Home | Visitor | Spread |
Abilene Christian | Southern Utah | 0.3 |
Alabama | Kentucky | 6.8 |
Alcorn St. | Alabama A&M | 5.6 |
Arizona | Washington St. | 13.1 |
Arkansas Pine Bluff | Texas Southern | -5.3 |
Auburn | Arkansas | -0.7 |
Austin Peay | Central Arkansas | 8.6 |
Baylor | Kansas St. | 5.0 |
Belmont | Missouri St. | 0.6 |
Boise St. | Utah St. | -0.4 |
Boston College | Duke | -10.3 |
Bowling Green | Ohio | -3.4 |
Bradley | Valparaiso | 16.0 |
Brown | Dartmouth | 8.2 |
Buffalo | Northern Illinois | 9.7 |
Cal Poly | UC Santa Barbara | -7.1 |
Cal St. Fullerton | Hawaii | -2.0 |
Charleston | Delaware | 11.6 |
Chattanooga | VMI | 14.4 |
Cleveland St. | Green Bay | 15.1 |
Colorado | Oregon St. | 16.0 |
Colorado St. | Fresno St. | 4.6 |
Columbia | Penn | -8.7 |
Connecticut | Creighton | 7.9 |
Coppin St. | South Carolina St. | 6.5 |
Cornell | Princeton | 2.1 |
Drake | Murray St. | 7.3 |
Drexel | Monmouth | 15.4 |
East Tennessee St. | Furman | -5.9 |
Eastern Michigan | Central Michigan | -1.2 |
Eastern Washington | Sacramento St. | 5.5 |
Evansville | Illinois St. | -2.8 |
Fairleigh Dickinson | Long Island | 11.4 |
Florida | Georgia | 8.7 |
Florida Atlantic | Charlotte | 9.1 |
Florida Gulf Coast | North Florida | 8.8 |
Florida Int’l. | UAB | -13.8 |
Florida St. | Georgia Tech | 0.6 |
Fordham | Saint Joseph’s | 4.2 |
Gardner Webb | Radford | 4.6 |
George Mason | Loyola (Chi.) | 7.1 |
George Washington | Massachusetts | -1.6 |
Georgia Southern | Old Dominion | 0.3 |
Grambling | Bethune Cookman | 12.7 |
Hampton | Northeastern | -4.2 |
Howard | Delaware St. | 11.6 |
Idaho | Portland St. | -1.3 |
Illinois | Wisconsin | 5.2 |
Incarnate Word | Texas A&M CC | -8.9 |
Indiana St. | Illinois Chicago | 12.5 |
Jackson St. | Alabama St. | 5.7 |
Jacksonville | Lipscomb | 4.1 |
Jacksonville St. | Bellarmine | 0.9 |
James Madison | Appalachian St. | 12.7 |
La Salle | Rhode Island | 0.5 |
Lindenwood | Tennessee St. | -1.0 |
Little Rock | Southeast Missouri St. | -2.7 |
Longwood | Winthrop | 9.4 |
Louisiana | Georgia St. | 8.5 |
Louisiana Monroe | Southern Miss. | -7.1 |
Louisiana Tech | UTEP | 6.6 |
Louisville | Wake Forest | -8.8 |
Loyola Marymount | San Francisco | 2.1 |
Marquette | Georgetown | 18.5 |
Marshall | Coastal Carolina | 11.7 |
McNeese St. | Texas A&M-Commerce | 0.2 |
Memphis | East Carolina | 15.2 |
Merrimack | St. Francis NY | 3.4 |
Miami (O) | Kent St. | -13.2 |
Michigan St. | Michigan | 3.6 |
Middle Tennessee | North Texas | -3.6 |
Minnesota | Nebraska | -4.1 |
Mississippi St. | Mississippi | 4.9 |
Mississippi Valley St. | Prairie View | -7.9 |
Missouri | Vanderbilt | 9.5 |
Morehead St. | Eastern Illinois | 8.2 |
Morgan St. | North Carolina Central | -0.9 |
New Mexico | UNLV | 4.9 |
New Mexico St. | Cal Baptist | 4.5 |
New Orleans | Houston Christian | 4.2 |
Norfolk St. | Maryland Eastern Shore | 7.5 |
Norhtern Iowa | Southern Illinois | -1.9 |
North Alabama | Stetson | -2.2 |
North Carolina | Notre Dame | 13.5 |
North Carolina A&T | UNC Wilmington | -7.0 |
North Dakota | South Dakota St. | -5.4 |
North Dakota St. | South Dakota | 2.5 |
Northern Arizona | Montana St. | -5.9 |
Northern Colorado | Montana | -1.4 |
Northwestern St. | Nicholls St. | -0.7 |
Oklahoma St. | Texas | -0.6 |
Oral Roberts | UMKC | 14.2 |
Pepperdine | Pacific | 6.6 |
Pittsburgh | Clemson | 1.4 |
