Wisconsin basketball checked in at No. 25 in the latest installation of the NCAA Men’s Basketball NET Rankings on Saturday.
After sitting at No. 33 entering Friday’s contest against Iowa, Wisconsin leapfrogged several programs to claim the No. 25 spot in the list. Unlike ESPN BPI and KenPom, the NET ranking evaluates a program’s performance primarily based on the strength of its resume.
A significant aspect of the NET rankings is a team’s record in each quadrant. The NET features four quadrants formed based on game location and the opponent’s ranking, per the NCAA.
Here’s how those quadrants shake out:
- 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
For instance, if the Badgers defeated Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium and the Blue Devils held a 26 NET ranking, UW would receive a Quadrant 1 win. If Greg Gard’s group dropped a game to Minnesota at the Kohl Center and the Golden Gophers boasted a NET of 100, it would be considered a Quadrant 3 loss.
Updated NET Rankings pic.twitter.com/z81kBQJUzc
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Through 14 games, the Badgers have collected two Quadrant 1 wins, three Quadrant 2 wins, one Quadrant 3 win and five Quadrant 4 wins.
Only Illinois (No. 5), Michigan (No. 11), Oregon (No. 15), UCLA (No. 14), Maryland (No. 18), Michigan State (No. 20) and Oregon (No. 23) are ranked ahead of Wisconsin in the most recent version of the NET.
The Badgers’ convincing 31-point win over Iowa certainly urged voters to make the adjustment. Of all 18 Big Ten squads, Wisconsin moved the most in either direction.
UW will be back on the hardwood for an important road matchup at Rutgers on Monday, Jan. 6.