The Pi-Rate Ratings

August 11, 2022

Sun Belt Conference Preview

In 2001, the Sun Belt Conference, having sponsored basketball for a quarter century with membership of many programs that didn’t have scholarship football, decided to add football to its sanctioned sports. For several years, the league languished as the weakest Division 1-A and later FBS conference. Teams left the league to join what was then a stronger Conference USA.

About five years ago, the league began to rapidly improve. Not only did it become the equal of Conference USA, when a couple of programs became really good, the SBC left CUSA in its rear view mirror and then passed the Mid-American Conference. The league planned to expand to 14 teams next year, but an 11th hour decision brought Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Mississippi into the league this year. Additionally, James Madison makes its FBS debut. This league has the potential to improve to the point where it is the equal of the Mountain West and American Athletic Conferences.

Sun Belt PiRate Ratings–Preseason

East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAverage
Georgia St.99.298.4102.5100.0
Appal. St.96.198.098.997.7
Coastal Car.92.794.194.993.9
Marshall91.392.792.092.0
J. Madison87.189.092.089.4
Old Dominion89.389.389.489.3
Ga. Southern86.585.987.086.5
West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAverage
Louisiana95.896.298.496.8
Troy90.690.891.991.1
South Alabama85.285.586.485.7
Southern Miss.85.085.585.185.2
UL-Monroe82.182.681.482.0
Texas St.80.381.281.380.9
Arkansas St.80.081.680.580.7
Sun Belt88.789.390.189.4

Sun Belt Conference Official Media Poll

Votes
#East1st PlaceOverall
1Appalachian St.1094
2Coastal Carolina277
3Georgia St.168
4Marshall062
5Georgia Southern135
6James Madison031
7Old Dominion025
#West1st PlaceOverall
1Louisiana1295
2South Alabama279
3Troy076
4Texas St.041
5Southern Miss.040
6Arkansas St.037
7UL-Monroe024

The PiRate Ratings are meant to be used to predict the outcomes of games being played in the week that they are released and updated. They are not really meant to look forward past the next week of games, but nevertheless, here are the predicted won-loss records for the league.

EastSBCOverall
Appalachian St.7-19-4
Georgia St.7-18-4
Coastal Carolina6-28-4
Old Dominion6-26-6
Marshall3-56-6
James Madison3-55-6
Georgia Southern2-64-8
WestSBCOverall
Louisiana8-012-1
Troy5-36-6
South Alabama3-55-7
Southern Miss.3-54-8
UL-Monroe2-63-9
Texas St.1-73-9
Arkansas St.1-73-9

Louisiana picked to beat Appalachian St. in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game.

March 28, 2022

PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Monday, March 28, 2022

Filed under: College Basketball — Tags: , , — piratings @ 7:00 am
Monday, March 28, 2022
TeamTeamSpread
South AlabamaCoastal Carolina3.5

Fresno St.

Southern Utah

8.8

March 21, 2022

PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Monday, March 21, 2022

Monday, March 21, 2022
TeamTeamSpread
DrakeUNC Wilmington7.4
UNC AshevilleNorthern Colorado-0.8
MIddle TennesseeBoston5.6
Abilene ChristianOhio-0.9
Coastal CarolinaFlorida Gulf Coast4.4
South AlabamaUSC Upstate11.1

December 13, 2020

PiRate Ratings College Football For December 17-19, 2020

Filed under: College Football — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — piratings @ 9:25 am

This Week’s PiRate Rating Spreads

We apologize for having to totally re-work this section, but the crazy off-the-cuff scheduling and cancellations have done a number on all of the power ratings specialists throughout the land. We keep in touch with many of our brethren, and they too are having to deal with hourly changes to the sports schedules.

This schedule is up to date as of Monday afternoon, 12/14/2020 at 4:00 PM EST.

Monday night update: Vanderbilt & Georgia game cancelled. Georgia is attempting to find a replacement team from outside the SEC.

SMU has opted out of Saturday’s Frisco Bowl. A replacement will be attempted by the bowl.

Tuesday update–The Frisco Bowl has been cancelled. Troy and UL-Monroe have cancelled. And, the Old Oaken Bucket Game–Indiana and Purdue has been cancelled. Michigan’s game with Iowa has been cancelled. The Michigan State-Maryland game has been cancelled.

Thursday update– The Sun Belt Conference Championship Game between Coastal Carolina and Louisiana has been cancelled.

Friday update–Florida State and Wake Forest game has been cancelled.

Regular Season Games
Thursday, December 17
HomeVisitorsPiRateMeanBias
TroyUL-Monroe25.326.527.3

Friday, December 18
HomeVisitorsPiRateMeanBias
IndianaPurdue14.715.016.5
RutgersNebraska-2.9-3.4-4.8

Saturday, December 19
HomeVisitorsPiRateMeanBias
Wake ForestFlorida St.7.89.48.8
WisconsinMinnesota14.011.813.5
Penn St.Illinois10.810.210.6
IowaMichigan16.316.817.0
MarylandMichigan St.-2.4-1.9-3.2
ArmyAir Force-5.3-4.6-5.3
UtahWashington St.6.48.06.7
UCLAStanford5.36.14.9
Oregon St.Arizona St.-3.2-2.7-3.6
GeorgiaVanderbilt38.138.039.8
TennesseeTexas A&M-13.8-14.4-14.4
LSUOle Miss6.87.27.9
Mississippi St.Missouri0.60.20.2

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

Friday, December 18
HomeVisitorsPiRateMeanBias
Buffalo (n)Ball St.11.312.511.9
MarshallUAB6.26.26.5
USCOregon5.24.24.8

Saturday, December 19
HomeVisitorsPiRateMeanBias
CincinnatiTulsa17.218.118.8
Clemson (n)Notre Dame5.86.88.0
Iowa St. (n)Oklahoma-1.1-1.3-0.9
Ohio St. (n)Northwestern19.518.519.2
Alabama (n)Florida18.119.719.9
Coastal CarolinaLouisiana3.34.34.5
San Jose St. (n)Boise St.-10.4-8.5-9.5
(n): Neutral Site

BOWL GAME

Frisco BowlCancelled
TeamTeamPiRateMeanBias
SMUUTSA15.915.014.8

This Week’s PiRate Ratings

#TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvg.Conference
1Alabama140.4141.3142.7141.5SEC-W
2Ohio St.131.4130.5133.7131.9BTen-E
3Clemson129.2130.0131.4130.2ACC
4Georgia124.4123.6125.2124.4SEC-E
5Notre Dame124.4124.2124.4124.3ACC
6Florida122.2121.7122.8122.2SEC-E
7Texas A&M121.6121.6122.3121.8SEC-W
8Oklahoma121.6121.1121.8121.5B12
9Iowa St.120.5119.8120.9120.4B12
10Iowa119.7119.3121.4120.1BTen-W
11N. Carolina119.8119.9120.3120.0ACC
12Wisconsin119.7118.0120.9119.5BTen-W
13Cincinnati119.2118.7119.4119.1AAC
14Indiana117.1117.5119.6118.1BTen-E
15U S C118.6116.0117.7117.5P12-S
16Texas117.0115.8116.9116.6B12
17Auburn115.6114.7115.7115.3SEC-W
18Oregon115.5113.9114.9114.8P12-N
19BYU114.7114.5114.9114.7Ind.
20L S U114.3113.6115.4114.4SEC-W
21Oklahoma St.114.5113.2113.6113.8B12
22Northwestern111.9112.0114.4112.8BTen-W
23Miami (Fla.)110.8112.7111.3111.6ACC
24Penn St.111.8110.5112.4111.6BTen-E
25UCF110.4110.3110.7110.5AAC
26T C U110.5109.3110.9110.3B12
27Kentucky109.1109.0110.1109.4SEC-E
28Washington109.4108.0109.8109.1P12-N
29Arizona St.109.2108.5108.8108.8P12-S
30Ole Miss109.0107.9109.0108.6SEC-W
31Utah108.2108.3108.9108.5P12-S
32U C L A108.2107.3107.4107.6P12-S
33Buffalo106.9108.0107.7107.5MAC-E
34Coastal Car.107.0107.6107.7107.4SUN-E
35Minnesota106.7107.2108.3107.4BTen-W
36Boise St.107.2107.2106.9107.1MWC-M
37Louisville107.1107.0106.5106.8ACC
38Tennessee106.3105.7106.4106.1SEC-E
39Pittsburgh105.5106.4105.8105.9ACC
40Missouri105.3105.0106.1105.5SEC-E
41Michigan105.4104.5106.3105.4BTen-E
42Louisiana105.7105.3105.3105.4SUN-W
43Nebraska105.0104.5106.3105.3BTen-W
44Wake Forest104.7105.5105.5105.3ACC
45California105.4105.1105.1105.2P12-N
46Virginia104.6105.0105.1104.9ACC
47W. Virginia104.7104.4104.9104.7B12
48Virginia Tech103.9104.5104.9104.4ACC
49Miss. St.104.4103.7104.8104.3SEC-W
50Tulane104.3104.3103.9104.2AAC
51Boston Coll.103.6103.9104.2103.9ACC
52Stanford104.4102.7104.0103.7P12-N
53Oregon St.104.0103.8103.2103.7P12-N
54Purdue103.4103.5104.1103.7BTen-W
55Washington St.103.7102.3104.2103.4P12-N
56Memphis104.4103.1102.6103.4AAC
57Appal. St.103.4102.9103.5103.3SUN-E
58Illinois102.9102.3103.8103.0BTen-W
59Tulsa103.5102.1102.1102.5AAC
60Arkansas102.2102.8102.4102.5SEC-W
61Baylor102.3101.8102.1102.1B12
62Air Force101.7102.4101.7101.9MWC-M
63NC State101.4101.9101.8101.7ACC
64Houston102.3100.9101.2101.5AAC
65Liberty100.0102.9100.8101.2Ind.
66Colorado101.0101.899.8100.9P12-S
67Kansas St.100.499.6100.7100.2B12
68Rutgers100.699.6100.0100.1BTen-E
69SMU100.199.699.299.7AAC
70S. Carolina100.598.899.799.7SEC-E
71Marshall99.699.999.299.5CUSA-E
72Michigan St.99.198.699.799.2BTen-E
73San Diego St.98.599.598.898.9MWC-W
74Texas Tech98.897.698.998.4B12
75San Jose St.96.998.697.497.6MWC-W
76Florida St.97.997.297.797.6ACC
77Wyoming96.097.196.496.5MWC-M
78Nevada95.296.195.695.7MWC-W
79Ball St.95.695.595.895.7MAC-W
80U A B95.395.794.795.2CUSA-W
81Georgia Tech95.795.294.895.2ACC
82E. Carolina95.695.494.595.2AAC
83Maryland95.295.295.095.1BTen-E
84Ohio94.495.195.394.9MAC-E
85Army93.995.393.994.4Ind.
86Arizona94.192.592.993.2P12-S
87Georgia Sou.92.793.593.093.1SUN-E
88Fresno St.92.793.292.292.7MWC-W
89Hawaii92.793.092.092.5MWC-W
90Western Mich.91.693.392.492.4MAC-W
91Toledo92.193.291.992.4MAC-W
92Troy91.892.992.292.3SUN-E
93Central Mich.92.092.192.292.1MAC-W
94Georgia St.91.892.192.392.1SUN-E
95Miami (O)92.491.592.192.0MAC-E
96Navy92.791.490.791.6AAC
97W. Kentucky91.291.790.891.2CUSA-E
98Kent St.91.290.790.790.9MAC-E
99Syracuse90.191.390.890.8ACC
100Duke90.590.389.390.0ACC
101Colorado St.89.590.389.589.8MWC-M
102Vanderbilt88.387.587.487.8SEC-E
103Arkansas St.87.688.287.087.6SUN-W
104Temple87.987.686.387.3AAC
105Rice88.186.287.287.2CUSA-W
106USF87.886.586.286.8AAC
107Fla. Atlantic85.986.886.286.3CUSA-E
108New Mexico86.086.885.486.1MWC-M
109Florida Int’l.85.785.585.385.5CUSA-E
110U T S A85.285.685.485.4CUSA-W
111Eastern Mich.83.885.684.584.6MAC-W
112Utah St.84.484.183.584.0MWC-M
113La. Tech83.684.283.683.8CUSA-W
114Charlotte83.583.683.283.4CUSA-E
115Middle Tenn.82.282.582.382.3CUSA-E
116Southern Miss.82.382.881.882.3CUSA-W
117S. Alabama81.882.781.782.1SUN-W
118N. Illinois80.782.080.881.2MAC-W
119Texas St.81.081.580.280.9SUN-W
120U N L V79.580.678.779.6MWC-W
121Kansas78.778.077.478.1B12
122North Texas75.475.674.875.3CUSA-W
123U T E P67.970.368.068.7CUSA-W
124Akron67.569.266.167.6MAC-E
125UL-Monroe68.067.966.567.5SUN-W
126Bowling Green65.166.461.864.4MAC-E
127Mass.61.767.559.963.0Ind.