Presbyterian | Charleston Southern | 1.5 |
Providence | St. John’s | 7.0 |
Purdue Ft. Wayne | Milwaukee | 7.6 |
Queens | Kennesaw St. | 3.5 |
Richmond | Duquesne | 4.5 |
Sacred Heart | Hartford | 11.5 |
Saint Louis | St. Bonaventure | 8.1 |
Saint Mary’s | Portland | 15.3 |
Sam Houston St. | Tarleton St. | 10.2 |
San Diego | BYU | -4.7 |
San Jose St. | Nevada | -2.2 |
Santa Clara | Gonzaga | -8.0 |
Seton Hall | Butler | 3.8 |
South Alabama | Texas St. | 4.7 |
South Carolina | Tennessee | -20.4 |
Southeastern Louisiana | Lamar | 13.6 |
Southern | Florida A&M | 14.4 |
Southern Indiana | SIU Edwardsville | -1.2 |
St. Thomas | Omaha | 8.2 |
Stephen F. Austin | Grand Canyon | -1.4 |
Stonehill | Central Connecticut St. | 3.2 |
Stony Brook | Towson | -6.7 |
TCU | Iowa St. | 3.9 |
Temple | Tulane | 0.7 |
Texas A&M | LSU | 3.4 |
Texas Tech | Oklahoma | -16.8 |
Troy | Arkansas St. | 12.4 |
UC Davis | Cal St. Bakersfield | 7.4 |
UC Irvine | Long Beach St. | 8.3 |
UC Riverside | Cal St. Northridge | 10.4 |
UNC Asheville | Campbell | 5.7 |
UNC Greensboro | Samford | 4.9 |
USC Upstate | High Point | -0.9 |
UT Arlington | Seattle | -3.7 |
UT Martin | Tennessee Tech | 5.6 |
UT Rio Grande Valley | Utah Valley | -10.2 |
Utah | Oregon | 5.5 |
UTSA | Western Kentucky | -7.0 |
VCU | Davidson | 4.1 |
Villanova | Xavier | -1.5 |
Virginia | Syracuse | 11.5 |
Virginia Tech | North Carolina St. | 3.1 |
Wagner | St. Francis PA | 6.0 |
Weber St. | Idaho St. | 6.0 |
West Virginia | Kansas | -1.4 |
Western Carolina | Mercer | -0.6 |
Western Illinois | Denver | 1.6 |
William & Mary | Hofstra | -6.5 |
Wofford | The Citadel | 9.0 |
Wyoming | San Diego St | -7.7 |
Yale | Harvard | 10.6 |
Youngstown St. | IUPUI | 23.0 |
January 7, 2023
PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Saturday, January 7, 2023
January 3, 2023
PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Tuesday, January 3, 2023
Home | Visitor | Spread |
Air Force | Utah St. | -9.3 |
Akron | Northern Illinois | 12.7 |
Alabama | Mississippi | 12.1 |
Boise St. | San Jose St. | 10.9 |
Boston College | Notre Dame | -0.9 |
Buffalo | Ohio | 0.2 |
Central Michigan | Miami (O) | 3.7 |
Creighton | Seton Hall | 7.3 |
Eastern Michigan | Bowling Green | 0.9 |
Fresno St. | New Mexico | -5.0 |
Kent St. | Western Michigan | 18.4 |
Kentucky | LSU | 10.3 |
Louisville | Syracuse | -8.2 |
Michigan St. | Nebraska | 6.6 |
Pittsburgh | Virginia | -4.2 |
St. John’s | Marquette | -2.0 |
Tennessee | Mississippi St. | 12.9 |
Texas | Kansas St. | 9.8 |
Texas Tech | Kansas | -1.5 |
Toledo | Ball St. | 7.2 |
Vanderbilt | South Carolina | 10.4 |
Wisconsin | Minnesota | 14.4 |
October 20, 2022
PiRate Picks–October 20, 2022
A Fool’s Folly
As we always forewarn every week on this particular feature, do not use this entry as real money wagering reference material. This is purely for entertainment purposes, and this season has been a lot more entertaining to those that like comedies of errors. Last week’s picks went 3-3, which resulted in a minor loss. This week, we go with five selections, all against the spread, and a couple swimming against our normal current. Normally, we are more interested in the numbers than the names on our selections. This week, we are choosing five games where we think our pick has been undervalued. It is not our forte, but then our forte needs reinforcing.
