11/9 KenPom rankings update
MBB: Bradley is the big mover after their 31-point win over Central Michigan
Missouri Valley Conference teams went 2-0 on Saturday, but the two teams went in opposite directions in this morning’s updated KenPom rankings.
Bradley routed Central Michigan at home, 85-54, and moved up nine spots to #105. The blowout win gave a little extra boost to the Braves in the metrics.
Belmont held off Tennessee State at home, 87-79. Thanks in part to a closer than expected win over #242 Tennessee State, and allowing the Tigers to score 79 points, the Bruins dropped six spots to #112.
Remember that even when teams don’t play, they may slide up or down a few spots. This early in the year, there can be a lot of variance day-by-day as team’s preseason prognostications acclimate to reality. You also have to take into account team’s rankings will change due to results of other teams on their schedule. For instance, every time Omaha has a big win, that will help Murray State’s resume moving forward.
Here’s a great example of the metric boost you can get when you win an unexpected game on the road. Friday night, SIUE was #232 in KenPom, and they traveled to UT-San Antonio to play the #146 Roadrunners. SIUE ended up winning that game, 77-60, and moved up 64 spots in KenPom.
In other news, #124 Murray State is at #50 SMU on Tuesday.
After last night’s games, here are this morning’s updated KenPom rankings for the Missouri Valley Conference:
#103 Northern Iowa — Down 1 spot (Next: Hosts #166 South Dakota State today)
#106 Bradley — Up 9 spots after 85-54 home win over #268 Central Michigan (Next: Hosts #287 UT Martin Wednesday)
#112 Belmont — Down 6 spots after 87-79 home win over #242 Tennessee State (Next: At #306 Oral Roberts Saturday)
#123 Southern Illinois — Down 2 spots (Next: At #90 Nevada Wednesday)
#124 Murray State — Down 2 spots (Next: At #50 SMU Tuesday)
#126 Illinois State — Down 2 spots (Next: Hosts #185 Cornell today)
#127 UIC — No change (Next: vs. Non-D1 St. Francis (IL) Tuesday)
#137 Drake — Down 1 spot (Next: Hosts Non-D1 Simpson Monday)
#222 Indiana State — Up 2 spots (Next: At #168 SIUE Monday)
#263 Evansville — Down 2 spots (Next: Hosts Non-D1 Oakland City today)
#288 Valparaiso — Up 2 spots (Next: Hosts #254 Nicholls on Wednesday)
In the conference rankings, KenPom has the Missouri Valley Conference still listed as the 10th-best league in the country. The Valley has closed the gap on the Atlantic 10 this week. On Tuesday, The Valley was 5.27 behind the A-10 — today that deficit is down to 4.69. Last season, only seven conferences received multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament:
SEC +20.25
Big Ten +18.47
Big 12 +16.66
ACC +15.02
Big East +14.36
Mountain West +7.15
Atlantic 10 +5.74
The American +4.01
WCC +2.37
Missouri Valley +1.05 (Up +0.10)
Conference USA -1.11
Big West -3.66