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You raise some good questions...
Posted on: October 30, 2018 at 10:24:20 CT
bluetiger_ MU
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A few responses:
Yes, I think it would help our RPI prospects if we scheduled tougher in non conference play, even if we lose some of those games. Creighton is admittedly an extreme example; they do that in large part to mitigate the effect of playing in a relatively weak conference that they know will drag down their RPI over the long haul.
The reason I say this is the RPI score, which determines our rank relative to other teams, is weighted more heavily to the strength of the teams we play. Only 25% of the score is our own winning percentage, while 50% is our opponents winning percentage and the other 25% is our opponents opponents winning percentage. So yes, our RPI score would take a hit by losing a few more games, but that is more than overcome by the tougher teams we play.
Here are our non conference opponents and their current RPI rank:
42 Miami Florida
48 James Madison
57 Ohio State
73 Princeton
76 Arizona State
118 Drake
151 Towson
179 Xavier
189 Ohio
215 TAMU CC
260 Fairfield
333 Delaware St
When our best RPI win in that bunch is 42, and the next best is 73, 7/12 opponents are 100+, and 5/12 are close to 200+, that gets us no credit at all from the NCAA selection committee. And they put a lot of weight into non conference scheduling, and quality wins. That hurts us when we are fighting about 8-10 teams for the last few national seeds.
So yes, to a certain extent, playing tougher competition and losing is better than playing down and winning, for our RPI and for our tournament resume. I'm not saying play 5-6 top 20 RPI type teams in non conference play. But playing teams with RPIs like 179, 189, 215, 260, and 333 is just pathetic. Every year we should replace some of those dogs with a few top 25 type teams and a few top 50 type teams, particularly from the B1G and PAC 12. That alone would enhance our RPI, win or lose, and give us more opportunities to build a better tourney resume and get a higher seed and better regional placement. It would be worth it IMO.
Edited by bluetiger_ at 10:27:12 on 10/30/18
Yes, I think it would help our RPI prospects if we scheduled tougher in non conference play, even if we lose some of those games. Creighton is admittedly an extreme example; they do that in large part to mitigate the effect of playing in a relatively weak conference that they know will drag down their RPI over the long haul.
The reason I say this is the RPI score, which determines our rank relative to other teams, is weighted more heavily to the strength of the teams we play. Only 25% of the score is our own winning percentage, while 50% is our opponents winning percentage and the other 25% is our opponents opponents winning percentage. So yes, our RPI score would take a hit by losing a few more games, but that is more than overcome by the tougher teams we play.
Here are our non conference opponents and their current RPI rank:
42 Miami Florida
48 James Madison
57 Ohio State
73 Princeton
76 Arizona State
118 Drake
151 Towson
179 Xavier
189 Ohio
215 TAMU CC
260 Fairfield
333 Delaware St
When our best RPI win in that bunch is 42, and the next best is 73, 7/12 opponents are 100+, and 5/12 are close to 200+, that gets us no credit at all from the NCAA selection committee. And they put a lot of weight into non conference scheduling, and quality wins. That hurts us when we are fighting about 8-10 teams for the last few national seeds.
So yes, to a certain extent, playing tougher competition and losing is better than playing down and winning, for our RPI and for our tournament resume. I'm not saying play 5-6 top 20 RPI type teams in non conference play. But playing teams with RPIs like 179, 189, 215, 260, and 333 is just pathetic. Every year we should replace some of those dogs with a few top 25 type teams and a few top 50 type teams, particularly from the B1G and PAC 12. That alone would enhance our RPI, win or lose, and give us more opportunities to build a better tourney resume and get a higher seed and better regional placement. It would be worth it IMO.
Edited by bluetiger_ at 10:27:12 on 10/30/18
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You raise some good questions... - bluetiger_ MU - 10/30 10:24:20