PiRate Rating By Conference

American Athletic Conference
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgAACOverall
Cincinnati119.2118.7119.4119.16-08-0
UCF110.4110.3110.7110.55-36-3
Tulane104.3104.3103.9104.23-56-5
Memphis104.4103.1102.6103.45-37-3
Tulsa103.5102.1102.1102.56-06-1
Houston102.3100.9101.2101.53-33-4
SMU100.199.699.299.74-37-3
E. Carolina95.695.494.595.23-43-6
Navy92.791.490.791.63-43-7
Temple87.987.686.387.31-61-6
USF87.886.586.286.80-71-8
AAC Avg.100.7100.099.7100.1

Atlantic Coast Conference
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgACCOverall
Clemson129.2130.0131.4130.28-19-1
Notre Dame124.4124.2124.4124.39-010-0
N. Carolina119.8119.9120.3120.07-38-3
Miami (Fla.)110.8112.7111.3111.67-28-2
Louisville107.1107.0106.5106.83-74-7
Pittsburgh105.5106.4105.8105.95-56-5
Wake Forest104.7105.5105.5105.33-44-4
Virginia104.6105.0105.1104.94-55-5
Virginia Tech103.9104.5104.9104.45-55-6
Boston Coll.103.6103.9104.2103.95-56-5
NC State101.4101.9101.8101.77-38-3
Florida St.97.997.297.797.62-63-6
Georgia Tech95.795.294.895.23-63-7
Syracuse90.191.390.890.81-91-10
Duke90.590.389.390.01-92-9
ACC Avg.106.0106.3106.2106.2

Big 12 Conference
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgB12Overall
Oklahoma121.6121.1121.8121.56-27-2
Iowa St.120.5119.8120.9120.48-18-2
Texas117.0115.8116.9116.65-36-3
Oklahoma St.114.5113.2113.6113.86-37-3
T C U110.5109.3110.9110.35-46-4
W. Virginia104.7104.4104.9104.74-45-4
Baylor102.3101.8102.1102.12-72-7
Kansas St.100.499.6100.7100.24-54-6
Texas Tech98.897.698.998.43-64-6
Kansas78.778.077.478.10-80-9
Big 12 Avg.106.9106.1106.8106.6

Big Ten Conference
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAverageBTenOverall
Ohio St.131.4130.5133.7131.95-05-0
Indiana117.1117.5119.6118.16-16-1
Penn St.111.8110.5112.4111.63-53-5
Michigan105.4104.5106.3105.42-42-4
Rutgers100.699.6100.0100.13-53-5
Michigan St.99.198.699.799.22-52-5
Maryland95.295.295.095.12-32-3

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAverageBTenOverall
Iowa119.7119.3121.4120.16-26-2
Wisconsin119.7118.0120.9119.52-32-3
Northwestern111.9112.0114.4112.86-16-1
Minnesota106.7107.2108.3107.43-33-3
Nebraska105.0104.5106.3105.32-52-5
Purdue103.4103.5104.1103.72-42-4
Illinois102.9102.3103.8103.02-52-5
Big Ten Avg.109.3108.8110.4109.5

Conference USA
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgCUSAOverall
Marshall99.699.999.299.54-17-1
W. Kentucky91.291.790.891.24-35-6
Fla. Atlantic85.986.886.286.34-25-3
Florida Int’l.85.785.585.385.50-30-5
Charlotte83.583.683.283.42-22-4
Middle Tenn.82.282.582.382.32-43-6

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgCUSAOverall
U A B95.395.794.795.23-15-3
Rice88.186.287.287.22-32-3
U T S A85.285.685.485.45-27-4
La. Tech83.684.283.683.84-25-4
Southern Miss.82.382.881.882.32-43-7
North Texas75.475.674.875.33-44-5
U T E P67.970.368.068.70-43-5
CUSA Avg.85.185.484.885.1

FBS Independents
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
BYU114.7114.5114.9114.7x10-1
Liberty100.0102.9100.8101.2x9-1
Army93.995.393.994.4x8-2
Mass.61.767.559.963.0x0-4
Ind. Avg.92.695.192.493.3

Mid-American Conference
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
Buffalo106.9108.0107.7107.55-05-0
Ohio94.495.195.394.92-12-1
Miami (O)92.491.592.192.02-12-1
Kent St.91.290.790.790.93-13-1
Akron67.569.266.167.61-51-5
Bowling Green65.166.461.864.40-50-5

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
Ball St.95.695.595.895.75-15-1
Western Mich.91.693.392.492.44-24-2
Toledo92.193.291.992.44-24-2
Central Mich.92.092.192.292.13-33-3
Eastern Mich.83.885.684.584.62-42-4
N. Illinois80.782.080.881.20-60-6
MAC Avg.87.888.587.688.0

Mountain West Conference
Mountain Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
Boise St.107.2107.2106.9107.15-05-1
Air Force101.7102.4101.7101.92-23-2
Wyoming96.097.196.496.52-42-4
Colorado St.89.590.389.589.81-31-3
New Mexico86.086.885.486.12-52-5
Utah St.84.484.183.584.01-51-5

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
San Diego St.98.599.598.898.94-24-4
San Jose St.96.998.697.497.66-06-0
Nevada95.296.195.695.76-26-2
Fresno St.92.793.292.292.73-33-3
Hawaii92.793.092.092.54-44-4
U N L V79.580.678.779.60-60-6
MWC Avg.93.394.193.293.5

Pac-12 Conference
North Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
Oregon115.5113.9114.9114.83-23-2
Washington109.4108.0109.8109.13-13-1
California105.4105.1105.1105.21-31-3
Stanford104.4102.7104.0103.73-23-2
Oregon St.104.0103.8103.2103.72-42-4
Washington St.103.7102.3104.2103.41-21-2

South Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
U S C118.6116.0117.7117.55-05-0
Arizona St.109.2108.5108.8108.81-21-2
Utah108.2108.3108.9108.52-22-2
U C L A108.2107.3107.4107.63-33-3
Colorado101.0101.899.8100.93-14-1
Arizona94.192.592.993.20-50-5
P12 Avg.106.8105.8106.4106.4

Southeastern Conference
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgSECOverall
Georgia124.4123.6125.2124.47-27-2
Florida122.2121.7122.8122.28-28-2
Kentucky109.1109.0110.1109.44-64-6
Tennessee106.3105.7106.4106.13-63-6
Missouri105.3105.0106.1105.55-45-4
S. Carolina100.598.899.799.72-82-8
Vanderbilt88.387.587.487.80-90-9
West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgSECOverall
Alabama140.4141.3142.7141.510-010-0
Texas A&M121.6121.6122.3121.87-17-1
Auburn115.6114.7115.7115.36-46-4
L S U114.3113.6115.4114.44-54-5
Ole Miss109.0107.9109.0108.64-44-4
Miss. St.104.4103.7104.8104.32-72-7
Arkansas102.2102.8102.4102.53-73-7
SEC Avg.111.7111.2112.1111.7

Sunbelt Conference
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgSBCOverall
Coastal Car.107.0107.6107.7107.48-011-0
Appal. St.103.4102.9103.5103.36-28-3
Georgia Sou.92.793.593.093.14-47-5
Georgia St.91.892.192.392.14-45-4
Troy91.892.992.292.33-65-6

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgSBCOverall
Louisiana105.7105.3105.3105.47-19-1
Arkansas St.87.688.287.087.62-64-7
S. Alabama81.882.781.782.13-54-7
Texas St.81.081.580.280.92-62-10
UL-Monroe68.067.966.567.50-70-10
Sun Avg.91.191.490.991.2

Conference Ratings

#LeagueAvg
1SEC111.7
2BTen109.5
3B12106.6
4P12106.4
5ACC106.2
6AAC100.1
7MWC93.5
8Ind.93.3
9Sun91.2
10MAC88.0
11CUSA85.1

The Playoffs–What Will Be This Week & What Should Be

The Playoff Committee won’t adjust this week’s top four teams. Only one of the four from last week played a game this past weekend, and Alabama basically showed the nation that they look like the best team in college football since the 2001 Miami of Florida Hurricanes. If somebody tells you that the playoffs need to be expanded from 4 to either 6, 8, or 12 teams, because Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Buffalo, and San Jose St. deserve a chance this year, you should reply that they are incorrect when talking about this year only. If the NCAA Playoff Committee wanted to make any changes to make the 2020-2021 college season end the right way, they should change the number of teams in the playoffs–from four to zero!

Alabama is clearly the best team in the nation. If they played Notre Dame, Ohio State, or Clemson next week, the Tide would be favored by two touchdowns minimum over any of the three contenders. If you are old enough to remember UCLA basketball during the three seasons that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his additional all-American teammates suited up for the Bruins, the NCAA Tournaments were less eventful than the middle of the season Christmas and New Year’s tournaments. For three years, UCLA was the basketball equivalent of the 1927 New York Yankees. The NCAA Tournament was no different than the Bruin Invitational, as UCLA beat Dayton, North Carolina, and Purdue so handily that the games were not meaningful. Alabama is going to do the same thing this year.

We believe that Clemson will edge Notre Dame in the ACC Championship, as the Tigers almost beat the Irish in South Bend without having Trevor Lawrence available. Notre Dame will assuredly drop to #4 in the playoff rankings, but they will stay in the top 4 to be Sugar Bowl fodder for Alabama. Ohio State and Clemson would then face off in the Rose Bowl. Ten days later, Alabama will run roughshod over the Ohio State-Clemson winner, most likely Clemson, and it will be like the Yankees-Dodgers in the World Series during the 1950’s, with Alabama being the Yankees.

If you ask us whether Ohio State deserves to be in the Playoffs, as they have only played five games, when the Big Ten had previously stated that a team had to play at least six games to be eligible for the Big Ten Championship, we have a somewhat divided opinion. First, we 100% agree that Ohio State should be in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Let’s say that rather than declare the Michigan game postponed, that Ohio State forfeited the game to show a six-game slate. Even with the one loss, Ohio State beats out Indiana on the tiebreaker, and it doesn’t affect their eye test rating. So, the Buckeyes deserve the East Division championship. We kind of compare this to the rule where a Major League batter can be the batting champion even if he fails to get the required 502 plate appearances in a 162-game schedule, if you take his at-bats and include additional outs until you reach the 502 required PA’s. If the batter still has the highest batting average with those outs added, he is the batting champion.

For example, in 1996, legendary hitter Tony Gwynn batted .353, but he only made 498 plate appearances, which did not qualify for the batting crown. He needed four additional plate appearances. With four outs added to Gwynn’s actual record, his batting average dropped to .349, which was still better than the next highest average, Rockies’ star Ellis Burks at .344. So, Gwynn won the batting title at .353.

