Syracuse Basketball: First NET rankings are out and 'Cuse has many quad-one chances

The first set of NET rankings came out on Monday, and it's stating the obvious that Syracuse basketball, at No. 177 overall, wasn't high up in these ratings.

First things first: let's all take a breath. These NET rankings will ebb and flow throughout the 2024-25 season, which is in its infancy. And as I'll detail below, the Orange will have a lot of opportunities to pick up coveted quadrant-one (and even quadrant-two) successes.

Speaking of that, Syracuse basketball (4-2) heads to Southeastern Conference member Tennessee on Tuesday night as part of this season's SEC/ACC Challenge. The Volunteers (7-0), on Monday, arrived at No. 1 around the country in the first NET rankings.

Naturally, Tuesday evening's non-conference affair is a huge one for the 'Cuse. The NET, by the way, is one of the tools that the NCAA uses to determine which teams make the annual Big Dance, and how those groups are seeded.

While the NCAA doesn't utilize scoring margin as part of its NET rankings, per this article, things that are factored in include "game results, strength of schedule, game location, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses."

To date, Syracuse basketball has played six games, and all six of those contests have been decided by 10 points or fewer. If the Orange starts prevailing in encounters by larger margins, my assumption is that the 'Cuse will see its offensive and defensive efficiencies improve, along with its overall NET ranking.

Currently, Syracuse basketball is 0-1 in quadrant one, 0-1 in quadrant two and 4-0 in quadrant four. However, I analyzed all of the Orange's 31 games in the 2024-25 regular season. As it stands now, and this will change throughout the current campaign, the 'Cuse will have the following:
Quadrant 1: Eleven games
Quadrant 2: Four games
Quadrant 3: Nine games
Quadrant 4: Seven games

Naturally, a NET rating of No. 177 will not get Syracuse basketball even close to the bubble for the field of 68 in the 2025 March Madness. But beginning on Tuesday, in Knoxville versus Tennessee, the Orange can significantly boost its NET with an upset of the Volunteers.

Directly below, I list the NET ranking and quadrant for every Syracuse basketball battle this term.

November 4 versus Le Moyne at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 283
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 4

November 12 versus Colgate at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 270
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 4

November 16 versus Youngstown State at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 295
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 4

November 21 versus Texas in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Opponent's NET: No. 56
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 2

November 22 versus Texas Tech in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Opponent's NET: No. 36
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 1

November 27 versus Cornell at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 209
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 4

December 3 at Tennessee
Opponent's NET: No. 1
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 1

December 7 at Notre Dame
Opponent's NET: No. 97
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 2

December 10 versus Albany at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 247
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 4

December 14 versus Georgetown at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 128
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 3

December 21 versus Maryland in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Opponent's NET: No. 23
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 1

December 28 versus Bucknell at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 226
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 4

December 31 versus Wake Forest at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 115
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 3

January 4 at Florida State
Opponent's NET: No. 67
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 1

January 7 versus Georgia Tech at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 175
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 4

January 11 at Boston College
Opponent's NET: No. 150
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 3

January 14 versus Louisville at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 30
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 1

January 18 versus Notre Dame at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 97
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 3

January 22 at Clemson
Opponent's NET: No. 18
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 1

January 25 versus Pittsburgh at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 5
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 1

January 29 at Stanford
Opponent's NET: No. 80
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 2

February 1 at California
Opponent's NET: No. 78
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 2

February 5 versus Duke at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 4
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 1

February 8 versus Boston College at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 150
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 3

February 11 at Miami
Opponent's NET: No. 191
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 3

February 15 versus North Carolina at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 26
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 1

February 18 at Pittsburgh
Opponent's NET: No. 5
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 1

February 26 versus N.C. State at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 91
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 3

March 1 at Virginia Tech
Opponent's NET: No. 233
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 3

March 4 at SMU
Opponent's NET: No. 64
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 1

March 8 versus Virginia at the Dome
Opponent's NET: No. 125
Current Quadrant: Quadrant 3