RPI of Big Ten teams who just missed tournament:
Michigan 55
Iowa 86
Indiana 87
Purdue 107 -
RPI of ACC teams who just missed the tourney
UVA 52
FSU 53
Please note that although the RPIs are higher than any of the Big Ten tournament wannabes, I am not trying to make a case that either of these teams should be in the tournament.
RPIs of ACC teams in the tournament are
#1 (my emphasis - it pays to play 24 games against teams in the post season), as well as 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 (in darts we would call this a tight flight, in the area of trip 20).
RPIs of the Big Ten teams: 12, 23, 39
The last, MSU, would be a bubble team in my book, but let's give them a bid based on history of good performances
. And by the way, for those that claim MSU faced road hardship, MSU played 10 tournament teams, 4 on the road and 6 at home, going 2-8 in those games. In conference, they did not beat a single team that made the tournament. Non-conference, they were 2-2.
This result varies slightly from that we have already discussed with any ACC team in the tournament. Combined ACC record against non-conference NCAA tournament teams was
20-4, with a total of 12 home games, 7 road games and 5 neutral court games. That's an average of 4 tournament teams, like MSU, with an average record better than 3-1. So much for playing nobody, and playing all games at home. Only half the games against NCAA teams were at home. and the ACC teams all won significant road and home games in the conference, something the Spartans couldn't do, and something my alma mater failed to do.