Where LSU basketball stands in the initial NET Rankings
The first eight games of the Matt McMahon era are hard to evaluate.
On the one hand, the team is 7-1 with its lone loss coming against a solid Kansas State team in controversial fashion on a neutral court. On the other hand, the Tigers have struggled with some teams they shouldn’t have, most recently in a four-point win against UT Arlington.
The initial NET Rankings — the primary metric used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee — for the 2022-23 season was released on Monday, and it’s likely due to these close calls that the Tigers don’t rank particularly high.
LSU came in at 83, which would not correspond to a likely tournament berth. Much of this also has to do with the Tigers’ relatively soft non-conference schedule, which ranks outside the top 200. All seven of their wins have come against teams in Quadrants 3 or 4, and the loss to the Wildcats counts as a Quadrant 2 defeat.
LSU still hasn’t had a Quadrant 1 game, and it won’t until SEC play begins, as things currently stand.
The Tigers’ last chance to earn a relatively impressive out-of-conference victory is in Saturday’s contest against Wake Forest in Atlanta for Holiday Hoopsgiving. At No. 86 in the NET, the Demon Deacons would represent a Quadrant 2 win and LSU’s best of the young season.
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Where LSU stands in latest polls and rankings after SEC Championship loss to Georgia
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