Selection #1: Ball St. -2 1/2 over Eastern Michigan
This goes against everything we look for in making a selection. EMU has been playing hot and cold all season, and they are actually due to be hot this week. However, we think that Ball State is 7 to 10 points better, so we are taking the Cardinals as a short favorite. We considered bringing out the big 10-point teaser play with this game included to make it BSU +7 1/2, but there just weren’t two other games to combine it with to our liking.
Selection #2: Ohio +3 vs. Northern Illinois
We’d like this a lot more at +3 1/2, but we didn’t make the selection when it briefly was that number. Ohio has improved by 10 points since the start of the year, while NIU has been mediocre, and the Huskies are not playing up to their talent level. The MAC East is definitely up for grabs, and the Bobcats are in the mix. We believe Ohio will win this game outright.
Selection #3: Ole Miss + 1 1/2 vs. LSU
The Rebels have not had a lot of success in Baton Rouge, last winning there in 2008. Ole Miss has a chance to win the SEC West with Alabama coming to the Grove in November. LSU is coming off an impressive road win at Florida, and we believe the odds have been moved too many points in the Tigers’ favor based on these perceptions. Ole Miss has lapses in most of their games, but then they find their mark and go on big scoring runs, almost like a basketball team. Our belief here is that LSU might have the lead in the second half, before the Rebels score two or three times to win the game.
Selection #4: Purdue + 2 1/2 vs. Wisconsin
This was the game that had us wait to put our picks out, and it never went to 3 points during the time we isolated on it. This game may be a must-win game for the Badgers’ bowl hopes this year. Losing at Michigan State left UW with a thin margin in the hunt for a 6-6 record. On the other hand, Purdue is now squarely in the Big Ten West race with Illinois and can become bowl eligible with a win. As we said above, this game and pointspread goes against all we normally play, but maybe that’s a good thing in this strange year.
Selection #5: Penn St. -4 vs. Minnesota
Again, this is another against the current play. Normally, we would not consider a 4-point favorite coming off a deflating loss as a playable game. However, in this case, we believe the Nittany Lions might win this game by double digits. They had the third quarter lead at Michigan, and then the Wolverines proved too strong. Minnesota has not yet righted the ship after losing Tanner Morgan for the Purdue game. Morgan’s return didn’t propel the Gophers against surprising Illinois last week. Additionally, Morgan exited last week’s game with a blow to the head, and while we expect him to play this week, he won’t be 100% healthy. This looks like the perfect setting for a James Franklin-coached team to rebound with an impressive win to make next week’s very big game meaningful. Jimmy Frank will not led his team look ahead to the Buckeyes.
August 18, 2022
Big Ten Conference Preview
Will the Big Ten Conference become the Big Billion? Rumors from multiple sources indicate that this league is on the precipice of signing a TV and media rights package that will be north of a billion dollars. This deal does not include Notre Dame. Should the Irish end up in this league, the Big Ten will dwarf even the SEC in money paid out per school.
USC and UCLA are set to join the league in two years. Whether other teams join as well is anybody’s guess.
Both divisions this year figure to have competitive races. Ohio State is the odds-on favorite to win the East and the league overall, but there are multiple teams capable of upsetting the Buckeyes. Michigan, Penn State, and Michigan State are strong once again, and it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that at least one of these contenders upsets the Buckeyes.
Maryland has an easy out of conference schedule and has a good chance to gain bowl eligibility. Rutgers and Indiana will bring up the rear.
In the West, five different teams could contend for the division title. Purdue has the benefit of avoiding Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State from the East. Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa are all about equal in talent this year, while Nebraska could finally return to the plus side of .500. Illinois and Northwestern are one or more excellent recruiting classes away from being contenders.
