Go Joe Bruin Bracketology – Week 2
By Jake Liker
The Breakdown
There have been three tweaks made to this week’s formula, which accounts for win-loss record, the AP Top 25 Poll, team rankings and strength of schedules from four different computer metrics (RPI, KenPom, Sagarin ratings, and BPI) and good wins and bad losses, which are quantified using an opponent’s current RPI ranking.
The first tweak places less weight in the three secondary computer metrics: KenPom, Sagarin, and BPI. Sorry, Washington. Congrats, Monmouth.
Sorry, Washington. Congrats, Monmouth.
The second tweak is more minor, punishing teams a little less for losses against teams outside the RPI top 200, but also rewarding teams a little less for an RPI top 25 win. Again, my apologies to Washington (3 top 25 wins), and my congratulations to Monmouth (3 bottom 151 losses).
See if you can notice the third tweak on your own.
The last team in, Cincinnati, has a score of 0.00, and that’s not a coincidence. The third tweak doesn’t affect the ranking of each team; it simply gives every team bonus points so that the last team to receive an at-large bid has a score of 0.00.
So this week, the Bearcats’ score was originally -42.32. Since they were the last team in, every team received an extra 42.32 points.
This makes it easier to quantify how close a given team is to making the tournament.
Next: The Outlook