Breaking down Arkansas' NET ranking ahead of SEC Tourney

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Arkansas will enter the SEC Tournament on the verge of cracking the top 15 of the NET rankings.

Following a road win at South Carolina, the Razorbacks actually shot up as high as No. 11 in the metric, but have dropped back down to No. 16 for simply playing Texas A&M - the worst team in the conference, per the NET - at home Saturday, even though they won the game.

However, that is still three spots higher than they were a week ago and good for second in the SEC, behind only No. 7 Alabama.

Although its wins over the Gamecocks and Aggies fall into Quadrants 2 and 3, respectively, Arkansas did pick up another Q1 win thanks to LSU winning both of its games and jumping back into the top 30.

That gives the Razorbacks six Q1 wins, which is tied for the 10th most nationally, but a few of them are in danger of dropping into Q2.

LSU and Florida - both of which they beat in Fayetteville - are sitting at No. 28 and 29, respectively, and must remain in the top 30 to be considered Q1 wins for Arkansas. Auburn is at No. 69 and must stay in the top 75 for the Razorbacks’ road win against it to stay Q1 (and their home win to stay Q2).

Arkansas also has five Q2 wins. That number could change, too, as North Texas fell 11 spots thanks to a pair of home losses to UAB and is barely inside the top-75 range at No. 73. South Carolina plummeted 22 spots with an 0-2 week and is barely inside the top-135 range at No. 134.

The Razorbacks could also potentially gain another couple of Q2 wins, with Mississippi State (No. 78) and Abilene Christian (No. 85) within striking distance of the top 75.

Looking ahead to the SEC Tournament, Arkansas will have a chance to add to its resume in Nashville. Barring a South Carolina run to the semifinals or Texas A&M/Vanderbilt run to the finals, every game the Razorbacks play will be a Q1 or Q2 opportunity.

They are set to face the winner of Missouri/Georgia in their first game. The Tigers would be a Q1 opponent, as they are inside the top 50, while the Bulldogs would be a Q2.

Assuming the Gamecocks lose, a Q1 game would likely await Arkansas in the semifinals if it won its first game. LSU is firmly inside the top 50, while Ole Miss would almost certainly move inside the top 50 with back-to-back wins over South Carolina and LSU, as it’s currently sitting at No. 53.

On the opposite side of the bracket, everyone but Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt would probably be a Q1 opponent. Alabama, Tennessee and Florida are already firmly inside the top 50, but it isn’t a stretch to think Kentucky would move up nine spots in the NET with neutral-site wins over Mississippi State, Alabama and likely either Tennessee or Florida.

You can find a complete rundown of the SEC and Arkansas’ non-conference opponents below, with their movement from last week in parentheses…

~Quadrant 1: Home vs. 1-30, Neutral vs. 1-50, Away vs. 1-75

~Quadrant 2: Home vs. 31-75, Neutral vs. 51-100, Away vs. 76-135

~Quadrant 3: Home vs. 76-160, Neutral vs. 101-200, Away vs. 136-240

~Quadrant 4: Home vs. 161-plus, Neutral vs. 201-plus, Away vs. 241-plus

7. Alabama (—)

16. Arkansas (+3)

18. Tennessee (+4)

28. LSU (+3)

29. Florida (-3)

45. Missouri (+2)

53. Ole Miss (+8)

59. Kentucky (+6)

69. Auburn (+1)

78. Mississippi State (+2)

94. Georgia (-2)

109. Vanderbilt (+9)

134. South Carolina (-22)

143. Texas A&M (-2)

30. Oklahoma State (+3)

73. North Texas (-11)

85. Abilene Christian (+1)

172. Oral Roberts (+4)

246. UT-Arlington (-11)

247. Lipscomb (-7)

281. Southern (-6)

321. Central Arkansas (+3)

347. Mississippi Valley State (—) — OUT OF 347 TEAMS