Home | Visitor | Spread |
Belmont | Drake | -0.2 |
Canisius | Manhattan | 5.1 |
Cleveland St. | IUPUI | 19.8 |
East Carolina | Wichita St. | -1.8 |
Fairfield | Rider | 1.6 |
George Mason | Saint Joseph’s | 6.6 |
Illinois Chicago | Bradley | 9.8 |
Illinois St. | Southern Illinois | -5.3 |
Iona | Quinnipiac | 7.7 |
Iowa | Rutgers | 1.2 |
Lehigh | Boston U. | 1.9 |
Marist | Siena | -4.5 |
Penn St. | Michigan | 3.6 |
Purdue | Michigan St. | 8.7 |
Robert Morris | Oakland | 2.8 |
SMU | South Florida | 1.1 |
St. John’s | Georgetown | 13.2 |
Tulsa | Memphis | -13.1 |
UNC Greensboro | Furman | 0.4 |
Villanova | Providence | -0.6 |
Youngstown St. | Detroit | 8.3 |
January 29, 2023
PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Sunday, January 29, 2023
March 21, 2022
PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Monday, March 21, 2022
Monday, March 21, 2022 | ||
Team | Team | Spread |
Drake | UNC Wilmington | 7.4 |
UNC Asheville | Northern Colorado | -0.8 |
MIddle Tennessee | Boston | 5.6 |
Abilene Christian | Ohio | -0.9 |
Coastal Carolina | Florida Gulf Coast | 4.4 |
South Alabama | USC Upstate | 11.1 |
March 4, 2022
PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Friday, March 4, 2022
Friday’s Conference Tournaments
Big South Conference–Quarterfinals | ||
Charlotte | ||
Higher Seed | Lower Seed | Spread |
Longwood | North Carolina A&T | 10.3 |
USC Upstate | Charleston Southern | 9.2 |
Winthrop | High Point | 6.0 |
Gardner-Webb | Campbell | 3.4 |
MIssouri Valley Conference–Quarterfinals | ||
St. Louis (Arch Madness) | ||
Higher Seed | Lower Seed | Spread |
Northern Iowa | Illinois St. | 8.7 |
Loyola (Chi.) | Bradley | 6.8 |
Missouri St. | Valparaiso | 12.5 |
Drake | Southern Illinois | 4.1 |
Ohio Valley Conference–Semifinals | ||
Evansville, IN | ||
Higher Seed | Lower Seed | Spread |
Murray St. | Southeast Missouri | 19.6 |
Belmont | Morehead St. | 6.1 |
Southern Conference–1st Round | ||
Asheville, NC | ||
Higher Seed | Lower Seed | Spread |
East Tennessee St. | The Citadel | 6.0 |
Mercer | Western Carolina | 7.4 |
West Coast Conference–2nd Round | ||
Las Vegas | ||
Higher Seed | Lower Seed | Spread |
BYU | Loyola Marymount | 12.2 |
Portland | San Diego | 1.4 |
Friday’s Regular Season Games
Home | Visitor | Spread |
St. Bonaventure | Richmond | 3.7 |
Western Michigan | Ball St. | -4.6 |
Kent St. | Buffalo | 0.4 |
Toledo | Bowling Green | 19.2 |
Miami (O) | Eastern Michigan | 7.9 |
Akron | Central Michigan | 18.4 |
Northern Illinois | Ohio | -12.6 |
San Jose St. | Utah St. | -17.8 |
March 18, 2021
PiRate Ratings College Basketball Spreads
NCAA First Four
Team 1 | Team 2 | Spread |
Mount St. Mary’s | Texas Southern | 1.3 |
Drake | Wichita St. | 2.0 |
Norfolk St. | Appalachian St. | 0.3 |
UCLA | Michigan St. | 0.7 |
March 14, 2021
PiRate Ratings Final Bracketology Prediction
Date | 3/14/2021 | FINAL | ||||
Seed | Team | Team | Team | Team | Team | Team |
1 | Gonzaga | Baylor | Illinois | Michigan | ||
2 | Ohio St. | Alabama | Iowa | Houston | ||
3 | Oklahoma St. | Arkansas | Kansas | Texas | ||
4 | West Virginia | Purdue | Virginia | Florida St. | ||
5 | Tennessee | Villanova | Creighton | Texas Tech | ||
6 | Colorado | USC | LSU | Missouri | ||
7 | BYU | Oklahoma | Oregon | Clemson | ||
8 | Connecticut | San Diego St. | Wisconsin | Florida | ||
9 | Virginia Tech | Loyola (Chi.) | Georgia Tech | North Carolina | ||
10 | Rutgers | St. Bonaventure | Maryland | VCU | ||
11 | Louisville | Michigan St. | UCLA | Syracuse | Utah St. | Drake |
12 | Oregon St. | Georgetown | North Texas | Winthrop | ||
13 | Ohio U | Liberty | UNCG | UCSB | ||
14 | Colgate | Morehead St. | Abilene Christian | E. Washington | ||
15 | Cleveland St. | Drexel | Grand Canyon | Iona | ||
16 | Oral Roberts | Hartford | Norfolk St. | Mount St. Mary’s | Texas Southern | Appalachian St. |
