RPI & SOS Musings on a Lazy Friday

RPI numbers courtesy of CBS' Jerry Palm.

Big Ten in the RPI
2. Wisconsin (16-1)
8. Michigan State (16-1)
13. Ohio State (15-3)
23. Iowa (13-3)
30. GOPHERS (13-4)
42. Michigan (12-4)
51. Illinois (13-5)
58. Indiana (12-5)
86. Purdue (12-5)
89. Nebraska (8-8)
128. Penn State (9-9)
153. Northwestern (8-10)

Big Ten Overall SOS Rankings
4. Wisconsin
19. GOPHERS
22. Ohio State
30. Michigan State
31. Nebraska
49. Iowa
53. Indiana
54. Northwestern
62. Illinois
63. Penn State
67. Michigan
127. Purdue

Big Ten Nonconference SOS Rankings
17. Wisconsin
63. Michigan State
74. Nebraska
77. Michigan
78. Ohio State
80. GOPHERS
114. Illinois
121. Iowa
158. Indiana
185. Penn State
225. Northwestern
268. Purdue

Big Ten vs. the RPI Top 50 (NCAA bid contenders only)
Michigan State (5-0)
Wisconsin (5-0)
Iowa (2-3)
Michigan (2-3)
GOPHERS (2-3)
Indiana (1-3)
Ohio State (1-3)
Purdue (1-3)
Illinois (0-2)

Big Ten vs. the RPI Top 100 (NCAA bid contenders only)
Wisconsin (9-1)
Michigan State (6-1)
Ohio State (9-3)
Iowa (4-3)
Michigan (4-3)
GOPHERS (4-4)
Purdue (4-4)
Illinois (2-3)
Indiana (2-5)

Big Ten Road/Neutral Records (NCAA bid contenders only)
Michigan State (8-0)
Wisconsin (6-1)
Michigan (5-3)
Ohio State (3-2)
Iowa (4-3)
Illinois (4-4)
Purdue (3-4)
GOPHERS (2-3)
Indiana (2-4)

If NCAA Tourney Started Today, the 32 Automatic Qualifiers Would Look Like This. ...
1. Kansas (Big XII)
3. Arizona (Pac 12)
5. UMass (A-10)
6. Florida (SEC)
7. Syracuse (ACC)
8. Michigan State (Big Ten)
10. Wichita State (MVC)
12. San Diego State (MWC)
14. Creighton (Big East)
21. Gonzaga (WCC)
26. Cincinnati (American)
35. Harvard (Ivy)
37. Green Bay (Horizon)
65. Manhattan (MAAC)
77. Mercer (Atlantic Sun)
84. Delaware (CAA)
87. Boston U (Patriot)
90. Louisiana Tech (C-USA)
102. Stephen F. Austin (Southland)
104. Georgia State (Sun Belt)
108. Akron (MAC)
110. Cal Poly (Big West)
125. Fort Wayne (Summit)
137. Vermont (America East)
150. Chicago State (WAC)
176. Robert Morris (NEC)
177. Murray State (OVC)
180. Southern U (SWAC)
185. Northern Colorado (Big Sky)
210. NC-Asheville (210)
255. Norfolk State (MEAC)
277. Chattanooga (SoCon)

If NCAA Tourney Started Today, the 32 Automatic Qualifiers Would Look Like This. ...


SS, gun to your head, do the Gophers get in based on performance to date? Yes or no.

BarnBoy said:

If NCAA Tourney Started Today, the 32 Automatic Qualifiers Would Look Like This. ...


SS, gun to your head, do the Gophers get in based on performance to date? Yes or no.

Click to expand...

Holster up! I think if you just asked him he would answer.

Not to answer for the resident expert (and rightly so) but my thoughts:

The Gophers are now 14-4 and 3-2 in conference play, with an RPI of 26 and SoS of 13 (per ESPN), and two wins already over RPI Top 25 teams (Ohio State, Florida State) - those are some pretty awesome numbers, and based on the fact that the SoS will probably go up rather than down and the RPI is so good right now, I'll say nine Big Ten wins gets the Gophers in. Simple math says that means six more victories.

These games are there for the taking: @Nebraska, Northwestern, @Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, and Penn State. Those games will likely see the Gophers favored, and those are your six wins right there. There is also Purdue on the road which is certainly winnable. If the Gophers win all those they're in. If they lose one and win at Purdue they're in. And if they manage to win any of the other games, any at all, any other major upset, and it would take a pretty bad collapse to keep them out.

BarnBoy said:

If NCAA Tourney Started Today, the 32 Automatic Qualifiers Would Look Like This. ...


SS, gun to your head, do the Gophers get in based on performance to date? Yes or no.

Click to expand...

They were hangin' around the bubble line (generally it's the 40-55 RPI range), but the win over OSU puts them safely in the tournament for now; I'd have them roughly 17 spots from the "in/out" cutline and about 13 from "First Four" territory. The win last night significantly increased the Gophers' margin for error. That's what we're looking for as we approach February, increasing the margin for error. Another top-shelf win over Iowa or Wisconsin would certainly create more space.

Down with Goldy said:

Simple math says that means six more victories.

These games are there for the taking: @Nebraska, Northwestern, @Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, and Penn State. Those games will likely see the Gophers favored, and those are your six wins right there. There is also Purdue on the road which is certainly winnable. If the Gophers win all those they're in. If they lose one and win at Purdue they're in. And if they manage to win any of the other games, any at all, any other major upset, and it would take a pretty bad collapse to keep them out.

Click to expand...

@Nebraska is the toughest of that group... I think we have almost as good a chance, maybe as good, of beating Iowa or Wisconsin at home. And yeah, @Purdue is no gimme but frankly our history there is what scares me more than a logical assessment of how we match up with them. So bottom line, lots of ways to 9 wins following the big victory last night. Heck, let's start thinking about winning all of the aforementioned winnable games and finishing 12-6.

Down with Goldy said:

Not to answer for the resident expert (and rightly so) but my thoughts:

The Gophers are now 14-4 and 3-2 in conference play, with an RPI of 26 and SoS of 13 (per ESPN), and two wins already over RPI Top 25 teams (Ohio State, Florida State) - those are some pretty awesome numbers, and based on the fact that the SoS will probably go up rather than down and the RPI is so good right now, I'll say nine Big Ten wins gets the Gophers in. Simple math says that means six more victories.

These games are there for the taking: @Nebraska, Northwestern, @Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, and Penn State. Those games will likely see the Gophers favored, and those are your six wins right there. There is also Purdue on the road which is certainly winnable. If the Gophers win all those they're in. If they lose one and win at Purdue they're in. And if they manage to win any of the other games, any at all, any other major upset, and it would take a pretty bad collapse to keep them out.

Click to expand...

Good breakdown.