NET ranking is now five years old, a full half decade since it’s creation. It became the preferred system of ranking by the NCAA Selection Committee replacing RPI which had been around since 1980. Last season we took a look at every team that had played D1 over the previous 4 seasons and averaged there NET finish.
This season we are focusing on the Top 50 teams What is beyond apparent is that Gonzaga and Houston have owned the NET Rankings since its inception. No college student in this most recent generation at either school has known anything other than a Top 10 Gonzaga or Houston.
Gonzaga has barely been out of 1st with finishes of 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, and 6th. You could combine the first 4 seasons rankings and still not have as large a raw number as last year in their “down” season.
Rank
Avg NET Finish
Last Year Rank
1
Gonzaga
2.2
1
2
Houston
6.4
2
3
Kansas
10.2
3
4
Baylor
13.2
4
5
Duke
16.6
8
6
Purdue
18
9
7
Tennessee
19.6
12
8
Texas Tech
23
5
9
Kentucky
24.6
13
10
Michigan
24.8
7
11
Villanova
26.2
6
12
Iowa
27.4
14
13
Texas
29.8
21
14
Saint Mary’s
30.6
20
15
Arizona
30.6
22
16
Auburn
31.2
16
17
Alabama
31.2
26
18
Ohio State
31.8
15
19
Creighton
31.8
19
20
Virginia
32
18
21
Michigan State
32.4
17
22
Arkansas
32.8
23
23
Wisconsin
33.6
11
24
North Carolina
37.8
24
25
San Diego State
38
35
26
Memphis
38.6
32
27
Utah State
39.8
39
28
Illinois
40.2
30
29
Maryland
40.8
33
30
Oregon
41.6
29
31
Marquette
41.8
40
32
Connecticut
42.8
42
33
Florida
43.4
27
34
UCLA
45
52
35
Oklahoma
45.2
28
36
USC
45.8
38
37
Xavier
47
44
38
LSU
47.6
10
39
Colorado
48.6
34
40
West Virginia
48.6
49
41
Indiana
50.2
51
42
Virginia Tech
50.4
36
43
BYU
50.8
31
44
Seton Hall
50.8
37
45
VCU
50.8
41
46
Mississippi State
51.2
43
47
Oklahoma State
51.8
46
48
Penn State
53.4
50
49
Providence
54.8
48
50
Dayton
58.4
45
Conference Average NET (5 years)
Conferences are about to change significantly this season, but you can see where they have finished. The Big Ten and Big 12 are in a tier to themselves.
Avg Finish
1
Big Ten
1.8
1
Big 12
1.8
4
SEC
3.2
3
Big East
3.4
5
ACC
5.6
6
Pac-12
5.8
7
American
7.2
8
West Coast
8.6
10
Mountain West
9.4
9
Atlantic 10
9.6
11
Missouri Valley
12.4
13
Conference USA
13
12
Southern
14.2
15
Ivy League
14.6
14
Mid-American
15
17
Sun Belt
16
16
Colonial Athletic
18.2
20
Western Athletic
18.6
18
Big West
18.8
19
Patriot League
21.6
22
Big Sky
22
21
MAAC
22.2
26
Atlantic Sun
22.6
23
The Summit
22.8
23
Horizon League
22.8
23
America East
23.8
27
Ohio Valley
25.2
28
Big South
25.4
29
Northeast
27.8
30
Southland
29.8
31
MEAC
30.4
32
SWAC
31.2
The Divides couldn’t be clearer now, and that will only be exacerbated as three of the best Non-Power programs the last 5 seasons move to the Big 12 as well in Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF bringing the AAC back to the “Major” pack.
Power
NET 5 Year
Avg Finish
1
Big Ten
1.8
1
Big 12
1.8
3
SEC
3.2
4
Big East
3.4
5
ACC
5.6
6
Pac-12
5.8
Major
NET 5 Year
Avg Finish
7
American Athletic
7.2
8
West Coast
8.6
9
Mountain West
9.4
10
Atlantic 10
9.6
Mid-Major
NET 5 Year
Avg Finish
11
Missouri Valley
12.4
12
Conference USA
13
13
Southern
14.2
14
Ivy League
14.6
15
Mid-American
15
17
Sun Belt
16
18
Colonial Athletic
18.2
19
Western Athletic
18.6
20
Big West
18.8
21
Patriot League
21.6
Power Conference Divide
NET 5 Year
Avg Finish
1
Big Ten
1.8
1
Big 12
1.8
3
SEC
3.2
4
Big East
3.4
5
ACC
5.6
Even with in the power conferences a 1st Tier of the Big Ten, Big 12 has emerged. The SEC might challenge in the future after adding Texas and Oklahoma but overall the Big Ten and Big 12 have likely gotten better in the realignment process, especially as they know how to game the NIL probably the best of all the conferences.
The Big Ten and Big 12 could separate themselves farther from the other Power Conference pack adding adding UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington in the Big Ten, but especially the Big 12 getting Houston, Arizona, Colorado, BYU, Arizona State, and UCF. All have been top 100 programs pretty consistently even UCF. Adding two elite teams as well likely better than they even lost in Houston and Arizona. Even when Kelvin Sampson retires I would expect his son to continue on at a high level with what they’ve built. Especially now in the Big 12.
The ACC’s Demise
What happened to the ACC? Man talk about a conference that has fallen from grace. Once it was known as the best basketball conference, now it’s clearly the worst of the Power conferences with the Pac-12 dying. It’s on a tier at the bottom. Adding the scraps of Stanford and Cal they are kicking around likely only weakens it more.
There are schools like Clemson and Florida State looking at the SEC for an off ramp that do not even want to add teams at this point. It would probably only raise their exit fees. The ACC may eventually lost some teams to the SEC including North Carolina. Really at this point what are you sticking around for, it’s certainly not to protect your basketball. With Coach K and Roy now retired that rivalry takes a step back as well. It’s one they can still continue OOC but the future for the ACC is starting to look pretty bleak. Not Pac-12 bleak, but when you can’t even lean on your basketball in the ACC you are at rock bottom.