1st Four Out
69 | Wichita St. |
70 | Colorado St. |
71 | Saint Louis |
72 | Boise St. |
1st 4 Games
11 UCLA vs. 11 Drake
11 Syracuse vs. 11 Utah St.
16 Norfolk St. vs. 16 Mount St. Mary’s
16 Texas Southern vs. 16 Appalachian St.
Sunday Morning Bracketology
Preliminary to Final Prediction
The PiRates have been busy these last 12 hours rearranging the seed lines and replacing unfortunate at-large teams that were bumped twice yesterday, as Georgetown and Oregon State crashed the Dance party with impressive wins.
Five games remain to be played before the regular season comes to an end, and all five games could affect the final seed lines:
In the first game today, if Colgate beats Loyola of Maryland, the Raiders could move up one line, but the bigger possibility is the movement of more than a dozen seeds if Loyola pulls the upset. Colgate figures to be a 13 or 14 seed, but Loyola would be a 16 seed with a win. Colgate is somewhat of another issue, because the Raiders are a Top 10 team according to the NET Ratings, but they did so by facing no serious competition from top 100 teams. We believe the Committee will overrule their own criteria and send Colgate down the seed line.
In game two, St. Bonaventure faces VCU for the Atlantic 10 Championship. We believe both teams are locks to get into the Dance, but the winner and loser could be one seed apart. Or, the Committee might decide that this game doesn’t really matter and keep the two teams where they have them today. This is highly likely, and we are using that belief in our second to last seeding prediction. The Committee will be faced with an afternoon headache, where many teams will have to be shifted to accommodate a potential bid-thief. In fact, they will have two different brackets and keep one depending on what happens later in the day.
LSU and Alabama face off in what brings up memories of the Game of the Year in football, but this is the SEC Basketball Championship Game. Alabama has a sliver of hope to move to the 1-seed line with an impressive win and an Illinois loss in the Big Ten, but we believe they are probably locked in at the 2-seed line. However, should LSU pull off the upset, the Tigers might move up one line and knock somebody back a line.
The big mover and shaker game is the American Athletic Conference Championship Game this afternoon. Cincinnati could steal a bid away with an upset of Houston, and at the same time knock the Cougars down a spot in the seedings. If Houston wins, then everything is copacetic.
Because it will be the last game of the day, and both teams are rather secure in their destinies, we believe the Big Ten Conference Championship Game will be meaningless toward the final seedings. Illinois has done the work to earn a 1-seed, while Ohio State has worked their way back to a 2-seed. The Committee will not have time to alter their brackets at this point, so they will choose to ignore this game.
The important news then is who are the teams on the Bubble? Rather than announce 68 teams like in other years, the Committee will announce 72 teams, the regular 68 plus four alternates in case teams like Virginia and Kansas cannot field rosters for the tournament.
As we see it this morning, Drake is the last team in the field, currently an 11-seed looking at a First Four game against possibly UCLA. Should Cincinnati upset Houston today, the Bearcats would be looking at a 12 or 13-seed, and Drake would be dropped to the alternate pool, while Boise St. or Saint Louis would be dropped from the alternate pool to the NIT. Other teams just on the thin line include Utah State and Syracuse, two teams we show in the First Four, and Wichita State and Colorado State, two teams we show in the alternate list.
