FAYETTEVILLE — It’s still far off the bubble, but Arkansas received a much needed jolt with Wednesday’s blowout win over Missouri.
The 44-point dismantling of the Tigers resulted in the Razorbacks jumping up 15 spots in Thursday’s updated NET rankings, as they check in at No. 83 just a day after bottoming out at No. 98.
A metric that replaced the RPI prior to the 2018-19 season, the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) is calculated using a variety of factors, including game results - with consideration given to location of the game and strength of opponent - and net efficiency ratings.
Considering it was a Quadrant 4 game for Arkansas, with Missouri bringing up the rear of the SEC at No. 230 and the game being played at Bud Walton Arena, the latter part of that - the efficiency ratings - is likely what led to the rankings bump because of how soundly the Razorbacks won.
Arkansas still has work to do if it wants to get back in the NCAA Tournament picture, though.
There isn’t a very large frame of reference yet for just how big of a factor it is in the process, but the NET is the primary metric used by the selection committee.
In 2019, the lowest-ranked at-large team was St. John’s, which made the First Four at No. 73, while Minnesota bypassed the play-in game and earned a 10 seed with a No. 61 NET ranking.
Last year, when shortened and restricted non-conference schedules impacted the formula, Michigan State and Wichita State were chosen for the First Four at No. 70 and No. 72, respectively, in the NET.
One reason the Razorbacks are currently well short of those benchmarks is because they played an incredibly weak non-conference schedule.
Even with three of its wins - Northern Iowa, Charlotte and Gardner-Webb - moving into the Quadrant 3 category, Arkansas’ non-conference slate is 300th nationally in strength of schedule. Only Mississippi State, at No. 302, had an easier slate, according to the NET.
It’s also worth noting that the Razorbacks now have two Quadrant 3 losses on their resume, with both Hofstra and Vanderbilt well within that range. Arkansas had been 16-0 in those games during Eric Musselman’s first two seasons.
There will be plenty of opportunities for Arkansas to bolster its postseason resume down the stretch. Eight of its remaining 14 SEC games are currently set to be Q1 games, with three others in the Q2 category. The Big 12/SEC Challenge matchup with West Virginia will also be a Q2 game for Arkansas.
Arkansas' Non-Conference Opponents
Mercer: No. 221 (-35 spots since 3 weeks ago)
Gardner-Webb: No. 158 (+55)
Northern Iowa: No. 117 (+54)
Kansas State: No. 92 (-5)
Cincinnati: No. 67 (-12)
Penn: No. 228 (+8)
UCA: No. 328 (+14)
Little Rock: No. 311 (+23)
Charlotte: No. 156 (+8)
Oklahoma: No. 34 (+7)
Hofstra: No. 102 (-9)
Elon: No. 287 (+37)
West Virginia: No. 36 (+9)
NET Rankings of SEC Teams
3. LSU* (—)
6. Auburn (+4)
10. Tennessee* (-1)
13. Kentucky (+17)
23. Alabama (+2)
47. Mississippi State* (-9)
49. Texas A&M* (+16)
50. Florida (+10)
83. Arkansas (+6)
88. Vanderbilt (+11)
103. South Carolina (+10)
113. Ole Miss (+23)
222. Georgia (-21)
230. Missouri* (+8)
*scheduled to play Arkansas twice in the regular season
