NCAA Evaluation Tool modified to make it simpler, more accurate

Dayton finished last season third in ranking

The NCAA Evaluation Tool will enter its third season later this year with modifications expected to increase accuracy while simplifying it.

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That was the announcement the NCAA made Monday. The NET, which is used to pick the NCAA tournament field, will use two metrics instead of five, cutting winning percentage, adjusted winning percentage and scoring margin from the formula.

According to the NCAA, “The remaining factors include the Team Value Index (TVI), which is a result-based feature that rewards teams for beating quality opponents, particularly away from home, as well as an adjusted net efficiency rating. The adjusted efficiency is a team’s net efficiency, adjusted for strength of opponent and location (home/away/neutral) across all games played. For example, a given efficiency value (net points per 100 possessions) against stronger opposition rates higher than the same efficiency against lesser opponents and having a certain efficiency on the road rates higher than the same efficiency at home.”

The Dayton Flyers debuted at No. 10 in the first NET ranking in December last season and finished at No. 3. Three of the top four teams were from outside the power conference. Gonzaga ranked first. San Diego State ranked fourth.

Ohio State ranked 16th. Wright State ranked 127th. Miami ranked 206th.

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“When we adopted the NET in 2018, we had reviewed several seasons worth of data and we insisted that we would continue to evaluate the metric,” said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s senior vice president of basketball, on NCAA.com. “We’ve been very satisfied with its performance thus far, but it became evident after two seasons of use that this change would be an improvement. While we will continue to monitor the metric, I don’t anticipate any additional adjustments for several years. We believe this change will result in more precision throughout the season and will be easier for our membership and the public to understand.

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