NET Rankings 2021-2022

[kreed5120]

As many of you know NET rankings is the new metric the selection committee uses to evaluate teams instead of RPI. Today the first NET rankings were released. Obviously Akron, or any MAC team for that matter, won't be receiving an at-large bid this year, but it should be useful to see how we measure up against our fellow MAC brethren up to this point.

 

75. Toledo
86. Ohio
112. Buffalo
118. Miami (OH)
127. Kent St.
202. Ball St.
218. Akron
235. Eastern Michigan
239. Bowling Green
312. Western Michigan
324. Northern Illinois
345. Central Michigan

 

Edit: Add link

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-men/d1/ncaa-mens-basketball-net-rankings

Edited December 6, 2021 by kreed5120

[blueandgold]

Obviously those two terrible performances in Florida really affected us. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

2 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

As many of you know NET rankings is the new metric the selection committee uses to evaluate teams instead of RPI. Today the first NET rankings were released. Obviously Akron, or any MAC team for that matter, won't be receiving an at-large bid this year, but it should be useful to see how we measure up against our fellow MAC brethren up to this point.

 

75. Toledo
86. Ohio
112. Buffalo
118. Miami (OH)
127. Kent St.
202. Ball St.
218. Akron
235. Eastern Michigan
239. Bowling Green
312. Western Michigan
324. Northern Illinois
345. Central Michigan

 

Edit: Add link

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-men/d1/ncaa-mens-basketball-net-rankings

 

College basketball must really suck if Toledo and OU are top 100.

[NWAkron]

1 hour ago, blueandgold said:

Obviously those two terrible performances in Florida really affected us. 

Terrible is too light of an adjective. 

[kreed5120]

I'll try to update this periodically throughout the year. As we get more data points, these rankings should start looking more realistic.

 

Buffalo - 83

Ohio - 85

Toledo - 101

Miami (OH) - 132

Kent St. - 145

Akron - 174

Eastern Mich. - 210

Bowling Green - 215

Ball St. - 243

Northern Ill. - 299

Western Mich. - 322

Central Mich. - 346

 

We've climbed 44 spots since the original rankings 10 days ago. I do agree the Florida tournament really tanked our numbers. Not necessarily by losing to Fordham and App State as both based off NET are middle of the road MAC teams, but because of how much we lost to them by.

 

Fordham - 168

App State - 198

 

Edit: I already feel these rankings are more reflective than the prior ones I shared. I feel UB and Ohio have looked the best thus far with Toledo just a little behind them. After those three teams Miami/Kent/Akron have looked to be about on par with one another. Bowling Green and EMU have looked mediocre. The rest of the MAC has been garbage.

Edited December 16, 2021 by kreed5120

[LoyalZIP]

Thank you for the update. I've not watched a second of CMU basketball, but judging by results I've been following along with, they may be every bit as bad as the NIU teams of 10 years ago, specifically the one that scored 4 points in a half in that one game at EMU in 2012 I believe. The bottom of the MAC is pathetic, while the top is about as balanced and competitive as it has ever been.

[RowdyZip]

Update.  Games through 01/02/2022.   The MAC currently has 4 teams in the bottom quartile and only 5 teams in the top half of the NET rankings.  Not a good season for the conference :

[LZIp]

3 minutes ago, RowdyZip said:

Update.  Games through 01/02/2022.   The MAC currently has 4 teams in the bottom quartile and only 5 teams in the top half of the NET rankings.  Not a good season for the conference :

Does it exclude the games vs Point Park and Wheeling? We are 8-3 and Buffalo is 6-6. Seems odd that we would drop after beating Buffalo and they'd move up a spot?? 

[kreed5120]

1 hour ago, LZIp said:

Does it exclude the games vs Point Park and Wheeling? We are 8-3 and Buffalo is 6-6. Seems odd that we would drop after beating Buffalo and they'd move up a spot?? 

The NET only includes D1 vs D1 games in the numbers. The Net rankings are released new daily. I think we were in the 170s prior to beating Buffalo so we did climb 25 or so spots with the win. Buffalo WA ~100 before the game so they fell a similar amount.

 

You don't see much movement here because these previous and current rankings are based off the changes related to the Sunday games. Since no MAC schools played yesterday, there wasn't much impact. Had you looked at the rankings Sunday morning, you'd have seen the large changes in Akron, UB, etc.

[Hilltopper]

I would love to see March Madness become a play in tournament this year. Since so many games are going to be cancelled just stage a tournament like they do for highschool. Just start with every team in each conference playing a single elimination tourney and just carry it through to the final 4.

