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Vanderbilt

Joe Lunardi breaks down Vanderbilt's NCAA Tournament chances, NET ranking

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•03/11/23
Jerry Stackhouse, Vanderbilt Commodores basketball coach
Vanderbilt basketball coach Jerry Stackhouse points something out during an SEC Tournament game on March 10, 2023. (Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)

As Vanderbilt gets set to take on Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament semifinals the debate rages on about the NCAA Tournament chances for the Commodores.

ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi currently has Vanderbilt outside the field, listed as one of his “First Four Out.” So the stakes are high in the SEC Tournament.

“I would say the same thing to (Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse) that I would to everybody else: Neither he nor I have a vote, so we’re talking to the wrong people,” Lunardi said.

Still, Lunardi made the case for and against Vanderbilt. The biggest drag is a high NET ranking, outside of the normal range for NCAA Tournament teams.

“Vandy is clearly good enough to be an NCAA Tournament team,” Lunardi said on ESPN on Saturday afternoon. “The numbers do not work in their favor historically. A NET of 79. The worst team ever to get in with a NET over 70 was St. John’s at 73 four years ago.

“So I would say one more win and I’ll put the Commodores in the field, I think the numbers will follow. And then we’ll see if the rest of the country cooperates and the bubble doesn’t shrink on them.”

Joe Lunardi breaks down the NET rankings

If it’s the numbers that are keeping Vanderbilt from being considered an NCAA Tournament team, the chances for the Commodores to improve them are growing limited.

Vanderbilt has just one more game to make its case, as a win in the SEC Tournament final would automatically qualify the ‘Dores for the NCAA Tournament.

So it’s important to understand what the NET is and what kind of pull it has.

“I think you have to look at it and understand its limits,” Lunardi said. “If my NET is 13 and yours is 113, that’s a significant difference. If my NET is 43 and yours is 53 or 63, that’s not a significant difference. That No. 63 team could actually be much better than the 43 and you have to dive into the rest of their season and what they’ve actually done in terms of results against good teams and other teams that are in the projected field.

“That’s what the committee would be doing with Vanderbilt, and the more they dive into Vanderbilt’s quality wins, particularly recently, the better it is for them.”