The First Four seedings moved from 12 to 11 last night when Georgetown and Oregon State kicked through the Dance hall door. The Hoyas and Beavers cannot be 11 seeds. We slotted them both on the 12-seed line, but we are not totally convinced yet that they will remain there. Doing a little research, the last time a power conference team with a similar record crashed the party like this, Georgia earned a 14-seed. Because teams like Colgate, Winthrop, UNCG, and UCSB are capable of moving up a line, there is a chance for chaos if Cincinnati wins today, because the Bearcats are not deserving of a 12-seed and maybe not even a 13-seed.
Here is how our field looks this morning with Cincinnati not in the Tournament.
Date | 3/14/2021 | Morning Edition | ||||
Seed | Team | Team | Team | Team | Team | Team |
1 | Gonzaga | Baylor | Illinois | Michigan | ||
2 | Ohio St. | Alabama | Iowa | Houston | ||
3 | Oklahoma St. | Arkansas | Kansas | Texas | ||
4 | West Virginia | Purdue | Florida St. | Virginia | ||
5 | Tennessee | Villanova | Creighton | USC | ||
6 | Colorado | Texas Tech | LSU | Missouri | ||
7 | BYU | Oklahoma | Oregon | Connecticut | ||
8 | Clemson | San Diego St. | Wisconsin | Florida | ||
9 | Virginia Tech | Loyola (Chi.) | Rutgers | North Carolina | ||
10 | Georgia Tech | St. Bonaventure | Maryland | VCU | ||
11 | Louisville | Michigan St. | UCLA | Syracuse | Utah St. | Drake |
12 | Oregon St. | Georgetown | UCSB | Winthrop | ||
13 | Ohio U | Liberty | UNCG | North Texas | ||
14 | Colgate | Morehead St. | Abilene Christian | E. Washington | ||
15 | Cleveland St. | Drexel | Grand Canyon | Iona | ||
16 | Oral Roberts | Hartford | Norfolk St. | Mount St. Mary’s | Texas Southern | Appalachian St. |
Four Alternates
69 | Wichita St. |
70 | Colorado St. |
71 | Saint Louis |
72 | Boise St. |
Note: We have already begun putting our
Bracketnomics Data into a spreadsheet, and we will
have it completed late tonight. We will then spend
Monday looking at the data and be ready to reveal
our opinions on the field on Tuesday. Look for our
annually most read post to publish
Tuesday afternoon, approximately 3 PM Eastern
Daylight Time, giving you plenty of time to read and
then fill out the brackets in your competitions.
March 8, 2021
PiRate Ratings Bracketology
Date | 3/8/2021 | |||||
Seed | Team | Team | Team | Team | Team | Team |
1 | Gonzaga | Baylor | Michigan | Illinois | ||
2 | Ohio St. | Alabama | Iowa | West Virginia | ||
3 | Houston | Arkansas | Kansas | Villanova | ||
4 | Purdue | Texas | Oklahoma St. | Florida St. | ||
5 | Virginia | Texas Tech | USC | Tennessee | ||
6 | Creighton | Colorado | Clemson | Oklahoma | ||
7 | Oregon | Missouri | Wisconsin | Florida | ||
8 | BYU | LSU | Virginia Tech | Connecticut | ||
9 | Rutgers | San Diego St. | Loyola (Chi.) | North Carolina | ||
10 | Maryland | St. Bonaventure | UCLA | Louisville | ||
11 | Georgia Tech | Michigan St. | VCU | Colorado St. | ||
12 | Western Ky. | Toledo | Boise St. | Drake | Wichita St. | Xavier |
13 | UCSB | Winthrop | Liberty | Colgate | ||
14 | UNCG | S. Dakota St. | Morehead St. | Abilene Chr. | ||
15 | E. Washington | Georgia St. | Siena | Cleveland St. | ||
16 | Northeastern | Bryant | Grand Canyon | Hartford | Norfolk St. | Prairie View A&M |
Teams in Bold have secured automatic bids
The Bad Side of the Bubble
69 | Ole Miss |
70 | Syracuse |
71 | Utah St. |
72 | Saint Louis |
73 | Seton Hall |
74 | SMU |
75 | St. John’s |
76 | North Carolina St. |
Bracketnomics Tutorial Release Coming This Week!