[kreed5120]

Update through Jan 11 2022

74 Ohio

78 Toledo

120 Buffalo

150 Akron

158 Miami (OH)

206 Bowling Green

211 Kent St.

247 Eastern Mich

269 Ball St.

293 Northern Ill.

334 Western Mich.

342 Central Mich.

 

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by kreed5120

[blueandgold]

2 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

Update through Jan 11 2022

74 Ohio

78 Toledo

120 Buffalo

150 Akron

158 Miami (OH)

206 Bowling Green

211 Kent St.

247 Eastern Mich

269 Ball St.

293 Northern Ill.

334 Western Mich.

342 Central Mich.

 

 

Those two terrible losses in the Florida tournament are still haunting us. 

[RowdyZip]

49 minutes ago, blueandgold said:

Those two terrible losses in the Florida tournament are still haunting us. 

The App State one is what hurts.  

Losses: 

• Ohio State 24 😒
• Fordham 143 🤢
• App State 208 🤮
• Ohio U 74 😐

 

 

[kreed5120]

1 hour ago, RowdyZip said:

The App State one is what hurts.  

Losses: 

• Ohio State 24 😒
• Fordham 143 🤢
• App State 208 🤮
• Ohio U 74 😐

 

 

Fordham hurts a ton too. Not necessarily because we lost, but the fact we lost by 20. Net factors margin of victory in its calculations.

[RowdyZip]

Was perusing the web on my lunch break and thought I'd update these:

 

MAC Breakdown:

2 teams in Quad 1:  OU/UT

3 teams in Q2:  UB, UA, Kent

3 teams in Q3: BG, BSU, UM

4 teams in Q4: EMU, NIU, CMU, WMU (Directionals....yikes!)

 

Akron Non-Conference Opponents:

O$U: 17

Fordham: 180

App State: 151

Evansville: 319

Marshall: 249

Southern: 185

Florida A&M: 310

Wright State: 210

Radford (ppd): 308

 

Yikes.  Our marquee non-conference win in this awful schedule is #185 Southern.  The Zips lone top-half win was vs UB.  The above information has tempered my expectations for Cleveland.  I think we are a mediocre team this year in a bad, bad MAC.

[Hilltopper]

7 minutes ago, RowdyZip said:

Was perusing the web on my lunch break and thought I'd update these:

 

MAC Breakdown:

2 teams in Quad 1:  OU/UT

3 teams in Q2:  UB, UA, Kent

3 teams in Q3: BG, BSU, UM

4 teams in Q4: EMU, NIU, CMU, WMU (Directionals....yikes!)

 

Akron Non-Conference Opponents:

O$U: 17

Fordham: 180

App State: 151

Evansville: 319

Marshall: 249

Southern: 185

Florida A&M: 310

Wright State: 210

Radford (ppd): 308

 

Yikes.  Our marquee non-conference win in this awful schedule is #185 Southern.  The Zips lone top-half win was vs UB.  The above information has tempered my expectations for Cleveland.  I think we are a mediocre team this year in a bad, bad MAC.

If we had just made a defensive stop at OSU that number would be much better. 

[NWAkron]

1 hour ago, RowdyZip said:

Was perusing the web on my lunch break and thought I'd update these:

 

The above information has tempered my expectations for Cleveland.  I think we are a mediocre team this year in a bad, bad MAC.

What expectations did you have?  that the Zips would make the finals and beat one of the 3 teams they already lost to this season?  sometimes it's best to go in with minimal expectations.  hope for the best.  expect the worst.

[kreed5120]

6 hours ago, NWAkron said:

What expectations did you have?  that the Zips would make the finals and beat one of the 3 teams they already lost to this season?  sometimes it's best to go in with minimal expectations.  hope for the best.  expect the worst.

I can't speak for Rowdy, but my expectation is that I think this Zips team is good enough that they're capable of beating any team in the MAC when they're playing at their best, but not consistent enough to string 3 of those games in a row.

 

His assessment is spot on about Akron looking better than it is because the MAC is down. We have another month of basketball so one just hopes we keep finding ways to improve and that we're playing our best ball in March.

[zips4life20]

7 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

I can't speak for Rowdy, but my expectation is that I think this Zips team is good enough that they're capable of beating any team in the MAC when they're playing at their best, but not consistent enough to string 3 of those games in a row.

 

His assessment is spot on about Akron looking better than it is because the MAC is down. We have another month of basketball so one just hopes we keep finding ways to improve and that we're playing our best ball in March.

