What is the NET Ranking?
The NCAA, in consultation with Google Cloud Professional Services, developed a computer model called the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET). The NET calculates team ratings used to rank every NCAA D1 basketball team. It was created to replace the RPI as the primary sorting tool used by the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Selection Committee. The NET rankings were first used in the 2018-19 season. Current NET rankings are found here.
What is a Quad 1 Win?
The NCAA updates NET rankings daily (starting in December) and uses them to sort wins and losses into one of four quadrants. The quadrant classification system breaks down a team’s schedule and results in four quadrants. This places a greater emphasis on games played on neutral courts and in true road environments. The system organizes the quality of wins and losses based on game location and the opponent’s current NET ranking (not the NET rank at the time of the game) as explained in the table.
What Factors are Considered in the NET Rankings?
The NCAA changed the NET for the 2020-21 season to increase its accuracy and reduce it from a five-component metric to just two . They discarded three components.
- Winning percentage
- Adjusted winning percentage
- Scoring margin
The two remaining components:
- Team Value Index (TVI), which is a results-based component that rewards teams for beating quality opponents, especially away from home
- The team’s adjusted net efficiency rating, which calculates how many points a team scores on average on offense minus the number of points it allows on average on defense.
Is Scoring Margin Considered in the NET Rankings?
Not explicitly. The original version of the NET used scoring margin, but the NCAA changed the inputs prior to the 2020-21 season. However, the NET still includes a team’s adjusted net efficiency rating. This rating calculates how many points a team scores on average on offense minus the number of points it allows on average on defense. Therefore, the NET still implicitly includes scoring margin. Of course, larger scoring margins will positively impact a team’s adjusted net efficiency rating.
Do Recent Games Matter More Than Early Season Games?
No. Game date and game order were not included in the NET calculations, so a team’s first game counts the same as its 28th.