Until recently, when our breakthrough Sabertooth Baseball Game went viral due to a Facebook post that we still do not know who the benevolent benefactor of great news is, our most popular annual activity here on the PiRate Ratings has been “Bracketnomics.”
For years, we have used technical statistics and other data to isolate the real March Madness contenders from the pretenders and to eliminate certain higher seeds due to their possessing “uh-oh” stats that show them ripe for a quick upset.
We were all set to debut our latest evolution of Bracketnomics last year, until Covidnomics defeated all sports in March of 2020. It gave us extra time to scour our resources and to look for more trends, in addition to the tried and true methods we have used for years.
Coming Friday, we will release our Bracketnomics 2021 Tutorial, so you can have the weekend to look it over and use the information the best way you know how. Please let the best way you know how be a method that involves no financial risk.
The PiRate Ratings personal creation of “R+T” Rating, schedule strength, and the Four Factors still hold considerable importance, but the handicapping of each data point has changed. Other sets of data added to the mix should let you clearly see which teams have the look of past national champions, Final Four participants, and even Cinderella Mid-Majors that might be ready to wear the slipper until there are just eight teams remaining.
Oh, and if you haven’t heard about our advanced analytics tabletop baseball game that went viral over the weekend, you can check it out at our sister site: https://sabertoothbaseball.wordpress.com and order a game at https://sabertooth-baseball.square.site , or click the link in the WordPress site.
March 7, 2021
PiRate Ratings College Basketball Spreads
Sunday, March 7, 2021
Home | Visitor | Spread |
Houston | Memphis | 9.3 |
East Carolina | Cincinnati | -0.5 |
Liberty | North Alabama | 14.3 |
Baylor | Texas Tech | 9.4 |
TCU | Texas | -9.2 |
Winthrop | Campbell | 10.3 |
Iowa | Wisconsin | 7.9 |
Northwestern | Nebraska | 4.7 |
Michigan St. | Michigan | -10.3 |
Maryland | Penn St. | 2.3 |
Hofstra | Delaware | 2.9 |
James Madison | Elon | 6.2 |
Northeastern | William & Mary | 8.7 |
Charleston | Drexel | -2.0 |
North Carolina Central | South Carolina St. | 8.6 |
Loyola (Chi.) | Drake | 4.6 |
Oregon St. | Oregon | -4.2 |
Georgia St. | Louisiana | 3.8 |
Appalachian St. | Coastal Carolina | -3.8 |
Tennessee | Florida | 2.4 |
UNCG | East Tennessee St. | 2.2 |
Mercer | VMI | 0.2 |
Oral Roberts | North Dakota | 8.0 |
North Dakota St. | Missouri-Kansas City | 4.4 |
Today’s Conference Tournament Action
Atlantic Sun CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Jacksonville, 2PM EST, ESPN
1 Liberty vs. 5 North Alabama
Liberty has already clinched an automatic bid , as UNA is ineligible due to their transition phase to Division 1
Big South CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
12 PM , ESPN
3 Campbell at 1 Winthrop
Colonial Athletic Quarterfinals
At James Madison in Harrisonburg, VA
1 James Madison vs. 8 Elon
4 Hofstra vs. 5 Delaware
2 Northeastern vs. 7 William & Mary
3 College of Charleston vs. 6 Drexel
Missouri Valley CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Saint Louis, 2 PM EST, CBS
1 Loyola (Chi.) vs. 2 Drake
Southern Conference Semifinals
Asheville, NC
1 UNC-Greensboro vs. 5 East Tennessee St.
6 VMI vs. 7 Mercer
Summit League 2nd Half of Quarterfinals
at Sioux Falls, SD
4 Oral Roberts vs. 5 North Dakota
3 North Dakota St. vs. 6 Missouri-Kansas City
Sun Belt Conference Semifinals
at Pensacola, FL
1E Georgia St. vs. 2W Louisiana
2E Coastal Carolina vs. 4E Appalachian St.
