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I heard that a player from Milwaukee has transferred to one of the No. Carolina schools.  Does anyone know who it is?

Justin Jordan (nephew of some guy named Michael) is transferring to UNC Greensboro. He is a Davidson, NC native.

"In four games this season, the 6-foot-3 guard averaged 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. He started 15 contests as a freshman in 2014-15 and contributed 5.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 1.1 apg."

Line opens at Valpo -8.5, slides to -8.

Stats are kept by the home team's sports information staff. They track the game live and enter them into a computer (you don't want to know some of the keystrokes they end up with) while the game is going and the program produces the box score.

There have been many instances of schools stuffing their own players stat sheets (including a few that we played against, at least on the women's side).

Keeping basketball stats is not easy, especially when you get plays around the rim with multiple missed shots and rebounds. Blocks are very subjective...some SID's will count one if a player touches a shot and it misses, others only count one if the defender keeps the ball away from the rim altogether.

The poll will come out before we play on Monday night (usually around lunchtime). There are already a few other people out there that we have picked up points from.

It generally takes about 100 points to get to #25, so hopefully we are well on our way.

Historically, the home team wins approximately 70% of games. That's where the 1.4 and 0.6 was developed from.

Thats not what I asked but you already know that.

If you would like to make any off the record comments or observations feel free to PM me. I am very curious if you view the process as totally fair and impartial.

Sorry, misread the question you asked.

No, I don't have any idea how much input the mids were given, but I would guess its not much. The NCAA is a big boys club, and they allow us minions to participate, as long as we follow their rules. The power conferences have figured out how to game the RPI, and until the committee actually uses all of the other metrics, they will continue to have that advantage. And, once they do use other metrics, the majors will simply figure out how to game them, too.

How much input were mid majors given in establishment of selection committee criteria or was this something handed down from above?

Historically, the home team wins approximately 70% of games. That's where the 1.4 and 0.6 was developed from.

I think I would give Tevonn the edge of Peters for player of the week.  Both deserve it.  Perhaps co-player of the week?

Agreed on Tevonn. In the "feature" game of the week, the ESPN game, he made big shot after big shot. Alec will get plenty of awards.

t POTW away from Felder, for a change?

I think he's got Tevonn to compete with this week.

Some numbers to make some people realize that "scoreboard watching" might be a waste of time.

This is a bit simplified, but that's only to make the numbers easier to digest. It assumes that all teams play exactly 30 games.

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The RPI Formula ..... (.250)WP + (.500)OWP + (.250)OOWP

The "PERFECT" RPI is 1.000.
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If every team started at .000 and got "points" added to their RPI each time they, their opponents or their opponents' opponents won, each game would be worth the following:

WP = .250/30 = .008333 points per win
OWP = .500/900 = .000555 points per win
OOWP = .250/27000 = .00000925 points per win


So, while each game does matter...sitting on the couch and following along with the Portland State/Montana State game and rooting for Portland state because Oregon played them is probably a waste of your time.

So had we lost to Oregon State and beat Ball State, our RPI would have been exactly the same.
Can you tell that I am unable to get over that stupid loss?

Yes.

Winning percentages are all that matter...

[Quick RPI Tutorial]

I posted this last spring, but wanted to bring it back to refresh everyone's memory on how RPI works.

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Quick RPI Tutorial

The RPI is a tool that the NCAA Selection Committee uses to determine at-large bids and seeding for the NCAA Tournament. It is not the only tool they use, and many believe that it is being used less and less as years pass and more analytics are available.

It is a measure that is based simply on winning percentages of your team, your team's opponents and your team's opponents' opponents. The last two of these is where the strength of schedule is calculated.

Only games against Division 1 teams are included in the calculations.


The Math (Simple Version) – See below for why some numbers may not always match:
25% of team winning percentage
50% of opponents winning percentage (games against your team are excluded in this area only)
25% of opponents' opponents winning percentage

Thus, if your team is 8-2, their winning percentage is .800. Multiply that by 25% and you get .200

If your opponents are all 7-3, their combined record would be 70-30. Subtract 8 losses and 2 wins because you take out results against your team, and that record changes to 68-22, good for a winning percentage of .756. After multiplying this number by 50%, you get .378.

If all of your opponents' opponents are 4-6, this is a total of 400-600 (ten games, ten teams, ten opponents). The winning percentage of these teams is .400, of which you take 25%, good for .100.

In this scenario, .200 + .378 + .100 would give your team an RPI rating of .678.

Notice in this example (and any you could create), that it DOES NOT MATTER which teams your team beats or their opponents beat, only the winning percentages. So, it's not a matter of who you beat for the RPI, just how many. (The who comes into play when you get their winning percentages factored in). Thus, there is no such thing as a "win that will really help our RPI".

Understand that my saying "does not matter which teams" only applies to a team's own schedule (ie: 15-15 is the same winning percentage, regardless of which of their games they win and lose). It ALWAYS matters how good the teams you play are.


The Math (Complicated Version Details):
The formula that the NCAA uses has a few tweaks to it. Over time, research has shown that the home team wins about 70% of the time, so the NCAA chose to adjust their actual formula.

