What Are NET Rankings? College Basketball’s Ranking System Explained

The NCAA started publishing its NET Rankings for men's college basketball teams in December and will update them daily until Selection Day on March 16th.

While the system has evolved over its seven years, the NCAA has shared some insight into how the rankings are calculated.

Keep reading to learn more about the NCAA NET Rankings and how they work.

What is a NET Ranking?

The NET Ranking System is used by the NCAA to evaluate the quality of college basketball teams and rank them based on a number of factors.

How are NET Rankings Determined?

The exact algorithm for NET Rankings is not public knowledge. Although, we do know (from information published by the NCAA) that the NET algorithm includes two components: Team Value Index (TVI) and Adjusted Net Efficiency Rating.

• Team Value Index favors teams who beat quality opponents, especially when playing on the road.
• Adjusted Net Efficiency is net points per 100 possessions, adjusted to consider the strength of the opponent and the game location (home, away, neutral).

It's also worth noting that all games carry the same weight. Therefore, a game played at the beginning of the season is "worth" the same as a game at the end of the season.

What's the Point of NET Rankings?

The purpose of NET Rankings is to sort teams into the four quadrants, which the NCAAB Selection Committee uses when choosing selections and seeding.

You can find the most recent NET Rankings for the 2024-25 season at FanDuel Research.

What is the Quadrant System?

The quadrant system is organized based on game location and the opponent's NET ranking. Quad 1 is the highest quality of games, while Quad 4 is the lowest quality.

Each Quadrant Explained

• Quad 1 - Home games against a team ranked No. 1-30 in the NET, neutral site games against No. 1-50, and away games against No. 1-75.
• Quad 2 - Home games against a team ranked No. 31-75, neutral games against No. 51-100, and away games against No. 76-135.
• Quad 3 - Home games against teams ranked No. 76-160, neutral games against No. 101-200, and away games against No. 135-240.
• Quad 4 - Home games against a team ranked No. 161-353, neutral games against No. 201-353, and away games against No. 241-353.

You can find each team's amount of Quad 1 wins for the 2024-25 season at FanDuel Research.

How Do NET Rankings Affect March Madness?

NET Rankings are just one of the metrics the Selection Committee uses to determine the 68-team March Madness field — but it is a main factor.

When Did NCAA Start Using NET Rankings?

NET Rankings replaced Ratings Power Index (RPI) by the NCAA back in 2018. Therefore, 2025 will be the seventh season using the NET Rankings System.

Since its adoption, the system has evolved slightly. For example, in 2020, it was "simplified" from a five-component metric to the two-component metric that we know today.

Betting Odds to Make the 2025 NCAA Tournament

FanDuel Sportsbook currently offers betting odds on the upcoming tournament including teams' odds to make the Field of 68 (see below) and National Championship odds.

Which bets stand out to you across the nation tonight? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!