NCAA Bracketology Feb 2nd: UCONN Out

-- UCONN & UNC both drop out of the field for the first time this season. Both still have a chance if they finish the conference season on a roll (moreso UNC who has some solid early non-conference wins.)

-- Charlotte, Arizona, and Wichita St all make the field for the first time. Arizona has the least success of the 3, but I'm convinced the committee will do what they can to take 2 Pac-10 teams, and the Wildcats have won 5 of 6 and have a solid RPI of 53.

-- Maryland is hanging on by a thread due to their 4-2 ACC record and 50th RPI. Here's a case of a team where I don't think they belong in the slightest, but believe the committee would be fooled by the ACC record. Look closer and they've beaten Miami, NC St, BC, and FSU at home. Those 4 wins are no better then being 4-2 in the CUSA or A10, but the committee is swayed by league affiliation.

What do you think about this week's field?

I'm a little surprised that Marquette is not listed in your next 8 out. They have an RPI I've seen as high as 31 and SOS consistently in the top 30. They are also ahead of UCONN and Seton Hall in Big East standings and tied with Louisville, and that's after 5 conference games played against teams ranked in the top 8 in the nation. I wouldn't have them in yet, but they have to be close.

Also, I've seen a lot of different RPI numbers out there. Why is there such variation and which RPI do you find most accurate?

RPI should not be much different on different sites. If it is, one of them is wrong. The reason it varies a little is because some games might be considered a road game by some while being considered a neutral game by others. For example, if a team played a home game at an off-campus arena 30 minutes from the campus.

The best site I've found for RPI is The Hoops Report. It's free, they update it every night, and there are a lot of details on there.

I use RealTimeRPI.com, or http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/rpi (which is the exact #'s and the right one to look at). Marquette's RPI is 60, not 30 (not sure where you got that from). They're certainly in the mix (they'd be in my next 4 if I listed it), but need to get back over .500 in league play (which I think they will soon).

You have WVU as a 2 seed and Purdue as a 3 seed even though their records are equal in the loss column and Purdue beat WVU head to head by 15 points?????? Please Explain.

I understand UD not making the list. My questions are:

1. Are they a bubble team? They were 42 last I checked their RPI(CBSsports.com). They are 15-6. 4 of the 6 losses are top 25 teams in all polls, 1 is a fringe top 25, Those 5 are all in the top 25 RPI. One bad loss in Saint Josephs(1 point loss). All losses were by a few points. Two 1 point losses. They have 1 top 25 win and a couple top 125 RPI wins.

2. How does UD need to finish to get in? They have 9 games left. They have Xavier, Temple, Charlotte, and Richmond left as well as some other solid A-10 teams. If they were to go say 6-3 with a couple big wins and a three respectable losses. Are they in position to win a couple in the A-10 tourney and get in? Or do they need to do better than that?

head to head comparison that puts WV at a 2 and Purdue at a 3

West Virgina 18-3 (7-2)
RPI 6
SOS 8
6-2 vs the RPI top 50
8 wins against teams of RPI 101 or worse
Big East has #1 SOS

Purdue 19-3 (7-3)
RPI 10
SOS 34
4-2 vs RPI top 50
12 wins against teams of RPI 101 or worse
Big 10 has #4 SOS

The only thing Purdue has on WV is beating them at home..