Vanderbilt basketball is worst high-major team, and other takeaways from NET release
Are Vanderbilt basketball's NCAA Tournament hopes over in December? The NCAA's NET metric seems to think so.
The first NET ratings of the 2023-24 season came out Monday and are updated every morning. After a 73-60 loss to San Francisco, the Commodores (4-5) now rank No. 287 in the NET.
Last season's Vanderbilt team turned its season around after a poor start. But those Commodores were never ranked as the worst high-major in the ratings. The lowest the 2022-23 team got in the NET was 147 before finishing at 81.
It's a moribund situation for the Commodores to find themselves in, especially after losing to the Dons with their intended starting five available for the first time all season. Vanderbilt lost several defensive anchors after last season, including Jordan Wright and Liam Robbins, and has struggled to replace them.
Vanderbilt women's basketball (8-1) is in a much better spot. Shea Ralph's squad, picked to finish last by league media, has surprised to start the season and could push for a tournament bid if it keeps winning.
Here's what we learned from the NET release:
Vanderbilt men's basketball is the lowest-rated high-major team
As of Thursday morning, after the loss to San Francisco, Vanderbilt was the lowest high-major team in the NET, including teams from the SEC, ACC, Big 12, Pac-12, Big Ten and Big East. The Commodores sit at No. 287, below Louisville at 276. The next lowest-rated SEC team is LSU at No. 148.
Although the NET can sometimes provide fluky results in December, KenPom agrees that Vanderbilt is one of the worst teams in a power conference. with only DePaul ranked below the Commodores among major-conference teams.
Vanderbilt men still don't have the worst loss among SEC teams
The Commodores' loss to Presbyterian is ranked as a Quad 4 and likely will be through the rest of the season. But it's not the worst loss an SEC team has right now, by NET. That honor goes to Missouri's loss to Jackson State.
Presbyterian is ranked No. 257 in the NET and Jackson State is ranked No. 263.
Mississippi State (to Southern) and LSU (to Nicholls) also have Quad 4 losses.
MORE ON USF Why Jerry Stackhouse called out Tyrin Lawrence in Vanderbilt basketball loss to San Francisco
Are Vanderbilt women the best team in Tennessee?
Vanderbilt women's basketball, which faces Butler on Thursday night, are ranked No. 60 in the NET. That's the highest of any team in the state right now, ahead of Middle Tennessee (No. 63), Belmont (No. 71) and Tennessee (No. 96).
The Commodores' ranking is sixth among SEC teams. They have played a relatively weak strength of schedule, but a favorable ranking in the conference could portend well for SEC play. An NCAA Tournament berth would likely require a .500 or better record in the conference.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt basketball is NCAA's worst high-major team, per NET rankings