Big Ten Preseason PiRate Ratings
East Division | ||||
Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
Ohio St. | 128.6 | 126.6 | 129.5 | 128.2 |
Michigan | 123.6 | 121.8 | 123.4 | 122.9 |
Michigan St. | 118.9 | 117.3 | 116.7 | 117.6 |
Penn St. | 115.0 | 114.5 | 114.0 | 114.5 |
Maryland | 110.2 | 110.0 | 109.7 | 109.9 |
Indiana | 102.0 | 101.4 | 99.0 | 100.8 |
Rutgers | 101.3 | 100.4 | 98.2 | 100.0 |
West Division | ||||
Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
Wisconsin | 118.0 | 117.3 | 117.0 | 117.5 |
Iowa | 117.4 | 115.9 | 115.4 | 116.2 |
Purdue | 116.7 | 115.6 | 114.9 | 115.8 |
Minnesota | 113.6 | 113.0 | 114.0 | 113.5 |
Nebraska | 110.1 | 110.1 | 109.0 | 109.7 |
Illinois | 103.0 | 103.6 | 101.1 | 102.5 |
Northwestern | 99.7 | 100.8 | 97.7 | 99.4 |
Big Ten | 112.7 | 112.0 | 111.4 | 112.0 |
Preseason Official Big Ten Media Poll
Votes | |||
# | East | 1st Place | Overall |
1 | Ohio St. | 36 | 252 |
2 | Michigan | 0 | 203 |
3 | Penn St. | 0 | 169 |
4 | Michigan St. | 0 | 162 |
5 | Maryland | 0 | 104 |
6 | Rutgers | 0 | 60 |
7 | Indiana | 0 | 58 |
# | West | 1st Place | Overall |
1 | Wisconsin | 31 | 246 |
2 | Iowa | 3 | 198 |
3 | Minnesota | 2 | 162 |
4 | Purdue | 0 | 153 |
5 | Nebraska | 0 | 123 |
6 | Illinois | 0 | 65 |
7 | Northwestern | 0 | 61 |
Championship | Overall | ||
Ohio St. | 36 |
The PiRate Ratings are designed to look at just the next week’s schedule of games and not to use to look forward. Nevertheless, here are the predicted won-loss records for the league.
Predicted Won-Loss Records
East | Conf. | Overall |
Ohio St. | 9-0 | 13-0 |
Michigan | 8-1 | 11-1 |
Penn St. | 6-3 | 8-4 |
Michigan St. | 6-3 | 9-3 |
Maryland | 3-6 | 6-6 |
Rutgers | 1-8 | 3-9 |
Indiana | 1-8 | 3-9 |
West | Conf. | Overall |
Purdue | 7-2 | 10-3 |
Wisconsin | 6-3 | 9-3 |
Minnesota | 6-3 | 9-3 |
Iowa | 5-4 | 8-4 |
Nebraska | 4-5 | 6-6 |
Northwestern | 1-8 | 4-8 |
Illinois | 0-9 | 3-9 |
July 18, 2022
PiRate College Football Game Debuts
After months of planning and design, the makers of the PiRate Ratings have created a college football game that can be played by one person in solitaire mode or by two people in head-to-head mode. All teams have been designed to perform as they did in real life using the PiRate Ratings’ Strength of Schedule formula to adjust their statistics to account for quality of opposition.
If you played the Sports Illustrated and Avalon Hill games of Bowl Bound and Pay Dirt, you will find this game a little more strategically involved while a little easier to play, as it used standard dice to see the results.
For the low price of $8, we will send you a zip file with all the charts, rules, and a scoreboard and numbers that you can print out to keep track of the action. We also send you a blank statistics sheet so you can record the action for posterity.
All you need are the dice, or to use one of many different free online dice rollers available online.
Go to https://pirate-football.square.site/ to purchase.
Our debut college game is the 1960-1979 Best of the Big Ten Conference. Here are the teams included in this set.
