NCAA Basketball: Instant reactions following NET rankings release for 2024-25 season

The NCAA's first NET rankings of the 2024-25 college basketball season debuted Monday morning, detailing many surprises and takeaways following the initial release. The NET, used as a sorting tool by the selection committee to evaluate a team’s resume, will continue to update daily throughout the season until Selection Sunday. In short, it’s a long season. And there’s a long way to go. Nonetheless, here are initial reactions following our first look at the 2024-25 NET rankings.

SEC flexes its strength

No conference in the country will be as grueling as the SEC. It’s going to be an 18-round dogfight. Headlined by Tennessee debuting at one and Auburn right behind at two, the SEC has seven teams ranked in the top 35, including four in the top 10. Every team in the SEC ranks inside the top 70 besides South Carolina (135). The average NET ranking of the SEC? 38.8. That’s the best rank among all conferences in NCAA basketball.

Pitt joins the top five…but the ACC has work to do

Among the surprises of the NET ranking release was Jeff Capel’s Pitt Panthers debuting at No. 5. But because the NET ranking doesn’t have much meat on its bones (sample size) to work with yet, this ranking makes more sense. The Panthers have played four Q1 games and have gone 3-1 in that stretch. Most of its buy games (Radford, Murray State, Gardner Webb) are in the Q3 range instead of the Q4 range. A major plus. Will the Panthers stay at No. 5 all season long? Probably not because its conference won’t do itself any favors.

According to Jeff Goodman, the ACC has four of the five worst rankings among P5 teams. 

Miami (FL) went 0-3 in Charleston and followed up its disastrous performance with a home loss to Charleston Southern. Wake Forest and Syracuse have underwhelmed out the gates -- and their sub-100 NET ranking illustrates that. Georgia Tech, pegged as an ACC sleeper, lost to North Florida and fell to Cincinnati at home in blowout fashion. The bottom line? The ACC has lots (and lots) of work to do.

..and so does the Big East

The ACC may have work to do, but so does the Big East. Marquette (7) is the only top-35 team in the initial NET rankings. UConn -- who went 0-3 in Maui -- is next in line at 39! Presumed preseason second-weekend threats, Creighton and Xavier, have underwhelmed. Providence badly needs Bryce Hopkins back. Seton Hall lost to Monmouth. For a conference that only saw three bids in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, it isn’t doing itself any favors in 2025.

Illinois, Ohio State leads the way in the muddy Big Ten

If there is one key takeaway from the Big Ten, there isn’t an overwhelming favorite to win the league. Illinois debuts as the highest-ranked team in the league (10) behind Ohio State (12). Oregon, UCLA and Wisconsin find themselves inside the top 20 with Purdue (21) on the outside looking in. 11 Big Ten teams ranks inside the top 45. For a conference that has gone 21-14 among power-five conference teams, its surprisingly strong start shows more games need to be played for teams to climb their way to the top in the muddy Big Ten.

Remember, it's only December

A subtle reminder: It's only December. College basketball is a long season and lots will change from now to March. Just take a look at last year’s top 25 NET ranking release.

Because it's only December, there is a sheer lack of sample size in the rankings. There is no preseason bias in the NET (which is why it's released now instead of before the season starts). Most teams have played six to eight games, meaning it's not about who you beat, it's how you beat them.

Take a look at Cincinnati. The Bearcats are 6-0 but have played five Q4 games and one Q3 game. But they have won in an overwhelmingly convincing fashion. Remember, the NET is a sorting tool and not a power ranking, meaning its foremost goal is to tell you how many Q1 to Q4 wins your respective team has. The ranking reflects a team's position within the hierarchy of its respective conference but by no means is it indefinite. It’s fluid, especially in December.