Today seems like a big game
- Thread starter 57stratdawg
- Start date
I'm afraid our RPI is too low to make the NIT this year. Hope I'm wrong, but the SEC schedule doesn't allow much opportunity for improvement in RPI.
I don't want to be negative but I agree with you. I think the path is about as narrow as it can be for us, but I still like our chances for a winning season and some positive momentum, maybe we can be a spoiler in the SEC tournament this year as well. Baby steps...
The NIT talk is probably not relevant.
To dannyripms, it's because we might still make the NCAAs. To everyone else, it's because we don't measure up.
The NIT takes conference champions who don't make it to the NCAAs. Mostly these are small conference teams, but Washington won the Pac 12 recently, then lost in their first conference tournament game and were left out. Last year there were 10 champions who got auto bids, and the year before there were 11. Assume it will be about the same and there are 21ish at large spots up for grabs.
Here are the teams who made it last year, with their RPI (from realtimerpi.com) and their win totals.
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On average, you are looking at an RPI of 73 with 20 wins, neither of which we are likely to reach. If you just look at the power conference teams, you can slide the RPI up just a bit, to around 76, and maybe 19 wins does the trick. Still, not likely numbers for us.
The 2012 field was similar.
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I'm not sure who Iowa paid off to get in, because there were clearly some better qualified teams that year. Regardless, the averages were about the same - 77 RPI with 20 wins or 80 RPI and 19 for the power conference teams.
For comparison, we are sitting at 150 on realtimerpi as of today, having fallen about 15 spots after the Florida game.
I'd love to find a way to sneak into the NIT, but short of earning a couple of really good RPI wins, I don't think we'll even be close. I am still holding out hope that we can push .500 in the conference. The next two are huge in that. Both are winnable, even on the road.
To dannyripms, it's because we might still make the NCAAs. To everyone else, it's because we don't measure up.
The NIT takes conference champions who don't make it to the NCAAs. Mostly these are small conference teams, but Washington won the Pac 12 recently, then lost in their first conference tournament game and were left out. Last year there were 10 champions who got auto bids, and the year before there were 11. Assume it will be about the same and there are 21ish at large spots up for grabs.
Here are the teams who made it last year, with their RPI (from realtimerpi.com) and their win totals.
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| 2013 | 2013 | |
| RPI | W | |
| Kentucky | 57 | 21 |
| Tenn | 59 | 20 |
| Bama | 60 | 20 |
| AZ State | 89 | 21 |
| Wash | 88 | 18 |
| Stanford | 77 | 18 |
| Baylor | 70 | 17 |
| FSU | 84 | 18 |
| Maryland | 71 | 22 |
| UVA | 76 | 21 |
| Providence | 90 | 17 |
| St. John's | 94 | 16 |
| Iowa | 81 | 21 |
| Charlotte | 68 | 21 |
| Detroit | 64 | 18 |
| USM | 81 | 23 |
| BYU | 63 | 20 |
| Denver | 66 | 21 |
| Ohio | 67 | 24 |
| St. Joe's | 82 | 18 |
| Indiana St | 72 | 17 |
| UMAss | 55 | 21 |
<tbody>
</tbody>
On average, you are looking at an RPI of 73 with 20 wins, neither of which we are likely to reach. If you just look at the power conference teams, you can slide the RPI up just a bit, to around 76, and maybe 19 wins does the trick. Still, not likely numbers for us.
The 2012 field was similar.
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| RPI | W | |
| NW | 65 | 18 |
| Oregon | 63 | 22 |
| Arizona | 76 | 23 |
| Stanford | 98 | 21 |
| Iowa | 131 | 17 |
| Minnesota | 90 | 17 |
| LSU | 84 | 18 |
| Tenn | 86 | 17 |
| MSU | 75 | 21 |
| Ole Miss | 61 | 20 |
| Miami | 60 | 19 |
| Seton Hall | 68 | 20 |
| Dayton | 81 | 20 |
| Marshall | 44 | 20 |
| La Salle | 87 | 21 |
| Umass | 77 | 22 |
| UCF | 54 | 20 |
| St. Joe's | 69 | 20 |
| UNI | 72 | 18 |
| Illinois St | 99 | 20 |
| Cleveland St | 85 | 21 |
<tbody>
</tbody>
I'm not sure who Iowa paid off to get in, because there were clearly some better qualified teams that year. Regardless, the averages were about the same - 77 RPI with 20 wins or 80 RPI and 19 for the power conference teams.
For comparison, we are sitting at 150 on realtimerpi as of today, having fallen about 15 spots after the Florida game.
I'd love to find a way to sneak into the NIT, but short of earning a couple of really good RPI wins, I don't think we'll even be close. I am still holding out hope that we can push .500 in the conference. The next two are huge in that. Both are winnable, even on the road.