South Carolina falls out of top 100 in updated NET rankings

South Carolina basketball holds an 11-11 overall record and a 2-7 mark in SEC play. The Gamecocks have lost six of their last seven, including three times by at least 23 points. The two most recent losses on the ledge came last week, as USC had a record-setting loss to the Florida Gators and an overtime defeat against fellow SEC basement-dweller LSU.

At the beginning of December, the first NET rankings of the season came out. South Carolina debuted at No. 99. Since then, the Gamecocks spent several weeks dropping before taking a big jump forward after beating LSU on the road. Unfortunately for USC, even with an Oklahoma win, the team is 1-6 in its last seven games since that LSU win. Because of that, Carolina has fallen dramatically in the NET.

Now, the Gamecocks rank outside of the top 100 at No. 105. These NET rankings have been updated following last night’s games across the country.

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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 efficiency ratings (how well a team plays in those games, adjusted for the quality of opponent and location of games).

As of this writing, South Carolina has just two wins above Quad 4, hence the low NET ranking. Those wins came earlier this month against LSU and Oklahoma, as the Gamecocks picked up a Quad 1 road victory over the Tigers and a Quad 3 home win over the Sooners.

With no other wins above Quad 4, the team’s overall record against non-Quad 4 foes sits at 2-11, with losses to the Clemson Tigers (Quad 1), Vanderbilt Commodores (Quad 1), Georgia Bulldogs (Quad 1), Arkansas Razorbacks (Quad 1), Auburn Tigers (Quad 1), Florida Gators (Quad 1), Texas A&M Aggies, (Quad 1), Northwestern Wildcats (Quad 2), Butler Bulldogs (Quad 2), Virginia Tech Hokies (Quad 2), and LSU Tigers (Quad 2).

The Gamecocks are 9-0 against the Quad 4, with all of those games coming at home. Frankly, though, that’s exactly what a power conference team should do against the lowest quadrant of opponents.

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The Gamecocks will play two more times over the next week, with one contest coming on the road and the other at home.

First, South Carolina will continue SEC play on Tuesday, February 2nd. The Gamecocks will be on the road for a matchup against the Texas Longhorns. Tip-off will be at 7:00 p.m. (Eastern). SEC Network will handle the television broadcast, while the ESPN app streams the on-court action. Texas is currently No. 39 in the NET.

Then, on Saturday, February 7th, the Gamecocks will welcome the Missouri Tigers to Columbia. Dennis Gates’ team will be in town for a 1:00 p.m. showdown. The matchup will also be on SEC Network and the ESPN app. The Tigers are 69th in the updated NET rankings.

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