UCF Hoops Settling In On NCAA Selection Ranking
In this story:
The UCF Knights men's basketball team might have fallen out of the AP Top 25 Poll, but it's remained entrenched in a certain region of the NET rankings.
Following its win over Kansas to open conference play on Jan. 4, the Knights tied its largest rise in the NET rankings, a key indicator for the NCAA Tournament selection committee, going up nine spots to No. 30. As conference play has gone, however, despite a loss to Oklahoma State and wins over Cincinnati at home and on the road against Kansas State on Wednesday, UCF has remained stable in the 30-40 range.
Following the win over the Wildcats, ranked No. 70 in the NET rankings going into Wednesday night, the Knights moved up just two spots to No. 35. They are the seventh-highest ranked Big 12 team in the ranking, coming in behind Kansas (No. 17) and Texas Tech (No. 19), but several spots ahead of TCU (No. 43). It also puts the Knights as the seventh-highest ranked Big 12 team.
Overall, UCF's position in the NET rankings places it just behind Georgia and Kentucky, but ahead of Indiana and Auburn.
The Kansas State win is also the second Quad 2 win for the Knights this season, joining their win over Florida Atlantic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports.
UCF has also found a home in other key rankings the selection committee values, such as theKenPom rankings, created by statistician Ken Pomeroy, which factor in advanced analytics. After slotting in at No. 43 back on Jan. 5, the Knights' 2-1 stretch has pushed them back just one spot to No. 44, just behind a team they beat in Texas A&M (No. 42), and Seton Hall (No. 43), but just ahead of LSU (No. 45) and San Diego State (No. 46).
Looking ahead, however, the Knights have opportunities to increase their standing with back-to-back matchups against two top teams in the nation.
First up, the Knights host Arizona on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Addition Financial Arena. On top of being ranked No. 1 in the nation in the AP Top 25 poll, marking the fifth matchup such a team faces UCF in its history, the Wildcats are also No. 2 in both the NET rankings and the KenPom rankings.
Not too far behind Arizona, and the Knights' next opponent, is Iowa State. This time, on Tuesday, UCF has to go on the road to take on the No. 2-ranked team in the AP Top 25 poll, the No. 3-ranked team in the KenPom rankings and the No. 6-ranked team in the NET rankings.
Such is the life of a Big 12 men's basketball program.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
Three Key Takeaways From UCF's Road Win Over Kansas State
Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
Follow itsBrysonTurner