Jason Tate
01/30/06, 01:39 PM
For the first time ever, the NCAA will release its official Ratings Percentage Index standings Thursday. That's good timing because February is when those numbers -- which combine performance and schedule strength -- start to make sense. A few things to look for:
- Duke at No. 1. The Blue Devils are so far ahead of the pack that second-place Memphis' rating will be statistically closer to the 10th spot than to the top spot.
- Poll disparity. The poll rankings have had Louisville as a top 25 team all year. The RPI will place the Cards (and their lack of impressive wins) somewhere around 65th. Iowa hasn't been a poll favorite, but playing a tough schedule will have the Hawkeyes sniffing around the RPI top 10.
- The Pac-10. Only three teams -- UCLA, Arizona and Washington -- will rank in the RPI top 50; four will be in the RPI top 100. That'll make it tougher for the conference's best teams -- and bubble-bound California -- to accumulate quality victories.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news;_ylt=Ak565RwkbCHFsKWB.ZFQsR3ev bYF?slug=theratingsgame&prov=tsn&type=lgns
- Duke at No. 1. The Blue Devils are so far ahead of the pack that second-place Memphis' rating will be statistically closer to the 10th spot than to the top spot.
- Poll disparity. The poll rankings have had Louisville as a top 25 team all year. The RPI will place the Cards (and their lack of impressive wins) somewhere around 65th. Iowa hasn't been a poll favorite, but playing a tough schedule will have the Hawkeyes sniffing around the RPI top 10.
- The Pac-10. Only three teams -- UCLA, Arizona and Washington -- will rank in the RPI top 50; four will be in the RPI top 100. That'll make it tougher for the conference's best teams -- and bubble-bound California -- to accumulate quality victories.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news;_ylt=Ak565RwkbCHFsKWB.ZFQsR3ev bYF?slug=theratingsgame&prov=tsn&type=lgns