ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Post Challenge Edition
Dec 1, 2015; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson (11) reacts in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Terrapins 89-81 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Who have you beaten? Four simple words that carry so much meaning. They are four words Tar Heel fans have been hearing all football season. They are also four words Carolina shouts back at schools like Ohio State and FSU. Regardless they are four words that matter.
Just as in Football, the Basketball selection committee looks at the same question. As we all know, not all wins are created equal. Five wins against poor competition is not the same as 3 against the cream of the crop. Who a team plays means as much as who they beat. Don’t get me wrong, teams still have to win. The committee isn’t going to reward a 12-17 team just because it played a top 10 schedule. However, the committee isn’t going to reward a 20-9 team that played a schedule in the low 200’s either.
It is that combination that leads to the who’s who in college basketball. It is also what is going to have an effect on these rankings. One of the metrics the committee uses when looking at teams is RPI. Now I am not the biggest fan of RPI, I prefer BPI. However, since I know it is huge in the committee’s selection, and due to the fact BPI isn’t currently available, RPI will have a say in my rankings this time around, particularly since none of the teams have played each other yet.
So if you are wondering where I am getting my metrics from, that is where. As with all rankings, RPI changes as teams play more games, so what might be a quality win in November may not be so in February and vice versa. Losses also can go from disastrous to not so bad and in reverse as well (just ask UNC fans about South Carolina).
It has been about six weeks since my first attempt at these rankings. Obviously some things have changed. It is hard to guess how teams will do without a single minute being played and surprises are the norm particularly early. So with a month of games, the Big Ten/ACC Challenge complete, and football season mostly behind us, let’s take a look at where the ACC stands now.
Note: All games and records as of 12/3
Next: The Bottom Five