NET Report: Rough Patch Won’t Help UVA’s Standing

Going 0-2 in a week is never a good thing. It’s certainly not good when you are in the thick of an ACC regular season fighting with one of the teams you lost to to win the regular season crown.

But that’s not what we are here to look at.

The losses to Florida State and Duke were obviously not great, but in the eyes of the selection committee, they were likely forgivable.

Florida State stands as the No. 12 team in the NET, meaning UVA’s road game in Tallahassee was UVA’s 2nd toughest game of the season. Getting blown out by 21 doesn’t help, but a Quad 1 loss is not the end of the world.

Duke is currently No. 48 in the NET and trending in the right direction. Yes, a one point loss is tough to swallow especially when it felt like the Hoos lead the entire second half, but a road Quad 1 loss is not the end of the world.

Here’s how UVA’s NET Report would look to the selection committee today:

3-4 in Quad 1 games is not a stat UVA should really hang their hat on, but 8-4 over Quad 1 and 2 games is still a pretty good number; particularly when all of the losses come in Quad 1.

San Francisco’s downfall this season has not helped matters. What was once a Quad 2 loss has become a borderline head-scratching Quad 3 loss. Maybe the committee will recognize it came so early in the season and not significantly punish UVA for them, but no promises.

NC State has won three of its last five, including its two road games last week at Pittsburgh and Wake Forest. They are still No. 81 in the NET meaning Wednesday night’s home game is a Quad 3 game, but playing UVA could move them into the top 75 and get it to a Quad 2 game.

With only three games remaining and only one of them being a Quad 1 game, UVA needs to take care of the games in front of them if they want to fight for a 3 or 2 seed in next month’s NCAA Tournament. Losing any of the remaining games would almost certainly bump them at least one seed line.