1963 Illinois–The greatest linebacker of all time, Dick Butkus, played center as well and made All-American with a powerful team
1967 Indiana–One of the most exciting teams of all time, the “Cardiac Kids” kept pulling out late victories week after week until they won a trip to the Rose Bowl
1960 Iowa–Some computer formulas say the Hawkeyes were the best team in the nation, as they beat 7 ranked teams and finished 8-1
1973 Michigan–Bo Schembechler’s Wolverines went 10-0-1 but had to stay home for the Holidays thanks to the archaic Big Ten rules of the time
1966 Michigan St.–Duffy Daugherty stockpiled some of the best talent ever to appear on a Big Ten campus at the same time. Bubba Smith anchored a stellar defense, while Gene Washington stretched defenses with his quickness and deceptive moves
1960 Minnesota–Coach Murray Warmath played for General Robert Neyland at Tennessee and continued to follow the General’s philosophy of playing conservative football and waiting for the other team to make the mistakes. He had a great squad in 1960, featuring the multi-tooled Sandy Stephens, who was the starting quarterback, a starting defensive back, the team’s punter, and the top punt returner. Future All-Pro Bobby Bell led the defensive charge and also opened up running lanes as an offensive lineman
1962 Northwestern–Before he became a multiple national championship winning coach at Notre Dame, Ara Parseghian took the Wildcat to Number 1 in the polls for a couple weeks in 1962
1973 Ohio State–Woody Hayes had no trouble stockpiling talent, and he had it on both sides of the ball in 1973, as the Buckeyes went 10-0-1 with a 21-point win in the Rose Bowl
1967 Purdue–The Boilermakers split the conference championship, as Leroy Keyes may have deserved the Heisman Trophy with his ability to catch passes out of the backfield, run the sweep and off-tackle as competently as anybody in the game, and to pull up and throw a halfback option pass like a pro. Having future pro quarterback Mike Phipps made the offense click
1962 Wisconsin-The Badgers came within one close incomplete pass of coming back from a 42-14 deficit to win the Rose Bowl
March 19, 2022
PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Sunday, March 20, 2022
Sunday’s Games
Sunday, March 20, 2022 | ||
Team | Team | Spread |
Illinois | Houston | -3.3 |
Villanova | Ohio St. | 4.4 |
Duke | Michigan St. | 6.5 |
Wisconsin | Iowa St. | 3.8 |
Texas Tech | Notre Dame | 7.3 |
Auburn | Miami (Fla.) | 8.9 |
Purdue | Texas | 2.6 |
Arizona | TCU | 10.3 |
Xavier | Florida | 2.6 |
SMU | Washington St. | 2.7 |
Vanderbilt | Dayton | 2.3 |
North Texas | Virginia | 3.2 |
Oklahoma | St. Bonaventure | 6.7 |
VMI | UNC Wilmington | 0.7 |
Florida Atlantic | Northern Colorado | 5.7 |
UNC Greensboro | Boston | 1.3 |
Abilene Christian | Troy | 3.9 |
Sunday’s Bracketnomics Data
Team | O-Eff | D-Eff | SOS | 37+ 3pt | OReb% | -45% vs. 2pt | FT Rate 37 | R + T New Rate | R+T Old Rate |
Illinois | 23 | 30 | 60.7 | 36.7 | 33.4 | 45.4 | 31.7 | 7.7 | 12.8 |
Houston | 10 | 11 | 56.0 | 34.1 | 37.8 | 43.5 | 28.7 | 14.3 | 22.2 |
Villanova | 8 | 28 | 61.0 | 35.9 | 30.9 | 48.2 | 30.5 | 4.8 | 11.5 |
Ohio St. | 13 | 131 | 60.0 | 37.3 | 28.8 | 46.2 | 33.5 | -1.0 | 6.0 |
Duke | 7 | 44 | 57.6 | 36.8 | 31.8 | 46.9 | 28.6 | 4.1 | 12.7 |
Michigan St. | 38 | 53 | 60.8 | 37.8 | 30.7 | 47.9 | 30.4 | 3.0 | 8.5 |
Wisconsin | 49 | 38 | 60.1 | 31.2 | 25.9 | 49.9 | 32.3 | 3.4 | 7.3 |
Iowa St. | 151 | 10 | 59.7 | 36.8 | 28.2 | 50.7 | 28.1 | 1.2 | 3.8 |
Texas Tech | 65 | 1 | 60.8 | 31.4 | 33.3 | 44.3 | 36.1 | 9.6 | 17.5 |
Notre Dame | 29 | 84 | 56.8 | 38.0 | 22.5 | 49.3 | 27.0 | -2.5 | 3.8 |
Auburn | 24 | 8 | 59.2 | 32.0 | 33.1 | 42.6 | 31.6 | 5.9 | 12.5 |
Miami (Fla.) | 17 | 157 | 57.0 | 35.3 | 23.4 | 53.9 | 28.8 | -5.0 | 1.3 |
Purdue | 3 | 100 | 60.0 | 39.1 | 35.2 | 49.2 | 36.3 | 12.1 | 19.2 |
Texas | 32 | 13 | 60.2 | 32.3 | 31.8 | 46.1 | 32.3 | 7.2 | 10.1 |
Arizona | 5 | 20 | 58.2 | 35.4 | 34.5 | 41.9 | 35.1 | 7.0 | 17.9 |
TCU | 80 | 24 | 60.3 | 30.4 | 37.8 | 47.9 | 31.2 | 12.5 | 16.9 |
Sunday’s Bracketnomics Game Analysis
Illinois vs. Houston
This is a close matchup. Both teams have areas where they can exploit the other. I have looked at this game different ways, and in most ways Illinois is a little better. However, overall, Houston has a Final Four resume, while Illinois has a Sweet 16/Elite 8 resume. Only for that reason, do I slightly favor Houston. The feeling is that the Cougars’ interior defense will be just strong enough to limit Kofi Cockburn inside (not stop him but maybe make him miss a couple shots he normally would make).