Automatic Qualifiers
Liberty 22-5
Morehead St. 23-7
March 6, 2021
PiRate Ratings College Basketball Spreads
Saturday, March 6, 2021
Home | Visitor | Spread |
St. Bonaventure | Saint Louis | 0.3 |
VCU | Davidson | 3.9 |
Notre Dame | Florida St. | -6.7 |
Clemson | Pittsburgh | 5.1 |
Louisville | Virginia | -0.9 |
North Carolina | Duke | 3.1 |
UMBC | UMass-Lowell | 6.5 |
Vermont | Hartford | 8.7 |
Wichita St. | South Florida | 10.0 |
West Virginia | Oklahoma St. | 4.3 |
Kansas St. | Iowa St. | 1.4 |
Connecticut | Georgetown | 8.6 |
Providence | Villanova | -5.8 |
Creighton | Butler | 12.5 |
St. John’s | Seton Hall | 0.9 |
Marquette | Xavier | -0.2 |
Montana St. | Sacramento St. | 3.8 |
Weber St. | Northern Colorado | 10.0 |
Portland St. | Southern Utah | -2.8 |
Minnesota | Rutgers | -0.4 |
Purdue | Indiana | 5.9 |
Ohio St. | Illinois | -1.7 |
UC Davis | Hawaii | 0.3 |
Cal St. Northridge | UC-Riverside | -10.2 |
Long Beach St. | UC-Irvine | -9.8 |
UC San Diego | Cal St. Fullerton | 3.2 |
UCSB | Cal Poly | 22.6 |
Marshall | Charlotte | 14.2 |
Western Kentucky | Old Dominion | 8.3 |
North Texas | UAB | 6.4 |
Elon | Towson | 4.2 |
William & Mary | UNC-Wilmington | -2.9 |
Delaware St. | Morgan St. | -11.3 |
Loyola (Chi.) | Indiana St. | 10.8 |
Drake | Missouri St. | 3.9 |
Fresno St. | Utah St. | -10.5 |
Wyoming | UNLV | 0.2 |
Bryant | Sacred Heart | 9.7 |
Wagner | Mount St. Mary’s | 3.4 |
Belmont | Morehead St. | 4.8 |
Utah | Arizona St. | 2.8 |
UCLA | USC | -2.8 |
Navy | Loyola (MD) | 7.1 |
Colgate | Boston U | 14.3 |
Lafayette | Bucknell | 3.6 |
Army | American | 4.4 |
Kentucky | South Carolina | 6.4 |
Auburn | Mississippi St. | 2.8 |
Georgia | Alabama | -9.4 |
Missouri | LSU | -0.5 |
Arkansas | Texas A&M | 16.1 |
Ole Miss | Vanderbilt | 5.8 |
Prairie View | Alcorn St. | 9.9 |
Jackson St. | Alabama St. | 12.6 |
Texas Southern | Southern | 4.9 |
Grambling | Alabama A&M | 5.7 |
UNCG | The Citadel | 9.7 |
Chattanooga | East Tennessee St. | -1.7 |
Wofford | Mercer | 1.7 |
Furman | VMI | 5.0 |
Northwestern St. | Central Arkansas | 2.9 |
Abilene Christian | Incarnate Word | 19.5 |
McNeese St. | Lamar | -0.2 |
Houston Baptist | Texas A&M-CC | 4.2 |
Sam Houston St. | Stephen F. Austin | 1.6 |
New Orleans | Southeast Louisiana | 6.2 |
South Dakota St. | Omaha | 16.2 |
South Dakota | Western Illinois | 10.3 |
Louisiana | South Alabama | 2.6 |
Georgia St. | Arkansas St. | 8.5 |
Coastal Carolina | Troy | 10.3 |
Texas St. | Appalachian St. | 5.8 |
UT Rio Grande Valley | Tarleton St. | 5.3 |
Dixie St. | New Mexico St. | -10.4 |
Grand Canyon | Utah Valley | 8.3 |
California Baptist | Seattle | 2.3 |
Saint Mary’s | Loyola Marymount | 0.1 |
Pepperdine | Santa Clara | 3.2 |
Conference Tournament Update
Today’s Conference Tournament Games
America East Semifinals
6 U Mass-Lowell at 1 Maryland-Baltimore Co.
4 Hartford at 2 Vermont
Atlantic 10 Semifinals (Richmond)
1 St. Bonaventure vs. 4 Saint Louis
