Why the NCAA ‘quadrant system’ differs between men’s and women’s basketball
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Women’s quadrant NET ranges are narrower than the men’s, altering win value.
- Duke, South Carolina have Quad 2 wins that would be be Quad 1 under men’s structure.
- Women’s committee used historical data showing greater disparity to set ranges.
Plenty of differences exist between men’s and women’s college basketball. The men play halves, the women play quarters. The women can advance the ball in the final minute, the men inbound from the original spot. The bonus and double bonus breakdowns differ, too.
But one overlooked difference relates to the NET rankings and NCAA Tournament resumes.
The word “quadrant” has became synonymous with college basketball and March Madness in the last several years.
The quadrant system was developed to help determine the quality of wins and losses, based on the opponent NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking and game location. The men adopted the system in 2017. The Division I Women’s Basketball Council approved the change in 2024, utilizing the system for the first time last season.
For both the men and women, the quadrant system rewards winning against top opponents and on the road. The margins — which NET rankings fall into which quadrant — are smaller in the women’s game.
For example, to receive a Quad 1 win at home, a team must beat an opponent with a NET ranking of 25 or higher.
On the men’s side, the opponent needs to be ranked No. 30 in the NET or better for a Quad 1 win.
The lowest-ranked team a program can face on the road and be considered a Quad 1 game is No. 45.
Men’s teams can receive credit for a Quad 1 road game when facing opponents ranked No. 1 through 75.
The Duke women were, for a large chunk of ACC play, subject to this discrepancy. They beat a ranked Notre Dame team, 82-68, on Jan. 4 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Notre Dame has fluctuated in the NET for the majority of conference, hovering around the No. 26 to No. 28 ranking. For Duke, that meant its win was listed as a Quad 2.
Notre Dame has since risen in the NET to, for the time being, qualify as a Quad 1 game.
Had the result been on the men’s side, however, that would not have been necessary as long as the Fighting Irish stayed at or above 30.
Duke is not the only team to experience this. South Carolina, LSU, Michigan and Connecticut all have Quad 2 wins that would be a Quad 1 if the same margins applied to the men and women.
Other teams, including N.C. State, have would-be Quad 1 road wins if they followed the same structure as the men.
Blue Devils head coach Kara Lawson said on Thursday, however, she knows the rules are different, but she’s not particularly concerned at this juncture.
“We know the games that are Quad 1s and Quad 2s and things like that. Those ebb and flow through the year because people continue to win or lose,” Lawson said. “There’s an awareness there, but I say focus on winning as many games as possible. A win’s a win; Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 is still a win. Wins, I don’t think, hurt you that bad, especially with the schedule we’ve played.”
Why the quadrant ranges differ between men’s, women’s basketball
The NET, like all attempts to quantify the value of wins and losses, is imperfect. While teams benefit from playing tough schedules, hence the quadrants, it also rewards blowout victories.
This is part of the reason for the differences between the men’s and women’s quadrant ranking ranges.
A spokesperson for the NCAA said the Division I women’s basketball committee analyzed the model used for men’s basketball and did not recommend using the same formula for the women.
“Based on historical statistical data, women’s basketball has a greater disparity between the top teams and the rest of the teams,” the spokesperson said.
In simple terms: Collegiate women’s basketball is still top heavy compared to the men’s side. This provides more competitive balance.
The NET itself has been used to evaluate women’s basketball teams since the 2020-21 season but the quadrant component remains in its relative infancy. The NCAA used results from the last three years prior to the quadrant system’s implementation.
Tournament selections and seedings are not solely determined by the NET — a number of other factors go into teams receiving postseason bids — but its weight remains significant.
“One reason we schedule (nonconference) like we do is we want to have strength of schedule and Quad 1s and all those things available to us,” N.C. State coach Wes Moore said. N.C. State ranks No. 11 in strength of schedule. “The ACC provides us plenty of chances for that, too.”
Even with its struggles this year, including the 18-point loss to Duke on Thursday, N.C. State remains No. 24 in the NET and is still expected to make the NCAA Tournament field. The ACC has nine projected tournament teams, with California and Stanford as “the next Four out,” according to ESPN Bracketology.
Duke is projected to be a Top 16 seed and host first round games. North Carolina is expected to join N.C. State by going on the road.
While coaches discuss a variety of topics, such as the NET rankings and rules, at their annual meetings, Lawson said she’s not aware of any discussions about altering the quadrant ranges.
“I haven’t heard anyone saying we need to be more like (the men), or they need to be more like us,” Lawson said. “I think we just focus on what we feel is best. The good thing about that is it’s the same for every women’s team, and it’s the same for every men’s team. So, at least we’re all judged on the same rubric.”
