Understanding NET Rankings in NCAA Basketball

It may not be September, but it’s time to go back to school—this time for a quick lesson in college hoops. Today at MyTopSportsbooks University, we’re diving into the NET rankings system used to evaluate NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball programs. No midterms, no finals—just everything you need to make smarter college basketball bets ahead of next year’s March Madness. Consider this your crash course in understanding the ranking system and how they shape the road to the tournament.

As of 2025, teams like Florida, Kentucky, Arizona, Tennessee, Kansas, Alabama, Maryland, Purdue, Ohio State, San Diego, Gonzaga, Saint Mary, Indiana, Miami, North Carolina, Utah, Michigan, and Louisville are all fighting for supremacy. Not to be forgotten are Seattle, Pittsburgh, Portland, UCLA, the Illini of Illinois, Georgia, Missouri, Boston College, Baylor, Auburn, Oregon, Iowa, BYU, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Loyola, USC, Colorado, Texas Tech, Memphis, and New Mexico—each pushing to break into the upper tier of college basketball.

Rounding out the power rankings are perennial threats like Duke, UAB, West Virginia, UConn, and Houston—one of the most dominant programs of the last few seasons. Meanwhile, dark horse contenders such as Buffalo, Detroit, San Francisco, and Sam Houston are lurking just beneath the surface, ready to disrupt the favorites come tournament time.

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Explaining NET Rankings

NET rankings are used in college basketball as a key tool for evaluating team performance. Developed by the NCAA, the system is built on a sophisticated, proprietary algorithm. NET rankings are updated daily and can be found on official sites like NCAA.com and NCAA.org, as well as on sportsbooks and casinos that offer college basketball betting. As a sorting tool, NET rankings assist the NCAA selection committee in identifying at-large candidates for the March Madness tournament.

That said, NET rankings do not directly determine tournament seeding—that’s a separate process entirely. The simplest path to a tournament bid is to win your conference, which guarantees an automatic spot. To complete the bracket, the selection committee turns to the most deserving at-large teams based on a variety of factors.

While many of the secondary teams selected will have strong NET rankings, the metric alone does not guarantee a tournament berth, nor does it dictate a team’s seed. Some teams with lower rankings may sneak into the field, while others with impressive NET positions could find themselves relegated to the NIT come March.

NET Rankings and RPI

The predecessor to NET rankings was the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), which was replaced due to flaws in the index system. Previously, the RPI used winning percentage, the strength of schedule, and opponents’ strength of schedule to calculate positioning. In effect, the system was regressive for teams in weaker conferences because it punished teams that played weaker opponents compared to other conferences.

How Are NET Rankings Calculated?

Because the rankings system is a trade secret for the NCAA, little is known about the calculations that go into the ranking system. Two things we do know about the system, net efficiency and the team value index, determine a part of the rankings.

Net Efficiency

Offensive Efficiency (pts per possession); defensive efficiency (pts allowed per possession)
Strength of schedule
Game location (home/away/neutral site)

Value Index

Based on Wins and Losses
Opponent + Location + Winner =
Value Index Score

To get to net efficiency, you must factor in a number of variables; here is the equation:

Shot attempts + offensive rebounds + turnovers + foul shots (47.5 attempts) = total number of possessions. Total points/total possessions = offensive efficiency.

For defensive efficiency, the equation works this way: opponent shot attempts + opponent’s offensive rebounds + opponent’s turnovers + plus opponent foul shots (47.5 attempts) = total number of opponent possessions. Opponent total points/total number of opponent possessions = defensive efficiency.

Then you subtract defensive efficiency from offensive efficiency, and you have the net efficiency rating.

What is the Team Value Index?

TVI is a reward system built in the rankings for teams that play and beat teams with higher NET rankings. The system only looks at games against Division I opponents and uses opponent/location/winner for a TVI score. The strength of schedule plays a role in TVI, but for the NCAA, the size of the impact on the overall ranking is secret.

What is the Quadrant System?

While it might be the dinosaur of ranking systems, it is still in use to determine tournament seedings and selections for the big dance. The NET system sorts teams into tiers from I – IV in quadrants. The women’s selection process differs, and location doesn’t factor in.

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Can I Use the NET Rankings System to Compare Teams?

As of 2025, there are 361 teams competing in men’s Division I basketball. The women’s Division I field, on the other hand, currently includes 351 teams. What makes for question marks in the ranking systems is teams play outside their conference and may not share common opponents. That makes it hard to get an accurate comparison of apples to apples.

The NET system should be able to help sports bettors because it will tell them how a team performs against quality opposition – like the kind they will face during March Madness. For a team comparison, look at wins in Quad I and losses in Quad III and IV. If a Quad I team has a number of losses against Q III and IV, it tells you that they play to the calibre of opposition. If you look at a lower NET-ranked team with Quad I wins, you might see a tournament upset in the making.

