Florida basketball’s NET ranking unaffected after loss to Tennessee

Dropping one to the Vols in the SEC Quarterfinals didn’t affect UF’s positioning in the NET but still leaves a lot to be desired.

Losing to Tennessee on Friday may have ended Florida’s SEC Tournament and potentially cost it a seed-line in the NCAA Tournament (according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi), but it didn’t affect the analytics very much.

UF’s NET Ranking remained unchanged at No. 31 following the loss. Though dropping one to the Vols didn’t impact the Gators in the NET, beating Vanderbilt actually did, as their lackluster performance in a six-point win over the Commodores caused them to drop two spots from No. 29.

It’s rather impressive that Florida is just on the outside looking in of the NET’s top 30 considering the team’s 14-9 record and 5-5 mark in Quadrant 1 games isn’t exactly something to write home about. UF’s big wins — like a 26-point win over Tennessee at home and an upset over West Virginia on the road — are clearly doing a lot of work here.

It was a disappointing week in Nashville for the Gators. They hoped to pick up one additional Quadrant 1 win and at least leave the tournament in a better position than when it started. But that didn’t happen, and now Florida limps into the NCAA Tournament hoping for a spark.

Get ready for March Madness by registering in advance for USA TODAY Sports’ bracket sweepstakes. In the meantime, mobile users can play USA TODAY Sports’ Couchketball virtual hoops challenge – the interactive basketball game where your skills determine the outcome.

[lawrence-related id=37957,37947,37943,37929,37900]

[listicle id=37887]

[vertical-gallery id=37865]