Providence had been one of a few teams on the bubble for a spot in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Friars’ bubble was popped on Sunday by the NCAA Selection Committee.
Providence, who finished 21-13 for the year, was not among the 36 teams awarded an at-large bid for March Madness. Head coach Kim English addressed reporters after learning about his team’s snub from the big dance.
English called out the “flaws in the system” that worked against not just Providence, but the Big East as a whole.
“I think the analytics are bulls–,” said English. “I think you could schedule bad teams in your non-league and beat the snot out of them, and beat them by 50 and 60. … Right now 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 [the Big East], the analytics aren’t going to look very good in-league.”
Only three teams from the Big East, considered one of the strongest in the country this season, received a spot in this year’s NCAA tourney. 20-win schools Seton Hall, St. John’s and Providence were all shut out. The three squads that made it from the Big East — UConn, Marquette and Creighton — all received top-3 seeds.
Providence ranked 57th in the NCAA’s NET rankings and 53rd in KenPom’s college basketball ratings list. KenPom’s metrics ranked the Big East as the second-strongest conference this season.
Providence upset Creighton in the Big East Tournament before losing to Marquette in the semifinals.