RPI

[geoffhog]

It looks like somebody woke up in a bad mood today.

[silvertip]

How many of those 200+ teams are SEC games?

None of the 200+ teams are SEC. Last I looked, lowest SEC team was like MSU or Auburn at around 120 or less.

One thing that hurts our RPI is that most of the worst SEC teams are at the bottom of the SEC-West. So we have to play 6 games vs MS, AUB, and MSU. The East bottom feeders are stronger, so SEC-East teams get 6 weak games against SEC teams that are stronger than SEC-West dogs.

Another big factor is lack of road games in non-conf.  The RPI "adjusts" wins/losses to acoount for road or home:

A HOME win counts as 0.6 wins. HOME loss is 1.4 losses.
A ROAD win is 1.4 wins. A Road loss is 0.6 losses.

We need to replace a couple of 200+ home opponents with a couple of 100-150 road opponents & it would make a BIG difference.

You can even schedule home & home aginst NCAAT quality teams---if you lose on the road, the 0.6 loss is somewhat offset by the high RPI of the opponent. But if you WIN on the road, as against TN, it is a BIG win because you get a double-whammy benefit of 1.4 wins plus the strong SOS of the opponent. 

[heathshogs]

Finding ways to jump the RPi is great, but how many SEC teams have been denied at 20 wins since we joined the league?

JUst win baby

[HouTxRzbck]

We have got to do a better job of scheduling from now on.  I understand the past few years have been difficult as we're trying to rebuild, but starting next year, we must schedule better non-conference opponents.  I'm not talking about UConn or Kansas, I'm talking about all the 200+ ranked teams that we have played, they are killing what would otherwise be a good Arkansas RPI.

Case in point:

St. Joesph's currently has an RPI of 45, two spots higher than the Hogs.  Their overall record is 14-12 and their opponents break down like this:

                   1-50       51-100     101-200     201+
                  --------------------------------------
ST. JOE         1-6          4-2           6-4         3-0
ARK               5-5          4-1           6-2         5-0

They look similar, with the exception being that Arkansas has played 3 more games against the top 50 and certainly has had more success.  It seems impossible for a 14-12 team with one win against the top 50 to be ranked ahead of a 20-8 team with 5 wins against the top 50.

The difference must be the 201+ games.  St. Joe's has played # (218), (253), and (286).   

Arkansas has played # (205), (249), (321), (324), and (330).  Oh yeah, we also played # (196) & (198).

We HAVE to stop playing these type teams on a regular basis.  Arkansas should have an RPI in the high 20's right now and be looking at a #4 or 5 seed, but as long as the NCAA uses the RPI system, and you schedule these type of games, you're going to be fighting an uphill battle all season long.  Arkansas is good enough to avoid doing this anymore.

I welcome your responses.

You have to realize that these schedules are done two (or more) years ago.  With the exception of a game here and there.  We played Mizzou, Texas Tech and the Maui Classic and when UA scheduled these games they were ranked in the top 25 with a solid field in the Maui classic.  You can't guess what will happen in two years but I'm sure when these were scheduled it was to boost the RPI.  It just so happens that when we played them, they were down with the exception of the Classic.  You have to play with what you got.

[RazrHog4Life]

Wow, Texas A&M really jumped up with their win over Texas last night. They were in the 60s yesterday I think, now they are one spot behind us at #48 (using http://www.kenpom.com/rpi.php of course, since it is updated daily). To jump up that much this late in the season is quite an accomplishment.


By the way, I had an image deleted from the "other" bad board (starts with a w, ends with a g) that I am officially done with now, so if you will allow me to post the pic an attachment to this, it would mean a great deal to me. (I realize it is off topic, and I apologize for that)



[attachment deleted by admin]

[Apathy]

We have got to do a better job of scheduling from now on.  I understand the past few years have been difficult as we're trying to rebuild, but starting next year, we must schedule better non-conference opponents.  I'm not talking about UConn or Kansas, I'm talking about all the 200+ ranked teams that we have played, they are killing what would otherwise be a good Arkansas RPI.

Case in point:

St. Joesph's currently has an RPI of 45, two spots higher than the Hogs.  Their overall record is 14-12 and their opponents break down like this:

                   1-50       51-100     101-200     201+
                  --------------------------------------
ST. JOE         1-6          4-2           6-4         3-0
ARK               5-5          4-1           6-2         5-0

They look similar, with the exception being that Arkansas has played 3 more games against the top 50 and certainly has had more success.  It seems impossible for a 14-12 team with one win against the top 50 to be ranked ahead of a 20-8 team with 5 wins against the top 50.

