-The rankings are very scattershot and very loosely put together. This is more about getting in the habit of evaluating teams than it is giving precise and accurate rankings for this point in time. All of the data is very incomplete, so it is a fool’s errand to be overly concerned about precision at this point in time.
-Duke is by far the most accomplished team. I’m not convinced that they’re the best team, but they are without question the most accomplished team.
-Louisville’s only loss is to Duke, and it was without Deng, who is now back, but they still don’t have nearly as much in the way of quality wins as some of the teams ahead of them.
-Ohio State currently does not have a top 100 win, which is why they are currently much lower than what their national ranking indicates. Obviously, if they’re as good as their ranking, they’ll prove it in conference play and move up the seed list.
-Memphis doesn’t have any quality wins either, and although they will likely coast through Conference USA, they won’t get a chance to really boost their resume. They didn’t like their seed last year, and may not like it again this year, if they get in at all.
-Kentucky, at this moment, has no big wins. Their best win was in the opener against Maryland, and although that is currently Maryland’s only loss, it’s hard to say whether or not that’s a win that indicates they belong on the top three or four lines. With a weakened SEC, they’re running out of chances.
-Florida is a good team, but with losses to Kansas State and to Arizona, suddenly they’re looking a little thin in regards to quality wins.
-The Mountain West is good again. It is currently second in overall conference RPI (albeit it is still early) and has the second overall winning percentage (78.4%) behind the Big East (82.0%). The league sent four teams last year, which was half of its lineup. Expect that many, or more to get in this year. Seven teams have just two losses or fewer, and the only team that isn’t way above .500 is Fresno State, who is 4-7.
-Bucknell has one bad loss, but it is their only loss. They’ve got a smattering of decent wins, but aren’t getting much love. If they run through the Patriot League, you have to consider them as an at-large.
-South Dakota State earns the award for the most scattershot profile of the year, at least at this point. They have four losses, but they were without Nate Wolters for a few of those. However, for their loss against Hofstra, which is probably the worst loss of anyone who is currently on this list as an at-large contender, they had him. They also have a win at New Mexico, which is one of the more impressive road wins anyone has managed this season. So, they have a very good win, a horrific loss, and were without their best player for a spell. Good luck digesting that.
-Murray State is in trouble. Their loss at Dayton was their last best shot at a good win. Winning at Dayton doesn’t completely knock your socks off and scream #1 seed, but it does perhaps scream bubble, and that was Murray’s last chance. Other than Belmont, it doesn’t appear as though they’ll face another top 100 team, and if Western KY drops out of the RPI top 100, which they very easily could, they could end the regular season without an RPI top 100 win.
-Georgia Tech does is low on the list, but they are a good team that I believe is capable of competing with most of the ACC. That’s a commentary on how bad the ACC is just as much as it is on how good Georgia Tech is, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them play their way into the discussion.
Projected conference champions are current first place teams, or teams that appear to be the most deserving among those that are tied for first, and are indicated by ALL CAPS.
1. DUKE
2. MICHIGAN
3. KANSAS
4. Illinois
5. LOUISVILLE
6. BUTLER
7. Syracuse
8. Indiana
9. Arizona
10. CREIGHTON
11. MISSOURI (SEC)
12. GONZAGA
13. Colorado
14. UNLV
15. Oklahoma State
16. Georgetown
17. NC State
18. Florida
19. Temple
20. Wichita State
21. Minnesota
22. Cincinnati
23. Michigan State
24. Miami, FL
25. Ohio State
26. Vcu
27. Baylor
28. Notre Dame
29. Boise State
30. Pittsburgh
31. Oregon
32. Wyoming
33. New Mexico
34. San Diego State
35. Kansas State
36. BUCKNELL
37. North Carolina
38. Tennessee
39. Illinois State
40. Dayton
41. STEPHEN F AUSTIN
42. BELMONT
43. Kentucky
44. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
45. UTAH STATE
46. Iowa
47. Iowa State
48. CANISIUS
49. MIDDLE TENNESSEE
50. Charlotte
51. Byu
52. Maryland
53. ILLINOIS CHICAGO
54. Oklahoma
55. Murray State
56. Xavier
57. Ucla
58. SOUTHERN MISS
59. DAVIDSON
60. KENT STATE
61. GEORGE MASON
62. Louisiana Tech
63. La Salle
64. California
65. Colorado State
66. Lsu
67. ROBERT MORRIS
68. Stanford
69. Saint Mary’s
70. WEBER STATE
71. Lehigh
72. Arizona State
73. Saint Louis
74. Georgia Tech
75. Indiana State
76. North Dakota State
77. UMass
78. Seton Hall
79. STONY BROOK
80. HARVARD
81. CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
82. GARDNER WEBB
83. Nebraska
84. FLORIDA GULF COAST
85. NORFOLK STATE
86. PRARIE VIEW