When Do NCAA Basketball Rankings Come Out?

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A lot of basketball followers are interested in finding out when do NCAA basketball rankings come out. NCAA basketball rankings are beneficial for various reasons, it is very good to know when they will become available so that you can keep up-to-date with the progress of your favorite teams and even teams that may not be your favorite as well. We understand that it is quite essential to keep abreast of this information.

In recent years, the NCAA has changed how it decides NCAA men’s basketball rankings and the NCAA women’s basketball rankings, but the importance of the rankings remains the same. Today, amongst other things, we are going to review when the NCAA rankings are released.

How are NCAA Basketball Rankings DeterminedHow are NCAA Basketball Rankings Determined?

Prior to the 2019 college basketball season, the NCAA used RPI or Ratings Power Index to determine each college basketball team’s ranking. The Ratings Power Index comprised of three parts, a team’s winning percentage, average opponent’s winning percentage, and average opponent’s opponent’s winning percentage.

A team’s winning percentage accounted for 25% of the overall ranking, its opponent winning percentage accounted for 50%, and the winning percentage of their opponents’ opponents was the final 25%. Currently, the NCAA is using a new system to determine the rankings. This new system is called the NET, which means NCAA Evaluation Tool. The NCAA evaluation tool or NET has been recently revised to make it more efficient and easier to understand. The NCAA changed the NET so that it no longer has a winning percentage, scoring margin, and adjusted winning percentage in its composition. This change was done after the NCAA committee that is in charge of rankings consulted professionals from Google Cloud Professional Services.NCAA Basketball Rankings Determined

The tool is not as easy to understand as the NCAA may think for the average basketball fan, but we will try to explain it in a simple way for everyone to be clear about how it is used. The NCAA evaluation tool has two components. The first component is the team value index, and the other part is net efficiency. These two components are combined to give a school its overall NET, which is then, in turn, used to rank that team.

According to the NCAA, the NET is a useful ranking tool because it takes into account the strength of the schedule a team gets, so it can determine how hard it is to defeat opponents. It analyzes the strength of the schedule by rating every game a team is scheduled to play.

The games are rated by reviewing the opponent’s strength and where the game is scheduled to be played. After this is done to all the games on the schedule, the algorithm calculates each team’s expected win percentage.

When Do NCAA Basketball Rankings Come OutWhen Do NCAA Basketball Rankings Come Out?

The initial NCAA rankings are determined by the results and performances of teams throughout the early portion of the season, so, understandably, they can’t be posted at the start of the season. Usually, the NCAA’s rankings are released on their website in the early part of December each year.

This basketball season will be affected by the novel Coronavirus, and as such, the release of the NCAA rankings may be affected. College basketball is scheduled to begin on the 25th of November this year, which is around 15 days later than its usual start date. We expect the NCAA basketball rankings to be released in December as usual, but they may be delayed seeing as the start of the tournament was delayed.NCAA Basketball Rankings Come Out

What are Net Rankings in NCAA BasketballWhat are Net Rankings in NCAA Basketball?

The  NCAA evaluation tool or NET, is a tool used by the NCAA and comprises two metrics. The tool is used to rank all of the NCAA’s basketball teams based on team value index and their net efficiency.

A team’s value index is based on the results of games and the factors that helped determine the games’ results. These factors include the game’s location, whether it is a home game, an away game, or a game played at a neutral site. The net efficiency of a team is its offensive efficiency minus its defensive efficiency.

During March, every year, the NCAA tournament AKA March Madness is held. The NET is one of the categories used to select the teams in the NCAA tournament. The net is also used to seed the teams of the tournament.

What are the Top 25 College Basketball RankingsWhat are the Top 25 College Basketball Rankings?

Going into the 2020-21 NCAA Division I basketball season, here are the NCAA basketball rankings top 25.

