Although the Wildcats (7-0) jumped to No. 2 in the Nov. 24 Associated Press Top 25 poll after beating Florida, UCLA and UConn over the first three weeks of the season, the NET’s computer formula placed them behind No. 1 Michigan (7-0), No. 2 Duke (8-0), No. 3 Purdue (7-0), No. 4 Vanderbilt (8-0) and No. 5 Gonzaga (7-1).
UA has two Quad 1 wins (Florida and UConn) and one Quad 2 win (UCLA), but has played four bottom-rung Quad 4 games that may have dragged down its rating. Michigan is 3-0 against Quad 1 teams and hasn’t played any Quad 4s.
UConn (6-1) opened at No. 8 in NET ratings, one spot above Iowa State (7-), while Louisville (7-0 and Michigan State (7-0) rounded out the top 10.
Officially known as the NCAA Evaluation Tool, the NET is the NCAA’s primary sorting mechanism for evaluating potential NCAA Tournament teams. It factors in the result and location of games, offensive and defensive efficiency, as well as  a team’s schedule strength.