Likewise, adding one loss to Ohio State’s record still allows the Buckeyes to win the Big Ten East in a tiebreaker with Indiana.

That being said, do we believe that Ohio State is one of the four best teams in the nation this year? The short answer is that our own ratings show the Buckeyes to be the second best team. However, if we were on the Playoff Committee, we would be totally at a loss to separate Ohio State and USC. As for any of the G5 teams, we hate to say it, but none of them can play either Ohio State or USC to within 10 points. A G5 Playoff with Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Buffalo, and San Jose State would be quite entertaining and much better TV choices than the bowl games, even the New Year’s Six games. But, the only teams outside the current top four that should be in consideration for the Playoffs are USC and Texas A&M. Additionally, it is more accurate to state that the loser of the ACC Championship Game should be removed in favor of an undefeated USC team this year. A one-loss Texas A&M team that beat Florida and played Alabama better than any other opponent might be the second best team in the nation, and it would be hard to convince us that they don’t belong in the Big Four if the ACC loser loses by a substantial margin.

Here is our belief as to what will happen depending on whether each of the contenders win or lose this week.

Alabama–If the Crimson Tide wins, they are in the Sugar Bowl as the #1 seed. If the Crimson Tide loses, they are in the Rose Bowl as the #3 seed.

Ohio State–If the Buckeyes win, they are in the Rose Bowl as the #2 or #3 seed. If the Buckeyes lose, they are in a NY6 bowl and not in the playoffs.

Notre Dame–If the Irish win, they are in the Rose Bowl as the #2 seed or Sugar Bowl as the #1 seed if Bama were to lose. If the Irish lose, they are in the Sugar Bowl as the #4 seed.

Clemson–If the Tigers win, they are in the Rose Bowl as the #2 or #3 seed based on what Ohio State does. If the Tigers lose, they are in the Orange Bowl and not in the playoffs.

Texas A&M–The Aggies must win and then hope for Clemson or Ohio State to lose, possibly Notre Dame to lose by 20 or more points. If the Aggies back into the Playoffs, they will be headed to the Sugar Bowl as the #4 seed if Alabama is #1, or to the Rose Bowl if Ohio State or Notre Dame is #1

USC–Notre Dame must beat Clemson, and Northwestern must upset Ohio State, while USC beats Washington by 28 or more points, and Texas A&M doesn’t slaughter Tennessee.

Cincinnati–Clemson, Ohio State, and USC must lose, and maybe even Texas A&M.

Any 2-loss team–We don’t see any scenario where Oklahoma, Iowa State, Florida, or Clemson could make the playoffs with two losses.

December 6, 2020

PiRate Ratings–College Football For December 10-12, 2020

Filed under: College Football — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — piratings @ 8:58 pm

This Week’s PiRate Rating Spreads

Thursday, December 10
HomeVisitorsPiRateMeanBias
Southern Miss.Fla. Atlantic-6.2-7.0-7.8
Georgia TechPittsburgh-7.7-9.1-8.7
Friday, December 11
HomeVisitorsPiRateMeanBias
ColoradoUtah-2.8-1.7-4.7
UTEPNorth Texas-6.7-4.5-6.5
MarshallCharlotte17.617.817.5
ArizonaArizona St.-6.5-7.4-7.4
San Jose St.Nevada0.10.9-0.4
Saturday, December 12
HomeVisitorsPiRateMeanBias
FloridaLSU13.914.113.7
TulsaCincinnati-13.7-14.6-15.3
Miami (Fla.)North Carolina1.02.91.0
West VirginiaOklahoma-14.4-14.314.4
IndianaPurdue15.215.517.0
NorthwesternIllinois8.08.79.7
IowaWisconsin-4.1-2.6-3.4
UCLAUSC-9.4-7.8-9.3
OregonWashington7.67.46.6
Oregon St.Stanford1.73.81.7
Washington St.California-0.7-1.80.2
Virginia TechVirginia-3.3-3.3-3.3
MarylandRutgers-4.1-3.1-3.9
NebraskaMinnesota1.80.71.8
Penn St.Michigan St.14.613.914.7
Mississippi St.Auburn-9.3-8.9-8.6
New MexicoFresno St.-11.4-11.2-11.8
MemphisHouston3.63.72.9
Florida St.Duke6.25.26.6
LouisvilleWake Forest3.92.92.4
MissouriGeorgia-11.8-10.9-11.4
Texas A&MOle Miss14.615.715.4
VanderbiltTennessee-15.2-15.1-15.8
ArkansasAlabama-32.8-33.3-35.0
Ohio St.Michigan28.028.029.3
Kent St.Ohio-2.2-3.4-3.6
Bowling GreenMiami (O)-26.3-24.1-29.3
Eastern Mich.Northern Ill.4.24.64.6
Ball St.Western Mich.5.73.75.1
RiceUAB-5.3-7.7-5.5
BuffaloAkron36.234.838.4
TroyCoastal Carolina-15.5-15.2-16.4
ToledoCentral Mich.2.33.52.1
KansasTexas-36.8-36.2-38.0
ArmyNavy1.13.92.8
Georgia SouthernAppalachian St.-9.2-7.9-9.0
WyomingBoise St.-9.3-8.1-8.6
BaylorOklahoma St.-2.6-1.8-1.9
TCULouisiana Tech25.122.524.9
Colorado St. (*****)Utah St.6.67.77.5
BYUSan Diego St.18.917.619.1
HawaiiUNLV16.715.916.8

***** Utah State’s players voted not to play this game due to statements made by the school President concerning the interim head coach.

FBS vs. FCS Game

(Oddly Arkansas St.’s last game of the year and Incarnate Word’s first and only game of the year)

Update: It was cancelled!


FBS
FCSPiRate
Arkansas St.Incarnate Word18.0

This Week’s PiRate Ratings

12/6/2020
#TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvg.Conference
1Alabama138.5139.4140.8139.6SEC-W
2Ohio St.131.4130.5133.7131.9BTen-E
3Clemson129.2130.0131.4130.2ACC
4Notre Dame124.4124.2124.4124.3ACC
5Florida124.0123.6124.8124.1SEC-E
6Wisconsin123.0121.2124.1122.8BTen-W
7Texas A&M121.6121.6122.3121.8SEC-W
8Oklahoma121.6121.1121.8121.5B12
9Georgia121.5120.5122.1121.4SEC-E
10Iowa St.120.5119.8120.9120.4B12
11Cincinnati119.2118.7119.4119.1AAC
12Indiana117.1117.5119.6118.1BTen-E
13U S C118.6116.0117.7117.5P12-S
14Iowa116.9116.6118.7117.4BTen-W
15Texas117.0115.8116.9116.6B12
16N. Carolina115.3115.4115.8115.5ACC
17BYU115.0114.8115.4115.1Ind.
18Auburn115.4114.4115.3115.0SEC-W
19Oregon115.5113.9114.9114.8P12-N
20Miami (Fla.)113.8115.7114.3114.6ACC
21L S U112.7111.9113.6112.7SEC-W
22Northwestern110.9111.0113.4111.8BTen-W
23Penn St.111.8110.5112.4111.6BTen-E
24UCF110.4110.3110.7110.5AAC
25Oklahoma St.110.7109.4109.8110.0B12
26Kentucky109.1109.0110.1109.4SEC-E
27Washington109.4108.0109.8109.1P12-N
28Ole Miss109.0107.9109.0108.6SEC-W
29Coastal Car.107.8108.5108.8108.4SUN-E
30T C U108.6107.0108.7108.1B12
31Missouri107.7107.6108.7108.0SEC-E
32U C L A108.2107.3107.4107.6P12-S
33Utah107.0106.9107.7107.2P12-S
34Boise St.107.2107.2106.9107.1MWC-M
35Louisville107.1107.0106.5106.8ACC
36Virginia106.4106.9107.1106.8ACC
37Minnesota106.0106.5107.4106.6BTen-W
38Arizona St.106.7106.0106.3106.3P12-S
39Nebraska105.7105.2107.2106.1BTen-W
40Baylor106.1105.6105.9105.9B12
41Pittsburgh105.2106.1105.4105.6ACC
42Michigan105.4104.5106.3105.4BTen-E
43Louisiana105.7105.3105.3105.4SUN-W
44Wake Forest104.7105.5105.5105.3ACC
45California105.4105.1105.1105.2P12-N
46Tennessee105.4104.7105.3105.1SEC-E
47Buffalo104.3105.0105.1104.8MAC-E
48W. Virginia104.7104.4104.9104.7B12
49Miss. St.104.6104.0105.2104.6SEC-W
50Tulane104.3104.3103.9104.2AAC
51Oregon St.104.3104.4103.7104.1P12-N
52Illinois103.9103.3104.8104.0BTen-W
53Boston Coll.103.6103.9104.2103.9ACC
54Arkansas103.6104.2103.8103.9SEC-W
55Purdue103.4103.5104.1103.7BTen-W
56Washington St.103.7102.3104.2103.4P12-N
57Memphis104.4103.1102.6103.4AAC
58Appal. St.103.4102.9103.5103.3SUN-E
59Stanford104.1102.1103.5103.2P12-N
60Tulsa103.5102.1102.1102.5AAC
61Virginia Tech102.1102.6102.9102.5ACC
62Colorado102.2103.2101.0102.1P12-S
63Air Force101.7102.4101.7101.9MWC-M
64NC State101.4101.9101.8101.7ACC
65Houston102.3100.9101.2101.5AAC
66Liberty100.0102.9100.8101.2Ind.
67Kansas St.100.499.6100.7100.2B12
68Rutgers100.799.7100.2100.2BTen-E
69SMU100.199.699.299.7AAC
70S. Carolina100.598.899.799.7SEC-E
71Marshall99.699.999.299.5CUSA-E
72Michigan St.99.198.699.799.2BTen-E
73San Diego St.98.299.298.398.6MWC-W
74Texas Tech98.897.698.998.4B12
75Arizona99.197.597.998.2P12-S
76San Jose St.96.197.896.396.7MWC-W
77Nevada96.096.996.796.6MWC-W
78Wyoming96.097.196.496.5MWC-M
79Florida St.96.595.696.196.1ACC
80Ball St.95.795.595.995.7MAC-W
81Georgia Tech96.095.595.295.6ACC
82U A B95.395.894.795.3CUSA-W
83E. Carolina95.695.494.595.2AAC
84Fresno St.95.095.694.795.1MWC-W
85Maryland95.195.194.895.0BTen-E
86Ohio94.495.195.394.9MAC-E
87Army92.894.392.793.3Ind.
88Georgia Sou.92.793.593.093.1SUN-E
89Navy93.892.491.992.7AAC
90Toledo92.293.492.192.6MAC-W
91Hawaii92.793.092.092.5MWC-W
92Western Mich.91.593.392.392.4MAC-W
93Georgia St.91.892.192.392.1SUN-E
94Miami (O)92.491.592.192.0MAC-E
95Central Mich.91.991.992.091.9MAC-W
96Duke91.991.990.991.5ACC
97W. Kentucky91.291.790.891.2CUSA-E
98Kent St.91.290.790.790.9MAC-E
99Syracuse90.191.390.890.8ACC
100Troy90.391.390.490.7SUN-E
101Colorado St.89.590.389.589.8MWC-M
102Vanderbilt89.288.588.588.8SEC-E
103Fla. Atlantic87.788.888.488.3CUSA-E
104Arkansas St.87.688.287.087.6SUN-W
105Temple87.987.686.387.3AAC
106Rice88.186.187.287.1CUSA-W
107USF87.886.586.286.8AAC
108La. Tech85.586.585.886.0CUSA-W
109Florida Int’l.85.785.585.385.5CUSA-E
110U T S A85.285.685.485.4CUSA-W
111Eastern Mich.83.685.484.284.4MAC-W
112Utah St.84.484.183.584.0MWC-M
113New Mexico83.784.482.983.7MWC-M
114Charlotte83.583.683.283.4CUSA-E
115Middle Tenn.82.282.582.382.3CUSA-E
116S. Alabama81.882.781.782.1SUN-W
117N. Illinois80.982.281.181.4MAC-W
118Texas St.81.081.580.280.9SUN-W
119Southern Miss.80.580.879.680.3CUSA-W
120U N L V79.580.678.779.6MWC-W
121Kansas78.778.077.478.1B12
122North Texas75.575.775.175.5CUSA-W
123Akron70.172.268.770.3MAC-E
124U T E P67.870.267.768.6CUSA-W
125UL-Monroe68.067.966.567.5SUN-W
126Bowling Green65.166.461.864.4MAC-E
127Mass.61.767.559.963.0Ind.

