B1G - KenPom Rankings are ridiculous

[dkostus]

Right now, while the B1G does not have a top ten team, we have 3 top-15 teams (Michigan 11, MSU 14, Purdue 15), five top 20 teams (add Indiana 18, Wisconsin 19), seven top-30 teams (add Nebraska 28, OSU 29), ten top-36 teams (add Maryland 34, PSU 35, Iowa 36), and twelve top-50 teams (add Minnesota 49, Northwestern 50).

Obviously, Iowa was very helped by last nights win, but this is insane. Illinois at 78 and us at 120 are the only teams outside the top 50. If we win tonight and then the B1G does well in the ACC challenge, the league will be in line for a ton of NCAA bids.

https://kenpom.com/

 

[Russ Wood]

That is a nice theory but, in the end, it doesn't matter. Maryland was No. 39 in Kenpom last year and not only didn't get a NCAA at-large bid, they didn't get a NIT invite.

When PSU was eliminated from the B1G Tournament they were ranked No. 31 in Kenpom and didn't get a NCAA at-large bid.

 

[dkostus]

That is a nice theory but, in the end, it doesn't matter. Maryland was No. 39 in Kenpom last year and not only didn't get a NCAA at-large bid, they didn't get a NIT invite.

When PSU was eliminated from the B1G Tournament they were ranked No. 31 in Kenpom and didn't get a NCAA at-large bid.

Huh... did not realize that. I thought Kenpom and the selection formula were closely related. Still, it is reflective of an upturn for the conference that also seems to be gaining a media narrative...

 

[Russ Wood]

Huh... did not realize that. I thought Kenpom and the selection formula were closely related. Still, it is reflective of an upturn for the conference that also seems to be gaining a media narrative...

I think in 2014 the selection committee factored in Kenpom data for that tournament's at-large selections. This year, because RPI has become a polarizing barometer among CBB fans, the selection committee is going to use ESPN's BPI and Strength of Record, KPI, Jeff Sagarin Ratings and KenPom.com next to the RPI on the official team sheets used to assess each program.

So Kenpom data will be one of several tools the committee will consider this year.

I will support anything that keeps a team like last year's Oklahoma and Syracuse teams out of the tournament going forward.

 

[blockm2]

While the KenPom rankings are meant to be predictive going forward, they aren't quite as good at measuring your resume along the way, at least in terms of wins and losses. And for NCAA tournament selection they tend to focus more on resume.

Needless to say, though, but having lots of teams in the conference ranked highly by KenPom means there are some pretty good teams. And while that is useful for meaning there will be a decent number of teams that deserve tournament bids, it also means teams are going to end up with relatively middling conference records because conference schedules will be insanely tough. If a Big Ten team is on the bubble this year, it will be their quality wins that get them in and not their overall W/L record.

 

[ScarletDave]

Pennstate looked more like 335 than 35 losing to DePaul last night who scored 1 basket in the final 13 minutes and still won

 

[WhichReligionIsRight]

None of the ranking are worth a damn until teams have played more games - at least 10 and probably more.

 

[Mr Magoo]

Pennstate looked more like 335 than 35 losing to DePaul last night who scored 1 basket in the final 13 minutes and still won

Agree. Penn State looked horrible. Without Watkins, I think they are the worst team in the B1G.