Rank Team Record Points Previous
1 Gonzaga (28) 0-0 1,541 2
2 Baylor (24) 0-0 1,540 5
3 Villanova (11) 0-0 1,501 10
4 Virginia (1) 0-0 1,364 16
5 Iowa 0-0 1,273 25
6 Kansas 0-0 1,221 1
7 Wisconsin 0-0 1,150 17
8 Illinois 0-0 1,105 21
9 Duke 0-0 1,073 11
10 Kentucky 0-0 1,038 8
11 Creighton 0-0 922 7
12 Tennessee 0-0 919 NR
13 Michigan State 0-0 820 9
14 Texas Tech 0-0 790 NR
15 West Virginia 0-0 651 24
16 North Carolina 0-0 465 NR
17 Houston 0-0 438 22
18 Arizona State 0-0 402 NR
19 Texas 0-0 380 NR
20 Oregon 0-0 375 13
21 Florida State 0-0 351 4
22 UCLA 0-0 336 NR
23 Ohio State 0-0 270 19
24 Rutgers 0-0 190 NR
25 Michigan 0-0 160 NR

How Long is the NCAA Basketball SeasonHow Long is the NCAA Basketball Season?

The NCAA basketball season will have a different length for different teams. We mean that the teams that progressed further into the season will play more games than teams that do not. There is an average amount of games played by each team, though, around 35 to 40 games if they reach the postseason and around 30 to 32 if they do not.How Long is the NCAA Basketball Season (2)

Here is a fact from the NCAA Division 1 records. The most games played by a team in NCAA history is 41 games. This record is shared by the 2018 tournament finalist, Michigan, and the 2011 UConn national championship team. During that season, the UConn Huskies played 30 games in their regular season and then added 11 more in the postseason. In a close second place for the record, 17 teams have played 40 games in NCAA history.

NCAA college basketball usually starts in October. There are many sections of the NCAA basketball season, including preseason, non-conference games, conference competitions, conference tournaments, and finally, postseason tournaments. The number of teams in each conference is not the same, so you will find that some teams will play more games depending on their conference.

In addition to conference competitions, teams can decide if they want to play in multi-team events. These events are usually held in November and December. There is a rule in the NCAA that dictates that male basketball teams can play up to 28 regular-season games and multi-team event games (maximum of three games) or 29 regular-season games and multi-team event games (maximum of two games).

Both of these options will result in the teams playing 31 games. If a team chooses not to play in a multi-team event, they can play up to 29 regular-season games. After the regular season and conference tournaments are concluded, teams are selected for the NCAA postseason.
There are currently four competitions that teams can qualify for in the postseason, the most famous and prestigious being the NCAA tournament.

The NCAA tournament is a tournament that fields the top 68 ranked teams in the country. This NCAA Division I single-elimination tournament is played in the spring each year. Each NCAA division’s winners are guaranteed a spot in the tournament, and the NCAA selection committee selects the other 36 competitors. These 36 teams are announced on selection Sunday. The teams are then placed into a single-elimination bracket competition.

The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is another men’s college basketball postseason tournament that is currently run by the NCAA. The NIT usually has its finals played in Madison Square Garden. 

Another postseason college basketball tournament is the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). The CBI was created in 2007. Sixteen teams are selected from the NCAA Division I to participate in the CBI each year. These teams are teams that did not qualify for the NCAA tournament. There is an entry fee of $50,000. CBI games are usually played in a single elimination format until the finals. The championship series is a best of 3 Series.

The fourth postseason Tournament of the NCAA is the CIT. The CIT last featured 26 teams. The teams invited for the CIT are usually teams that did not make the NCAA nor the NIT.

The NCAA’s postseason tournaments are usually completed by the first week of April, which marks the end of the college basketball season each year, making the length of the season seven months.

Wrapping Things Up: When Do NCAA Basketball Rankings Come Out?

The NCAA basketball season usually lasts for around seven months, starting in October and ending in April the following year. The NCAA usually observes the first two months before they release the rankings at the beginning of December. The rankings are then updated each day on their website.

Did you find this post helpful? Then also check out other basketball FAQ articles here.

> How Many Division 1 Basketball Teams are in the NCAA?

> How Many Players are on a Basketball Team?

Hoops Addict
Hoops Addict

Hoops Addict was created to help basketball fans of all ages learn more about the sport and find the best basketball gear to improve their ability to hoop. He has been a huge basketball fan for decades, watching thousands of basketball games through the years to learn the ins and outs of the game.

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