with a 9-1 conference record and 17-4 overall. Eight out of the last nine games have resulted in a win.

But if you dive a bit deeper and look at some of the analytic websites, Clemson is far from considered a top team. At the time of posting, they currently sit at No. 56 in the NET rankings with six ACC teams ranked higher. To say they are not a fan of the Tigers would be an understatement.

“It can be a little frustrating,” Brownell said on the NET rankings. “I don’t think it’s the be-all, end-all. Obviously, the year we were 35 and NC State was 33 — we neither made it. Was shocking. And there’s teams 20 years below us (making the tournament).”

KenPom is a much more analytical website respected around college basketball and agrees with the NET’s analysis of Clemson. They are No. 59 in the KenPom ranking and are just inside the top 75 of both Adjusted Offensive and Defensive Efficiency.

The NET has been not nice to Brownell in years past, as he mentioned. He said they can be used as a “tool” but it’s not something anyone in the program thinks too much about.

“We, as coaches, go to NET rankings and think that’s the tool,” Barnwell said. “I think somebody was a 70s or high 60s and got into the tournament because they must have had a bunch of good wins. I don’t really know, I don’t think anybody really knows. It’s a tool in a toolbox from what I have been told. Glance at it but don’t really talk about it too much.”

Brownell decided to call out the NCAA Tournament selection committee as well, saying the NET is why they have been left out of the dance in the past. Clemson might be in first place of the ACC but they will still be fighting for a spot heading into February.

“If they don’t want you in the tournament, they’re going to find a reason why,” Brownell said. “Your NET ranking is good but you don’t have enough Quad 1 wins. You got a Quad 4 loss. Whatever it is. There’s so many factors and it’s a hard job. It’s incredibly hard, I don’t know how you do it.”