RPI and NET ratings

[Da Coach]

With about 6 weeks let in the regular season...
The MVC currently ranks 15th in RPI-

https://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2022/rpi-conference

And 11th in NET-

https://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2022/net-conference

Bradley's RPI is 187-

https://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2022/schedule/Bradley

Bradley's NET is 112-

https://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2022/conference/Missouri-Valley

[Da Coach]

Bradley's NET rank has improved to 105-

https://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2022/conference/Missouri-Valley

[BUfan17]

How many more can Loyola lose before their at-large chances go away? They are a good team but I don't see them making it through the rest of the valley season without another loss or two. I would love for a 2 bid Valley again but it might not happen this year, next year will be exciting though.

[Tommy]

How many more can Loyola lose before their at-large chances go away? They are a good team but I don't see them making it through the rest of the valley season without another loss or two. I would love for a 2 bid Valley again but it might not happen this year, next year will be exciting though.

Agree with you here about Loyola. Still think Drake is the team to beat in the Valley (or us if we keep this train rolling).

As far as the 2 bids, I'd be very surprised if we had 2 this year, but adding Belmont and Murray St. should make that a lot more likely in the future. Let's hope adding those teams ups our game. It's going to be fun having some new destinations for road trips!

[Da Coach]

Updated RPI and NET rankings-
Bradley's RPI improved from 175 to 160 after last night's win-

https://kenpom.com/

Bradley has moved up to #94 in the NET; only 2 MVC teams are higher- Loyola #30, and Missouri State #64-
https://www.warrennolan.com/basketba...issouri-Valley

And KenPom has Bradley ranked #85, higher than all but 2 MVC teams- Loyola is #33, Missouri State #57, UNI #93, Drake #94 -

https://kenpom.com/

[MacabreMob]

I wonder... if Bradley doesn't win the MVC Tourney, do you think Bradley would consider a postseason tourney besides the NIT?

[yoda]

How many more can Loyola lose before their at-large chances go away? They are a good team but I don't see them making it through the rest of the valley season without another loss or two. I would love for a 2 bid Valley again but it might not happen this year, next year will be exciting though.

They may have to run the table. Their SOS is not good, their Quad 1&2 record is sub.500
and their remaining schedule is very tough. A couple of their guys are playing heavy minutes down the stretch,
and it shows - in their last 7 games (they are 4-3) they are only averaging 64 ppg (compared to over 75 ppg before that)
and their shooting has dropped off. (43.9% compared to 50% before the last 7 games)

[Go_Braves]

Agree with you here about Loyola. Still think Drake is the team to beat in the Valley (or us if we keep this train rolling).

As far as the 2 bids, I'd be very surprised if we had 2 this year, but adding Belmont and Murray St. should make that a lot more likely in the future. Let's hope adding those teams ups our game. It's going to be fun having some new destinations for road trips!

Personally - I Do NOT want Loyola to win the MVC Tournament. I want Loyola to remember that the MVC Conference is an awesome mid-Major conference that they did NOT conquer. "Hey Loyola - Don't Let the Door Hit You on Your Way Out".

[Tommy]

Personally - I Do NOT want Loyola to win the MVC Tournament. I want Loyola to remember that the MVC Conference is an awesome mid-Major conference that they did NOT conquer. "Hey Loyola - Don't Let the Door Hit You on Your Way Out".

Oh, I'm with you. I'd like to see them lose every game they have left, but they have so much experience we all know that won't happen. Let's just hope they get knocked out in the 1st round of the tourney!

[Da Coach]

How many more can Loyola lose before their at-large chances go away? They are a good team but I don't see them making it through the rest of the valley season without another loss or two. I would love for a 2 bid Valley again but it might not happen this year, next year will be exciting though.

The NET ratings, which the NCAA introduced prior to the 2018-19 season is the main tool that the NCAA Selection Committee uses for evaluating teams for NCAA at-large bids and seeding.
In the 3 seasons that the NET has been used so far, the lowest rated team in the NET to get an at-large bid was 73. Last season, Michigan State got an at-large bid with an NET of 70. Yes, the selection committee is more likely to favor the schools from the top 5 or 6 conferences, and no doubt an MVC team with a NET of 70 wouldn't an at-large bid.
But, Loyola's NET, despite some recent losses, is still at 30. I think if they can stay around 30, or maybe in the 30's, they still have a strong chance at getting an at-large bid.

This year, there is reason for optimism about at-large bids for mid-majors. Several of the Power 5 or 6 conferences appear to have fewer teams that are certain candidates for at-large bids than in recent seasons.
Example- Look at the ACC standings and NET rank-
https://www.warrennolan.com/basketba...conference/ACC

Last year, the ACC got 7 NCAA bids. This year, there is only 1 ranked team (Duke), and only 2 teams that look like they will end up with fewer than double-digit losses (Duke and Wake Forest). Duke's NET (11) is the only ACC team with a better NET than Loyola (30). The 1st place team in the ACC, Notre Dame, has a NET of 63! Wake Forest, tied with Duke for 2nd place, has a NET of 32. And only 4 teams have fewer than 10 losses and an RPI under 70.
Perennial NCAA teams like Virginia, Louisville, and Syracuse have little chance of an at-large. Even North Carolina picked by some to win the ACC, could be left out.

The PAC-12 is similar. There are only 3 teams right now that are locks. Last year, they got 5 bids.
https://www.warrennolan.com/basketba...ference/Pac-12

The Big 12- last year got 7 bids, this year they could get as few as 5 (let's hope)-
https://www.warrennolan.com/basketba...ference/Big-12

And even some non-power 5 conferences, that usually get multiple bids, don't have a lot of strong at-large candidates.
The American Athletic Conference has only 1 team with an NET in the top 50 (Houston at 3)
https://www.warrennolan.com/basketba...rican-Athletic

So there's hope for a multiple bid year for the MVC, but knowing the NCAA selection people, I wouldn't bank on it yet.
The NCAA has a long history of twisting and ignoring their own rules every year to make sure their buddies at the big schools get more than their share of at-large bids. And a history of screwing mid-majors every year like the MVC teams. Recall that when the RPI was the main selection criterion, the best RPI team ever to be excluded from an at-large bid was Barry Hinson's Missouri State team with an RPI of 21 in 2006, while Air Force got a bid despite an RPI of 50!. And no Power 6 conference team with an RPI of 40 or better was ever excluded. There have been many major conference teams with RPI's as bad as in the 60's that got at-large bids.
And as recently as 2017, Illinois State was screwed out of an at-large bid despite finishing the MVC regular season with a 17-1 record and a tie for the MVC regular season championship, losing in the MVCT championship game, finishing 28-7 overall, and an excellent RPI of 33.
Bradley was snubbed in 2007 with 20 wins and an RPI of 38, while Stanford got a bid that year with an RPI of 63!
So the bottom line is the NCAA will screw the MVC if they can.