January 29 RPI Updates

All rankings courtesy of CollegeRPI.com.

Big Ten RPI Rankings
4. Michigan State
17. Illinois
22. Ohio State
29. Wisconsin
32. GOPHERS
33. Purdue
47. Northwestern
50. Michigan
73. Penn State
75. Iowa
174. Indiana

Big Ten Nonconference SOS Rankings (out of 343 D-I teams)
11. Wisconsin
38. Indiana
41. Michigan State
91. Ohio State
101. Michigan
117. Northwestern
152. Illinois
162. Iowa
186. Purdue
235. GOPHERS
321. Penn State

Wins vs. RPI Top 50 (39)
Michigan State 8: vs. Texas (16), Illinois (17), at Ohio State (22), Ohio State (22), Kansas (24), vs. Oklahoma State (28), at Gophers (32), at Northwestern (47)

Illinois 5: Ohio State (22), Wisconsin (29), at Purdue (33), vs. Mizzou (38), Michigan (50)

Purdue 5: at Wisconsin (29), Wisconsin (29), at Gophers (32), vs. Davidson (35), at Northwestern (47)

Michigan 4: Duke (1), Illinois (17), vs. UCLA (40), Northwestern (47)

Ohio State 4: Butler (7), at Miami-Florida (43), at Michigan (50), Michigan (50)

Northwestern 3: at Michigan State (4), Florida State (27), Gophers (32)

GOPHERS 3: vs. Louisville (9), Ohio State (22), at Wisconsin (29)

Penn State 3: Purdue (33), Northwestern (47), Michigan (50)

Wisconsin 3: at Virginia Tech (36), Northwestern (47), at Michigan (50)

Iowa 1: Wisconsin (29)

National RPI Top 25 Rankings
1. Duke
2. Pitt
3. Oklahoma
4. Michigan State
5. Xavier
6. North Carolina
7. Butler
8. UConn
9. Louisville
10. Clemson
11. Wake Forest
12. Memphis
13. Villanova
14. Utah
15. Marquette
16. Texas
17. Illinois
18. West Virginia
19. Siena
20. Arizona State
21. Georgetown
22. Ohio State
23. Syracuse
24. Kansas
25. Florida

I'm surprised that Wisconsin is so high considering they have lost 5 straight.

Badgers

What's helping Bucky is to date they have played the #1 overall schedule in the country. But at some point, they have to start beating some of the better teams on their schedule. It's going to be really important that the Gophers complete a sweep of Badgers. If the Gophers end up on the fence, we don't want to give the Selection Committee any reason to select the Badgers over us.

The Badgers are a very interesting team. It is obviously very frustrating to lose 5 straight. The name of the game is winning. But, with the schedule they have played and the close losses, it is not inconceivable that they could win 5 in a row as well.

With the RPI and a top 5 schedule, I think they will be impossible to keep out at 10-8 and will very likely be in at 9-9. The biggest issue is they have to start winning and the confidence is certainly very fragile at this point.

There is only one game left that I would list as a definite loss and that is at MSU. The other nine are all winnable.

It is going to be a great last ten games in the Big 10, starting tonight with the 100 pound monkey on the the Gophers back.

The Gophers have already exorcised one of their 100-pound monkeys (beating the Badgers in Madtown), maybe the second one is exorcised tonight. It's time, it's time, it's time, it's time. ...

Gophers are certainly due to play something resembling 40 minutes of good basketball, instead of only in spurts. Much like MSU and Purdue, if the Gophers get down early, I don't like their chances of chasing down a quality team like the Illini.

IMO, for the Badgers to be comfortable they'll need to be 10-8. I don't think that at 9-9 they will "very likely be in". It will really depend on which games they win/lose if they go 6-4 down the stretch. What if IU is one of those losses down the stretch? PSU? Too many variables come into play for UW in the 9-9 scenario.

I would recommend that they lose the next couple so they don't have to worry about it.