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Published Feb 1, 2021
Despite squandering Q1 opportunity, Hogs hold steady in NET
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Andrew Hutchinson  •  HawgBeat
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Despite failing to capitalize on another Quadrant 1 opportunity, Arkansas held steady in the NET rankings.

The Razorbacks are still No. 33, which is the same spot they were in last week before beating Ole Miss at home Wednesday and dropping a thriller at Oklahoma State on Saturday.

The latter of those games was a chance to add another Q1 to its NCAA Tournament resume, as the Cowboys are 41st in the NET, but Arkansas lost in the final minute to fall to 1-5 in such games.

As things currently stand, four more Q1 opportunities await the Razorbacks and they come in a five-game span beginning next week.

Having jumped eight spots over the last week, Kentucky is now No. 74 in the NET. If the Wildcats remain in the top 75, they’ll be a Q1 opponent for the Razorbacks because their Feb. 9 matchup is in Rupp Arena.

After that, Arkansas travels to Missouri (No. 30) and hosts Florida (No. 19), both of which are firmly in the Quadrant 1 range as of now. Following a road trip to Texas A&M, the Razorbacks return to Fayetteville for back-to-back home games against Alabama and LSU.

However, only the first of those is currently a Q1 opportunity, with Alabama checking in at No. 10. LSU has recently dropped several spots and is now down to No. 39, nine spots outside of the Q1 range for Arkansas.

Looking back at the Razorbacks’ non-conference slate, two-thirds of their opponents are 200th or worse in the NET. Those are all Q4 wins for Arkansas, as they’d need to crack the top 160 to become Q3s.

In addition to Oklahoma State, Arkansas’ only non-conference foes inside the top 200 are Abilene Christian and North Texas. The Wildcats (No. 73) have moved back inside the top 75, making them a Q2 win for the Razorbacks, while the Mean Green (No. 80) have surged and are just outside of that range.

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

Quadrant Reminder

~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

NET Rankings of SEC

9. Tennessee (+2)

10. Alabama (-1)

19. Florida (+7)

30. Missouri (-7)

33. Arkansas (—)

39. LSU (-4)

60. Auburn (+4)

74. Kentucky (+8)

75. Ole Miss (-10)

79. Mississippi State (+13)

106. South Carolina (+4)

107. Georgia (-6)

129. Texas A&M (+7)

148. Vanderbilt (+37)

NET Rankings of Arkansas' Non-Conference Opponents

41. Oklahoma State (—)

73. Abilene Christian (+7)

80. North Texas (+17)

200. Oral Roberts (+1)

228. Lipscomb (+3)

231. UT-Arlington (-8)

246. Southern (-14)

311. Central Arkansas (-27)

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