Providence coach Kim English expressed strong dissatisfaction over Providence’s exclusion from the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Despite being one of the bubble teams, Providence’s hopes were dashed by the NCAA Selection Committee.
English, addressing reporters after learning of the snub, criticized the “flawed system” that not only affected Providence but also the entire Big East conference. He questioned the validity of analytics, stating, “I think the analytics are nonsense. I believe you could schedule weaker teams in your non-conference games, dominate them, and win by large margins. However, this approach might need to change in college basketball. Focusing on winning games by significant margins may become a trend. But when you compete in the Big East, the analytics won’t reflect positively due to the tough competition within the league.”
The Big East, known as one of the strongest conferences this season, only had three teams – UConn, Marquette, and Creighton – receive NCAA Tournament bids, all of them earning top-3 seeds. Notably, other 20-win teams from the conference like Seton Hall, St. John’s, and Providence were left out.
Despite Providence’s upset victory over Creighton in the Big East Tournament, followed by a loss to Marquette in the semifinals, they were not selected for the NCAA Tournament. Providence ranked 57th in the NCAA’s NET rankings and 53rd in KenPom’s college basketball ratings, with KenPom listing the Big East as the second-strongest conference for the season.
