What are NET rankings? Quad 1 wins, more in NCAA Tournament bracket seeding

Each year as the NCAA Tournament looms, several topics of discussion repeat themselves as predictions are made for the field of 68.

Perhaps the most notable of these are the NET rankings and Quad 1 wins. As Selection Sunday for March Madness arrives approaches, this year is no exception. It may even be more prevalent than ever, considering the teams who find themselves on the bubble this year.

Look no further than North Carolina, which despite having a brand name, a 22-13 record and a No. 36 ranking in the NET finds itself squarely on the bubble with an abysmal 1-12 record in Quad 1 games. But what exactly are quadrant wins, and how do they impact the NET rankings?

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Here’s what you need to know about the NCAA’s NET rankings and more ahead of Selection Sunday:

What is the NET? Explaining NCAA ranking system

The NET is a data-driven sorting system used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee when considering the field of 68. While it is not the only system the committee uses, it is perhaps its most important tool in helping the committee determine who makes the field, and where they’re seeded.

It was created ahead of the 2018-19 men’s basketball season by the NCAA, and replaced the Rating Percentage Index (RPI) system. The NET rankings, which are first released in December and updated throughout the year, reset each college basketball season, and do not keep old information or statistics.

Two key factors are used in NET rankings per the NCAA:

• Team Value Index: A results-based measure that rewards teams for beating quality opponents, with extra weight given to road and neutral-site wins.
• Adjusted Net Efficiency: The difference between a team’s offensive efficiency (points per possession) and defensive efficiency (opponents’ points per possession), adjusted for opponent strength and game location.

As noted by the NCAA, point margin of victory by a team is not factored into the NET rankings for teams. Instead, the NET ranking only factors the quality of that win or loss. That’s where quadrant records, the primary sorting tool for the NET, comes into play.

Quad wins, explained

Wins and losses are divided into one of four categories by the NET, which are then used by the committee to help determine at-large bids and seed the entire field. Teams’ records are divided into Quads 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Perhaps the biggest sorting tool in the NET is a team’s record vs. Quad 1 opponents. The better a team’s record in Quad 1 games, the better chance a team has of making the 68-team field. Similarly, a team that has one or more losses in Quads 1, 2 or 3 would be assigned a “bad loss” that is detrimental to their NCAA Tournament resume.

Where a win or loss falls in that spectrum depends on two factors:

1. The opponent’s ranking in the NET
2. Whether a team faced their opponent at home, on the road or at a neutral site

Generally speaking, road wins are more valuable than neutral-site wins, which are more valuable than home wins. But there is flexibility depending on the NET ranking of the opponent. Here is a breakdown of what differentiates a victory from a Quad 1 through Quad 4 win in men’s college basketball per NCAA.com:

• Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
• Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
• Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
• Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353

A team’s record against Quad 1 opponents — just like Quad 2, Quad 3 and Quad 4 opponents — can also change throughout the season. For example, if a team beats a Quad 2 team in January but that team becomes a Quad 1 team heading into the postseason, that becomes a Quad 1 win for that team. Similarly, if a Quad 1 team drops to a Quad 2 team or lower, that win would be removed from their Quad 1 record.

Best Quad 1 records on Selection Sunday

Auburn leads the country with 16 Quad 1 wins this season. Here’s a breakdown of which teams in the country have the best Quad 1 records entering Selection Sunday, per the NCAA:

Records reflective of games through Saturday, March 15

1. Auburn: 16-5
2. Houston: 14-3
3. Michigan State: 13-5
4. Kentucky: 11-10
5. Alabama: 11-8
6. Michigan: 11-7
7. Tennessee: 11-6
8. Arizona: 10-11
9. Iowa State: 10-7
10. Texas Tech: 10-5
11. Florida: 10-4

NET rankings on Selection Sunday

The NET rankings system also doesn’t factor in the date of the game and a team’s winning percentage, both raw winning percentage and adjusted winning percentage. Here’s a list of the top 16 teams in the country per the NCAA’s NET rankings, which theoretically would result in the teams seed 1-4 in their respective regions:

Ranking reflective of games through Saturday, March 15

1. Duke
2. Auburn
3. Houston
4. Florida
5. Tennessee
6. Alabama
7. Texas Tech
8. Gonzaga
9. Iowa State
10. Maryland
11. Michigan State
12. Arizona
13. St. John’s
14. Wisconsin
15. Kentucky
16. Missouri