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Is the RPI Obsolete?

tornado

New member
Of course when it suits the BCS people, they use the RPI, then when it seems to favor the Valley or the mid-majors, then they call the RPI irrelevant and say it really cannot be relied upon.

But let's look at the RPI's of the teams that actually made it to the Sweet Sixteen...
EVERY ONE of the Top 12 RPI teams made the Sweet Sixteen, except one. And only two teams outside the top 40 made the Sweet Sixteen, and NONE of the Sweet Sixteen are outside the Top 47 in RPI.

1-Ohio State
2-North Carolina
3-UCLA
5-Pitt
6-Florida
7-SIU
8-Memphis
9-Georgetown
10-UNLV
11-Kansas
12-Tennessee
17-Texas A&M
21-Oregon
27-Butler
46-Vanderbilt
47-USC


Only #4 Wisconsin of all the Top 12 in RPI did not make the Sweet Sixteen.

What I think this proves, is that the RPI IS a good tool in judging the best teams, and so maybe none of the Top 48 or 50 teams should be denied entry into the NCAA.
AND.....maybe, just maybe we can find some way to keep all those auto-bid teams whose RPI's are 80+ out of the tourney, and also exclude the Stanfords.....at-larges with really sickeningly high RPI's, higher than numerous teams who are denied bids.
http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/weeklyrpi/2007MBBrpi1.html

(PS- 25 teams got into the NCAA, four with at-large bids, that had RPI's higher than the highest RPI team in the Sweet Sixteen. These are the teams that largely didn't belong.)
 
Wow - 11 of the top 12 RPI teams are in the Sweet 16. Pretty strong evidence that the RPI is a reliable indicator of team strength.
 
Here are the Sweet Sixteen from 2006 (last year)

1-Duke
2-Villanova
3-UConn
4-Memphis
8-Texas
9-UCLA
10-Gonzaga
13-LSU
15-Florida
22-Boston College
26-George Mason
27-Wichita State
33-Bradley
35-Washington
36-Georgetown
38-West Virginia

Again...every one of them is a Top 40 team in RPI---
and NINE of the teams advancing to the Sweet Sixteen were in the Top 16 in RPI.

Again, more proof that the RPI is a danged good indicator of what teams have the chance to advance, and so just maybe they should go more BY THE RPI!
 
Maybe you should forward this info on to some media types - Reynolds or Wessler, are you listening? I'll bet Doug Elgin would find it interesting as well.
 
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