Despite not losing in about a month, South Carolina women’s basketball has dropped in the NET rankings. The Gamecocks, who had been No. 1 all season, are now No. 2 in the NET following a 1-0 week. As of Monday evening, the Texas Longhorns now own the top spot. The only team to beat Dawn Staley’s team, the UCLA Bruins, round out the top three.
The NET, for those unfamiliar, is the most important ranking metric used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. It factors in Team Value Index (essentially a team’s on-court results, location of games, and strength of schedule) and adjusted net efficient ratings (how well a team plays in those games, adjusted for the quality of opponent and location of games).
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South Carolina hasn’t done anything wrong to fall in the NET. Frankly, Texas hasn’t done anything to jump in the NET, either (they beat a mid-major last week just like USC). Instead, a couple of Gamecock victories are valued at a lower level now than they were at the time the games were played. Most notably, a top-15 win over Iowa State now is an unranked win as the Cyclones have fallen to 9-5.
As is typical, Coach Staley has scheduled a gauntlet for her Gamecocks. No matter which outlet one checks, the team’s strength of schedule ranking is near the top nationally. All Carolina has to do then to regain the top spot in the NET rankings is continue to win basketball games. That is easier said than done, but no team is better equipped for that challenge in a tough SEC.
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Next up for the Gamecocks is one final out-of-conference contest. The in-state Wofford Terriers will travel down I-26 to Colonial Life Arena next week. The Sunday, December 29th matchup will tip at 2:00 p.m. SEC Network will cover the game, and the ESPN app will make it available for streaming.
