South Carolina women’s basketball is still No. 1 in the NET rankings. Despite a loss and being knocked from the top spot in the AP Poll for the last three weeks, the 9-1 Gamecocks have the best overall resume in the country thanks to a ridiculous early-season strength of schedule (USC already has played four top-10 teams). The NET rewards that type of scheduling.
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).
Dawn Staley’s team has earned their prominent place in the NET. It’s not just about the difficult teams South Carolina has faced this season, though. The Gamecocks lead all top 30 NET programs with seven games away from home so far this season. Carolina also has eight double-digit victories, including four against top-15 opponents.
Thanks to the tough out-of-conference scheduling and the overall strength of the SEC (10 teams in the top 33 of the NET rankings), the Gamecocks will end the 2024-2025 season with one of the top strengths of schedules in the nation. That means that Coach Staley’s team just has to keep winning. If they do, then they will earn a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth year in a row.
South Carolina’s next test will come on Sunday. The South Florida Bulls will come to Colonial Life Arena for a 2:00 p.m. tip. SEC Network will broadcast the game, and the ESPN app will make it available for streaming.
Source: on3.com
