NORFOLK, VA. – The NCAA selection committee since 2019 has used the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ratings for determining the teams.
There are 10 criteria used in the decision-making; they include bad losses, common opponents, competitiveness in losses, early performances vs. late performances, head-to-head competition, watching teams in action, overall records, regional rankings, significant wins and strength of schedule.
However, the NET ratings actually don’t change the historical placing of Black college teams, which usually are pitted against top seeds, making it awfully difficult to advance past the first round.
At the MEAC tournament last week in Norfolk, Va., during four days and 27 games of men’s and women’s hoops, two champions were crowned last Saturday. We asked several coaches if the NET is fair or unfair to HBCUs.
“I don’t know if it’s fair or unfair,” said Howard MBB Coach Kevin Blakeney. “We do have a tournament that earns your way to getting to the NCAA tournament. We are not the only league that has that issue” of only one team being selected.
Howard WBB Coach Ty Grace added, “I definitely think that having so many things does make it a little complicated. It’s just a lot of [factors] to try to calculate who’s the best when the best has shown you in their [win-lost] record.”
In a perfect world, both the MEAC and SWAC should have both their tournament champions, and regular season champions should go to the NCAAs, just as do larger non-HBCU leagues that regularly get multiple teams selected.
“You look at Norfolk and Howard. When they get into the league, they lose points from the NET rating,” bemoaned South Carolina State Women’s Coach Tim Eatman. “Instead of us trying to fight for one spot, maybe we could get two spots.”
But only the two Norfolk State teams that won their tournament championships last Saturday will get to go to the NCAAs because they earned the automatic bid. The two MEAC runners-up, South Carolina State (men’s) and Howard (women’s), played well enough but are not going because they didn’t win the tournament title.
Eatman admitted that the NET “does hurt us” Black schools. “We have to do a better job strategically planning. Even if we leave open slots [for scheduling games] so we could play a league that [also] is fighting for a 15th or 16th seed.”
When asked why the NCAA makes the selections so complex, “If you don’t make it complicated,” surmised Eatman, “then a lot of people will lose their jobs.”
A familiar face
This columnist wasn’t the only Minnesotan here at the MEAC tournament. “My son Tyler is a Howard alum,” explained award-winning and HOF music producer Terry Lewis before the Bison-Morgan State quarterfinals game last Thursday. “He played the last two years. He’s one of the coaches helping out.
“Black college tournaments and culture is A-number one for me,” said Lewis. “Just being able to feel the community at large and the friendly competition with all of the parents. Win, lose or draw — we all win,” Lewis pointed out. “It’s a fantastic exhibition of what Blackness and culture is for me. And the basketball is good, too.”
Norfolk State senior forward Kierra Wheeler (Minneapolis) won the MEAC Tournament Outstanding Player award after her team’s 68-56 win over Howard in the title game. “We are reaping our rewards for all the hard work we put in,” she told the MSR and other reporters after the game.
Finally …
In the wake of last week’s firing of Ben Johnson as Gopher HC, we talked to Black coaches where all the MEAC coaches are Black.
“I hate to see our Black coaches [fired] because there are so few of us,” said Morgan State Coach Kevin Broadus. His team played Minnesota during the recent non-conference season at Williams Arena.
“Forget coaching,” he continued of Johnson. “He’s a better person. He’s a good man that someone should hire.”
Howard’s Kevin Blakeney added, “My thoughts go out to him and his family and his staff. It seems to me that Johnson is a hell of a coach and a really good person.
“I’m pretty sure if [Minnesota] had a more competitive NIL package, he would have been more successful and still have a shot,” Blakney concluded of Johnson, who coached Minnesota for four seasons.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.