PiRate Ratings By Conference

American Athletic Conference
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgAACOverall
Cincinnati119.2118.7119.4119.16-08-0
UCF110.4110.3110.7110.55-36-3
Tulane104.3104.3103.9104.23-56-5
Memphis104.4103.1102.6103.44-36-3
Tulsa103.5102.1102.1102.56-06-1
Houston102.3100.9101.2101.53-23-3
SMU100.199.699.299.74-37-3
E. Carolina95.695.494.595.23-43-6
Navy93.892.491.992.73-43-6
Temple87.987.686.387.31-61-6
USF87.886.586.286.80-71-8
AAC Avg.100.8100.199.8100.2

Atlantic Coast Conference
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgACCOverall
Clemson129.2130.0131.4130.28-19-1
Notre Dame124.4124.2124.4124.39-010-0
N. Carolina115.3115.4115.8115.56-37-3
Miami (Fla.)113.8115.7114.3114.67-18-1
Virginia106.4106.9107.1106.84-45-4
Louisville107.1107.0106.5106.82-73-7
Pittsburgh105.2106.1105.4105.64-55-5
Wake Forest104.7105.5105.5105.33-34-3
Boston Coll.103.6103.9104.2103.95-56-5
Virginia Tech102.1102.6102.9102.54-54-6
NC State101.4101.9101.8101.77-38-3
Florida St.96.595.696.196.11-62-6
Georgia Tech96.095.595.295.63-53-6
Duke91.991.990.991.51-82-8
Syracuse90.191.390.890.81-91-10
ACC Avg.105.9106.2106.1106.1

Big 12 Conference
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgB12Overall
Oklahoma121.6121.1121.8121.56-27-2
Iowa St.120.5119.8120.9120.48-18-2
Texas117.0115.8116.9116.65-36-3
Oklahoma St.110.7109.4109.8110.05-36-3
T C U108.6107.0108.7108.15-45-4
Baylor106.1105.6105.9105.92-62-6
W. Virginia104.7104.4104.9104.74-45-4
Kansas St.100.499.6100.7100.24-54-6
Texas Tech98.897.698.998.43-64-6
Kansas78.778.077.478.10-80-9
Big 12 Avg.106.7105.8106.6106.4

Big Ten Conference
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAverageBTenOverall
Ohio St.131.4130.5133.7131.95-05-0
Indiana117.1117.5119.6118.16-16-1
Penn St.111.8110.5112.4111.62-52-5
Michigan105.4104.5106.3105.42-42-4
Rutgers100.799.7100.2100.22-52-5
Michigan St.99.198.699.799.22-42-4
Maryland95.195.194.895.02-22-2

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAverageBTenOverall
Wisconsin123.0121.2124.1122.82-22-2
Iowa116.9116.6118.7117.45-25-2
Northwestern110.9111.0113.4111.85-15-1
Minnesota106.0106.5107.4106.62-32-3
Nebraska105.7105.2107.2106.12-42-4
Illinois103.9103.3104.8104.02-42-4
Purdue103.4103.5104.1103.72-42-4
Big Ten Avg.109.3108.9110.5109.5

Conference USA
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgCUSAOverall
Marshall99.699.999.299.54-17-1
W. Kentucky91.291.790.891.24-35-6
Fla. Atlantic87.788.888.488.34-15-2
Florida Int’l.85.785.585.385.50-30-5
Charlotte83.583.683.283.42-22-4
Middle Tenn.82.282.582.382.32-43-6

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgCUSAOverall
U A B95.395.894.795.32-14-3
Rice88.186.187.287.12-22-2
La. Tech85.586.585.886.04-25-3
U T S A85.285.685.485.45-27-4
Southern Miss.80.580.879.680.31-42-7
North Texas75.575.775.175.52-43-5
U T E P67.870.267.768.60-33-4
CUSA Avg.85.285.685.085.3

FBS Independents
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
BYU115.0114.8115.4115.1x9-1
Liberty100.0102.9100.8101.2x9-1
Army92.894.392.793.3x6-2
Mass.61.767.559.963.0x0-4
Ind. Avg.92.494.992.293.2

Mid-American Conference
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
Buffalo104.3105.0105.1104.84-04-0
Ohio94.495.195.394.92-12-1
Miami (O)92.491.592.192.02-12-1
Kent St.91.290.790.790.93-13-1
Akron70.172.268.770.31-41-4
Bowling Green65.166.461.864.40-50-5

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
Ball St.95.795.595.995.74-14-1
Toledo92.293.492.192.63-23-2
Western Mich.91.593.392.392.44-14-1
Central Mich.91.991.992.091.93-23-2
Eastern Mich.83.685.484.284.41-41-4
N. Illinois80.982.281.181.40-50-5
MAC Avg.87.888.587.688.0

Mountain West Conference
Mountain Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
Boise St.107.2107.2106.9107.14-04-1
Air Force101.7102.4101.7101.92-23-2
Wyoming96.097.196.496.52-32-3
Colorado St.89.590.389.589.81-31-3
Utah St.84.484.183.584.01-51-5
New Mexico83.784.482.983.71-51-5

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
San Diego St.98.299.298.398.64-24-3
San Jose St.96.197.896.396.75-05-0
Nevada96.096.996.796.66-16-1
Fresno St.95.095.694.795.13-23-2
Hawaii92.793.092.092.53-43-4
U N L V79.580.678.779.60-50-5
MWC Avg.93.394.193.193.5

Pac-12 Conference
North Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
Oregon115.5113.9114.9114.83-23-2
Washington109.4108.0109.8109.13-13-1
California105.4105.1105.1105.21-31-3
Oregon St.104.3104.4103.7104.12-32-3
Washington St.103.7102.3104.2103.41-21-2
Stanford104.1102.1103.5103.22-22-2

South Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
U S C118.6116.0117.7117.54-04-0
U C L A108.2107.3107.4107.63-23-2
Utah107.0106.9107.7107.21-21-2
Arizona St.106.7106.0106.3106.30-20-2
Colorado102.2103.2101.0102.13-04-0
Arizona99.197.597.998.20-40-4
P12 Avg.107.0106.0106.6106.6

Southeastern Conference
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgSECOverall
Florida124.0123.6124.8124.18-18-1
Georgia121.5120.5122.1121.46-26-2
Kentucky109.1109.0110.1109.44-64-6
Missouri107.7107.6108.7108.05-35-3
Tennessee105.4104.7105.3105.12-62-6
S. Carolina100.598.899.799.72-82-8
Vanderbilt89.288.588.588.80-80-8

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgSECOverall
Alabama138.5139.4140.8139.69-09-0
Texas A&M121.6121.6122.3121.87-17-1
Auburn115.4114.4115.3115.05-45-4
L S U112.7111.9113.6112.73-53-5
Ole Miss109.0107.9109.0108.64-44-4
Miss. St.104.6104.0105.2104.62-62-6
Arkansas103.6104.2103.8103.93-63-6
SEC Avg.111.6111.1112.1111.6

Sunbelt Conference
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgSBCOverall
Coastal Car.107.8108.5108.8108.47-010-0
Appal. St.103.4102.9103.5103.35-27-3
Georgia Sou.92.793.593.093.14-37-4
Georgia St.91.892.192.392.14-45-4
Troy90.391.390.490.73-55-5

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgSBCOverall
Louisiana105.7105.3105.3105.47-19-1
Arkansas St.87.688.287.087.62-64-7
S. Alabama81.882.781.782.13-54-7
Texas St.81.081.580.280.92-62-10
UL-Monroe68.067.966.567.50-70-10
Sun Avg.91.091.490.991.1

Rating of Conferences

#LeagueAvg
1SEC111.6
2BTen109.5
3P12106.6
4B12106.4
5ACC106.1
6AAC100.2
7MWC93.5
8Ind.93.2
9Sun91.1
10MAC88.0
11CUSA85.3

November 1, 2020

PiRate Ratings–College Football For November 4-7, 2020

Filed under: College Football — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — piratings @ 8:12 am

This Week’s PiRate Ratings Spreads

HomeVisitorsPiRateMeanBias
Kent St.Eastern Mich.9.26.48.3
AkronWestern Mich.-14.5-14.2-17.3
Northern Ill.Buffalo-12.3-11.2-12.9
Central Mich.Ohio0.4-0.9-1.2
Miami (O)Ball St.3.52.82.4
ToledoBowling Green15.615.119.0
NevadaUtah St.3.95.35.7
Colorado St.Wyoming-8.6-9.2-10.0
NC St.Miami (Fla.)-7.4-9.4-7.4
San Diego St.San Jose St.9.79.211.0
Boise St.BYU1.62.11.2
Ohio St.Rutgers36.737.041.1
Kansas St.Oklahoma St.-5.0-5.1-4.5
IndianaMichigan0.61.81.3
Penn St.Maryland30.929.732.5
Iowa St.Baylor6.35.96.8
NorthwesternNebraska2.12.83.3
IllnoisMinnesota-2.3-3.6-2.9
ArmyAir Force3.42.33.0
DukeNorth Carolina-10.3-10.4-11.9
USCArizona St.10.98.79.9
TempleSMU-6.2-5.8-6.6
MemphisUSF20.921.622.0
East CarolinaTulane-4.1-4.2-4.4
NavyTulsa-7.3-7.0-7.4
IowaMichigan St.11.711.612.6
TexasWest Va.11.610.511.7
Georgia St.UL-Monroe17.517.418.6
Virginia TechLiberty17.014.817.4
LouisianaArkansas St.17.115.716.8
Georgia SouthernTroy2.31.72.0
SyracuseBoston College-11.7-10.4-12.0
MarshallUMass42.735.944.3
Texas St.Appalachian St.-20.0-18.7-21.9
Florida (N)Georgia-3.3-2.8-3.4
CincinnatiHouston16.717.618.1
WisconsinPurdue21.318.321.0
OklahomaKansas39.139.040.7
RiceUTSA11.28.710.5
Middle Tenn.Charlotte-2.7-2.7-2.6
TCUTexas Tech10.99.810.7
UNLVFresno St.-10.5-9.7-11.0
UtahArizona10.311.712.2
Mississippi St.Vanderbilt16.817.119.0
UTEPFlorida Intl.-18.9-16.2-18.9
Florida St.Pittsburgh3.41.13.5
Fla. AtlanticWestern Ky.-2.7-2.1-2.1
South CarolinaTexas A&M-0.8-2.7-1.2
North TexasLouisiana Tech-7.8-8.2-8.1
ColoradoUCLA-1.90.9-2.1
Notre DameClemson-1.7-3.3-4.8
OregonStanford16.917.917.6
ArkansasTennessee-4.0-2.8-5.3
Coastal CarolinaSouth Alabama21.020.522.0
VirginiaLouisville-2.3-1.8-1.1
Oregon St.Washington St.0.21.8-2.1
CaliforniaWashington0.70.81.1
HawaiiNew Mexico15.715.016.1

