For a long time, the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) has remained a solid pillar of authority for diverse competitive sports in the US. Hence, it was much easier to introduce a new evaluation and ranking system for the men’s basketball committee. The new method used to modify the former Ratings Power Index (RPI) of ranking was established in August 2018 and will be marking its fifth season in 2023. 

NCAA Evaluation Tool or NET, as notably known since its inception, has been tested and tried to ensure fairness as its ultimate objective. It’s also worth noting that there are several factors it harnesses to ensure the implementation of this goal. Two main components build up the NET ranking system. One is the team value index(TVI), and the other is the efficiency rating which is constantly adjusted and monitored to a net value.

The TVI, as the first, is based on rewarding NCAA basketball teams who succeed against more challenging opponents in the general rankings. Then, the efficiency rating involves data analysis, such as home advantage, weather influences, records, and the opponent’s strength. Aside from these two main components behind college basketball NET ranking, there are others. This article will highlight and explain them exclusively.

Net Value of Efficiency 

When analyzing efficiency net value, there are two types to bear in mind – the offensive efficiency value and the defensive kind. Each of these two types has its calculation formula, and we’ll address that first.

The offensive efficiency value formula can be calculated in this manner:

• The team’s total points at the moment is taken into account.
• Then, the addition of the offensive rebounds, plus turnovers made, plus total attempts at free throw would be deducted from the entire field goal attempts to give the total number of possessions.
• Lastly, the total possession is divided by the team’s total points. The number left after the calculation is the offensive efficiency value of the group.

The same procedure is repeated to calculate the defensive efficiency, but the opposing team statistics are used this time. That is, in terms of total points, offensive rebounds, turnovers, attempts at the free throw, and the total number of possessions. To finally decide the net efficiency, the offensive efficiency value subtracts the defensive efficiency value. The higher the score, the more a team climbs the rankings, while a low score takes them to the bottom.

Team Value Index

Team Value Index (TVI) is a factor of the NET ranking algorithm that is rewarded based on the ability of a team to defeat better teams. This factor usually comes in handy when underdogs go all the way to beat the favorites to win in an open tournament. TVI as a component is entirely based on the results and outcomes of games.

It considers the intricacies of opponent strength, location, the host team’s weather conditions, and, most importantly, the winner of the fixture. Wins made on the road are more favored and generate a better increase in the team’s value index. Regardless, the adjusted win percentage is the factor with lots of focus on home, neutral, or road points distribution.

Adjusted Win Percentage 

The adjusted win percentage is a metric system that operates hand in hand with game outcomes and locations. Each win has weighted points depending on the home, road, or neutral advantage. These are the values distributed.

For wins: Home(+0.6), Neutral(+1.0) and Road(+1.4)

For losses: Home(-1.4), Neutral(-1.0) and Road(-0.6).

Winning Percentage

A calculation formula decides the winning percentage factor. The procedure proffers that the total wins divided by the total games played provides the win percentage for any team. Although this factor is an easy way to know which team is in good form or stands a better chance against another, it cannot be used for all-time rankings.

Score Margin 

In basketball, scorelines can be full of huge numbers as the scoring system is based on two and three-pointers. These points are no different from the goals scored in soccer games, and the term ‘score margin’ is even more similar to the goal difference rule.

The score margin is obtained by subtracting the opponent’s total game score from the team’s score to be ranked. For a valid judgment, the value should have a points difference of 10 points in each game. However, games that run into overtime are judged by a point.

Conclusion

The NET rankings are primary analysis systems for NCAA men’s basketball. Owing to this factor, they are essential in deciding how good a team’s profile can be. Hence, when the public upload is done on the standings of every team in the division, sometime around December, their NET rankings based on the quadrant system will determine all-time positions. The factors used in deciding are outlined in this article, with the first two as the primary.