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The top 25 rankings are important for understanding just who is killing it in college basketball, but we can go deeper — all the way to the bubble and beyond.
The NCAA Evaluation Tool, or NET, is a rankings system used in Division I basketball to help figure out which teams are going to participate in March Madness. As the NCAA puts it, NET “takes into account game results, strength of schedule, game location, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses,” the latter of which is determined by placing every Division I matchup into different quadrants, ranked 1 through 4, with 1 being the strongest teams and 4 the weakest — Quads aren’t just determined by record, but also whether a game was played at home, on the road or at a neutral site.
Using NET, we can get a sense of which teams are the best at a given moment, as well as which ones are on the bubble for selection in March. While updated daily by the NCAA, we’ll track changes weekly.
With that, here are the top 10 men’s college basketball teams through Feb. 16, according to NET.
The Top 10
10. UConn (previous: 8)
UConn is still winning, having lost just two games this season, but it’s just not winning by enough to keep its spot in NET, never mind to move up. The Huskies’ adjusted Net Rating, via KenPom, is just 24th: since NET incorporates offensive and defensive ratings as well as strength of schedule, UConn is in a tough spot between facing Big East teams that aren’t particularly well-regarded, and then winning, but usually just by a few buckets. If Nebraska had one more road win or Quad 1 victory, the Husker might even be in this spot instead of the Huskies.
9. Florida (previous: 9)
Florida remains in 9th after picking up wins against Georgia and Kentucky since last time in. Florida didn’t do anything wrong with those wins, it just was less impressive than some of the competition ahead of it, so here the Gators stick for another week.
8. Purdue (previous: 10)
Purdue defeated top-10 Nebraska in overtime and followed that up with a 21-point victory over Iowa, which came into the week 20th in NET. As said above, Florida didn’t do anything wrong — Purdue was just extremely back on track after a tough end to the previous month.
7. Gonzaga (previous: 7)
Gonzaga might have woken up a bit after its shocking loss to Portland, as it beat Oregon State by 20 on Feb. 7, then as far as this week’s calculations are concerned downed both Washington State and Santa Clara — the last of those is particularly meaningful, since the Broncos were actually a game up on the Bulldogs in the West Coast Conference standings before this matchup, as well as a near top-40 team in NET.
[Get to Know a Mid-Major: West Coast Conference]
6. Houston (earlier: 6)
Now, it won’t appear to be there was any motion right here, but it surely’s all a matter of the dates concerned. As an illustration, Houston was 4th in NET final night time, in its first sport as the brand new No. 2 group within the ballot. After which it instantly misplaced to Iowa State. Iowa State, in the meantime, was eighth in NET, however has not been talked about right here but on this listing as a result of its win over the Cougars propelled it previous Houston. See? Motion!
5. Iowa State (earlier: 5)
The Cyclones jumped from managed to negate what would have been a loss in NET by turning round what began as a tricky week into two nice dubs. Whereas Iowa State misplaced to TCU on Feb. 10, 62-55, the Cyclones then took down then-No. 9 Kansas — which had simply defeated then-No. 1 Arizona — and on Monday upset new No. 2 Houston.
Kansas took down Arizona even with out Darryn Peterson within the lineup. (Photograph by Ed Zurga/Getty Photographs)
4. Illinois (earlier: 4)
Illinois was additionally caught up within the Houston fallout, because the Combating Illini had been fifth in NET on Monday. With out even enjoying, Illinois discovered itself moved up one other spot with Houston slipping again and Iowa State’s loss to TCU conserving it from leaping much more spots ahead. So far as the issues Illinois did management, a loss to Wisconsin — its third towards a top-10 opponent this yr — and a win towards Indiana have it in any other case rooted in place.
3. Arizona (earlier: 2)
Arizona appeared certain to lose finally, simply based mostly on how shut a few of its video games had been of late and the way robust the competitors nonetheless forward of it was. Nevertheless, dropping to Kansas with out Darryn Peterson, and following that up with one other loss, this time to Texas Tech, was so much to absorb, particularly since the second was a house sport.
2. Duke (earlier: 2)
It’s completely doable Duke would have fallen from the 2nd spot if not for Arizona’s extra vital struggles. It’s not that Duke had a nasty week by any means — and Monday-night blowout of Syracuse helped — but it surely beat Pitt by lower than you’d count on given the huge gulf between the 2, and had its offense held again a bit by Clemson even because the protection took care of enterprise. Good wins, however not nice ones, mainly, which with the razor-thin margins up high can matter.
1. Michigan (earlier: 1)
As an illustration, Michigan defeated a bubble group in Northwestern and a top-40 group in UCLA by a mixed rating of 42 factors. It remained 1st in NET regardless of one fewer win than Duke due to the aforementioned margins in a pair of Quad 2 matchups.
Risers and Fallers
Within the span of every week, some groups can see their spot within the rankings dramatically shift. Listed below are the 5 groups that rose essentially the most in males’s faculty basketball within the final week…
T5. Howard, 239 to 219: The Bison beat Maryland Japanese by 26 after which Delaware State 91-59, and whereas each are bottom-tier golf equipment, caring for enterprise is vital.
T5. Delaware, 289 to 269: Delaware beating FIU by 2 factors doesn’t appear spectacular sans context, however the Panthers had been 191st in NET. Delaware then took out the equally ranked Missouri State the following day trip, 76-67 — an amazing week for the Fightin’ Blue Hens.