Villanova vs. Ohio St.
This is a game where the Bracketnomics cannot properly analyze the game. Ohio State’s statistical resume does not reflect the current team. Numerous injuries greatly affected their resume, so the key thing to do is to look at the Buckeyes’ numbers when they were healthy, as they are now.
This game could go down to the final minute as so many others in this incredible tournament have done so far. I have to go to the minor extras to come up with a decisive winner, and Villanova gets the edge due to Jay Wright’s experience on the bench.
Duke vs. Michigan St.
Duke has two added bonuses in their favor in this game. They receive a minor home court advantage as their fans have bought a lot of losing teams’ tickets. And, of course, the players know what happens if Duke loses. They don’t want to make history as the team that sent Coach K out on an early loss.
The teams are fairly evenly matched, which is becoming a theme in this tournament. If Coach Izzo were to announce his retirement before the tip, this would be an epic game for the ages. Instead, it will just be a really good game. We’ll go with Duke to win by beating the Spartans as their own game–on the offensive glass.
Wisconsin vs. Iowa St.
This game is just what the Badgers wanted. Iowa State has issues stopping a quick-penetrating offense, and the Cyclones like to force bad outside shots and then rebound the ball with players that have sunk into the lane. Wisconsin has a quick-penetrating offense, and the Badgers rarely take a bad shot. Playing in their backyard just 80 miles away from Madison, UW receives bonus points as a quasi-home team. Look for Wisconsin to pull away in the second half and win by 7 to 12 points.
Texas Tech vs. Notre Dame
If you have followed the Bracketnomics reports, you know that one team usually makes the Final Four without having the perfect Bracketnomic resume that a Final Four team possesses. It usually happens when a team has four (or five) dream matchups, where the team keeps getting opponents that are weak where they are strong. Texas Tech had an easy opponent in their first game with Montana State. Notre Dame is better than the Bobcats, but the Irish are going to get drilled in Spurtability points. The Red Raiders should enjoy at least two big runs if not more in this game, and once this team has a lead of eight points, their nation’s best defense can tighten the screws and close games out. Tech will win, and they have a chance to make this game a second laugher if they simply play their average game.
Auburn vs. Miami (Fla.)
Auburn should win this game, and it shouldn’t be close. The Tigers enjoy a huge R+T advantage, and Miami’s is low enough that they almost qualify for automatic Bracketnomics loss with their R+T rating. Auburn has a huge advantage inside the paint in this game, and Miami doesn’t have a fantastic three-point shooting presence.
Purdue vs. Texas
This one should be interesting. Purdue’s exceptional offensive efficiency faces Texas’s exceptional defensive efficiency, making it a wash. Purdue has a better three-point shooting game and has the tendency to get their opponents’ key players in foul trouble. Texas has enough inside muscle to limit the Boilermakers’ double-headed inside monster. In the end, Purdue gets the slight advantage due to superior R+T rating.
Arizona vs. TCU
One number one seed fell yesterday. This could be the second one, because it is a tossup game. TCU has enough talent to make this a 50-50 game. The Pac-12 schedule strength is just a tad off the other Power Conferences, and the Wildcats’ numbers have been slightly skewed. UA is still strong enough to go to the Final Four, but it isn’t going to come easy, and TCU has just enough of a Bracketnomics positive resume to make this game a 40-minute challenge. Arizona is still the pick here, but I expect this game to be much closer and for Wildcat fans to chew their nails before the final horn.