Games with Strike-through lines have been cancelled this week

FBS vs. FCS
FBSFCSPiRate
Southern Miss.N. Alabama14.0

*** 10 games out of 48 scheduled means that more than 20% of scheduled games fell victim to the virus this week! ***

This Week’s PiRate Ratings

11/01/2020
#TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvg.Conference
1Ohio St.132.8131.8135.7133.4BTen-E
2Alabama130.1131.2132.4131.2SEC-W
3Clemson126.5127.4129.1127.7ACC
4Wisconsin125.3123.0126.3124.9BTen-W
5Georgia123.9122.9124.8123.9SEC-E
6Notre Dame122.3121.6121.8121.9ACC
7Florida120.6120.1121.4120.7SEC-E
8Penn St.120.8119.5121.5120.6BTen-E
9Oregon119.5117.9119.3118.9P12-N
10Oklahoma117.9117.3118.1117.8B12
11Cincinnati116.9116.3117.0116.7AAC
12Auburn116.6115.3116.6116.2SEC-W
13L S U115.7114.8117.3115.9SEC-W
14U S C116.2113.5115.2115.0P12-S
15Oklahoma St.115.3114.5115.0114.9B12
16Texas A&M114.2114.3114.3114.3SEC-W
17Texas114.3113.1114.4113.9B12
18Michigan112.5111.9114.2112.9BTen-E
19UCF112.6112.7113.3112.9AAC
20N. Carolina112.4112.7113.4112.8ACC
21Indiana111.1111.7113.5112.1BTen-E
22Kentucky111.7111.7112.9112.1SEC-E
23BYU111.4111.0111.7111.4Ind.
24Iowa110.5110.1112.0110.9BTen-W
25Iowa St.111.0110.2111.2110.8B12
26Boise St.110.5110.6110.4110.5MWC-M
27Virginia Tech109.9110.3111.3110.5ACC
28S. Carolina110.9109.1110.6110.2SEC-E
29Miami (Fla.)109.2111.5109.7110.1ACC
30Washington110.2108.9110.9110.0P12-N
31Utah109.3108.9110.0109.4P12-S
32Northwestern107.4107.5110.0108.3BTen-W
33Tennessee108.4107.9108.7108.3SEC-E
34Louisville108.3108.2107.6108.0ACC
35California107.5107.7107.8107.7P12-N
36Arizona St.107.8107.4107.8107.6P12-S
37Nebraska107.3106.7108.7107.6BTen-W
38Kansas St.107.8106.9108.0107.6B12
39Minnesota106.6107.1108.0107.2BTen-W
40Purdue106.5107.2107.8107.2BTen-W
41Ole Miss107.3106.2107.2106.9SEC-W
42Baylor106.7106.3106.4106.5B12
43T C U107.0104.7106.9106.2B12
44Memphis106.9105.9105.8106.2AAC
45W. Virginia105.2105.1105.2105.2B12
46Missouri104.4104.3105.6104.8SEC-E
47Washington St.104.8103.5105.9104.7P12-N
48Coastal Car.103.9104.6104.8104.4SUN-E
49Virginia104.0104.3104.4104.3ACC
50Miss. St.104.2103.6104.9104.2SEC-W
51Wake Forest103.5104.2104.0103.9ACC
52Stanford105.0102.5104.2103.9P12-N
53Boston Coll.103.4103.6104.1103.7ACC
54Appal. St.102.8102.0103.3102.7SUN-E
55Oregon St.103.0103.3101.8102.7P12-N
56Tulsa103.6101.9101.9102.4AAC
57Louisiana102.8102.1102.1102.3SUN-W
58Illinois102.2101.5103.2102.3BTen-W
59Marshall102.3102.2101.7102.0CUSA-E
60Arkansas101.8102.6101.0101.8SEC-W
61Houston102.7101.2101.4101.8AAC
62San Diego St.100.8102.1101.8101.6MWC-W
63Michigan St.101.3101.0101.8101.4BTen-E
64U C L A102.2100.7100.3101.1P12-S
65Florida St.101.2100.1101.0100.8ACC
66SMU101.0100.5100.2100.6AAC
67Pittsburgh100.3101.4100.0100.6ACC
68Arizona101.499.7100.4100.5P12-S
69Duke100.6100.8100.0100.4ACC
70NC State99.8100.1100.3100.1ACC
71Air Force99.8100.499.599.9MWC-M
72Wyoming98.9100.3100.099.7MWC-M
73Tulane99.198.998.298.7AAC
74Texas Tech98.196.998.397.8B12
75Rutgers98.697.397.197.7BTen-E
76Colorado97.899.195.797.5P12-S
77Buffalo96.797.397.697.2MAC-E
78Liberty94.997.595.996.1Ind.
79U A B95.896.395.295.8CUSA-W
80Ohio94.395.196.095.1MAC-E
81Hawaii94.994.994.194.6MWC-W
82Army93.995.694.094.5Ind.
83Miami (O)94.793.294.093.9MAC-E
84San Jose St.93.194.992.893.6MWC-W
85Fresno St.93.594.093.293.6MWC-W
86Georgia Sou.92.993.793.393.3SUN-E
87Troy92.694.093.293.3SUN-E
88Navy94.392.992.493.2AAC
89Georgia Tech93.793.092.893.2ACC
90Central Mich.93.292.793.393.1MAC-W
91E. Carolina93.092.891.892.5AAC
92Ball St.92.691.993.092.5MAC-W
93Temple92.892.891.692.4AAC
94Nevada91.492.292.392.0MWC-W
95Maryland91.991.891.091.6BTen-E
96Florida Int’l.91.391.091.391.2CUSA-E
97Syracuse89.791.290.190.4ACC
98Western Mich.89.191.290.490.2MAC-W
99W. Kentucky89.790.389.689.9CUSA-E
100Kent St.90.189.489.589.7MAC-E
101Vanderbilt89.989.088.489.1SEC-E
102Colorado St.88.789.588.588.9MWC-M
103Toledo88.589.788.088.7MAC-W
104Utah St.89.088.588.288.6MWC-M
105Georgia St.88.688.688.488.5SUN-E
106Rice88.986.888.288.0CUSA-W
107Arkansas St.87.788.487.387.8SUN-W
108USF88.086.485.886.7AAC
109La. Tech86.187.086.286.5CUSA-W
110Fla. Atlantic85.086.285.585.5CUSA-E
111Charlotte85.385.585.285.4CUSA-E
112S. Alabama84.986.184.985.3SUN-W
113N. Illinois82.884.683.283.6MAC-W
114Eastern Mich.82.484.582.883.2MAC-W
115New Mexico83.283.981.983.0MWC-M
116U N L V81.582.880.881.7MWC-W
117Middle Tenn.81.181.381.181.2CUSA-E
118Southern Miss.81.181.379.880.7CUSA-W
119Kansas81.380.879.980.7B12
120Texas St.80.881.379.580.5SUN-W
121U T S A79.279.679.279.3CUSA-W
122North Texas76.877.376.676.9CUSA-W
123Bowling Green74.476.170.673.7MAC-E
124Akron73.175.571.573.4MAC-E
125UL-Monroe72.672.771.472.2SUN-W
126U T E P70.472.770.571.2CUSA-W
127Mass.62.168.759.963.6Ind.

PiRate Ratings By Conference

American Athletic Conference
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgAACOverall
Cincinnati116.9116.3117.0116.73-05-0
UCF112.6112.7113.3112.93-24-2
Memphis106.9105.9105.8106.22-23-2
Tulsa103.6101.9101.9102.43-03-1
Houston102.7101.2101.4101.82-12-2
SMU101.0100.5100.2100.63-16-1
Tulane99.198.998.298.71-43-4
Navy94.392.992.493.23-23-4
E. Carolina93.092.891.892.51-21-4
Temple92.892.891.692.41-31-3
USF88.086.485.886.70-41-5

AAC Avg.101.0100.299.9100.4

Atlantic Coast Conference
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgACCOverall
Clemson126.5127.4129.1127.76-07-0
Notre Dame122.3121.6121.8121.95-06-0
N. Carolina112.4112.7113.4112.84-24-2
Virginia Tech109.9110.3111.3110.54-24-2
Miami (Fla.)109.2111.5109.7110.14-15-1
Louisville108.3108.2107.6108.01-52-5
Virginia104.0104.3104.4104.32-42-4
Wake Forest103.5104.2104.0103.93-24-2
Boston Coll.103.4103.6104.1103.73-34-3
Florida St.101.2100.1101.0100.81-42-4
Pittsburgh100.3101.4100.0100.62-43-4
Duke100.6100.8100.0100.41-52-5
NC State99.8100.1100.3100.14-24-2
Georgia Tech93.793.092.893.22-42-5
Syracuse89.791.290.190.41-51-6

ACC Avg.105.7106.0106.0105.9

Big 12 Conference
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgB12Overall
Oklahoma117.9117.3118.1117.83-24-2
Oklahoma St.115.3114.5115.0114.93-14-1
Texas114.3113.1114.4113.93-24-2
Iowa St.111.0110.2111.2110.84-14-2
Kansas St.107.8106.9108.0107.64-14-2
Baylor106.7106.3106.4106.51-31-3
T C U107.0104.7106.9106.22-32-3
W. Virginia105.2105.1105.2105.23-24-2
Texas Tech98.196.998.397.81-42-4
Kansas81.380.879.980.70-50-6

Big 12 Avg.106.5105.6106.4106.1

Big Ten Conference
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAverageBTenOverall
Ohio St.132.8131.8135.7133.42-02-0
Penn St.120.8119.5121.5120.60-20-2
Michigan112.5111.9114.2112.91-11-1
Indiana111.1111.7113.5112.12-02-0
Michigan St.101.3101.0101.8101.41-11-1
Rutgers98.697.397.197.71-11-1
Maryland91.991.891.091.61-11-1


West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAverageBTenOverall
Wisconsin125.3123.0126.3124.91-01-0
Iowa110.5110.1112.0110.90-20-2
Northwestern107.4107.5110.0108.32-02-0
Nebraska107.3106.7108.7107.60-10-1
Minnesota106.6107.1108.0107.20-20-2
Purdue106.5107.2107.8107.22-02-0
Illinois102.2101.5103.2102.30-20-2

Big Ten Avg.109.6109.2110.8109.9

Conference USA
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgCUSAOverall
Marshall102.3102.2101.7102.03-05-0
Florida Int’l.91.391.091.391.20-10-3
W. Kentucky89.790.389.689.91-22-5
Fla. Atlantic85.086.285.585.52-12-1
Charlotte85.385.585.285.42-12-3
Middle Tenn.81.181.381.181.22-32-5


West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgCUSAOverall
U A B95.896.395.295.82-14-3
Rice88.986.888.288.01-11-1
La. Tech86.187.086.286.53-24-3
Southern Miss.81.181.379.880.71-21-5
U T S A79.279.679.279.32-24-4
North Texas76.877.376.676.91-22-3
U T E P70.472.770.571.20-23-3

CUSA Avg.85.686.085.485.7

FBS Independents
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
BYU111.4111.0111.7111.4x7-0
Liberty94.997.595.996.1x6-0
Army93.995.694.094.5x5-1
Mass.62.168.759.963.6x0-1

Ind. Avg.90.693.290.491.4

Mid-American Conference
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
Buffalo96.797.397.697.20-00-0
Ohio94.395.196.095.10-00-0
Miami (O)94.793.294.093.90-00-0
Kent St.90.189.489.589.70-00-0
Bowling Green74.476.170.673.70-00-0
Akron73.175.571.573.40-00-0

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
Central Mich.93.292.793.393.10-00-0
Ball St.92.691.993.092.50-00-0
Western Mich.89.191.290.490.20-00-0
Toledo88.589.788.088.70-00-0
N. Illinois82.884.683.283.60-00-0
Eastern Mich.82.484.582.883.20-00-0

