Each year we hear the same thing from the acting chairman of the NCAA Tournament selection committee. The chairman will insist that a conference’s RPI ranking relative to those of other leagues is not considered during the selection process.
The media don’t buy that. Most coaches I have talked with don’t believe it either.
At the very least, a final pecking order of conference RPIs must have a subconscious effect upon the decision making, doesn’t it?
That’s why Oklahoma State coach Sean Sutton stressed to his players prior to nonconference games against Syracuse, Tennessee and Pittsburgh that the Cowboys were playing for more than themselves.
“Not only was it an important game for us, it was also important that we get marquee wins for our conference,” Sutton said Monday during the Big 12 coaches’ weekly teleconference.
Oklahoma State did its part, beating Syracuse and Pittsburgh while falling by two points at Tennessee. However, the Big 12 finished with a losing record (5-7) against nonconference opponents ranked at the time in the AP poll’s top 25.
And the Big 12 ranks sixth in estimated conference RPI, one slot ahead of the Big East but behind the mid-major Missouri Valley.
Whether an unimpressive RPI ends up costing the Big 12 an NCAA Tournament invitation would never be acknowledged by the selectors. But common sense suggests that a sixth- place team from the Pac-10 (ranked first in conference RPI) or the Atlantic Coast (second) will draw a greater show of hands than its counterpart in the Big 12.
The Big 12 missed out on another opportunity to impress the selection committee Saturday when Texas lost 76-69 at Villanova. But, Texas coach Rick Barnes said, at least the Longhorns showed they were willing to play the game.
“We could have stayed home,” Barnes said. “But for exposure for our league and our program, we thought it was the thing to do.”
Road warriors
Here’s another indication of how Bob Huggins’ reputation for teaching toughness is well deserved. Including neutral sites, Kansas State has won six games away from home. That leads the Big 12 and is the most for a Wildcats team since the 1995-96 season.
“Playing on the road is not that big of a deal,” said Huggins, in his first season as K-State’s coach. “I tell the team that I haven’t seen a fan make a free throw, block a shot or get a rebound yet. All they can do is sit there and make a lot of noise.”
Uh-oh
Baylor coach Scott Drew said he could tell during pregame warm-ups that his Bears were in for a long afternoon Saturday against host Oklahoma. The Sooners won 91-51, one of the most surprising scores of the season.
“You always watch guys warming up, and you look to see if your guys have a good sweat, if they looked focused, if they look ready to go,” Drew said. “It’s easy to tell. It’s kind of like with a husband and wife. When one walks in after a long day at work, you can tell right away if they’re in a good mood or a bad mood.”
Footnotes
Big 12 player of the week Mario Boggan of Oklahoma State became the first player in conference history to record 30 points and 20 rebounds in the same game. He had 37 and 20 in the Cowboys’ triple-overtime win over Texas last Tuesday. … In 11 years of the Big 12, only one team has scored fewer points in a half than Colorado’s 13 in the first half Saturday at Nebraska. Last season, Texas Tech managed only 12 first-half points in a loss at Oklahoma. … Two of the nation’s 10 longest home-court winning streaks belong to Big 12 teams. Texas is tied with Ohio State for sixth with a 21-game home winning streak. Texas A&M ranks ninth with 18 straight wins at home.
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
