A.P./ Kevin Rivoli
The¬†win over St. John’s makes Syracuse the Big East regular season champs. Let that sink in. (How great is this photo?) But¬†The Fizzgoes deeper.
Where does the ‘Cuse rank among the potential number one seeds?
Right now Joey Brackets has the Orange as the second number one seed, behind Kansas. His reasoning?
“We’re moving the Orange up to No. 2 on the S-Curve after their impressive performance against Villanova. Kansas still has an edge in terms of overall profile.”
Legit or media hype? Let’s fact check.
Syracuse: 28-2. Kansas: 27-2.
‘Cuse’s two losses are against Pittsburgh and Louisville at home.¬†College RPI has the Panthers and Cardinals at 9 and 32, respectively. Average RPI loss? 20.5
Jayhawks have dropped two on the road against Tennessee and Oklahoma State. College RPI has the Vols at 15 and 26. Average RPI loss? 20.5.
Lunardi is most likely taking the team’s individual RPI (Orange #3, KU #1) as the deciding factor, but should that be it?
The Big East has been stronger then the Big 12, plus the ‘Cuse is undefeated on the road. This should make up for the difference.
So how about deciding the number-one overall seed by best nonconference wins. Syracuse throttled both Cal (95-73) on a neutral court and Cornell (88-73) at home.
Kansas has those same exact wins, but check the numbers: home against Cal (84-69) and most importantly, Cornell 71-66 at the Phog in one of the biggest nailbiters this season. The Big Red came within a Ryan Wittman three of sending that game to overtime.
Boeheim’s Number-Ones are equal if not better on paper than Kansas. The numbers say it.
