Gonzaga starts out at No. 5 in NET rankings with No. 15 Kentucky looming on Friday

Gonzaga debuted at No. 5 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool, more commonly referred to as the NET rankings.

The Zags (7-1) are the highest ranked among one-loss teams with No. 8 UConn (6-1) the only other to crack the top 10.

The NET rankings are used as a primary sorting tool for selection and seeding in the NCAA Tournament, replacing the antiquated Ratings Percentage Index in the 2018-19 season. Since then, five of six eventual national champions were in the top 10 of the initial NET rankings. Defending champ Florida debuted at No. 6 last season. Baylor, which ended GU’s unbeaten run in the 2021 national championship game, was No. 2. Kansas was the lone exception at No. 14 in 2022.

The NET plays an important role, but it’s not the end-all as the selection committee considers numerous factors to determine March Madness participants and seeds. Case in point: Gonzaga was No. 8 in the NET rankings on Selection Sunday last season, generally indicative of a seeding on the two or three line, before being seeded No. 8.

Michigan, which handed Gonzaga its only loss, 101-61, in the Players Era Festival title game in Las Vegas, holds the No. 1 spot, followed by Duke, Purdue and Vanderbilt.

Arizona, led by former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd, is No. 6. Iowa State. UConn, Louisville and Michigan State rounded out the top 10.

The NET categorizes wins and losses in quadrants: Quad 1 vs. home 1-30 NET, neutral court 1-50, away 1-75; Quad 2 vs. home 31-75, neutral 51-100, away 76-135; Quad 3 vs. home 76-160, neutral 101-200, away 135-240; and Quad 4 vs. home 161-353, neutral 201-353, away 241-353.

Gonzaga is 1-1 in Quad 1 with its best NET win coming against No. 14 Alabama, 95-85, in the Players Era Festival opener. GU is 1-0 in Quad 2, thanks to a 77-65 victory at No. 100 Arizona State.

Gonzaga’s double-digit wins over No. 94 Oklahoma, No. 113 Creighton and No. 200 Maryland fall into Quad 3. Maryland drops to Quad 4 if it slips below 200 in the NET. GU is 2-0 in Quad 4 contests.

The Zags tangle with No. 15 Kentucky on Friday, currently a Quad 1 game for both teams. GU’s other remaining marquee nonconference games include No. 76 UCLA (Dec. 13 in Seattle) and No. 192 Oregon (Dec. 21 in Portland).

Three West Coast Conference programs are in the top 32, including No. 29 Saint Mary’s and No. 32 Santa Clara. The rest of the conference: Pacific 81, Seattle 109, San Francisco 121, Loyola Marymount 143, Portland 223, Washington State 225, Pepperdine 247, Oregon State 265 and San Diego 279.

Gonzaga will join WSU and OSU in the rebuilt Pac-12 Conference next season. Future Pac-12 programs include No. 22 Utah State, No. 66 Colorado State, No. 80 Boise State, No. 123 San Diego State, No. 159 Fresno State and No. 271 Texas State.

The Zags moved up one spot to a season-high No. 11 in the Associated Press Top 25 after going 2-1 in Las Vegas.

The top 10, in order, is Purdue, Arizona, Michigan, Duke, UConn, Louisville, Michigan State, Houston, BYU and Iowa State. The Wolverines climbed four spots in the rankings after winning three Players Era games by a combined total of 110 points.

Purdue received 40 first-place votes, Arizona six and Michigan 15. Iowa State, which went 3-0 in Las Vegas, moved up five spots to 10th, 41 points in front of Gonzaga.

Alabama slipped from No. 8 to No. 12. Kentucky is No. 18. UCLA dropped out of the rankings and received 59 points, second among teams outside the Top 25. Saint Mary’s received 15 points.

The SEC led the way with seven ranked teams, followed by the Big Ten and Big 12, each with six.

Gonzaga is No. 11 in the USA Today coaches’ poll, down one from last Monday. Purdue, Michigan, Arizona, Duke and UConn are the top five. Saint Mary’s received 20 votes.

GU is fifth in KenPom’s rankings, behind Michigan, Purdue, Duke and Iowa State. The Zags are seventh in adjusted defensive efficiency and 13th in adjusted offensive efficiency.

Kentucky is No. 11.