Latest news with #ESPNBasketballPowerIndex
USA Today
04-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Duke basketball stays behind Auburn in the NET rankings after Wake Forest win
Duke basketball stays behind Auburn in the NET rankings after Wake Forest win The Duke Blue Devils have won seven straight games by at least 18 points, averaging a 37.0 margin of victory over the last four, but as of Tuesday morning, the men's basketball NET rankings still hold the Auburn Tigers' resume in higher regard. Duke sits atop advanced counting metrics like the KenPom rankings and the ESPN Basketball Power Index because of its statistical dominance, but the depth of the SEC gives the Tigers more chances at statement victories. Despite a head-to-head victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium back in December, the Blue Devils have six Quad 1 victories to Auburn's 16. The Tigers also took down the Houston Cougars, Iowa State Cyclones, and Purdue Boilermakers during their non-conference schedule, three teams within the top 17 of the NET rankings. The Blue Devils have been outstanding away from Durham this season, however, and their 9-1 record in true road games has helped them keep pace with the Tigers' remarkable Quad 1 record. The Cougars, Florida Gators, and Tennessee Volunteers completed the top five as of Tuesday. The Clemson Tigers (No. 21) and Louisville Cardinals (No. 24) are the next-highest ACC teams, and the North Carolina Tar Heels come in at No. 43.
USA Today
04-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Duke widens the gap atop the ESPN Basketball Power Index rankings
Duke widens the gap atop the ESPN Basketball Power Index rankings Any college basketball fans who watched the Duke Blue Devils over the last two weeks must wonder how this roster could possibly lose another game. Cooper Flagg and his teammates beat Wake Forest by 33 points on Monday, their fourth consecutive victory by at least that wide a margin, and the Blue Devils have a +148 point differential over that span. As a result, Duke saw its lead atop the ESPN Basketball Power Index grow a little larger on Tuesday morning. With one game left in the regular season, the Blue Devils have a 25.3 index in ESPN's advanced metric. The Houston Cougars (23.9) and Auburn Tigers (23.4) are the only teams within five points of Duke, and the margin between Duke and the Tennessee Volunteers in fourth is wider than the difference between Tennessee and the VCU Rams at No. 33. The Blue Devils have scored at least 93 points in five of their last six games, including three 100-point performances, and ESPN considers them the best offense in the nation with a 13.8 index. Duke earned its reputation as a defensive squad for most of the season, though, and it is still second on that side of the ball with an 11.5 index (Houston is first at 13.0). The Clemson Tigers have risen all the way to No. 13 in the rankings as the second-best ACC squad. The North Carolina Tar Heels, Duke's last regular-season opponent, is No. 30 as of Tuesday morning.
USA Today
24-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida moves into top 5 of ESPN Basketball Power Index
Florida moves into top 5 of ESPN Basketball Power Index Florida has made its way into the top five of the ESPN Basketball Power Index after a six-game win streak in conference play. Since we last checked in three weeks ago, The Gators dropped a game to Tennessee, beaten Auburn, LSU and Mississippi State on the road, and taken down Oklahoma, South Carolina and Vanderbilt at home. Now 11-3 in SEC play, the Gators are cementing themselves as one of the top teams in the country. With just four games left in the regular season, Florida figures to be a top-10 team heading into the SEC Tournament. Florida's BPI is 19.1, further broken down as 10.5 (seventh) on offense and 8.8 (13th) on defense. Compared to the last numbers recorded — 18.1, 9.9 and 8.2 — UF's offensive and defensive ratings are up by 0.6 each. Those changes are good for a two-spot jump on offense and a four-spot increase on defense. Note: The BPI is updated daily; however Gators Wire provides weekly updates so as not to overwhelm fans with constant changes. We took two weeks this time. 'The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward,' ESPN explains. 'BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team's W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections.' ESPN BPI Projections ESPN now projects Florida to finish the season with a 26.6-4.4 overall record and a 13.6-4.4 record in conference play — 1.9 more than three weeks ago — based on results to date and BPI-based projections for remaining scheduled games. With only conference games left on the schedule, those projections will continue changing by an identical amount. The Gators have 6.4% odds to win the conference, down 1.1% from last time. Florida faces the ninth-toughest schedule moving forward with all four games ahead being Quadrant 1 matchups against SEC programs. NCAA Tournament Resume Florida's 24-3 record has the program ranked second overall in strength of record, which translates to a No. 1 seed. Three of the four top seeds are expected to go to SEC teams, Auburn and Alabama being the others. Florida's overall strength of schedule is now ranked No. 55, down seven spots from a week ago, and its non-conference strength of schedule is up eight spots to No. 111. The Gators are 7-3 in 'quality matchups' (against the top 50 in BPI). ESPN gives Florida 4.6% odds of winning the NCAA Tournament and 10% odds of making it to the championship game. A Final Four appearance (02.9%) or Elite Eight appearance (39.1%) continue to see increased odds, as do the chances of a Sweet 16 (65.6%) and Round of 32 appearance (95.1%). Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