NET Rankings FAQs

Find answers to common questions bettors like you have when researching which sportsbook to join.

What are NET rankings in basketball?

The NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) is a ranking system used by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to evaluate college basketball teams. The rankings take into account a team’s strength of schedule, net efficiency, winning percentage, and other metrics that help assess a team’s overall performance. The NET rankings are used in the selection and seeding of teams for the NCAA tournament, replacing the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) system. The NET rankings are updated regularly throughout the season and can be viewed on the NCAA’s website.

What is Quad 1 in NET rankings?

Quad 1 in NET rankings is a term used to refer to a basketball team’s games played against opponents with high NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) ranking and played on neutral ground or away from home. In other words, it means the team played against a good opponent on a neutral or away court. The NET rankings is a tool used by the NCAA selection committee to evaluate basketball teams based on their performance during the season, and Quad 1 wins are considered the most valuable wins for a team’s resume.

How do you calculate NET ranking?

NET ranking is used to rank college basketball teams based on their performance, and it takes into account a number of factors such as win-loss record, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.

To calculate NET ranking, the NCAA uses a mathematical formula that takes into account the following elements:

1. Team’s winning percentage
2. Opponent’s winning percentage
3. Opponent’s opponent’s winning percentage
4. Adjusted net efficiency

The adjusted net efficiency is a statistic that takes into account a team’s offensive and defensive efficiency as well as their strength of schedule.

Once these factors have been calculated, each team is assigned a NET ranking based on their overall performance. The higher the NET ranking, the stronger the team’s performance has been throughout the season.

What is a quad 1 win in college basketball?

A quad 1 win in college basketball refers to a victory against an opponent that is ranked highly in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET). In order for a game to be considered a quad 1 win, it must meet certain criteria based on the NET rankings, such as playing the game at home and the opponent having a NET ranking of 1-30 for home games, 1-50 for neutral-site games, and 1-75 for away games. These wins carry significant weight in the selection process for the NCAA tournament, as they indicate a team’s ability to compete with top-level opponents.

What is the difference between net and RPI?

Net and RPI are two different methods for measuring the success of a college basketball team. Net (NCAA Evaluation Tool) is a newer rating system that takes into account factors such as game results, strength of schedule, game location, and scoring margin. RPI (Rating Percentage Index) is an older rating system that primarily focuses on a team’s wins and losses and strength of schedule.

The key difference between net and RPI is in how they weigh certain factors. Net is more comprehensive and gives more weight to factors like game location and scoring margin, while RPI prioritizes a team’s wins and losses. It’s also worth noting that net is the primary ranking system used by the NCAA selection committee to determine which teams make it into the NCAA tournament.

Are NET rankings useful to bettors?

Yes, NET rankings can be useful to bettors as they provide a ranking system for college basketball teams based on various performance metrics such as strength of schedule, win-loss record, and offensive/defensive efficiency. These rankings can provide insight into a team’s overall performance and help bettors make more informed decisions when placing bets on games. However, it’s important to note that these rankings should not be the only factor considered when placing bets as other variables such as injuries, player matchups, and team dynamics can also impact the outcome of a game.

Can NET rankings help me win money in basketball wagering?

The NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) is a metric used to rank college basketball teams based on performance and strength of schedule. While it can provide valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of a team, it is just one of many factors to consider when placing a basketball wager. Other important factors include injuries, team dynamics, and past performance against particular opponents. Ultimately, success in basketball wagering requires careful research, analysis, and discipline. So while NET rankings can be useful, they are not a guarantee of success on their own.

Who created basketball NET rankings?

The basketball NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings were created by the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) in 2018. These rankings replaced the previous RPI (Rating Percentage Index) system, which had been used since the 1980s. The NET rankings take into account various factors such as team efficiency, strength of schedule, and game results to rank college basketball teams. The purpose of this new ranking system is to provide a more accurate representation of a team’s performance and to better inform the selection committee for the NCAA tournament.

Are NET rankings used in the NBA?

No, NET rankings are not used in the NBA. The NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings are a tool used by the NCAA to evaluate and rank college basketball teams. The NBA uses its own ranking system to determine team standings, which is based on a combination of win-loss record, strength of schedule, and other statistical factors. The NBA also uses various advanced metrics to analyze individual player performance, such as Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and True Shooting Percentage (TS%).

Are NET used rankings for college basketball?

Yes, the NCAA Men’s Basketball NET rankings are used by the NCAA Selection Committee to help determine which teams make it into the March Madness tournament and how they are seeded within the bracket. The NET (which stands for NCAA Evaluation Tool) takes into account a team’s strength of schedule, efficiency, and various other metrics to produce a ranking of all Division I men’s basketball teams. While the NET is not the only factor taken into consideration by the committee, it is a important tool to help ensure that the best teams are represented in the tournament.

What are Net Rankings in NCAA Basketball?