2 VCU vs. 3 Davidson
Colonial Athletic 1st Round (@ James Madison)
8 Elon vs. 9 Towson
7 William & Mary vs. 10 UNC-Wilmington
Missouri Valley Semifinals at Saint Louis
1 Loyola (Chi.) vs. 4 Indiana St.
2 Drake vs. 3 Missouri St.
Northeast Semifinals
4 Mount St. Mary’s at 1 Wagner
3 Sacred Heart at 2 Bryant
Ohio Valley Championship Game at Evansville
1 Belmont vs. 2 Morehead St. — 8 PM EST on ESPN2
Southern Quarterfinals at Asheville
1 UNC-Greensboro vs. 8 The Citadel
4 Chattanooga vs. 5 East Tennessee St.
2 Wofford vs. 7 Mercer
3 Furman vs. 6 VMI
Summit Quarterfinals 1st 2 Games at Sioux Falls
1 South Dakota St. vs. 8 Omaha
2 South Dakota vs. 7 Western Illinois
Sun Belt Quarterfinals at Pensacola
1E Georgia St. vs. 4W Arkansas St.
2W Louisiana vs. 3E South Alabama
1W Texas St. vs. 4E Appalachian St.
2E Coastal Carolina vs. 6E Troy
West Coast Quarterfinals at Las Vegas
4 Saint Mary’s vs. 5 Loyola Marymount
3 Pepperdine vs. 7 Santa Clara
Automatic Qualifiers
Liberty — Atlantic Sun 22-5
March 5, 2021
PiRate Ratings College Basketball Tournament Update
Friday, March 5, 2021 (Prior to start of A-10 Games today)
Atlantic Sun
Semifinals, Today
1 Liberty vs. 7 Stetson
5 North Alabama vs. 6 Florida Gulf Coast
Note: If North Alabama wins the tournament, Liberty is the automatic NCAA Tournament qualifier.
Atlantic 10
Quarterfinals, Today, Richmond, VA
1 St. Bonaventure vs. 9 Duquesne
4 Saint Louis vs. 5 Massachusetts
2 VCU vs. 7 Dayton
3 Davidson vs. George Mason
Big South
Championship Game, Sunday at Winthrop
1 Winthrop vs. 3 Campbell
Colonial Athletic
1st Round, Saturday at James Madison
8 Elon vs. 9 Towson
7 William & Mary vs. 10 UNC-Wilmington
Horizon
Semifinals, Monday at Indianapolis
1 Cleveland St. vs. 8 Milwaukee
3 Oakland vs. 4 Northern Kentucky
Missouri Valley (Arch Madness)
Quarterfinals, Today, at Saint Louis
1 Loyola (Chi.) vs. 9 Southern Illinois
4 Indiana St. vs. 5 Evansville
2 Drake vs. 7 Northern Iowa
3 Missouri St. vs. 6 Valparaiso
Northeast
Semifinals, Saturday at Higher Seed
1 Wagner vs. 4 Mount St. Mary’s
2 Bryant vs. 3 Sacred Heart
Ohio Valley
Semifinals, Friday at Evansville
1 Belmont vs. 4 Jacksonville St.
2 Morehead St. vs. 3 Eastern Kentucky
Patriot
Quarterfinals, Saturday at Higher Seeds
1 Navy vs. Loyola (MD)
4 Army vs. 5 American
2 Colgate vs. 7 Boston U
3 Lafayette vs. 6 Bucknell
Southern
1st Round, Today at Asheville, NC
8 The Citadel vs. 9 Western Carolina
7 Mercer vs. 10 Samford
Summit
Quarterfinals, Saturday & Sunday, Sioux Falls, SD
1 South Dakota St. vs. 8 Omaha
4 Oral Roberts vs. 5 North Dakota
2 South Dakota vs. 7 Western Illinois
3 North Dakota St. vs. Kansas City
Sun Belt
1st Round, Today at Pensacola, FL
4W Arkansas St. vs. 5E Georgia Southern
3E South Alabama vs. 6W Louisiana-Monroe
4E Appalachian St. vs. 5W Little Rock
3W UT-Arlington vs. 6E Troy
West Coast
2nd Round, Today at Las Vegas
5 Loyola Marymount vs. 8 San Francisco
6 Pacific vs. 7 Santa Clara