The difference must be the 201+ games.  St. Joe's has played # (218), (253), and (286).   

Arkansas has played # (205), (249), (321), (324), and (330).  Oh yeah, we also played # (196) & (198).

We HAVE to stop playing these type teams on a regular basis.  Arkansas should have an RPI in the high 20's right now and be looking at a #4 or 5 seed, but as long as the NCAA uses the RPI system, and you schedule these type of games, you're going to be fighting an uphill battle all season long.  Arkansas is good enough to avoid doing this anymore.

I welcome your responses.

You have to realize that these schedules are done two (or more) years ago.  With the exception of a game here and there.  We played Mizzou, Texas Tech and the Maui Classic and when UA scheduled these games they were ranked in the top 25 with a solid field in the Maui classic.  You can't guess what will happen in two years but I'm sure when these were scheduled it was to boost the RPI.  It just so happens that when we played them, they were down with the exception of the Classic.  You have to play with what you got.

HouTx, I do realize that the schedules are made with no garuntee that Texas Tech or Missouri will have good seasons, however, my point from the beginning of this post has been not been an issue with the top non-conference teams we are scheduling, but the bottom. Who can rationally argue that scheduling Texas State or Texas Pan American actually helped this team this year? And I don't care if we scheduled them 10 years ago, they were never going to help us.  IMO you are doing a disservice to not only your season-ending RPI but to your players.  There was no excuse for the University of Arkansas to play 3 of the 10 worst teams in division I basketball this year, and I submit that if we hadn't, we would be looking at a higher seed in the NCAA tournament. 

[silvertip]

yep, nothing like winning a game at James Madison.  Much more impressive than beating Florida, Bama and Tennessee.   Love those ratings.

We have got to schedule some out of conference road games next year.  1.4 per win vs .6?  If im in charge, im on the phone with Fordham, St Bonnies and Boise State right now begging them to let us come to their place.  Seems that is more impressive than beating Kansas in Maui or TTech in Dallas.   Drop the nuetral games and the sisters of the poor.

Actually, neutral site games are better than home games, if you win. Neutral site games are not "adjusted." So, for our win vs Texas Tech, we get full credit for 1.0 win vs 0.6 if we had beat them at home.

Some big-name schools like Illinois will play us at "neutral" sites like Altell in NLR before they will come to BWA. If that's what it takes, it beats playing those weak-sisters in BWA. Playing those 250+ teams at BWA drags down our RPI even when we win.

[Queen Hog]

LOL, yep 00-01 we went 20-11.  Lost in the 1st round to Georgetown by 2...
[/quote]

That game nearly gave me a heart attack.  It took forever for them to decide if the ball left the HOG players hand before the clock ran out.  It was so close, but they decided time had run out or we would have tied the game and gone into overtime.

[hogfan064]

We're down to 47th in RPI, UAB is 46th

http://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2006/rpi

[TorsinAHog]

We win out and are 10-6 in conference there is no dam% way we dont get in with the way we closed the year (our last 10 games). 

[hogfan064]

We win out and are 10-6 in conference there is no dam% way we dont get in with the way we closed the year (our last 10 games). 

We need to win a SECT game too.  We need to finish 22-9 to be assured. 

[Tomhog™]

We don't NEED an SECT win to secure a spot in the NCAA.  IF we lose our last two, we'd be an 11 or a 12 seed.  I thought our tickets is already written to the dance.  The NCAA has wanted us to be back in it a long time...

[HighOnHogs]

If we win Sunday it's a done deal.  There is no reason we shouldn't beat Georgia even though it is an away game.

When you win your last 5 SEC games in a row.  That's a team that needs to be dancing.

[hogfancb]

UAB SOS is worse than ours.  If we win a couple of more we will get a better seed than UAB.

[othermac]

no question, we still have some unfinished bidness.

[hogfan064]

UAB SOS is worse than ours.  If we win a couple of more we will get a better seed than UAB.

Don't be shocked with a 7-10 game against UAB with the winner playing Texas. 

[VoR]

This is 1 time I'll be more then happy to take a 1 point drop in the RPI, the only way I would wish for a UAB loss would either against the Hogs or if that win knocked us off the bubble and out of the Dance, and I think we are solidly in the Dance for right now, besides, what Hogs fan other then heifer in memphis doesn't want want to see Calapari lose.