Getty Image / Sarah Stier
Many thought that the St. John’s Red Storm would be one of the final teams in the field of 68 when the 2024 NCAA Tournament was announced. But, Rick Pitino’s squad was left out of the field, and ended up not even being one of the first four teams left out.
It was pretty surprising for many to see them not in the tournament, let alone well out of the field. The legendary Pitino did not hold back in his reaction, calling the NET rankings the NCAA uses in part to evaluate teams “fraudulent”.
Last Four In. First Four Out.
Did the committee get it right? pic.twitter.com/VWvhvtXBKq
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) March 17, 2024
First, what is the NET rankings? Here is how the NCAA describes it.
The NET includes more components than just winning percentage. It takes into account game results, strength of schedule, game location, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses.
Rick Pitino and St. John’s are ranked 32nd in NET, but still didn’t get a bid. And, his son, Richard Pitino’s, team, New Mexico, is ranked 25th in the net, but got an 11th seed and likely would’ve been out of the tournament if they did not win the Mountain West conference championship. He’s not happy about it, to say the least.
Rick Pitino calls NCAA's NET rankings system "fraudulent" in explaining why St. John's wasn't selected to the 2024 NCAA Tournament pic.twitter.com/JtFiALEjZc
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 17, 2024
I mean, we’re 32 in the NET. First of all, I think we all should probably never mention that word again, because I think it’s fraudulent. You know, my son was 25 in the Tet. And (they were) saying he wasn’t in with 25 wins. So, I think that that’s something that shouldn’t even be mentioned anymore.
Ultimately, the Johnnies (20-13) didn’t have a good enough resume to get in the field. They did have four Quad 1 wins, and were 6-3 in Quad 2 games. But, the committee didn’t think that was enough to take the team to the tournament in the legendary coach’s first year as the head coach.
And, the team will be declining an NIT bid, as well.
St. John's has told the NIT not to invite them to the tournament, per the school.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) March 17, 2024
The transfer portal opens on Monday, and it seems clear the program would rather spend time focusing on gearing up for next season than play in the NIT.
I think everyone expects Rick Pitino to lead St. John’s into the NCAA Tournament with room to spare next year. If he does, it will be the sixth school the two-time national champion has led to the NCAA Tournament.