Some of you may recall my similar posts in prior years, but I track a 5-year weighted rolling average to rank all Division 1 college basketball teams to try to get a picture of our overall standing in the sport with a wider lens to look through than just the most recently completed season.
The formula I use ranks teams based on their regular season performance in each of the past five seasons, and then applies bonus points based on NCAA/NIT appearances and results during those five seasons. The most recently completed season is weighted the highest, with descending weights applied for each season in the last five years. For this rankings period, the oldest season under consideration is the 2013-14 season.
At the end of last year, for the 5-year window spanning the 2012-13 season through the 2016-17 season, we ranked 51st nationally. For this rankings period, our 2013 NCAA at-large team is no longer under consideration and in its place is this year's NIT team. Accordingly, our ranking this year dropped 7 spots to 58th nationally.
Below are excerpts of the updated rankings following last night's NCAA championship game. As a default, I always measure us against other C-USA schools, other G-5 conference schools (i.e. non-Power conference schools that also play FBS football), and other schools in the state of Tennessee.
Here is the breakdown of those segments:
National Top 25
1) Villanova
2) North Carolina
3) Kansas
4) Kentucky
5) Gonzaga
6) Duke
7) Michigan
8) Wisconsin
9) Michigan State
10) Virginia
11) Oregon
12) Arizona
13) Florida
14) West Virginia
15) Xavier
16) Oklahoma
17) Syracuse
18) Wichita State
19) Purdue
20) Notre Dame
21) Louisville
22) Cincinnati
23) Baylor
24) Butler
25) UCLA
MT ranks 58th nationally, just ahead of USC and just behind New Mexico State.
C-USA rankings (national ranking in parentheses):
1) Middle Tennessee (58)
2) Old Dominion (119)
3) Louisiana Tech (120)
4) Marshall (122)
5) UAB (128)
6) Western Kentucky (133)
7) UTEP (191)
8) Charlotte (252)
9) FIU (257)
10) Rice (269)
11) UTSA (271)
12) North Texas (279)
13) Southern Miss (290)
14) FAU (294)
State of Tennessee Rankings (National ranking in parentheses):
1) Tennessee (46)
2) Middle Tennessee (58)
3) Vanderbilt (62)
4) Belmont (105)
5) Memphis (109)
6) East Tennessee State (117)
7) Lipscomb (171)
8) Chattanooga (180)
9) Austin Peay (231)
10) Tennessee State (234)
11) Tennessee Tech (247)
12) UT-Martin (260)
G-5 Top 20 Rankings (National ranking in parentheses):
1) Cincinnati (22)
2) Connecticut (33)
3) San Diego State (40)
4) SMU (49)
5) Nevada (55)
6) New Mexico State (57)
7) Middle Tennessee (58)
8) Houston (60)
9) Buffalo (64)
10) BYU (65)
11) Georgia State (79)
12) Boise State (84)
13) Tulsa (90)
14) Temple (93)
15) Memphis (109)
16) Fresno State (112)
17) Louisiana-Lafayette (116)
18) Old Dominion (119)
19) Louisiana Tech (120)
20) Marshall (122)
I will probably post some additional analysis in this thread later, and I can slice and dice the data in such a way to formulate a listing based on any other grouping that any of you might be interested in.
I always enjoy seeing how these rankings shift over time. Even though we dipped 7 spots in this update, we are top 60 in the country, best in C-USA, #2 in Tennessee, and #7 among G-5 peers. That is pretty strong.
The formula I use ranks teams based on their regular season performance in each of the past five seasons, and then applies bonus points based on NCAA/NIT appearances and results during those five seasons. The most recently completed season is weighted the highest, with descending weights applied for each season in the last five years. For this rankings period, the oldest season under consideration is the 2013-14 season.
At the end of last year, for the 5-year window spanning the 2012-13 season through the 2016-17 season, we ranked 51st nationally. For this rankings period, our 2013 NCAA at-large team is no longer under consideration and in its place is this year's NIT team. Accordingly, our ranking this year dropped 7 spots to 58th nationally.
Below are excerpts of the updated rankings following last night's NCAA championship game. As a default, I always measure us against other C-USA schools, other G-5 conference schools (i.e. non-Power conference schools that also play FBS football), and other schools in the state of Tennessee.
Here is the breakdown of those segments:
National Top 25
1) Villanova
2) North Carolina
3) Kansas
4) Kentucky
5) Gonzaga
6) Duke
7) Michigan
8) Wisconsin
9) Michigan State
10) Virginia
11) Oregon
12) Arizona
13) Florida
14) West Virginia
15) Xavier
16) Oklahoma
17) Syracuse
18) Wichita State
19) Purdue
20) Notre Dame
21) Louisville
22) Cincinnati
23) Baylor
24) Butler
25) UCLA
MT ranks 58th nationally, just ahead of USC and just behind New Mexico State.
C-USA rankings (national ranking in parentheses):
1) Middle Tennessee (58)
2) Old Dominion (119)
3) Louisiana Tech (120)
4) Marshall (122)
5) UAB (128)
6) Western Kentucky (133)
7) UTEP (191)
8) Charlotte (252)
9) FIU (257)
10) Rice (269)
11) UTSA (271)
12) North Texas (279)
13) Southern Miss (290)
14) FAU (294)
State of Tennessee Rankings (National ranking in parentheses):
1) Tennessee (46)
2) Middle Tennessee (58)
3) Vanderbilt (62)
4) Belmont (105)
5) Memphis (109)
6) East Tennessee State (117)
7) Lipscomb (171)
8) Chattanooga (180)
9) Austin Peay (231)
10) Tennessee State (234)
11) Tennessee Tech (247)
12) UT-Martin (260)
G-5 Top 20 Rankings (National ranking in parentheses):
1) Cincinnati (22)
2) Connecticut (33)
3) San Diego State (40)
4) SMU (49)
5) Nevada (55)
6) New Mexico State (57)
7) Middle Tennessee (58)
8) Houston (60)
9) Buffalo (64)
10) BYU (65)
11) Georgia State (79)
12) Boise State (84)
13) Tulsa (90)
14) Temple (93)
15) Memphis (109)
16) Fresno State (112)
17) Louisiana-Lafayette (116)
18) Old Dominion (119)
19) Louisiana Tech (120)
20) Marshall (122)
I will probably post some additional analysis in this thread later, and I can slice and dice the data in such a way to formulate a listing based on any other grouping that any of you might be interested in.
I always enjoy seeing how these rankings shift over time. Even though we dipped 7 spots in this update, we are top 60 in the country, best in C-USA, #2 in Tennessee, and #7 among G-5 peers. That is pretty strong.
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