4. Robert Morris, 185 to 161: Beating Cleveland State 85-68 is how issues ought to go in that matchup, however a 93-69 victory over then-136th-ranked Oakland was a major W for the Colonials.
T2. UIC, 141 to 116: UIC misplaced each of its video games earlier than final week’s check-in, however this time round defeated Drake after which Illinois State — the latter victory was notably notable, provided that it was towards a near-bubble group and UIC gained by 27 factors.
Michigan strengthened its maintain on the highest spot by beating more durable opponents. (Photograph by Jaime Crawford/Getty Photographs)
T2. Samford, 236 to 211: A powerful week for the Bulldogs, which defeated Wofford by 17 after which ETSU by 10. East Tennessee State was ranked a hundred and fifteenth in NET, making this fairly the upset.
1. Boston College, 291 to 265: A 3-win week for the Terriers, which took down Military, Bucknell and Colgate by a mixed 57 factors. It moved BU into fourth within the Patriot League, as effectively, placing it in a greater place for a bye within the convention tourney.
[Get to Know a Mid-Major: Patriot League]
…and the 5 that fell the furthest.
T5. Marist, 149 to 169: Merrimack crushed Marist, 81-56, which regardless of the Warriors being atop the MAAC was a major upset by NET’s calculations. The Pink Foxes then misplaced a detailed one to Siena, and dropped to fifth within the convention and out of the top-150 in NET thanks to those defeats.
T5. Kennesaw State, 167 to 187: Kennesaw State misplaced each of its video games this week by an sadly shut quantity — 7 mixed factors — and whereas the hole between these groups wasn’t big sufficient alone for this sort of shift, that each Ls got here at residence was much less forgivable for NET.
T5. Jacksonville State, 197 to 217: The loss to New Mexico State wasn’t a giant deal for NET given the 2 had been ranked shut collectively, however dropping a sport to UTEP — almost a bottom-100 group earlier than this W — was an issue.
4. NIU, 299 to 320: Bowling Inexperienced was almost a top-150 group, making a loss to them par for the course right here, Central Michigan began the week 305th in NET and defeated Northern Illinois by 42 factors in a sport wherein each participant that took the ground for the Chippewas scored.
3. Bethune-Cookman, 235 to 260: Bethune-Cookman isn’t a powerhouse by any means, however losses towards two bottom-15 groups in back-to-back video games goes to look dangerous for anybody, by no means thoughts a group that wasn’t near the bottom-100.
2. Charlotte, 163 to 189: The 49ers performed and misplaced simply the one time prior to now week, but it surely was, like with Bethune-Cookman, towards one of many worst groups in Division I males’s basketball. UTSA gained, 88-79, and Charlotte sank.
1. Princeton, 224 to 254: Princeton misplaced to Cornell by 24 factors and adopted it up with an L towards Columbia. Each had been higher groups than Princeton in NET, however the loss to the Huge Pink stun due to the margin of defeat.
On the Bubble
Of the 68 March Insanity groups within the match, 31 of them are convention champions who obtain automated entry into the match. The opposite 37 spots are at-large bids. With that in thoughts, we’ll take a look at the groups ranked between 64-to-73 in NET every week, as these are those who’re essentially the most on the bubble for the tourney.
73. Colorado (earlier: 72): A humorous week for the Buffaloes, as Texas Tech obliterated them by 34 factors whereas Colorado scored simply 44, however then the Buffs performed BYU uncomfortably shut for the Cougars, 90-86. Two losses however nonetheless working in place.
72. Oklahoma State (earlier: 65): The Cowboys, nonetheless, misplaced twice and slipped from one finish of the bubble to the opposite. The distinction being that Colorado took its Ls towards ranked groups that had been additionally top-20 in NET.
71. Arizona State (earlier: 80): Whereas Oklahoma State misplaced to, in a type of video games, Arizona State, which is now within the bubble due to it.
70. Syracuse (earlier: 71): Syracuse obtained wrecked by Duke, giving up 102 factors to the Blue Devils in a 47-point loss, however earlier than that the Orange beat California in an thrilling additional time sport, then bested SMU, which is unranked at this level however nonetheless a top-40 group.
Syracuse couldn’t determine how you can gradual Duke down in an enormous defeat on Monday. (Photograph by David Jensen/Getty Photographs)
69. Stanford (earlier: 68): A win towards Boston School adopted by a loss towards Wake Forest is why there was little or no motion right here for the Cardinal.
68. Oklahoma (earlier: 74): The Sooners performed only one sport this week, but it surely was a superb one for them, as O-U bested Thirty fifth-ranked Georgia 94-78.
67. LSU (earlier: 57): Not an amazing displaying by LSU prior to now week, however a part of that was additionally opponent-based. The Tigers took on ranked Arkansas and obtained blown out by 29, then misplaced by 10 to Tennessee, which is unranked however twenty second in NET for the time being.
66. Missouri (earlier: 61): An 86-85 win towards Texas A&M might solely cease the slide from an 85-68 L towards Texas by a lot. Texas is a tourney-caliber group, however Missouri is attempting to show it’s, too.
65. Wake Forest (earlier: 67): Wins towards Georgia Tech and Stanford didn’t transfer the Demon Deacons as far forward as anticipated, however a few of that can also be groups round Wake Forest shifting, too — it slipped again to 65 throughout its inactivity.
64. Yale (earlier: 66): Two wins for Yale is a optimistic, however Dartmouth and Harvard aren’t top-tier competitors, so solely a lot progress out of the bubble in the suitable path might come of it.
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