Net Rankings Update: Most MWC Teams Slip, New Mexico Rises
Lobos shine in a tough week for the Mountain West.
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After a tough week in the college basketball landscape, several Mountain West slide and others rise.
After a flattering and impressive first edition of the NET Rankings were released last week, fans around the Mountain West were likely feeling giddy. With a team in the top-ten, four more in the top-50 and more teams in the top-36 than any other conference aside from the Big 12. It felt as though the conference was finally getting the respect it deserved while separating itself from other mid-majors.
That feeling should still be very alive in fans hearts. As the Mountain West is ranked just behind the six high major conferences in KenPom’s current rankings. With an adjusted efficiency margin of nearly double their closest competitors.
So, as any longtime fan can tell you, setbacks do happen. It doesn’t feel great when the conferences leading programs slide down the rankings a bit after what can be considered hard fought losses. But there is still plenty to be hopeful for.
There are still four teams in the top-50 and one just outside of it. Including five teams whose ranks have risen in the last seven days. Not to mention Fresno State’s recent rise, which means no Mountain West team is outside of the top-240.
How It Works
The NET is the NCAA metric and it gives the selection committee a better idea of team’s performances. The new NET ranking’s metrics, shrank from five to just two in 2020, two years after it’s debut in 2018.
Team Value Index-Algorithm set up to reward teams who beat other good teams. Results-oriented component of the N.E.T. *Game results versus Division-I opponents only.
Adjusted Net Efficiency-The adjusted efficiency is a team’s net efficiency (offensive efficacy minus defensive efficiency, adjusted for strength of opponent and location (home/away/neutral) across all games played.
Quadrant Ranking System-the quality of wins and losses will be organized based on game location and the opponent’s NET ranking.
- 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
Analyzing the Rankings
Still at the top of all Mountain West teams in week two is Colorado State. The Rams like many others have slipped just a bit down the rankings as of Monday morning.
A two game homestand last week resulted in a close win over Denver and a three-point dagger in the heart by the always tough St. Mary’s on Saturday. The Gaels don’t have the notoriety in the rankings this year as they did in the past, so losses to Randy Bennet’s squad this season hurt twice as much.
Other schools to slip in the top-50 section of the rankings were San Diego State and Nevada. Nevada fell out of the top-50 all together with a tough neutral site loss in nearby Henderson, NV against Drake. The Bulldogs are led by one of the best mid-major stars in the country in Tucker Devries, coached by his father Darian Devries.
It’s not a bad loss by any means, but the Wolf Pack have a very weak strength of schedule at the moment, with their loss to Drake putting them 1-1 against quad 1 opponents.
Albeit they are 6-0 against all other opponents, but all of those were quad 4 wins, meaning the only weight they carry is as wins. Yes a confusing sentence, but when your wins don’t carry much weight, certain losses carry thrice as much. Look at their 31 space drop as a good example of that.
The Aztecs on the other hand had just entered the AP Top-25 before they went on the road against a Grand Canyon team that is making it’s name as the next powerful mid-major. They fell inside GCU Arena on Tuesday, 79-73 in what is classified as a quad 1 loss. But the level of play both teams brought with them to Phoenix cushioned their fall.
Teams outside of the top-50 that experienced a fall were Air Force, San Jose State & UNLV. The Falcons have an impressive record but no quad 1 or 2 wins. Which means their first loss in under a month to Eastern Washington at home this past weekend hurt enough for a 42 space fall.
While the Runnin’ Rebels chance at a resume booster on the road against Dayton last week was postponed due to the tragic shooting that took place on the UNLV campus last week. That followed by a close loss to Loyola Marymount in the Jack Jones Classic are factors in their 17 place drop.
To end on a high note Boise State, Fresno State & Wyoming all rose up the rankings. Joining them were Utah State, who are currently on an 8 game winning streak and New Mexico.
The Lobos became the talk of the mid-major town this past week. As they extended their eight game winning streak with wins over UC Santa Barbara and Santa Clara by combined average margins of 20.0 PPG. Besides garnering national attention for some convincing wins against quality mid-major opponents of late, New Mexico is doing so while showcasing depth no one could have predicted.
It’s a lot to take in and a lot to research but the Mountain West needs another strong week to keep momentum going as the holidays approach.
Mountain West NET Rankings:
16 (7) Colorado State 9-1 (0-0)
24 (36) New Mexico 9-1 (0-0)
29 (24) San Diego State 8-2 (0-0)
31 (34) Utah State 9-1 (0-0)
52 (21) Nevada 7-1 (0-0)
113 (126) Boise State 6-3 (0-0)
160 (118) Air Force 7-3 (0-0)
150 (130) San Jose State 6-5 (0-0)
172 (187) Wyoming 6-3 (0-0)
214 (197) UNLV 3-4 (0-0)
232 (299) Fresno State 5-4 (0-0)
Just one week removed from our NET Rankings Debut update, things have changed. That’s to be expected and part of the game. The word upset is in the dictionary because anyone can beat anyone on any given night. What matters now is how teams bounce back from tough losses and look forward.
As teams around the Mountain West have a little over two weeks left before the end of the colander year and the beginning of conference play, every game counts.
