Considering that Purdue landed at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll, it was no surprise to see the Boilermakers also in the top spot of this season’s first NET ranking released Monday. But the No. 2 team is a shocker, and so are some of the other rankings in the NET, which provides an enlightening look at how the college hoops season is playing out in the eyes of the NCAA’s official primary ranking tool used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee
LSU, which is No. 25 in the AP poll and No. 24 in the Coaches Poll, came in at No. 2 in the debut NET ranking, despite having no wins over teams that were or are ranked in either top 25 poll. The strength of the Tigers’ resume is a Quad 1 win over Wake Forest on a neutral floor.
Other fascinating rankings in the first batch of the NET include Wyoming coming in at No. 12 and UCLA registering all the way down at No. 33. The Cowboys are not ranked in either poll but have a quality early resume highlighted by road wins over Washington and Grand Canyon. UCLA is No. 4 in the AP poll and has a win over Villanova (No. 6 in the AP poll) on its resume. But five of the Bruins’ seven victories are considered Quad 4 wins at the moment, and that is a drag on their NET standing.
With more than three months to go until NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday, most of the peculiarities in the NET will sort themselves out. But the ranking should not be dismissed. As the NCAA explains, “the number of Quadrant 1 wins and Quadrant 3/4 losses will be incredibly important when it comes time for NCAA tournament selection and seeding.”
Here’s a quick look at some of the NET’s surprising early rankings, followed by the top 10 below.
Unfavorable: No. 39 Kentucky, No. 48 Illinois, No. 63 Michigan, No. 70 Virginia, No. 77 Florida State, No. 153 Oregon, No. 221 Arizona State, No. 247 Georgetown
Favorable: No. 23 Wagner, No. 29 Chattanooga, No. 41 Monmouth
Check out the NCAA’s official NET rankings for all 358 teams
