RPI Notes

With less than 9 weeks left in the regular season let’s take a look at a couple of the under and over achieving teams in the RPI.

Under-Achieving:
Duke – The RPI of 33 isn’t all that bad but a lot of the “experts” had them pegged as a Final Four team. The lack of rebounding and interior defense is starting to show through and Jabari Parker is coming back to earth. There is still time for them to right the ship but it hasn’t looked good lately.
Louisville – RPI of 34. The loss of Chane Benahan is hurting right now and they let one slip away against Memphis this weekend. Russ Smith is still exciting but the supporting cast is not what it used to be. They miss Peyton Siva more than I thought they would.
North Carolina – RPI of 53. We had them pegged as over-rated going into the season and they haven’t even lived up to that. Sure they have a couple HUGE wins but the losses have been baffling and are now starting to pile up. They are barely hanging on to a bid right now

Over-Achieving:
UMass – RPI of 4! Kurly had them pegged before the season as super sleeper and he’s spot on. With only 1 loss, at Florida State, their star is on the rise. This team could be the best mid-major outside of Wichita State
Iowa – RPI of 17. Another sleeper we had listed in the preseason Iowa is starting to look more and more dangerous. Their losses have been at Wisconsin, at Iowa State, and at Villanova. You’d like to see them win one of those but there’s no shame in losing on the road to 3 top 15 teams.
UWGB – RPI of 28. Who would have thought UWGB would have the highest RPI of the low majors? I was shocked myself. They have a baffling loss at Eastern Michigan but the other two were against Wisconsin and Harvard. The win vs Virginia looms large.