MAC Avg.87.688.487.587.9

Mountain West Conference
Mountain Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
Boise St.110.5110.6110.4110.52-02-0
Air Force99.8100.499.599.90-21-2
Wyoming98.9100.3100.099.71-11-1
Colorado St.88.789.588.588.90-10-1
Utah St.89.088.588.288.60-20-2
New Mexico83.283.981.983.00-10-1

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
San Diego St.100.8102.1101.8101.62-02-0
Hawaii94.994.994.194.61-11-1
San Jose St.93.194.992.893.62-02-0
Fresno St.93.594.093.293.61-11-1
Nevada91.492.292.392.02-02-0
U N L V81.582.880.881.70-20-2

MWC Avg.93.894.593.694.0

Pac-12 Conference
North Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
Oregon119.5117.9119.3118.90-00-0
Washington110.2108.9110.9110.00-00-0
California107.5107.7107.8107.70-00-0
Washington St.104.8103.5105.9104.70-00-0
Stanford105.0102.5104.2103.90-00-0
Oregon St.103.0103.3101.8102.70-00-0

South Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgConf.Overall
U S C116.2113.5115.2115.00-00-0
Utah109.3108.9110.0109.40-00-0
Arizona St.107.8107.4107.8107.60-00-0
U C L A102.2100.7100.3101.10-00-0
Arizona101.499.7100.4100.50-00-0
Colorado97.899.195.797.50-00-0

P12 Avg.107.1106.1106.6106.6

Southeastern Conference
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgSECOverall
Georgia123.9122.9124.8123.94-14-1
Florida120.6120.1121.4120.73-13-1
Kentucky111.7111.7112.9112.12-42-4
S. Carolina110.9109.1110.6110.22-32-3
Tennessee108.4107.9108.7108.32-32-3
Missouri104.4104.3105.6104.82-32-3
Vanderbilt89.989.088.489.10-40-4

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgSECOverall
Alabama130.1131.2132.4131.26-06-0
Auburn116.6115.3116.6116.24-24-2
L S U115.7114.8117.3115.92-32-3
Texas A&M114.2114.3114.3114.34-14-1
Ole Miss107.3106.2107.2106.92-42-4
Miss. St.104.2103.6104.9104.21-41-4
Arkansas101.8102.6101.0101.82-32-3

SEC Avg.111.4110.9111.9111.4

Sunbelt Conference
East Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgSBCOverall
Coastal Car.103.9104.6104.8104.44-06-0
Appal. St.102.8102.0103.3102.72-04-1
Georgia Sou.92.993.793.393.32-24-2
Troy92.694.093.293.32-14-2
Georgia St.88.688.688.488.51-32-3

West Division
TeamPiRateMeanBiasAvgSBCOverall
Louisiana102.8102.1102.1102.33-15-1
Arkansas St.87.788.487.387.81-33-4
S. Alabama84.986.184.985.32-13-3
Texas St.80.881.379.580.51-31-7
UL-Monroe72.672.771.472.20-40-7

Sun Avg.91.091.390.891.0

Conference Ratings

#LeagueAvg
1SEC111.4
2BTen109.9
3P12106.6
4B12106.1
5ACC105.9
6AAC100.4
7MWC94.0
8Ind.91.4
9Sun91.0
10MAC87.9
11CUSA85.7

March 9, 2011

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments–March 9 Update

Filed under: College Basketball — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — piratings @ 8:25 am

Three More Tickets Punched

Horizon League Championship

Butler 59  Milwaukee 44

 The Bulldogs held Milwaukee to 30% shooting from the field, and Matt Howard connected on seven of nine shots to pace Butler with 18 points, as the defending National Final runner-up earned another spot in the Big Dance.

 Summit League Championship

Oakland 90  Oral Roberts 76 

The Golden Grizzlies displayed a great offensive show with the aid of numerous first half steals by Drew Valentine and Reggie Hamilton to build a double-digit lead by the break.  After withstanding an early second half run by the Golden Eagles, Oakland pulled away to win the automatic bid.  

Keith Benson topped Oakland with 28 points and 14 rebounds.  Hamilton added 25 with six assists, while Will Hudson recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Sunbelt Conference Championship

U A L R  64  North Texas  63 

The Trojans won their first Sunbelt Championship and earned their first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 1990.

 

SBC Player of the Year Solomon Bozeman drove from the backcourt to the left side of the top of the key and drained a three-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining to give UALR the decisive points.  Bozeman scored a game-high 20 points. 

North Texas had led by seven points with less than two minutes to go, but the Mean Green wilted under the Trojan pressure defense.  With one last chance to try to win, UNT committed a turnover on the inbounds pass. 

11 Automatic Qualifiers To Date

Team Conference Record
Arkansas-Little Rock Sunbelt  19-16
Belmont  Atlantic South 30-4
Butler  Horizon 23-9
Gonzaga West Coast 24-9
Indiana State  Missouri Valley  20-13
Morehead State  Ohio Valley  24-9
Oakland  Summit  25-9
Old Dominion Colonial 27-6
St. Peter’s Metro Atlantic 20-13
UNC-Asheville Big South 19-13
Wofford Southern 21-12

 

Two Tickets To Be Punched Tonight

Big Sky Tournament Championship @ 9PM ET On ESPN2

#2 Montana (21-9) at #1 Northern Colorado (20-10)

 

Semifinal Round

Montana 57  Weber State 40

Northern Colorado 73  Northern Arizona 70

 

These two split their regular season series with Northern Colorado winning 63-45 in Greeley, and Montana winning 55-42 in Missoula.  Tonight’s game will be played at Butler-Hancock Hall in Greeley, so Northern Colorado will enjoy the home court advantage. 

This game is a great study in contrasts.  Northern Colorado is a quicker team, but Montana is a stronger team.  Northern Colorado has one exceptionally dominant player, while Montana has more, albeit less exceptional, weapons.

 

The Bears’ offense runs through 6-1 senior guard Devon Beitzel.  Beitzel averages a league-best 21 points per game, and he is deadly at the free throw line, where he connects on 91% of his tosses. 

The rest of the team collectively shoots under 41% from the field and commits more turnovers than assists, so if the Grizzlies can stop Beitzel, or at least limit his touches, they have a chance of defending their crown.

 

Montana has the dominant big man in the conference in 6-11/260 senior center Brian Qvale.  If the Grizzlies can keep this game a half-court affair, they stand a great chance of winning with Qvale plugging the middle on defense and controlling the boards at both ends of the court.  Qvale averages 15 points and nine boards a game, and he had a double-double with 16 points and 17 rebounds in the semifinal round.  Montana likes to limit possessions, so those numbers are even more impressive than they look. 

In the win over UNC, Montana held the Bears to 23.3% shooting, while they shot just 32.6% in the loss at Greeley.

 

It is our opinion that the visiting number two seed will pull off the mild upset over the host numbone seed, but it is not a strong feeling. 

 Northeast Conference Tournament Championship @ 7PM ET On ESPN2

#3 Robert Morris (18-13) at #1 Long Island (26-5)

Semifinal Round

Long Island 69  Central Connecticut 67

Robert Morris 64  Quinnipiac 62

Brooklyn has not been this excited over one of their own sports teams since the Dodgers won the 1955 World Series.  Long Island is one of the most exciting teams in the nation, and their 26-5 record has throngs of Brooklynites cramming into the Wellness, Recreation, and Athletic Center.  The WRAC holds just 2,500 seats, but you can bet that more than that amount will find their way into the game tonight, as they “Pack the WRAC.” 

Those fans will be converging to the corner of Ashland and Dekalb tonight, dressed in all white, to watch what could be a blowout win for their team.   

LIU is on a roll.  The Blackbirds have won 12 games in a row (longest current streak in the nation) and 20 of their previous 21 games.  They average almost 83 points per game.  The Blackbirds have exceptional depth with eight players capable of scoring 15 or more points. 

 

The Blackbirds pose difficult matchups with their roster, as they rely on quick guards and medium-sized forwards with great leaping ability to play at a fast pace.  There is no center on the roster, but the two 6-7 forwards have controlled the boards in most games this year. 

Those forwards are Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere, who team up for 25.4 points and 15.7 rebounds per game.

 5-10 backup guard Jason Brickman plays just 22 minutes per game, but he leads the team with 5.3 assists per game.  When he comes in the game, the pace picks up, and the Blackbirds shoot a lot of threes in transition.

 

Robert Morris is definitely not cannon fodder.  The Colonials are the two-time defending NEC Tournament champions, and they believe they can three peat even on the road in hostile conditions. 

The Colonials have won eight games in a row, relying on a stellar defense that limits possessions and pressures the guards.  They are missing their leading scorer, as 5-9 guard Karon Abraham’s season ended two weeks ago with a torn Achilles Tendon.  On the positive side, Abraham missed RMU’s win at LIU on December 2, as he was serving a multi-game suspension. 

Velton Jones and Russell Johnson will have to shine tonight for the Colonials to pull off the upset.  The duo are the only double figure scorers left, but both shoot less than 39% from the field. 

Without Abraham, RMU shoots just 33.7% from behind the arc, so the only way they can possibly win tonight is to replicate the formula that was successful more than three months ago—control the tempo and prevent LIU from getting off any uncontested three-pointers. 

We believe this game will begin slowly with RMU taking the lead in the early stages.  Somewhere in the first half, LIU will go on one of their patented runs and gain the lead.  Then, a second spurt will give them a commanding lead.  RMU might cut into that lead, but we believe in the end, the Blackbirds will be celebrating at the WRAC.  We do not believe the Brooklynites will be crying “Wait ‘Til Next Year.”  This will be like October of 1955 in the borough.

 

Yesterday’s Other Tournament Results

Atlantic 10 Conference

First Round

LaSalle 75  St. Bonaventure 73  2ot

St. Joseph’s 71  George Washington 59  ot

Rhode Island 70  St. Louis 61

Dayton 78  U Mass 50

 

Big East Conference

First Round

Connecticut 97  DePaul 71

Rutgers 76  Seton Hall 70 ot

South Florida 70  Villanova 69

Marquette 87  Providence 66 

M A C

First Round

Bowling Green 74  Northern Illinois 54

Ohio U 74  Toledo 57

Akron 67  Eastern Michigan 53

Buffalo 64  Central Michigan 50

 

M E A C

First Round

MD-Eastern Shore 87  F A M U 85  2ot

S. C. State 64  Delaware State 59 

Ivy League Playoff Set

Princeton defeated rival Penn 70-58 last night in Philadelphia, forcing a one-game playoff for the Ivy League’s automatic berth.  Princeton (24-6) will take on co-champion Harvard (23-5) Saturday afternoon at 4PM Eastern Time.  The game will be played at Yale University in New Haven, CT, and it can be seen live on ESPN3.com.

Princeton has appeared in all seven Ivy League tiebreaking playoff games in the history of the league.  This is Harvard’s first Ivy League basketball championship of any kind.  The Crimson last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1946. 

There is a chance that the loser of this game could hold a slim chance of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.  Harvard is ranked #35 in the RPI, while Princeton is ranked #49.  Harvard has two wins over top 50 teams as well as three losses.  Their biggest win was at Boston College.  Princeton has just one win against the top 50 and two losses.  For the Ivy to earn two bids, the Tigers have to win Saturday and hope Harvard’s high RPI is enough to earn the second bid. 

