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Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell has had enough of the Big 12! He accused the league of skewing its NCAA Tournament resumes through poor scheduling in the non-conference.
Brownell claims that by posting 40- and 50-point wins in the early slate, they successfully beefed up their NET rankings before league play. That seemingly made the conference schedule more difficult – which both rewarded winners while lessening the postseason blow for losers.
Here’s his full quote on the supposed manipulation:
A couple of things that folks don’t understand, you can manipulate the NET… And there’s a strength of schedule dynamic where the Big 12 has managed it with their scheduling. Their nonconference scheduling, they’re playing 300 level teams and winning by 40 and 50 points to increase their offensive and defensive efficiency numbers, which is a big part of the NET tool.
“So that’s why you see teams trying to win at the end of games by 30 or 40 points instead of putting in your walk-ons. The Big 12, they’re playing eight nonconference games, seven nonconference games against low level teams and increasing their NET. Then when they all get into the league, their totals are higher, their NET rankings are higher. And so, their teams are perceived to be a little better than they are.”
It’s a narrative that’s played out in football, too, where many accuse the SEC of weak non-conference scheduling. Fewer losses help build the outside perception of a strong league, potentially boosting playoff opportunities for conference members.
Brad Brownell sees the same thing taking place in basketball.
Why’s that important? Well, his Clemson Tigers are projected to land a spot in the Big Dance, and seeding could play a major factor in postseason success.
It’s also worth noting that he missed the NCAA Tournament last year despite finishing 14-6 in the ACC – which he believes to be a result of this system manipulation – while seven teams from the Big 12 got the nod.
At the time of this writing, the ACC has five teams in Joe Lunardi’s bracketology projections while the Big 12 boasts nine, the most of any league.
Brad Brownell doesn’t see that much difference between the Big 12 and ACC.
In fact, he suggested that his league is better!
“People forget Virginia Tech beat Iowa State in a nonconference game pretty handedly down in Orlando. Iowa State’s second in the Big 12. Virginia Tech is in the middle of our league. Our league is actually 9-3 nonconference against the Big 12. Those are the head-to-head games.
“We played TCU, beat TCU, TCU’s doing well in the Big 12. And I remember preparing for the TCU game and telling my staff, ‘Look who they’ve played. They haven’t played anybody. Every game is Abilene Christian and Houston Baptist.’”
The head-to-head numbers don’t lie, with the ACC posting a 75% win rate against the Big 12.
But wait, there’s MOAAAAAARRRRR https://t.co/4aBmjk3SCI pic.twitter.com/zYCgK2GIMy
— Josh Graham (@JoshGrahamShow) February 27, 2024
Still, the NET rankings differ significantly.
On3 writes that the Big 12 has 10 teams in the top 45 of the NET while the ACC has only four.
Brownell notes that six of those Big 12 teams have a non-conference schedule ranking of 250 or worse.
“[Cincinnati’s] nonconference schedule is awful. TCU – awful, Iowa State – awful. So those guys have figured it out. Our league hasn’t.”
I wonder if it changes Clemson’s scheduling outlook moving forward.