Louisville Joins Top 10 in Women’s College Basketball NET Rankings

Women’s college basketball is heating up as we inch closer to March Madness. Understanding the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings is pretty crucial for fans and analysts right now.

The NET rankings look at game results, strength of schedule, game location, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses. This system helps sort out which teams will make it to the big dance.

Let’s dig into the top 10 women’s college basketball teams according to NET rankings as of January 19th. We’ll also look at bubble teams and some big movers in the rankings.

Understanding NET Rankings

The NET rankings system is the NCAA’s tool for evaluating Division I basketball teams. It takes into account a handful of factors to rank teams, including:

• Game results
• Strength of schedule
• Game location (home, away, or neutral site)
• Net offensive and defensive efficiency
• Quality of wins and losses

All of these pieces come together to give a pretty full picture of how a team is performing. The NET rankings matter a lot in the selection process for March Madness, so people pay attention.

Top 10 Women’s College Basketball Teams

As of January 19th, here are the top 10 women’s college basketball teams by NET:

1. UConn
2. South Carolina
3. UCLA
4. Texas
5. LSU
6. Vanderbilt
7. Louisville
8. Michigan State
9. Michigan
10. TCU

UConn’s Dominance

UConn is still holding the top spot. They’ve taken on tough opponents like Villanova and Notre Dame and managed to pull off big wins.

Their undefeated record and a brutal schedule—fourth most difficult in Division I—really say a lot about their season so far.

South Carolina and Texas Neck-and-Neck

South Carolina and Texas are basically neck-and-neck right now. Texas has more Quad 1 wins but also picked up an extra Quad 1 loss, while South Carolina has racked up more Quad 2 matchups and victories.

This race is tight, and honestly, it’s one to keep an eye on as the season moves forward.

Vanderbilt’s Historic Start

Vanderbilt is off to its best start ever at 19-0. Their win against Michigan was a big statement.

With games against Auburn and South Carolina coming up, they’re going to need to keep that energy up to stay on this roll.

Significant Movers in NET Rankings

Some teams can see wild shifts in their rankings in just a week. Here are the five teams that climbed the most in women’s college basketball over the last week:

• Hawai’i: From 194 to 166
• East Carolina: From 169 to 139
• Jacksonville State: From 236 to 205
• Georgia State: From 228 to 197
• Monmouth: From 222 to 183

Monmouth really made a splash with wins over Towson and Campbell. That kind of jump always gets people talking.

The Bubble Teams

Out of the 68 March Madness teams, 31 are conference champions who get automatic entry. The other 37 spots go to at-large bids.

Here are the teams ranked 64 to 73 in NET—these are the ones sitting right on the bubble for the tournament:

• Georgetown: 73 (previous: 91)
• South Florida: 72 (previous: 73)
• Ball State: 71 (previous: 78)
• Columbia: 70 (previous: 69)
• George Mason: 69 (previous: 64)
• Montana State: 68 (previous: 72)
• Rice: 67 (previous: 67)
• Santa Clara: 66 (previous: 63)
• Auburn: 65 (previous: 71)
• Gonzaga: 64 (previous: 68)

These teams are teetering on the edge. They’ll need some big performances in the next few weeks if they want to lock in a spot at the tournament.

Conclusion

The NET rankings give us a dynamic look at which women’s college basketball teams are on top. As March Madness creeps closer, plenty of fans and analysts are keeping an eye on these rankings and what shapes them.

If you’re after more details or want to dig deeper, check out the full article on Fox Sports.