The Arizona Wildcats aren’t ranked in the latest AP Top 25 and Coaches Polls. But as college basketball fans know, those polls don’t matter.

The NCAA NET Rankings are what matters, and Arizona (8-5, 2-0) continues to climb.

The Wildcats headed into the weekend ranked No. 21 in the NET, but after their 72-67 road upset over Cincinnati on Saturday, they made a big leap to No. 16.

Why Arizona’s NET Ranking Is Important

The NET, which stands for the NCAA Evaluation Tool, is used as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for the NCAA Tournament.

A No. 16 ranking has historically translated to a No. 6 or No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament. And Arizona has a chance to climb much higher with a Big 12 schedule that features multiple Quad 1 opportunities. A Quad 1 game is a home matchup against a top 30 team in the NET, or a road game against a top 50 team in the NET.

Arizona’s win over Cincinnati was their first Quad 1 victory of the season. The Wildcats are 1-5 in Quad 1 games, and their road game at West Virginia on Tuesday is another Quad 1 opportunity.

The Big 12 currently has seven teams in the top 30 of the NET and nine in the top 50: No. 4 Houston, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 10 Kansas, No. 16 Arizona, No. 21 Texas Tech, No. 24 Baylor, No. 25 West Virginia, No. 32 Cincinnati and No. 47 BYU.

Arizona will have at least 11 opportunities to win a Quad 1 game the rest of the season.

Big 12 Basketball Is Better Than Pac-12

If the Wildcats were still playing in the Pac-12, they would have far fewer Quad 1 opportunities.

Arizona is the highest-ranked former Pac-12 team at No. 16, two spots ahead of No. 18 UCLA. No. 20 Oregon is the only other former Pac-12 team in the top 60 of the NET.

The Wildcats are playing their basketball of the season and are in a perfect position to capitalize on the strength of their new league.

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