The Providence Friars won at least 20 games for the third consecutive season and had the same win total (21) as they did last year. This time, however, the Friars will not be dancing.
Providence was left out of the field of 68 on Sunday, even as the team was 21-13 during the year. The Friars finished 58th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings despite having six wins against Quad 1 opponents and three wins against Quad 2 teams.
“I think the analytics are bulls—. I think you can schedule bad teams in your non-league and beat the snot out of them – beat them by 50 and 60. And I think coaching for so long, it’s been a gentleman’s agreement,” Friars head coach Kim English told reporters. “And you have a large lead at the end of a game, for health reasons you take guys out, to give other guys opportunities to play, you take guys out.
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Kim English of the Providence Friars looks on during the first half against the Marquette Golden Eagles at Fiserv Forum on Feb. 28, 2024 in Milwaukee. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
“But right now, there might be a change in college basketball. Scheduling to beat teams by 40 or 50 might be a thing to do. But when you get into this league, the analytics aren’t gonna look very good in league (play). Playing against some really, really good coaches.
The NCAA uses NET to determine a team’s tournament resume.
“The remaining factors include the Team Value Index (TVI), which is a result-based feature that rewards teams for beating quality opponents, particularly away from home, as well as an adjusted net efficiency rating,” the NCAA says on its website.
“The adjusted efficiency is a team’s net efficiency, adjusted for strength of opponent and location (home/away/neutral) across all games played. For example, a given efficiency value (net points per 100 possessions) against stronger opposition rates higher than the same efficiency against lesser opponents and having a certain efficiency on the road rates higher than the same efficiency at home.”
Kim English of the Providence Friars reacts in the first half against the Marquette Golden Eagles during the Semifinal round of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2024 in New York City. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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Quad 1 wins have a big effect on determining whether a team gets into the tournament. Quad wins are based on the team’s NET ranking at the time. The better the team that is defeated, the more meaningful the win is in the system.
“We played at Connecticut and I think they shoot 40% from the field,” English continued. “We’re a good defense. They won the game. You should be credited for winning the game.
“I do think there are some flaws in the system.”
Much like St. John’s, Providence fell victim to some of the upsets across the college basketball landscape that helped land automatic berths for Cinderella teams. N.C. State surprisingly won the ACC with New Mexico taking home the Mountain West and Temple winning the American Athletic Conference. Florida Atlantic got a berth into the tournament and many were not going to be happy.
Kim English of the Providence Friars reacts to a call during a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena on March 5, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
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“It was a disappointing night, but again, it’s what you earn,” English added, via The Providence Journal. “If you don’t take care of the games you’re supposed to take care of — Kansas State, at St. John’s, at Butler — if you don’t take care of those games, you put yourself in position to put your fate in someone else’s hands. It’s not where you want to be. It’s not where we are going to be as a program.”
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