On Monday, the NCAA officially released their first edition on the RPI, which, as it does every year, is sure to stir up quite a bit of debate.
Like, for example, Indiana being 16th. That’s 10 spots behind a Colorado team that is currently 0-2 in the Pac-12, 25 spots in front of Ohio State (who is 41st) and 46 spots in front of Kentucky, who is currently sitting 62nd. Kentucky is actually the No. 3 team in the SEC, according to the RPI. Also worth noting? Miami FL is eighth in the RPI, good for second in the ACC. That’ll help them overcome that injury to Reggie Johnson.
The RPI is, for the most part, a flawed metric that can be exploited by coaches looking to improve their non-conference schedule strength and game the NCAA tournament selection committee. But good luck trying to get it out of the selection process!
Most of us in the know (like moi) tend to use Kenpom’s efficiency ratings when it comes to computer profiles, and earlier today The Dagger took a look at the five teams with the biggest difference in RPI and Kenpom rankings.
With bracket projections coming fast and furious this time of year, it would be a good idea to get yourself familiarized with how the RPI breaks down.