NCAA drops RPI for new basketball metric
The NCAA is ditching the RPI for its own evaluation tool to select teams for the NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA Evaluation Tool will rely on game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency and quality of wins and losses. NET will be used for the 2018-19 season by the committee that selects schools and seeds the tournament.
NET rankings will be released in late November or early December and updated through Selection Sunday, with a final ranking following the tournament.
“What has been developed is a contemporary method of looking at teams analytically, using results-based and predictive metrics that will assist the Men's Basketball Committee as it reviews games throughout the season,” NCAA senior vice president of basketball
Dan Gavitt said in a statement on Wednesday. “While no perfect rankings exist, using the results of past tournaments will help ensure that the rankings are built on an objective source of truth.”
The NCAA has used the RPI since 1981 to help the NCAA Tournament selection committee pick atlarge teams, seeding and bracketing teams each March.
NET will give equal importance to early and late-season games, and caps wins at 10 points to prevent teams from running up the score.
The NCAA said the RPI will still be used in other Division I sports, including women's basketball.