Selection Sunday is right around the corner, and that means it’s time to start obsessing over the NET rankings—the mysterious, all-important metric that helps shape the NCAA Tournament field.
If you’re wondering how Kentucky stacks up, what the NET actually means, and why the committee loves it so much, you’re in the right place. Let’s break it all down.
What is the NET & Why Does It Matter?
The NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) is the ranking system used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to compare teams and help decide seeding and at-large bids. It replaced the old RPI (Rating Percentage Index) in 2018 and considers a mix of analytics, efficiency, and quality wins.
So what actually goes into the NET?
🔹 Game Results – Winning matters, but so does who you beat and where you play.
🔹 Strength of Schedule – Blowing out low-ranked teams doesn’t impress. Winning tough games does.
🔹 Scoring Margin – Winning big helps, but there’s a cap (so no, running up the score on a bad team won’t make a huge difference).
🔹 Offensive & Defensive Efficiency – Are you elite on both ends, or just scraping by?
🔹 Where the Game is Played – Winning on the road is huge, losing at home hurts more.
The biggest takeaway? The NET is not just about wins and losses—who you beat, where you beat them, and how you performed all factor in.
How the NCAA Uses NET for Tournament Selection
The selection committee loves its Quadrants—a system that ranks wins and losses based on opponent strength and location:
🏆 Quad 1 Wins (The Golden Ticket) – Beating a top-30 team at home, top-50 on a neutral floor, or top-75 on the road
⚠️ Quad 2 Wins/Losses – Decent teams, but not resume-makers or breakers
😬 Quad 3 Losses – Not great, but survivable
🚨 Quad 4 Losses (Disaster Zone) – Losing to bad teams is a seeding killer
Teams with more Quad 1 wins and fewer bad losses get priority when it comes to seeding and at-large spots.
Where Does Kentucky Rank?
📊 Current NET Ranking: #15
🔹 Record: 19-10
🔹 Quad 1 Record: 3-6
🔹 Quad 2 Record: 2-1
🔹 Quad 3 & 4 Record: Perfect (no bad losses)
Kentucky sits comfortably in the top 20, which means they’re safely in the NCAA Tournament field. However, their Quad 1 record (3-6) isn’t great, especially when compared to other top teams.
For example:
✅ Auburn (#1 NET): 8-1 in Quad 1 games
✅ Tennessee (#5 NET): 6-4 in Quad 1 games
✅ Alabama (#6 NET): 8-3 in Quad 1 games
To improve seeding, Kentucky needs to:
✔️ Win their remaining games
✔️ Make a deep SEC Tournament run
✔️ Hope past Quad 1 wins age well (opponents keep winning to boost resume)
Who’s at the Top of the NET?
🔹 #1 Auburn – The Tigers are destroying the analytics, with an elite record, strong efficiency, and dominance in Quad 1.
🔹 #2 Duke – The Blue Devils have been quietly stacking wins, and their 9-1 road/neutral record gives them a boost.
🔹 #3 Houston – One of the best defensive teams in the country, Houston is a nightmare matchup for anyone.
🔹 #4 Florida – 6-3 in Quad 1 games and undefeated in Quad 3 & 4 puts them in elite company.
🔹 #5 Tennessee – A strong home record and solid efficiency numbers keep the Vols in the top tier.
What’s Next for Kentucky?
The good news? Kentucky has no bad losses dragging them down.
The bad news? They’re struggling in marquee games.
To lock in a strong seed, the Wildcats need a big finish. Right now, they’re likely sitting in the 4-6 seed range, but a late surge could push them higher.
With the SEC Tournament looming, Kentucky controls its own fate. They don’t need to worry about making the field—it’s all about improving their path to a deep run in March.
Final Thoughts
The NET isn’t everything, but it’s a huge factor in how the selection committee ranks teams. For Kentucky, being ranked 15th keeps them in a solid spot, but there’s work to do if they want a favorable NCAA Tournament draw.
With just a few games left before March Madness, the Wildcats are right in the mix—now it’s time to prove they belong among the best.