 

I may be in the minority, but i dont think the MAC is as down this year as most here believe it is. Year in and year out, with the random years where a certain team is better than other years, most the teams are right around what they are now. Akron, Kent, Toledo, OU, and Canada are at the top of the MAC which they are this year. They are all ranked in the NET right around where they are now. We may not be ranked as high as we typically are but its not a significant difference. There is 5 teams in the top 165 in college basketball which is about where the MAC normally is. Overall, the MAC in general is about where it is every year, some good teams at the top, garbage at the bottom. 

[NWAkron]

7 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

 

 

His assessment is spot on about Akron looking better than it is because the MAC is down. We have another month of basketball so one just hopes we keep finding ways to improve and that we're playing our best ball in March.

I see what you guys are saying.  I think i mentioned to Clark that either Toledo or OU could get an at large bid, but the problem is that the MAC is so "weak" after those two teams.  Kent, Buffalo, and Akron are the next tier and they all have some really bad losses.  Rowdy and I may differ in that I never have any expectations going in to Cleveland, even in 2020.  KD's teams stomped out those expectations.   Groce has shown that he can get the Zips one or two wins but getting that 3rd one would take a lot of luck and at least 2 nights of stellar defense and 3 point shooting.

[zips4life20]

21 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

  Kent, Buffalo, and Akron are the next tier and they all have some really bad losses.

 

almost every team in college basketball has bad losses. this isnt the basketball of 20 years ago where there were teams that werent losing to mid majors. you have the top 10 teams in the country and then everyone else. any team can beat any team on any night. Rutgers beat purdue this year, texas southern beat Florida, Iona beat alabama, Baylor lost back to back home games as the AP #1 team. that was the first time in history.

[Let'sGoZips94]

1 hour ago, zips4life20 said:

 

I may be in the minority, but i dont think the MAC is as down this year as most here believe it is. Year in and year out, with the random years where a certain team is better than other years, most the teams are right around what they are now. Akron, Kent, Toledo, OU, and Canada are at the top of the MAC which they are this year. They are all ranked in the NET right around where they are now. We may not be ranked as high as we typically are but its not a significant difference. There is 5 teams in the top 165 in college basketball which is about where the MAC normally is. Overall, the MAC in general is about where it is every year, some good teams at the top, garbage at the bottom. 

 

I think it's the eye test for me. The quality of basketball in the MAC isn't very strong this year (heck, college basketball in general is harder to watch than usual). I don't look at Buffalo like I did a few years ago - capable of consistently beating teams outside of the Top 10. Toledo and OU aren't on that level either. The bottom of the MAC is as bad as I can ever remember, too. 

[zips4life20]

13 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

I think it's the eye test for me. The quality of basketball in the MAC isn't very strong this year (heck, college basketball in general is harder to watch than usual). I don't look at Buffalo like I did a few years ago - capable of consistently beating teams outside of the Top 10. Toledo and OU aren't on that level either. The bottom of the MAC is as bad as I can ever remember, too. 

 

I contribute alot of it to the obsession with the 3 point shot and the lack of wanting to play tough defense. everyone wants to shoot the rock and no one wants to guard it, and couple that with players that cant shoot the 3 at a good rate but shoot it anyway, makes it look worse than it has in the past. you just dont see players slashing to the basket for layups like we used to because it isnt exciting to most players, and if we do, its to dish it out to a poor shooting 3 point shooter that isnt being guarded, because he is a terrible shooter.

[clarkwgriswold]

This MAC season started with three strong contenders (Toledo, Buffalo and OU) and two just a step back (UA and PCCC).  Buffalo has been a huge disappointment.  UA and PCCC have .  The rest of the conference has been as bad as I can recall in recent years, almost Horizon League middle of the pack bad.   Wright State is 3rd in the Horizon and would be middle of the pack in the MAC this year.    

[kreed5120]

9 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

I think it's the eye test for me. The quality of basketball in the MAC isn't very strong this year (heck, college basketball in general is harder to watch than usual). I don't look at Buffalo like I did a few years ago - capable of consistently beating teams outside of the Top 10. Toledo and OU aren't on that level either. The bottom of the MAC is as bad as I can ever remember, too. 

It's not even the eye test. The MAC is objectively down. Let's go back and look at the 2019-2020 season(last full regular season before covid). The worst team in the MAC that year was WMU and their Kenpom rating was 237. Now looking at this year's Kenpom that would place them better than 5 teams this season. So the worst team in 2020 is better than nearly half the teams this season. You can take any year and it would be about the same. 

Edited February 8, 2022 by kreed5120