NET rankings explained: What is the NET, what are quadrants, more?

One of the toughest jobs for the NCAA Tournament's Selection Committee is figuring out how to select the 36 at-large teams for the field of 68. Not all tournament resumes are created equal so the task of comparing high-majors and low-majors who played vastly different schedules can't simply be done with use of the eye test.

One way to compare these teams is using various ranking metrics and tools to help evaluate programs in a more quantitative manner. The RPI was a popular metric for years but was replaced by the NET, which is now the top comparison tool the committee uses to complete the field on Selection Sunday.

What Is The NET Ranking?

The NET, as explained by the NCAA, is designed to be an upgrade on the RPI, which was made up of three components: a team's winning percentage, the average opponent's winning percentage, and the winning percentage of the average opponent's opponents. Many members of the selection committees in the mid-2010s felt that the RPI was getting outdated so the NET was created to create a more comprehensive tool to evaluate teams.

In addition to factors the RPI considered, the NET weighs in game results, strength of schedule, where games are played, offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of individual wins and losses. The NCAA's Selection Committee has described the NET as just one tool in its toolbox to evaluate teams but it has received the most weight from the committee in the past few years.

What Are Quadrants?

Quadrants are groupings of teams within the NET rankings designed to help evaluate a team's results based on the opponents it plays and where they play them. Games are grouped into Quadrants by the following criteria:

• 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+, Neutral 201+, Away 241+

Wins in the first two quadrants, particularly Quad 1, carry more weight with the Selection Committee since they are more indicative of an ability to beat teams who will play in the NCAA Tournament. The NET ratings are updated daily based on the previous night's results, so a win can improve or worsen in quality depending on how a team's opponent fares over the course of the season.

Many fans of mid-major programs feel the NET is skewed towards power conference teams, who will stack up opportunities for Quad 1 and Quad 2 games in league play, while mid-majors are often saddled with plenty of Quad 3 and 4 games with limited opportunities to stack up the types of wins necessary to earn an at-large. Smart scheduling is often key to being ranked highly in the NET and as of the 2023 NCAA Tournament no team ranked inside the NET's top 30 has ever missed the dance.

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