It’s Not a Safety N.E.T.

One-on-One With Jerry Palm

(St. Louis, MO) – CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm is blowing up all my theories on bracketology and how teams get into and are seeded for the NCAA Tournament. This is my third interview with the ‘Eye Network’s’ bracketologist and each time I learn a little bit more.

Palm (@jppalmCBS) and ESPN’s Joe Lunardi are the most recognizable people in their field. College basketball fans feverishly head to those websites daily (or more often) to find out if their team is in, out or where they are seeded.

We study KenPom, BPI, SOS and the almighty NCAA Evaluation Tool (N.E.T.) like we’re cramming for master’s degree entrance exam. We become immersed in those numbers and metrics so we can make our case around the proverbial water cooler.

So which metric is the most important?

Palm says ….. NONE OF THEM! WHAT! @&*#!$*+#!

 

 

This is our first conversation since a lunch interview three years ago in Nashville. He blew my mind then and he did again this week. Palm says this is a subjective process with a ton of objective data. Resume rolls off his tongue like the HR person at Amazon.

“The committee will look at your resume,” says Palm. “Who did you play and where did you play them.”

So what about the Ramblers?

Missouri Valley Conference Thoughts

While Lunardi has Loyola Chicago as an eight seed, Palm calls them a ten. I don’t mean Bo Derek-ten either. He says their resume is thin and history says a team that looks like this is a ten (Editor: the Final Four team went in as an eleven).

 

 

Loyola’s lost opportunities with Richmond and Wisconsin will hurt them badly. Had they defeated Wisconsin (they lost by 14) or Richmond (dropped a two-pointer) who were both ranked at the time, their case would be stronger.

Missouri Valley fans that have been bragging about Loyola’s top ten ranking in both the N.E.T. and in KenPom efficiency ratings. Palm says don’t bother. It’s not a safety N.E.T.

Even Drake’s top 50 ranking in KenPom and the N.E.T. don’t guarantee the Bulldogs a spot. Palm’s latest bracket has Darian DeVries’ team playing in the ‘First Four’ games. In other words, they are very vulnerable.

Valley apologists have suggested the promised return of ShanQuan Hemphill will help the Bulldogs’ cause with the Selection Committee.

Palm says, it just doesn’t matter.

 

 

Here is Palm’s latest bracket.

Predicting and Not Politicking 

Palm is not politicking for a team, league, region or coach. He has personal favorites. He makes no secret of his affection for Purdue and he’s made many friends among the coaching ranks, but he is in the business of predicting the Selection Committee decisions. Palm doesn’t believe anyone in that committee listens to him.

He confesses, he is privately rooting for Drake.

 

 

Why It’s Not a Safety N.E.T.

Bracketologists far and wide come to different conclusions. I read the rankings, the quads, KenPom, RPI (yes, it’s still out there), SOS and BPI, but Palm insists the committee is made up of humans. No secret math formula exists. While there is science involved, it isn’t science.

 

 

The Full Interview

Our full interview with CBS’ Jerry Palm is here. We discuss the Big Ten, his Boilermakers, and why Loyola this year looks like the 2017 Wichita State team. I asked him if he fills out brackets after the selections have been made. He does and like the rest of us has come good brackets and some bad ones.

His work for CBS will be different.  Covid protocols are limiting access to everyone. While CBS brings us the games, Palm may be purchasing scalped tickets on the streets of Indianapolis.

Oh, and we’ll see him all over CBS and CBS Sports Network.

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