from AI:

how NET works...


Core idea

NET is a performance-based ranking built from game results and efficiency metrics. It is not just wins/losses and not just margin of victory it blends several factors.


Main components (what goes into NET)

1) Team Value Index (TVI)

This is results-based.
It rewards:

• Beating strong teams
• Winning road games
• Neutral-court wins
• Penalizes bad losses (especially at home)

Think of this as:

Quote:

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Quote:
"Who did you beat, where did you beat them, and how hard was it to do?"

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2) Adjusted Net Efficiency

This is performance-based.
It measures:

• Offensive efficiency (points scored per possession)
• Defensive efficiency (points allowed per possession)
• Adjusted for opponent strength and game location

Basic concept:

Net Efficiency = Offensive Efficiency Defensive Efficiency

Example:

• Score 1.12 points per possession
• Allow 0.98 points per possession
• Net efficiency = +0.14

The NCAA then adjusts this based on:

• Opponent quality
• Home vs road vs neutral

3) Game location weighting

Road wins count more than home wins.

Difficulty order:
[ol]

Road win (most valuable)

Neutral win

Home win (least valuable)

[/ol]

Losses work the same way in reverse.

4) Scoring margin (capped)

Margin of victory is included but limited so teams don't run up scores.

• The cap is 10 points
• Winning by 10 = same as winning by 30 in the model

5) Pace/possessions

Everything is calculated per possession so fast teams aren't automatically rewarded over slow teams.


What NET is NOT

It is NOT just:

• AP poll voting
• Strength of schedule alone
• Record alone
• Computer stats alone

It's a blend of:

• Results + efficiency + opponent strength + location

How it's used (Selection Sunday)

The committee uses NET as the main sorting tool.

Key quadrant system:

Quadrant 1 (best wins):

• Home: beat teams ranked 130
• Neutral: 150
• Away: 175

Quadrant 4 (worst losses):

• Home: 161+
• Neutral: 201+
• Away: 241+

So a road win vs #60 can matter a lot more than a home win vs #25.


Simple way to think about the formula

While the exact math is hidden, conceptually it behaves like:

NET
(Win quality + opponent strength + location value)
+
(Adjusted offensive efficiency adjusted defensive efficiency)

with margin capped and everything adjusted by possessions.


Why this matters for Cal (example context)

For a team like Cal:

• Road wins vs mid-tier ACC teams boost NET a lot
• Close losses to strong teams don't hurt as badly
• Blowing out weak teams doesn't help much after +10