Conference Tournaments In Action Today

Big 12 Conference

Tournament Site: Kansas City

1st Round Games

#8 Nebraska (19-11) vs. #9 Oklahoma State (18-12)  12:30 PM ET

#5 Colorado (19-12) vs. #12 Iowa State (16-15)  3 PM ET

#7 Baylor (18-12) vs. #10 Oklahoma (13-17)  7PM ET

#6 Missouri (22-9) vs. #11 Texas Tech (13-18) 9:30 PM ET 

Big East Conference

Tournament Site: New York City

2nd Round Games

#8 Georgetown (21-9) vs. #9 Connecticut (22-9)  12 Noon ET on ESPN

#5 St. John’s (20-10) vs. #13 Rutgers (15-16)  Approx. 2:15 PM ET on ESPN

#7 Cincinnati (24-7) vs. #15 South Florida (10-22)  7 PM ET on ESPN

#6 West Virginia (20-10) vs. #11 Marquette (19-13)  Approx. 9:15 PM ET on ESPN 

Conference USA

Tournament Site: El Paso, TX

1st Round Games

#8 East Carolina (16-14) vs. #9 Central Florida (19-10)  1 PM ET

#5 Southern Miss (21-9) vs. #12 Tulane (13-16)  3:30 PM ET

#6 Marshall (21-10) vs. #11 Houston (12-17)  7:30 PM ET

#7 S M U (17-13) vs. #10 Rice (13-17)  10 PM ET 

M E A C

Tournament Site: Winston-Salem, NC

Note: The MEAC has a unique way of scheduling their tournament.  As a result, one first round game will be played today as well as two quarterfinal round games.  The other two quarterfinal round games will be played Thursday. 

1st Round

#6 Norfolk State () vs. #11 Howard ()  3 PM ET

Quarterfinal Round

#1 Bethune-Cookman (20-11) vs. #9 South Carolina State (10-21)  7 PM ET

#2 Hampton (21-8) vs. #10 Maryland-Eastern Shore (9-21)  9:30 PM ET 

Mountain West Conference

Tournament Site: Las Vegas

1st Round

#8 Wyoming (10-20) vs. #9 T C U (10-21)  5 PM ET 

Pac-10 Conference

Tournament Site: Los Angeles

1st Round

#8 Stanford (15-15) vs. #9 Oregon State (10-19)  9 PM ET on Fox Sports Net

#7 Oregon (14-16) vs. #10 Arizona State (12-18)  11:30 PM ET on Fox Sports Net 

Southland Conference

Tournament Site: Katy, TX (Houston Area)

Quarterfinal Round

#2 Northwestern State (LA) (18-13) vs. #7 Texas-San Antonio (16-13)  1 PM ET

#3 Sam Houston (17-12) vs. #6 Stephen F. Austin (18-10)  3:30 PM ET

#1 McNeese State (19-10) vs. #8 Nicholls State (14-13)  7 PM ET

#4 Texas State (15-15) vs. #5 Southeastern Louisiana (15-13)  9:30 PM ET 

S W A C

Tournament Site: Garland, TX (Dallas-Ft. Worth Area) 

Quarterfinal Round

#2 Jackson State (16-14) vs. #7 Prairie View (10-21)  12:30 PM ET

#1 Texas Southern (18-11) vs. #8 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7-23)  9 PM ET

W A C

Tournament Site: Las Vegas

1st Round

#5 Hawaii (18-11) vs. #8 San Jose State (15-14)  3 PM ET

#6 Nevada (12-18) vs. #7 Fresno State (14-16)  5:30 PM ET

March 8, 2011

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments–March 8 Update

 

The Four Newest Dance Invitees

Did you see those conference championship games last night?  Was this the Monday Night Fights or basketball?  There were more cut men and cut women than in your average boxing card.

 

When it is all or nothing for these smaller conferences, you get what we saw last night—teams playing like their lives were on the line.

 

Colonial Athletic Association

Old Dominion 70

Virginia Commonwealth 65

 

Old Dominion 27-6

 

The Monarchs are capable of making a semi-surprise run in the Big Dance.  They lead the nation in rebounding margin, and they can score points in the paint. 

 

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

St. Peter’s 62

Iona 57

 

St. Peter’s 20-13

 

The Peacocks beat Alabama earlier in the season, and their defense could keep them within striking defense in an opening round game, but we cannot see SPC advancing to the second round.

 

Southern Conference

Wofford 77

College of Charleston 67

 

Wofford 21-12

 

The Terriers finally beat the Cougars (we predicted this yesterday), and they will not roll over and play dead in the first round.  This team returns to the Dance for the second consecutive season, and they will not back down.  They may not advance, but they will not be in awe of their heavily favored first round opponent.

 

West Coast Conference

Gonzaga 75

Saint Mary’s 63

 

Gonzaga 24-9

 

This edition of Zags may not be the most talented in the Coach Mark Few era, but they are playing their best ball at the right time.  It will depend on their bracket, but this team has Sweet 16 potential.

 

Three More Invitations Go Out Tonight

By 11:15 PM Eastern Time tonight, we will know the names of three more NCAA Tournament participants.  Let’s break down these games.

 

Horizon League Championship @ 9PM ET on ESPN

Butler (22-9)  at  Milwaukee (19-12)

 

Butler defeated Cleveland State in the semifinal round Saturday evening, while Milwaukee topped Valparaiso.  During the regular season, Milwaukee swept the Bulldogs, winning 76-52 at home and 86-80 in overtime on the road.  The top-seeded Panthers host this game.

 

Both teams are red hot coming into this title match.  Milwaukee has gone 10-1 in their last 11 games, and the only loss was in the Bracketbuster to Buffalo.  Their defense is what got them here, as they shoot only 43% from the field and 65% at the foul line.

 

Three Panthers average double figures in scoring, led by Anthony Hill.  Hill averages just under 16 points per game, but he broke out with a 24-point, 11-rebound performance in the semifinal game against Valpo.  Kaylon Williams is the X-factor for Panthers.  He can score when needed, rebound with the big men, and run the offense.  He recorded a triple-double earlier in the season against Butler (10 points-10 rebounds-10 assists), and he added a double-double in the second win over the Bulldogs.

 

Butler missed Gordon Hayward even more than most experts predicted.  The Bulldogs played a tough pre-conference schedule and limped into February.  With their backs against the wall, they reeled off eight consecutive victories to get to the title game tonight.

 

Most basketball fans know Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack from last year’s team that made the surprise run to the National Championship Game.  The duo has teamed for 32 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this year.  However, it has been the emergence of 6-11 sophomore center Andrew Smith that has allowed Butler to turn things around and look like a force to be reckoned with once again.  Smith averaged 11 points per game over the second half of the season.  In the eight game winning streak, he has averaged 32 minutes per game and pulled down close to eight rebounds per game.  His 63% field goal percentage has forced defenses to stop him first, giving Howard and Mack more room to get open.  Smith was a non-factor in the two games against Milwaukee, and he is the key to tonight’s game.  If he plays 32 minutes and gets double figure points and eight rebounds, Butler will be cutting down the nets yet again.

 

Summit League Championship @ 9PM ET on ESPN2

Site: Sioux Falls, SD

Oakland (24-9)  vs. Oral Roberts (19-14)

 

If you like high-scoring, fast-paced games, you will definitely clear your schedule to view this one.  Oakland is the second best offensive team in the nation, averaging 86 points per game (92 ppg in their last 10 games).  The Grizzlies connect on close to 50% of their field goal attempts, and they tend to hit spurts where they score 10 points in two minutes.  Oral Roberts averages 81 points per game and has no qualms running with Oakland.

 

Both teams are riding major winning streaks entering tonight’s title game.  Oakland has won 17 of their last 18 games, while the Golden Eagles have won 10 in a row.  In the regular season, Oakland won both high-scoring games, but both were nail-biters that went down to the wire. 

 

Oakland has a tall and short combination that has done a lot of the damage on opponents.  6-11 center Keith Benson is the best player in the league.  Benson averages 17.7 points and 10 rebounds per game.  He showed he can do it against the big schools, as he had 17 points and 12 rebounds in a close loss to Michigan State and 26 points and 10 rebounds in a big win at Tennessee. 

 

5-11 guard Reggie Hamilton is a threat to top 20 points any night.  He is quick and can get open without help from screens.

 

Oral Roberts has a star in its own right.  Dominique Morrison averages just under 20 points per game, and he doesn’t need to heave up 25 shots per game to get those points.  Morrison shoots 51.3% from the field, 40% from behind the three-point line, and 78.4% at the foul line.  He scored 56 points in the two games against Oakland.

 

This should be a great game, and we don’t believe Oakland is that much of a favorite.  ORU has been to the Big Dance four times in the last six years, while Oakland is the defending tournament champion.  We expect the winner to top 90 points in this game, and it is too close to call.  We say Oakland has about a 54% chance and Oral Roberts a 46% chance of winning.

 

Sunbelt Conference Championship @ 7PM ET on ESPN2

Site: Hot Springs, AR

 

North Texas (22-10)  vs. U A L R (18-16)

 

On paper this looks like a mismatch, even though the teams finished one game apart in the regular season.  North Texas finished fourth in the West with an 8-8 league mark, while Little Rock finished fifth at 7-9.

 

North Texas was one of the biggest underachievers this season.  The Mean Green returned four starters from their 2010 conference champion team and were expected to win again this year with the best backcourt and one of the best frontcourts in the league.  Instead, a 3-9 swoon in the middle of the season placed them out of contention for the West crown.  Since that awful slide, UNT has recovered with five consecutive victories.

 

6-5 senior guard Tristan Thompson has led the way for the Mean Green in the tournament, scoring 80 points in the first three games.  He has done a lot of the damage at the foul line, where he is 31-35 in Hot Springs, including an unbelievable 20-20 performance in the win over top-seed Florida Atlantic.  Thompson combines a quick move to the basket with a sweet shot from outside.  Beefy forward George Odufuwa averages 11 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, and UALR has a tough matchup problem against him.

 

The Trojans dropped both regular season games to North Texas, mostly because they could not compete under the basket.  Their chance to win this game will come down to limiting possessions and trying to win 55-50.  They have won three games in the tournament by getting to the foul line and hitting foul shots, while using the clock and taking 30 seconds to shoot on most possessions.  UALR’s big star in this tournament has been senior guard Solomon Bozeman.  Like Thompson, Bozeman has gotten to the free throw line and made the most of his opportunities.  He has connected on 37 of 42 attempts including an eye-popping 19 of 22 against Middle Tennessee last night.

 

We expect a low-possession, low-scoring game.  There may be fewer than 100 field goal attempts tonight.  North Texas has been there before, while UALR has never won the Sunbelt Conference Tournament.  We think that trend will continue, but it wouldn’t surprise us if this game stays relatively close for the entire 40 minutes.  We could see North Texas winning 60-54.

 

The Other Tournaments In Action Today

 

Atlantic 10 Conference

First Round At Higher Seed Home Court

 

#9 Dayton (19-12) at #8 U Mass (15-14)  9PM ET on CBSC

#12 St. Joseph’s (9-21) at #5 George Washington (17-13)  7PM ET on CBSC

#10 LaSalle (14-17) at #7 St. Bonaventure (16-13)  5 PM ET on CBSC

#11 St. Louis (12-18) at #6 Rhode Island (18-12)  7 PM ET no TV

 

Big East Conference

Madison Square Garden in New York City

 

#16 Depaul (7-23) vs. #9 Georgetown (21-9) 12 Noon ET on ESPN2

#13 Rutgers (14-16) vs. #12 Seton Hall (13-17) Approx. 2:15 PM ET on ESPN2

#15 South Florida (9-22) vs. #10 Villanova (21-10) 7PM ET on ESPNU

#14 Providence (15-16) vs. #11 Marquette (18-13) Approx 9:15 ET on ESPNU

 

Big Sky Conference

Semifinal Round At Higher Seed Home Court

#3 Weber State (18-11) at #2 Montana (20-9)

#4 Northern Arizona (19-11) at #1 Northern Colorado (19-10)

 

Mid-American Conference

1st Round At Higher Seed Home Court  All Games At 7PM ET

 

#10 Northern Illinois (9-20) at #7 Bowling Green (13-18)

#11 Eastern Michigan (9-21) at #6 Akron (19-12)

#9 Central Michigan (10-20) at #8 Buffalo (17-12)

#12 Toledo (4-27) at #5 Ohio U (17-14)

 

Mideastern Athletic Conference

Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC

 

#9 South Carolina State (9-21) vs. #8 Delaware State (9-20)  9PM ET

#10 Maryland-Eastern Shore (8-21) vs. #7 Florida A&M (12-19)  6:30 PM ET

 

Note: One more 1st round game Wednesday plus two quarterfinal games

 

 

March 7, 2011

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments–March 7 Update

NCAA Tournament Qualifier #4

Congratulations to the Indiana State Sycamores, the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champions.  ISU defeated Missouri State Sunday by a score of 60-56, giving them eight wins in their last nine games.  This Sycamore team is not to be confused with the 1979 National Finalists with some guy named Larry Bird doing a lot of the scoring, but ISU (20-13) has enough talent to pull off an upset in the first round.  The last time they were in the Big Dance, ISU upset Oklahoma 70-68 in the first round of the 2001 tourney; they lost 85-68 to Gonzaga in the next round.  The Sycamores lost by nine at Notre Dame and by 13 against Purdue, so they can compete against Top 10 teams.

