I mean … this is pretty much what the Big 12 does.
Speaking in a recent radio interview, Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell absolutely blasted the Big 12 conference for how they’ve been able to “manipulate” the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings.
Brownell explained that multiple Big 12 schools build extraordinarily easy nonconference schedules (which they do) so they can shoot up their numbers in terms of efficiency, helping their NET ranking in the process.
The Clemson ball coach made the argument that all of the major conferences are very similar, but if you examined the NET and NCAA Tournament bracket projections, you would think the Big 12 was running the show by far. For example, Joe Lunardi features nine Big 12 schools in his most recent Bracketology, while the ACC only has five in comparison. (RELATED: LeBron James Goes On Defensive Rant Over His Son’s NBA Status, Then Strangely Deletes It For Whatever Reason)
“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,” said Brownell while speaking Monday on WCCP. “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 why you see teams trying to win at the end of games by 30 or 40 points instead of putting in your walk-ons? So 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,” Brownell added.
Brad Brownell called out Big 12 teams for manipulating the NET:
“Their nonconference scheduling, they’re playing 300 level teams and winning by 40-50 points to increase their efficiency numbers. … Our league is actually 9-3 against the Big 12.” https://t.co/8mKBzdzIB8 pic.twitter.com/i4DjDUahno— Matt Connolly (@MattConnollyOn3) February 26, 2024
Yeah, it’s a bit pointless for Brownell to complain about this (nothing will change), but where is he wrong?