Advertisement
Published Feb 8, 2021
Hogs move back into top 30 of NET rankings
circle avatar
Andrew Hutchinson  •  HawgBeat
Managing Editor
Twitter
@NWAHutch

College Students, get a year of HawgBeat coverage for just $11.95. Request details via email from your school account (.edu) to nchavanelle@yahoo.com.

Advertisement

Not a subscriber? Subscribe for free for 30 days w/code HAWGS30
NEW USERS | RETURNING USERS

It may not have been pretty, but Arkansas’ win over Mississippi State resulted in a slight jump in the NET rankings.

The Razorbacks moved up four spots to No. 29 over the past week, which included just the lone game because its home matchup with Texas A&M on Saturday was postponed for COVID-19 reasons.

Sitting in a four-way tie for third in the SEC standings, Arkansas is actually fourth in the conference in the metric used as a tool by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

Although they are still behind Alabama (No. 8), Tennessee (No. 10) and Missouri (No. 24), but the Razorbacks jumped Florida, which slipped 11 spots to No. 30 when it dropped a home game to South Carolina during the week.

That was the biggest movement within the conference, but it’s also worth mentioning that Ole Miss moved up 10 spots with a 2-0 week that included wins over Tennessee and Auburn.

It’s also worth mentioning that the results of last week mean Arkansas has just three remaining Quadrant 1 opportunities, as Kentucky - which hosts the Razorbacks on Tuesday - slipped out of the top 75 after losing to Missouri and Tennessee.

With the Gators falling to No. 30, they are just barely a Q1 opponent for Arkansas because they come to Bud Walton Arena on Feb. 16. The other two games are firmly within the Q1 range for the Razorbacks - at Missouri on Feb. 13 and vs. Alabama on Feb. 24.

Arkansas is currently just 1-5 in those games this season, with the lone victory being a road win at Auburn (No. 66) to open SEC play. It is 13-0 in all other games, including a 4-0 mark in Q2 matchups.

However, the NET rankings are updated daily and the quadrants are fluid, meaning previous games can move between quadrants based on how those opponents perform down the stretch.

Most of the Razorbacks’ non-conference schedule was against teams ranked 196th or worse, but they did beat Abilene Christian and North Texas. The former is just within the Q2 range and No. 74, while the latter is knocking on the door at No. 79. They also lost at Oklahoma State, which is one of their five Q1 losses.

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

8. Alabama (+2)

10. Tennessee (-1)

24. Missouri (+6)

29. Arkansas (+4)

30. Florida (-11)

42. LSU (-3)

65. Ole Miss (+10)

66. Auburn (-6)

73. Mississippi State (+6)

80. Kentucky (-6)

100. Georgia (+7)

110. South Carolina (-4)

135. Texas A&M (-6)

146. Vanderbilt (+2)

NET Rankings of Arkansas' Non-Conference Opponents

37. Oklahoma State (+4)

74. Abilene Christian (-1)

79. North Texas (+1)

196. Oral Roberts (+4)

219. Lipscomb (+9)

234. UT-Arlington (-3)

277. Southern (-31)

322. Central Arkansas (-11)

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