March 6, 2022
PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Sunday, March 6, 2022
Sunday’s Conference Tournaments | ||
America East Conference–Quarterfinals | ||
Higher Seed at Home | ||
Home Team | Lower Seed | Spread |
Vermont | NJIT | 21.5 |
Maryland Baltimore Co. | UMass Lowell | 2.5 |
New Hampshire | Binghamton | 6.6 |
Hartford | Albany | 3.7 |
Big South Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP | ||
Charlotte | ||
Higher Seed | Lower Seed | Spread |
Longwood | Winthrop | -1.2 |
Colonial Athletic Association–Quarterfinals | ||
Charlotte | ||
Higher Seed | Lower Seed | Spread |
Towson | Northeastern | 11.9 |
Drexel | Delaware | 0.9 |
UNC Wilmington | Elon | 3.4 |
Hofstra | Charleston | 2.6 |
Missouri Valley Conference CHAMPIONSHIP | ||
St. Louis (Arch Madness) | ||
Higher Seed | Lower Seed | Spread |
Drake | Loyola (Chi.) | 4.2 |
Patriot League–Semifinals | ||
Higher Seed at Home | ||
Home | Visitor | Spread |
Colgate | Lehigh | 11.7 |
Navy | ||
Southern Conference–Semifinals | ||
Asheville, NC | ||
Higher Seed | Lower Seed | Spread |
Chattanooga | Wofford | 2.4 |
Furman | Samford | 8.5 |
Summit League–Quarterfinals Continue | ||
Sioux Falls, SD | ||
Higher Seed | Lower Seed | Spread |
Kansas City | South Dakota | 0.1 |
Oral Roberts | Western Illinois | 6.0 |
Sun Belt Conference–Semifinals | ||
Pensacola, FL | ||
Higher Seed | Lower Seed | Spread |
Troy | Louisiana | -0.3 |
Appalachian St. | Georgia St. | -0.4 |
Sunday’s Regularly Scheduled Games | ||
Home Team | Visitor | Spread |
Memphis | Houston | -3.7 |
Rutgers | Penn St. | 4.2 |
Ohio St. | Michigan | 3.7 |
Wisconsin | Nebraska | 13.1 |
Tulsa | Central Florida | -2.5 |
Temple | South Florida | 9.1 |
SMU | Tulane | 7.4 |
Michigan St. | Maryland | 5.9 |
Illinois | Iowa | 2.0 |
Northwestern | Minnesota | 5.8 |
Dance Tickets Punched
1 | Murray St. | Ohio Valley | 30-2 |
February 20, 2022
PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Sunday, February 20, 2022
Home | Visitors | Spread |
Butler | Providence | -3.7 |
Wichita St. | Houston | -8.3 |
Wisconsin | Michigan | 1.8 |
Maine | NJIT | -3.0 |
Detroit | Wright St. | 0.6 |
Iona | Fairfield | 11.2 |
Cincinnati | Temple | 7.4 |
Central Florida | East Carolina | 10.1 |
Milwaukee | Purdue Fort Wayne | -2.8 |
Northern Iowa | Missouri St. | -1.4 |
Marist | Quinnipiac | 6.6 |
Siena | Saint Peter’s | -2.4 |
Manhattan | Rider | 3.0 |
Fordham | George Mason | -3.2 |
SMU | Memphis | -0.1 |
Creighton | Marquette | 0.2 |
Oakland | Northern Kentucky | 6.9 |
Green Bay | Cleveland St. | -8.4 |
San Jose St. | New Mexico | -6.0 |
Hartford | Stony Brook | 0.5 |
Loyola (MD) | Lehigh | 5.0 |
Purdue | Rutgers | 12.6 |
Bellarmine | Jacksonville St. | 0.8 |
USC | Washington St. | 5.0 |
Missouri | Mississippi St. | -5.9 |
February 2, 2022
PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Home | Visitors | Spread |
Missouri | Florida | -7.5 |
Abilene Christian | Chicago St. | 18.3 |
UNC Asheville | Longwood | 0.1 |
Radford | Charleston Southern | 10.4 |
Minnesota | Purdue | -10.1 |
Kentucky | Vanderbilt | 17.3 |
Xavier | Butler | 14.3 |
Lafayette | American | 4.5 |
Loyola (MD) | Army | 3.3 |
Colgate | Bucknell | 17.0 |
East Carolina | Temple | 0.2 |
Lehigh | Navy | -7.3 |
Hampton | USC Upstate | -2.6 |
High Point | Gardner-Webb | -2.2 |
Presbyterian | Campbell | -2.3 |
Miami (Fla.) | Notre Dame | 3.1 |
Wake Forest | Pittsburgh | 13.8 |
Clemson | Florida St. | 3.7 |
Vermont | NJIT | 19.1 |
Maine | UMass Lowell | -7.8 |
Albany | UMBC | 1.2 |
New Hampshire | Hartford | 5.2 |
Stony Brook | Binghamton | 7.6 |
Indiana St. | Drake | -3.9 |
George Washington | La Salle | 1.1 |
George Mason | Saint Louis | -2.1 |
Fordham | Rhode Island | -4.4 |
Western Carolina | East Tennessee St. | -4.8 |
UNC Greensboro | VMI | 1.8 |
Furman | The Citadel | 16.1 |
Georgia | Arkansas | -10.2 |
Delaware St. | Coppin St. | -11.1 |
Houston | Tulane | 18.8 |
UT Rio Grande Valley | Lamar | 6.8 |
Northern Iowa | Bradley | 2.3 |
Loyola (Chi.) | Illinois St. | 14.9 |
Samford | Chattanooga | -9.3 |
Illinois | Wisconsin | 6.8 |
NC St. | Syracuse | 0.5 |
Virginia Tech | Georgia Tech | 11.7 |
Kansas St. | Oklahoma St. | 0.6 |
Southern Illinois | Missouri St. | -3.6 |
VCU | Dayton | 4.2 |
Marquette | Villanova | -3.6 |
Conference Tournament Action Just Four Weeks Away
The Atlantic Sun, Horizon League, and Patriot League Conference Tournaments begin play in four weeks with 29 additional conference tournament to follow. Here’s a look at each conference with the start dates and dates of their championship.