 

Indiana State joins UNC-Asheville, Belmont, and Morehead State as automatic qualifiers in the NCAA Tournament.

 

Four More Teams To Enter The Dance Party Tonight

The field of automatic qualifiers doubles from four to eight tonight.  Let’s take a look at the four conference championships for Monday.

 

Colonial Athletic Association

Virginia Commonwealth (23-10)  vs. Old Dominion (26-6)

7:00 PM EST on ESPN

 

In the semifinal round, VCU upset top-seed George Mason 79-63, while Old Dominion ousted Hofstra 77-69.  Bubble teams will be cheering hard for ODU because if VCU wins, the CAA could send an extra team to the Dance.  George Mason and ODU are virtually assured at-large spots, but VCU will be College Insiders, CBI or NIT-bound if they lose tonight.

 

ODU has won eight games in a row and 12 of 13.  Big forward Frank Hassell has continued to improve and impress down below, and Notre Dame can tell you how well he plays in the postseason; ODU beat the Irish in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament.

 

VCU slumped at the end of the regular season, losing four of their final five games (and the one win was in the Bracketbuster) to fall from first to fourth.  The Rams won nine games in a row in the middle of the season, including a road victory over their opponent tonight. 

 

Forward Jamie Skeen will be the key man to watch.  If he can match or beat Hassell point-for-point and rebound-for-rebound, VCU should pull off the victory.  If Hassell wins the battle, then the Monarchs will live up to their preseason billing as best in the league. 

 

If the game comes down to the backcourt, then VCU has the superior tandem there with Bradford Burgess and Joey Rodriguez.  If the battle comes down to the rebounding game, ODU will win and maybe win by 10-20 points.

 

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

St. Peter’s (19-13)  vs.  Iona (22-10)

7:00 PM EST on ESPN2

 

St. Peter’s pulled off the big upset in this tournament, defeating #1-seed Fairfield 62-48 in yesterday’s semifinal round.  Iona slaughtered Rider 83-59 to earn their spot in the championship game.  The Gaels won their opener by 30 over Siena, so they are the clear-cut favorite tonight.

 

St. Peter’s is an experienced team.  The Peacocks’ top four players are seniors—Wesley Jenkins, Jeron Belin, Nick Leon, and Ryan Bacon.  The quartet averages a combined 45 points a game with all four averaging more than 10 points a game.  Their strongest asset is their defensive ability, and teams have a tough time scoring on SPU.  Unfortunately, the Peacocks barely top 40% shooting from the field and less than 64% at the foul line.  To win tonight, they need to connect on at least 45% of their shots and get some second chance opportunities.

 

Iona has the look of a champion.  The Gaels have won nine games in a row by an average margin of 18.6 points per game.  They swept SPU by 18 and 14 in the regular season.  Star forward Michael Glover has recorded 17 double-doubles, and the only thing that could prevent him from making it 18 tonight would be his early exit from the game due to the game being a blowout.

 

As you can surmise, we think Iona will put this game away with a big run about halfway into the opening half after a five to eight-minute period to calm the nerves.

 

Southern Conference

College of Charleston (24-9)  vs.  Wofford (20-12)

9:00 PM EST on ESPN2

 

Semifinal Scores

College of Charleston 63  Furman 58

Wofford 86  Western Carolina 72

 

The top two teams in the league meet for the third time and Charleston won the first two meetings.  The Cougars won the battle on the boards in both games and in turn took several more shots.  Andrew Goudelock was unstoppable in both games, and Wofford must do something to keep the ball out of his hands tonight and prevent him from scoring his average of 23 points per game to have a chance.

 

The Terriers are the defending SoCon Tournament champions, and they were the overwhelming pick to repeat as champions this year.  They will need a repeat of yesterday’s performance to pull off the upset.  Wofford connected on 54% of their field goals, 50% of their three-point attempts, and 80% at the foul line.  Their big three, Noah Dahlman, Jamar Diggs, and Cameron Rundles, teamed for 52 points and 16 rebounds.  Wofford also has excellent depth with three players capable of coming off the bench and scoring points and pulling down rebounds in massive numbers.

 

Charleston proved to be the better team in the regular season sweep, but we tend to believe this night will belong to Wofford.  The Terriers are playing up to their potential, while the Cougars are not. 

 

West Coast Conference

Saint Mary’s (24-7)  vs. Gonzaga (23-9)

9:00 PM EST on ESPN

 

Semifinal Round

Saint Mary’s 73  Santa Clara 64

Gonzaga 71  San Francisco 67

 

This is the game of the night.  We tend to believe both teams have done enough to punch a ticket to the tournament, but still, this will be a hard-fought rivalry game.

 

The teams split their regular season series, both winning close games on the other’s home court.  If you like offense, then this is the game for you.  Both teams routinely top 80 points per game, and both have enjoyed many nights where they shot in excess of 50% from the field.

 

Gonzaga has won eight games in a row, and the Bulldogs utilize great depth to wear down opponents.  They can go 10-deep with very little drop in talent, as no player averages over 14 points per game, and only one tops six rebounds per game. 

 

SMC relies on a trio of talented players in Mickey McConnell, Rob Jones, and Matthew Dellavedova.  They team up to average 43.3 points per game.  McConnell is one of the best outside shooters in the nation, and he is virtually automatic at the charity stripe.

 

This game is a tossup in the truest since, and we expect it to go down to the final minute for the third time this season.  They could not settle it in 40 minutes the last time they faced off, so this has to be considered a 50-50 game.  We will go with Gonzaga’s 50% chance tonight.

 

Continuing Tournaments

America East Conference

Semifinal Round

Boston U. 55  Hartford 49

Stony Brook 69  Vermont 47

 

Championship Game—Saturday, March 12@ 12 Noon on ESPN2

Stony Brook (15-16) at Boston U (20-13)

 

Northeast Conference

Semifinal Round

Long Island 69  Central Connecticut 67

Robert Morris 64  Quinnipiac 62

 

Championship Game—Wednesday, March 9 @ 7PM on ESPN2

Robert Morris (18-13) at Long Island (26-5)

 

Patriot League

Semifinal Round

Lafayette 73  American 71  2ot

Bucknell 66  Lehigh 64

 

Championship Game—Friday, March 11 @ 4:45 PM on ESPN2

Lafayette (13-18) at Bucknell (24-8)

 

Summit League

Quarterfinal Round

South Dakota State  85  I P F W  75

I U P U I  79  Missouri-KC  55 

 

Semifinal Round—Monday, March 7 @ Sioux Falls, SD

Oakland (23-9)  vs.  South Dakota State (19-11) @ 7:00 PM EST

Oral Roberts (18-14)  vs.  I U P U I (19-13) @ 9:30 PM EST

 

Sunbelt Conference

Quarterfinal Round

Western Kentucky 81  Louisiana-Lafayette 76

North Texas 78  Florida Atlantic 64

Middle Tennessee 73  Florida International 38

U A L R  59  Arkansas State 52

 

Semifinal Round—Monday, March 7 @ Hot Springs, AR

Western Kentucky (16-15)  vs. North Texas (21-10) @ 7:00 PM EST

Middle Tennessee (16-15)  vs.  U A L R (17-16) @ 9:30 PM EST

 

Coming Tomorrow: The Big Sky Conference and Horizon League Tournament Championships are decided, and four more conference tournaments begin.  Check back Tuesday afternoon for more coverage.

March 5, 2011

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments–March 6 Update

Congratulations To Three Champions

Three teams have punched their tickets to the Big Dance.

 

Big South Conference

UNC-Asheville 60  Coastal Carolina 47

 

UNC-Asheville 19-13

 

Atlantic Sun Conference

Belmont 87  North Florida 46

 

Belmont 30-4

 

Ohio Valley Conference

Morehead State 80  Tennessee Tech 73

 

Morehead State 24-9

 

Scores From Other Conference Tournaments

 

America East Conference

Vermont 57  Binghamton 46

Stony Brook 67  Albany 61

Boston U 69  New Hampshire 60

Hartford 66  Maine 63

 

Sunday, March 6 Semifinal Round

Vermont 23-7  vs. Stony Brook 14-16

Boston U. 19-13  vs. Hartford 11-19

 

Big Sky Conference

Weber State 79  Eastern Washington 70

Northern Arizona 65  Montana State 62

 

Tuesday, March 8 Semifinal Round

Montana 20-9  vs. Weber State 18-11

Northern Colorado 19-10  vs. Northern Arizona 19-11

 

Colonial Athletic Association

George Mason 68  Georgia State 45

Virginia Commonwealth 62  Drexel 60

Old Dominion 59  Delaware 50

Hofstra 72  William & Mary 56

 

Sunday, March 6 Semifinal Round

George Mason 26-5  vs.  Virginia Commonwealth 22-10

Old Dominion 25-6  vs. Hofstra 21-10

 

Horizon League

Butler 76  Cleveland State 68

Milwaukee 70  Valparaiso 63

 

Tuesday, March 8 Championship Game

Butler 22-9  vs. Milwaukee 19-12

 

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Fairfield 55  Marist 31

St. Peter’s 70  Loyola (MD) 60

Rider 79  Canisius 64

Iona 94  Siena 64

 

Sunday, March 6 Semifinal Round

Fairfield 24-6  vs. St. Peter’s 18-13

Rider 23-9  vs. Iona 21-10

 

Missouri Valley Conference

Missouri State 60  Creighton 50

Indiana State 61  Wichita State 54

 

Sunday, March 6 Championship Game

Missouri State 25-7  vs. Indiana State 19-13

 

Southern Conference

Western Carolina 77 UNC-Greensboro 66

Wofford 67  Appalachian State 56

Furman 61  Chattanooga 52

College of Charleston 78  Elon 60

 

Sunday, March 6 Semifinal Round

Western Carolina 18-14  vs. Wofford 19-12

Furman 22-9  vs. College of Charleston 23-9

 

Summit League

Oakland 82  Southern Utah 66

Oral Roberts 72  North Dakota State 65

 

Sunday, March 6 Quarterfinal Round Continues

I P F W  18-11  vs. South Dakota State 18-11

I U P U I  18-13  vs. Missouri-Kansas City 16-13

 

Sunbelt Conference

Western Kentucky 66  Louisiana-Monroe 50

North Texas 83  Troy 69

Florida Int’l 53  Denver 49

U A L R  82  South Alabama 68

 

Sunday, March 6 Quarterfinal Round

Louisiana-Lafayette 14-14  vs. Western Kentucky 15-15

Florida Atlantic 21-9  vs. North Texas 20-10

Middle Tennessee 15-15  vs. Florida Int’l  11-18

Arkansas State 17-14  vs. U A L R  16-16

 

West Coast Conference

Santa Clara 76  Loyola Marymount 68

San Francisco 76  Pepperdine 59

 

Sunday, March 6 Semifinal Round

St. Mary’s 23-7  vs. Santa Clara 19-13

Gonzaga 22-9  vs. San Francisco 17-13

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