Report: Joe Lunardi spoke with ACC men's hoops coaches about getting more teams in NCAA Tournament

The ACC consulted with a perhaps unorthodox source at the league’s spring meetings this week, reportedly bringing in ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi to talk with men’s basketball coaches about getting more teams in the Men’s NCAA Tournament, according to the Raleigh News and Observer’s Andrew Carter.

Lunardi was apparently invited by the league.

In 2024, the ACC placed five of the 15 men’s basketball teams in the league into the NCAA Tournament: Virginia, North Carolina, Duke, Clemson and North Carolina State. NC State of course famously made a run to the Final Four, with Clemson petering out in the Elite Eight.

But the overall strength of the league appeared diminished in 2023-24, as the likes of the SEC and Big 12 each put eight teams in the field of 68 teams while the Mountain West and Big Ten each sent six teams into the tournament.

What advice Lunardi offered to the coaches of the ACC has not yet been made clear.

One ACC coach called out the Big 12 during the past season

Clemson coach Brad Brownell was frustrated that the Big 12 has been able to “manipulate” the NET rankings, he said during a recent radio in February

According to Brownell, several schools in the Big 12 put together an easy nonconference schedule in order to boost their efficiency numbers, thus helping their NET ranking.

Brownell argued that there’s really not much difference between any of the major conferences, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at NCAA Tournament bracket projections and the NET. Joe Lunardi had nine Big 12 teams in Bracketology at the time, compared to only five for the ACC.

“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. 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,” Brownell said Monday on WCCP. “So that’s 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.”

At the time of Brownell’s remarks, the Big 12 had 10 teams in the Top 50 of the NET rankings, including the No. 1 team in the country.