Home Wins: .6 wins
Home Losses: 1.4 losses

Road Wins: 1.4 wins
Road Losses: .6 losses

Neutral site games did not change.

I won't go back through an entire example, but you can see how it would affect a team's record. To the NCAA RPI formula, Valpo has a 8.6-1.8 record thus far (1/7/2016)

Wisconsin people are weird.

Excuse me? I resemble that remark...   

The vote to move the conference tournament was not unanimous. I believe there were two votes against it. One came from the state of Indiana (I believe), and I don't recall the other. Milwaukee comes to mind, but I have no reason other than it coming to mind to think that's the case.

As for RPI, it won't matter. Our opponents will go 1-1 in that game.

RPI is based solely on winning percentages.

For our resume, it would make the win over OSU look a bit better.

No. Bo wanted that and AD Barry Alvarez said no. The state laws in Wisconsin are very different from a lot of places regarding how hirings and searches must be conducted. Naming him the "Head Coach in Waiting" without a formal application process (seeing as it would be a new position, rather than filling an existing opening) would have been considered to be illegal.

Alvarez will do a national search. Assuming that Gard does a good job, it will likely go something like this:

"So, Tony...do you want the job?"

If yes, it's Bennett. If no, it's Gard.

Full ESPN RPI Rankings (Click a team for their "team sheet"): http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi


Direct link to Valpo team sheet: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/teamId/2674

A win is a win is a win is a win. Don't care how, don't care by how many.

My biggest complaint is that my blood pressure and heart rate are up high enough that I probably won't be able to take my nap now...

I'm told Skara is not on the trip. I have nothing to confirm this...but I also have no reason to doubt the source.

Butler scored 144 today

[UNDER]

1) Alec Peters -- 18.0 ppg   UNDER
2) Darien Walker -- 38.0% 3PFG%   UNDER
3) Tevonn Walker -- 1.5 steals per game   OVER
4) Keith Carter -- 4.5 assists per game   OVER
5) Vashil Fernandez -- 3.0 blocks per game   UNDER
6) E. Victor Nickerson -- 15 minutes per game   OVER
7) David Skara -- 80% FT%   OVER
8) Jubril Adekoya -- 60% 2PFG%   UNDER
9) Nick Davidison -- 10 3-pointers   UNDER
10) Max Joseph -- 1.5/1 assist-to-turnover ration   OVER (will be better than 1.5:1.0)
11) Shane Hammink -- 8 games started   UNDER
12) Derrik Smits -- 55% FG%   UNDER
13) Lexus Williams -- 10 games with 10+ minutes   OVER
14) Chandler Levingston Simon -- 9 games played   OVER
15) Bryce Drew -- 2.5 technicals   UNDER
16) Valparaiso -- 24 regular season wins   OVER

[ONE]

Schools that are not Division 1 in all sports may play ONE men's and ONE women's sport at the Division 1 level. These cannot be Basketball or Football. If a school wishes to play Football or Basketball (men's or women's) at the D1 level, they must play all sports at the D1 level.

Many schools play soccer, hockey or lacrosse at the D1 level, while maintaining a D2 or D3 standing in all other sports.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25356774/cinderella-watch-valpo-stephen-f-austin-could-make-noise-in-march

1. VALPARAISO CRUSADERS

If there's a mid-major team more likely to make noise in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, you'd be hard-pressed to find it. The Crusaders are just one of those experience-heavy teams that can beat you on both ends of the floor. Senior guards Darien Walker and Keith Carter run the show, with another senior on the wing in E. Victor Nickerson. Sophomore Tevonn Carter also provides some explosiveness to round out the perimeter rotation. However, it's the frontcourt that wreaks the biggest havoc on mid-major opponents, as potential Horizon Player of the Year Alec Peters is one of the better stretch-4s in America and center Vashil Fernandez was the league's defensive player of the year last season. The group can defend the rim, get after you on the perimeter, space you out on offense by canning 3s at a high rate, and create offense with experienced guard play. What more do you need to hear when it comes to picking a potential Cinderella?

It's not that simple. The NCAA has fairly strict rules about it, so schools can't simply abuse it to have more than the allowed number of scholarships.

There are certainly many qualifications that our players would have, but there are some that involve "official" visits, whether "athletic ability" had anything to do, etc.

It might be more trouble than its worth, if there's a player who could be moved off of scholarship and out of the program fairly easily.

Two potentially good additions. This puts us at 16 players so someone is out. I am assuming Godwin who has been injured her entire career.

That leaves 4 open scholarships, and we have 6 incoming players.  Who will be leaving?

OK.  I was thinking it was 14 scholarships for the women, vice 13 for the men.  It is actually 15 for the women.  I'm sure IndyValpo is correct with the Godwin guess.  If she is a good student, I'm sure they will take care of her.

Godwin will leave team but stay at Valpo. Anne Hamilton is going to transfer.

I expect that Jessi Wiedemann has played her final game as well, due to lingering injury issues.

What's in it for me?

(Yes, I can...recording is set)