Conference Tournaments 2022 | Begins | Ends | Teams in | |
Conference | Site | March | March | Bracket |
America East | Higher Seed Home | 5 | 12 | 8 |
American Athletic | Fort Worth, TX | 10 | 13 | 11 |
Atlantic 10 | Washington, DC | 9 | 13 | 14 |
Atlantic Coast | Brooklyn | 8 | 12 | 15 |
Atlantic Sun | Higher Seed Home | 1 | 8 | 12 |
Big 12 | Kansas City | 9 | 12 | 10 |
Big East | New York | 9 | 12 | 11 |
Big Sky | Boise, ID | 9 | 12 | 11 |
Big South | Charlotte | 2 | 6 | 12 |
Big Ten | Indianapolis | 9 | 13 | 14 |
Big West | Henderson, NV | 8 | 12 | 10 |
Colonial Athletic | Washington, DC | 5 | 8 | 9 |
Conference USA | Frisco, TX | 9 | 12 | 14 |
Horizon | See Footnote | 1 | 8 | 12 |
Ivy League | Boston | 12 | 13 | 4 |
Metro Atlantic | Atlantic City, NJ | 8 | 12 | 11 |
Mid-American | Cleveland | 10 | 12 | 8 |
Mideastern Athletic | Norfolk, VA | 9 | 12 | 8 |
Missouri Valley | St. Louis | 3 | 6 | 10 |
Mountain West | Las Vegas | 6 | 9 | 11 |
Northeast | Higher Seed Home | 2 | 8 | 9 |
Ohio Valley | Evansville, IN | 2 | 5 | 8 |
Pac-12 | Las Vegas | 9 | 12 | 12 |
Patriot | Higher Seed Home | 1 | 9 | 10 |
Southeastern | Tampa | 9 | 13 | 14 |
Southern | Asheville, NC | 4 | 7 | 10 |
Southland | Katy, TX | 9 | 13 | 8 |
Southwestern Athletic | Birmingham | 9 | 12 | 8 |
Summit | Sioux Falls, SD | 5 | 8 | 8 |
Sun Belt | Pensacola, FL | 3 | 7 | 12 |
West Coast | Las Vegas | 3 | 8 | 10 |
Western Athletic | Las Vegas | 8 | 12 | 9 |
Footnote : The opening two rounds played on higher seed home. Final 2 rounds will be played in Indianapolis | ||||
January 30, 2022
PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Sunday, January 30, 2022
Home | Visitors | Spread |
Brown | Cornell | 4.5 |
Purdue | Ohio St. | 9.2 |
East Carolina | Cincinnati | -5.9 |
Wright St. | Purdue Fort Wayne | 4.4 |
Northern Kentucky | Cleveland St. | -1.4 |
George Washington | Fordham | -1.5 |
Providence | Marquette | 1.1 |
Wisconsin | Minnesota | 9.2 |
Fairleigh Dickinson | Central Connecticut | 1.3 |
Bryant | Long Island | 5.1 |
Iona | Saint Peter’s | 11.1 |
Morgan St. | Delaware St. | 14.1 |
St. Francis (NY) | Wagner | -11.8 |
Drake | Loyola (Chi.) | -3.2 |
Bradley | Indiana St. | 7.9 |
Massachusetts | George Mason | 8.7 |
Siena | Quinnipiac | 0.4 |
Manhattan | Marist | -2.0 |
Monmouth | Niagara | 8.5 |
Rider | Canisius | 1.9 |
Boston College | Pittsburgh | 4.0 |
Southern Illinois | Valparaiso | 5.8 |
Bucknell | Loyola (MD) | -3.9 |
McNeese St. | New Orleans | 0.7 |
Washington St. | Colorado | 5.8 |