Ohio State Tops First NET Rankings of 2019-20 Season

Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

The NCAA released the first NET rankings of the 2019-20 men's college basketball season on Monday, with Ohio State topping the list.

Kansas, San Diego State, Butler and Baylor round out the top five of the poll. Stanford (No. 9) and Dayton (No. 10) made the top 10.

NET (The NCAA Evaluation Tool) is the ranking system the NCAA adopted last year to replace Rating Percentage Index (RPI) as its primary evaluation tool in evaluating Division I men's basketball teams. NET relies on game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency and the quality of wins and losses.

The NET rankings will be updated every day for the rest of the season.

Last season's initial NET rankings held up well. Nine of the top 10 teams, which included Ohio State, Virginia, Duke and Michigan State, made the NCAA tournament. Seven of those teams reached the Sweet 16 and three made the Final Four. Virginia, who was ranked No. 2 on the initial list, won the national championship. Last year's first list was released on Nov. 26, but the NCAA waited 41 days into the season to send it out this year.

Here's the top 25 teams listed in the first NET rankings of the 2019-20 season:

1. Ohio State (9–1)
2. Kansas (8–1)
3. San Diego State (10–0)
4. Butler (10–1)
5. Baylor (8–1)
6. Gonzaga (11–1)
7. Auburn (9–0)
8. Louisville (10–1)
9. Stanford (9–1)
10. Dayton (8–1)
11. Maryland (10–1)
12. West Virginia (9–1)
13. Duke (9–1)
14. Wichita State (9–1)
15. Arizona (10–2)
16. Memphis (9–1)
17. Oregon (8–2)
18. Penn State (9–2)
19. Liberty (10–0)
20. Duquesne (9–0)
21. Michigan (8–3)
22. Richmond (9–1)
23. Arkansas (9–1)
24. Villanova (8–2)
25. Tennessee (7–2)

For the list of all of 353 Division I teams, click here.