30-01-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida closes January at No. 9 in ESPN Basketball Power Index
Florida closes January at No. 9 in ESPN Basketball Power Index Florida continued its climb up the ESPN Basketball Power Index on Thursday, moving up one spot to No. 9 overall through 20 games of the 2024-25 season. Since Gators Wire last checked in with the BPI on Jan. 24, the Orange and Blue have only played one game — a 30-point win over Georgia in Gainesville. Now 5-2 in SEC play, the Gators are cementing themselves as one of the top teams in the country. A big matchup with BPI No. 5 Tennessee looms on the schedule, but Florida should hold at No. 9 until Saturday. Florida's BPI is 18.1, further broken down as 9.9 (ninth) on offense and 8.2 (17th) on defense. Compared to last week's numbers — 17.4, 9.5 and 7.8 — UF's offensive rating is up significantly by 0.7 and the defense is also up a good 0.4 on the Index. Those changes are good for a two-spot jump into the top 10 on offense and a five-spot incerase on defense. Note: The BPI is updated daily; however Gators Wire provides weekly updates so as not to overwhelm fans with constant changes. We took two weeks this time. 'The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward,' ESPN explains. 'BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team's W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections.' ESPN BPI Projections ESPN now projects Florida to finish the season with a 24.7-6.3 overall record and an 11.7-6.3 record in conference play — 0.5 more than last week — based on results to date and BPI-based projections for remaining scheduled games. With only conference games left on the schedule, those projections will continue changing by an identical amount. The Gators have 7.5% odds to win the conference, up 2.2% from two last week. Florida faces the 18th-toughest schedule moving forward with eight Quadrant 1 matchups ahead against SEC programs. NCAA Tournament Resume Florida's 18-2 record has the program ranked seventh overall in strength of record, which translates to a No. 2 seed. The Gators continue a slight downward trend in seeding projections, and SEC is to blame. That matchup with Tennessee carries a lot of weight. A loss means falling to a No. 3 seed but a win could mean getting back into the No. 1 conversation. Florida's overall strength of schedule is now ranked No. 55, down seven spots from a week ago, and its non-conference strength of schedule is down four to No. 119. The Gators are 4-2 in 'quality matchups' (against the top 50 in BPI), with wins over No. 5 Tennessee, No. 30 North Carolina, No. 40 Georgia and No. 26 Texas. ESPN gives Florida 2.2% odds of winning the NCAA Tournament and 6.2% odds of making it to the championship game. A Final Four appearance (14.1%) or Elite Eight appearance (29.1%) continue to see increased odds, as do the chances of a Sweet 16 (56.1%) and Round of 32 appearance (88.5%). Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
28-01-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where is Duke basketball in the ESPN BPI rankings after Monday's win over NC State?
Cooper Flagg saved the day for Duke men's basketball again on Monday night, scoring 23 of his 28 points after halftime in a comeback victory over the NC State Wolfpack. After another upset scare against an unranked in-state rival, however, the Blue Devils couldn't quite grab the top spot in the ESPN Basketball Power Index. As of Tuesday morning, the Blue Devils are second in the ESPN metrics behind the Houston Cougars. Monday's win required a 13-point comeback over the final 24 minutes just two days after Duke coughed up a 13-point halftime lead to Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. The Blue Devils overcame a six-point hole in the final ten minutes against the Demon Deacons to remain undefeated in conference play. While Duke's 14-game win streak leads all programs, the Cougars have won 12 consecutive games. Two of Houston's three losses came in overtime back in November, and head coach Kelvin Sampson's teams always lead the nation in defensive ratings. The Cougars and Tennessee Volunteers are the only two teams above Duke in ESPN's defensive power index, and those three are the only power-conference programs allowing fewer than 60 points per game. The Auburn Tigers, Volunteers, and Iowa State Cyclones followed Duke to complete ESPN's top five.
