C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
Upcoming schedule: Wednesday at No. 111 NET Ole Miss, Saturday vs. No. 139 NET Texas A&M.
How the NET works: So the NET puts different values on each team and assigns them to a Quad (1-4) with teams notching different levels of wins based on opponents and game site (home, away or neutral.
Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353
It also takes into account margin of victory and awards teams an Adjusted Win Percentage (AWP) with different values getting assigned to home wins/losses compared to neutral site wins/losses and road wins/losses. Efficiency numbers (points scored and points allowed per 100 possessions) also weigh heavily into this ranking.
Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of the NET and think some of its metrics are contradictory but it's what the NCAA is using, so we have to analyze it and let's get to it.
How the Gamecocks moved and where they stack up: So the Gamecocks' biggest jump came obviously after a road win against NET No. 35 Arkansas where they jumped almost 15 spots overnight. They'd rise to just one spot after the Missouri win, which is expected given Missouri isn't a great team and in the low-90s in the NET.
South Carolina was No. 99 in the NET after the Auburn game and have risen 25 spots in the NET since then. The biggest reason for that is the road win (which is weighted more in the NET) at Arkansas but also because they're playing efficient basketball, which we'll touch on later. It also helps (since margin of victory is used) they've won two of their last three games by ten-plus points.
As for where they rank in the SEC, they're middle of the pack. They're ahead of five teams—Georgia (90) Missouri (96), Ole Miss (111), Texas A&M (139) and Vanderbilt (168)—and comparable to one other with Tennessee at 70.
They have a few key wins, and notched another big one against the Razorbacks but have just four more games against NET top 50 teams over their last 10 games, so they'll need to capitalize on all the opportunities they can get.
Right now, here's how the Quad records shake out.
Quad I: 3-4
Quad II: 1-2
Quad III: 3-0
Quad IV: 6-2
A look at some metrics: I told you we'd get to efficiency. Outside of who a team beats and where it wins, efficiency is probably the most important metric. Right now the Gamecocks are in the top half in both offensive and defensive efficiency and No. 67 in defensive efficiency, allowing 96.1 points per 100 possessions.
The reason the Gamecocks have moved up so dramatically in the NET is because of their defensive numbers, where they're currently No. 1 in the SEC in defensive efficiency at 95.4. They also rank in the top five in effective field goal percentage against, turnover rate, opponent offensive rebound rate against and three-point defense.
Because of that, it plays favorably into their NET rankings.
As for adjusted win percentage, they're at 1.4, which is pretty good. Getting a road win at Ole Miss wouldn't necessarily be a killer tournament win for the resume but would be a solid SEC road win.
How the NET works: So the NET puts different values on each team and assigns them to a Quad (1-4) with teams notching different levels of wins based on opponents and game site (home, away or neutral.
Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353
It also takes into account margin of victory and awards teams an Adjusted Win Percentage (AWP) with different values getting assigned to home wins/losses compared to neutral site wins/losses and road wins/losses. Efficiency numbers (points scored and points allowed per 100 possessions) also weigh heavily into this ranking.
Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of the NET and think some of its metrics are contradictory but it's what the NCAA is using, so we have to analyze it and let's get to it.
How the Gamecocks moved and where they stack up: So the Gamecocks' biggest jump came obviously after a road win against NET No. 35 Arkansas where they jumped almost 15 spots overnight. They'd rise to just one spot after the Missouri win, which is expected given Missouri isn't a great team and in the low-90s in the NET.
South Carolina was No. 99 in the NET after the Auburn game and have risen 25 spots in the NET since then. The biggest reason for that is the road win (which is weighted more in the NET) at Arkansas but also because they're playing efficient basketball, which we'll touch on later. It also helps (since margin of victory is used) they've won two of their last three games by ten-plus points.
As for where they rank in the SEC, they're middle of the pack. They're ahead of five teams—Georgia (90) Missouri (96), Ole Miss (111), Texas A&M (139) and Vanderbilt (168)—and comparable to one other with Tennessee at 70.
They have a few key wins, and notched another big one against the Razorbacks but have just four more games against NET top 50 teams over their last 10 games, so they'll need to capitalize on all the opportunities they can get.
Right now, here's how the Quad records shake out.
Quad I: 3-4
Quad II: 1-2
Quad III: 3-0
Quad IV: 6-2
A look at some metrics: I told you we'd get to efficiency. Outside of who a team beats and where it wins, efficiency is probably the most important metric. Right now the Gamecocks are in the top half in both offensive and defensive efficiency and No. 67 in defensive efficiency, allowing 96.1 points per 100 possessions.
The reason the Gamecocks have moved up so dramatically in the NET is because of their defensive numbers, where they're currently No. 1 in the SEC in defensive efficiency at 95.4. They also rank in the top five in effective field goal percentage against, turnover rate, opponent offensive rebound rate against and three-point defense.
Because of that, it plays favorably into their NET rankings.
As for adjusted win percentage, they're at 1.4, which is pretty good. Getting a road win at Ole Miss wouldn't necessarily be a killer tournament win for the resume but would be a solid SEC road win.
