The NCAA’s NET rankings for the 2022-23 season debuted on Monday, and the Houston Cougars landed the top spot in the rankings. Houston is also ranked first in the AP top 25 and the coaches poll. The NET, first used in 2018, is a tool for the NCAA Tournament selection committee to help evaluate team résumés. It will be updated from now until Selection Sunday.
There were 17 programs, not in the Power Five or Big East, within the top 50 of the NET. Some notable ones other than the No. 1 Cougars are Sam Houston, Utah State, Saint Mary’s, Florida Atlantic, and Kent State who were all in the top 25.
UConn and Purdue were No. 2 and No. 3 respectively after their amazing starts, including dominating the PK85. However some teams are not so high up in the rankings. North Carolina, who was the preseason No. 1 team in the nation, lands at No. 39 in the initial rankings. They have had a disappointing start to their season, losing four straight games, and not owning a major conference win.
There is always some surprises in the NET rankings because it is more than just a predictive metric or a reactive ranking — it is a two-component rankings that accounts for net adjusted efficiency and also has a Team Value Index that ranks based on results and quality of opponent — and the first rankings are no different. It does not account for brand recognition or general consensus whatsoever.
Because of the way the NET ranks its teams — two components that account for net adjusted efficiency and a Team Value Index — there will always be surprises when it comes to the rankings. Teams mentioned earlier like Sam Houston and Florida Atlantic are both ranked below the top 50 in Kenpom.com. However, their résumés stack up well against the rest, according to the NET. Along with that comes the disappointments. The most notable of them all is Louisville, which comes in at No. 361 out of 363 teams. To put it simply, the NET does not care who you are and what your brand is. All the NET cares about is what you’ve done.
The full rankings can be found here. Below is the top 25 of the initial rankings.
NCAA NET Rankings
1. Houston
2. UConn
3. Purdue
4. Tennessee
5. Mississippi State
6. Maryland
7. Sam Houston State
8. Alabama
9. Virginia
10. Indiana
11. West Virginia
12. Texas
13. Illinois
14. UCLA
15. Utah State
16. Saint Mary’s
17. Duke
18. Kansas
19. Utah
20. Iowa
21. Auburn
22. Iowa State
23. Florida Atlantic
24. Kent State
25. Arkansas
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