Against Ranked Teams- Basketball -Week 14

[SWC75]

This year I will be again charting how teams have done “against ranked teams”, which is something that always comes up at the end of the year when the arguments over who should be in the NCAA tournament start. As usual, this is not meant to end those arguments, just to give those making them something to look at in forming their opinions. This is just one thing to look at. But I think it’s a big thing.

I will again be using my “new procedure” this year. The old procedure was that I would first grant teams playing ranked teams a certain number of points based on who they are playing. If you played the #1 team, (I use the AP- writer’s poll for continuity), you get 25 points. If you are playing the #2 team, you get 24 points, etc. down to getting 1 point for playing the #25 team. I call these “schedule points”. Here’s a chart to make it simple:
1-25, 2-24, 3-23, 4-22, 5-21, 6-20, 7-19, 8-18, 9-17, 10-16, 11-15, 12-14, 13-13, 14-12, 15-11, 16-10, 17-9, 18-8, 19-7, 20-6, 21-5, 22-4, 23-3, 24-2, 25-1.
(Of course you can always just subtract the ranking from 26. That will work every time.)

Then I look at the point differential in the actual game. If you defeated the ranked team, you add the number of points you won by to the schedule points. If you lost to that team, you subtract the margin you lost by from the schedule points. (I call these ‘game’ points.) The difference is that formerly I didn’t count any deficit: if you got to zero, you got zero. This year I’m going to record negative points, too, so a team can get full ‘credit’ for a really bad performance.

WEEK 14
Purdue beat #17 Iowa 104-68 = +45 points
Marquette beat #19 Butler 76-57 = +26 points
Oklahoma beat #13 West Virginia 69-59 = +23 points
Oregon State beat #14 Oregon 63-53 = +22 points
Providence beat #21 Creighton 73-56 = +22 points
Seton Hall beat #10 Villanova 70-64 = +22 points
Butler beat #10 Villanova 79-76 = +19 points
Kansas State lost to #1 Baylor 67- 73 = +19 points
Michigan beat #16 Michigan State 77-68 = +19 points
North Carolina lost to #7 Duke 96-98 = +17 points
Oklahoma State lost to #1 Baylor 70-78 = +17 points
Vanderbilt beat #18 Louisiana State 99-90 = +17 points
UCLA beat #23 Arizona 65-52 = +16 points
Maryland beat #20 Illinois 75-66 = +15 points
Penn State beat #16 Michigan State 75-70 = +15 points
Louisiana State beat #18 Louisiana State 91-90 = +14 points
St. Louis lost to #6 Dayton 65-71 = +14 points
Virginia lost to #5 Louisville 73-80 = +14 points
Arkansas lost to #11 Auburn 76-79 = +12 points
North Carolina lost to #8 Florida State 59-65 = +12 points
Rutgers lost to #9 Maryland 51-56 = +12 points
Texas lost to #3 Kansas 58-69 = +12 points
Boston College lost to #7 Duke 55-63 = +11 points
Wake Forest lost to #5 Louisville 76-86 = +11 points
Auburn beat #18 Louisiana State 91-90 = +9 points
Texas Christian lost to #3 Kansas 46-60 = +9 points
Illinois lost to #9 Maryland 66-75 = +8 points
Villanova lost to #12 Seton Hall 64-70 = +8 points
Georgetown lost to #12 Seton Hall 71-78 = +7 points
Air Force beat #4 San Diego State 74-89 = +7 points
Loyola Marymount lost to #2 Gonzaga 67-85 = +6 points
Villanova lost to #19 Butler 76-79 = +4 points
Mississippi State lost to #15 Kentucky 72-80 = +3 points
U of Miami lost to #8 Florida State 81-99 = 0 points
Michigan State lost to #22 Penn State 70-75 = -1 points
Iowa State lost to #13 West Virginia 61-76 = -2 points
Minnesota lost to #22 Penn State 77-83 = -2 points
Southern California lost to #23 Arizona 80-85 = -2 points
Tennessee lost to #15 Kentucky 64-77 = -2 points
California lost to #24 Colorado 65-71 = -4 points
Stanford lost to #24 Colorado 74-81 = -5 points
St. Mary’s lost to #2 Gonzaga 60-90 = -6 points
St. John’s lost to #21 Creighton 82-94 = -7 points
Tulane lost to #25 Houston 62-75 = -12 points
Nebraska lost to #17 Iowa 72-96 = -15 points
Wichita State lost to #25 Houston 43-76 = -32 points

Comments: Purdue has a worse record than us- 14-10 but they have had three of the top four point totals of the season: +50 vs. Virginia, +47 vs. Michigan State and +45 against Iowa. That’s +142, which putds them atop the standings. They’re -6 in their other games against ranked teams.

Top 25

Purdue +136 points
Ohio State +109 points
Iowa +105 points
Texas Tech +103 points
Michigan +102 points

Baylor +90 points
Kentucky +88 points
Seton Hall +87 points
Virginia +81 points
Oregon +78 points

Michigan State +77 points
Kansas +74 points

Florida State +72 points
Wisconsin +69 points
North Carolina +66 points

West Virginia +64 points
Marquette +62 points
Duke +61 points
Louisville +61 points
Providence +61 points

Arizona +60 points
Maryland +60 points
Creighton +60 points
Florida +59 points
Villanova +59 points

Syracuse has +25 points

SU’s opponents: Virginia +81, Colgate -22, Seattle -18, Cornell -25, Bucknell none, Oklahoma State +6, Penn State +57, Iowa +104, Georgia Tech +31, Georgetown +42, Oakland -24, North Florida -17, Niagara 0, Notre Dame +13, Virginia Tech +21, Virginia +81, Boston College +14, Virginia Tech +21, Notre Dame +13, Pittsburgh +7, Clemson -9, Duke +61, Wake Forest +10, North Carolina State +13, Florida State +76, Louisville +61, Georgia Tech +31, Pittsburgh +7, North Carolina +66, Boston College 0, U of Miami -4


The worst team so far is Alabama State with -71 points. Don’t spend it all in one place…