Who knows what the RPI rankings are used for when it comes to setting the field for the NCAA Tournament. It is a tool that can be used, and as such is only as good as the data it crunches.
Like the vaunted weather “models” that had us in Western Connecticut still scrambling to escape our cold and powerless homes, when in reality it was just a middling winter storm, the RPI should be viewed with the appropriate skepticism.
In fact, the women’s version of this rating index has UConn at No. 7. We pause now for laughter at the notion that there are 6 teams better than the Huskies. Heck, there ain’t one team better.
In any event, scan through the men’s Top 100 below. Four things you will notice:
- The top three seem solid.
- You have to scroll down pretty far to find UConn at No. 78.
- There are only 4 teams out of the AAC above the NCAA tourney “Mendoza Line” of Top 68
- UConn had better plan on winning the AAC tourney in Hartford (or at least run the table in the regular season) if it hopes to defend its title.
RPI Top 100 |
|
|---|---|
| School | Conf. |
| 1. Kansas | Big 12 |
| 2. Kentucky | SEC |
| 3. Virginia | ACC |
| 4. VCU | A10 |
| 5. Arizona | Pac-12 |
| 6. Villanova | Big East |
| 7. Duke | ACC |
| 8. Gonzaga | WCC |
| 9. Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 10. Utah | Pac-12 |
| 11. North Carolina | ACC |
| 12. Wichita State | MVC |
| 13. Maryland | Big Ten |
| 14. West Virginia | Big 12 |
| 15. Butler | Big East |
| 16. Iowa State | Big 12 |
| 17. SMU | AAC |
| 18. Arkansas | SEC |
| 19. Northern Iowa | MVC |
| 20. Georgetown | Big East |
| 21. Louisville | ACC |
| 22. Providence | Big East |
| 23. Baylor | Big 12 |
| 24. Georgia | SEC |
| 25. Dayton | A10 |
| 26. Xavier | Big East |
| 27. Texas | Big 12 |
| 28. Cincinnati | AAC |
| 29. San Diego State | MWC |
| 30. Oklahoma State | Big 12 |
| 31. Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 32. Texas A&M | SEC |
| 33. Colorado State | MWC |
| 34. Stanford | Pac-12 |
| 35. Notre Dame | ACC |
| 36. Indiana | Big Ten |
| 37. Miami | ACC |
| 38. LSU | SEC |
| 39. Davidson | A10 |
| 40. Ohio State | Big Ten |
| 41. Tulsa | AAC |
| 42. Michigan State | Big Ten |
| 43. Old Dominion | CUSA |
| 44. Seton Hall | Big East |
| 45. Wofford | SoCon |
| 46. Mississippi | SEC |
| 47. N.C. State | ACC |
| 48. Saint Mary's | WCC |
| 49. Washington | Pac-12 |
| 50. George Washington | A10 |
| 51. St. John's | Big East |
| 52. Iowa | Big Ten |
| 53. Tennessee | SEC |
| 54. Buffalo | MAC |
| 55. Boise State | MWC |
| 56. Temple | AAC |
| 57. Green Bay | Horizon |
| 58. Yale | Ivy |
| 59. BYU | WCC |
| 60. Illinois | Big Ten |
| 61. Eastern Washington | Big Sky |
| 62. Iona | MAAC |
| 63. Long Beach State | Big West |
| 64. Bowling Green | MAC |
| 65. Alabama | SEC |
| 66. Michigan | Big Ten |
| 67. Syracuse | ACC |
| 68. Western Kentucky | CUSA |
| 69. Evansville | MVC |
| 70. Rhode Island | A10 |
| 71. Florida | SEC |
| 72. UMass | A10 |
| 73. Oregon State | Pac-12 |
| 74. Harvard | Ivy |
| 75. Oregon | Pac-12 |
| 76. Memphis | AAC |
| 77. UCLA | Pac-12 |
| 78. UConn | AAC |
| 79. Murray State | OVC |
| 80. Wyoming | MWC |
| 81. N.C. Central | MEAC |
| 82. Richmond | A10 |
| 83. Valparaiso | Horizon |
| 84. Stephen F. Austin | Southland |
| 85. Kansas State | Big 12 |
| 86. Pittsburgh | ACC |
| 87. Northeastern | CAA |
| 88. Minnesota | Big Ten |
| 89. Stony Brook | America East |
| 90. Belmont | OVC |
| 91. New Mexico | MWC |
| 92. High Point | Big South |
| 93. Nebraska | Big Ten |
| 94. William & Mary | CAA |
| 95. Penn State | Big Ten |
| 96. Purdue | Big Ten |
| 97. Kent State | MAC |
| 98. Colorado | Pac-12 |
| 99. Central Michigan | MAC |
| 100. UNLV | MWC |
Notes: The Rating Percentage Index (RPI) has been used by the NCAA since 1981 to supplement the selection of at-large teams and the seeding of all teams for the NCAA basketball tournament. This is the official list of rankings, as released by the NCAA. The RPI is derived from three component factors: Div. I winning percentage (25)%, schedule strength (50)%; and opponent’s schedule strength (25)%. Games against non-Division I opponents are not used in calculating the RPI. Road wins are weighted at 1.4; road losses at .6; home wins at .6; and home losses at 1.4. Neutral-site games are valued at 1.0. The NCAA provides only rankings without calculations.
