RPI WATCH: 1/2/2010

There were some good football games yesterday, but in my opinion, the basketball was even better (and today, that will be even more true).

Three games of note:

1. The highlight of the day was the top-six showdown between Purdue and West Virginia, and if you didn't watch on ESPN360, you missed the only competitive part of the game. Let's just say that Huggy Bear's team got manhandled, and I'm not so certain we couldn't do the same to the Mountaineers -- at least in Bramlage. I saw a lot of similarities between us and Purdue, but maybe that's just the Kool-Aid talking.
   
2. What the hell was that, Texas Tech? Now you're playing like crap at home, too? If you didn't catch a box score, you might be unaware that the Red Raider's one-point win over now-5-8 McNeese State only came after they overcame a nine-point deficit. Tech trailed for most of the game, and it looks more and more like their fast start was the product of an extremely soft, home-loaded non-conference schedule. Washington remains the only good win on this team's resume.
   
3. Dayton blew a great chance for a quality win that almost surely would have returned the Flyers to the Top 25. The sad thing is that they could have won, but they made too many mistakes and missed way too many 3s to win at a place like The Pit. They failed to make a field goal for 4:30 in the latter part of the second half, yet still managed to lose by only two. Dayton's a good team, but probably not a Top 25 one. Still, they have as good a shot to win the Atlantic 10 as anyone, so they remain a good feather in our cap.
   

Current Kansas State AP Ranking = 12

Current Kansas State Record = 12-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 3

Current Kansas State SOS = 14

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton, Xavier, UNLV

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI, Washington State, Alabama

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

• Loyola (11-2, 2-1) | RPI = 46
  
• Western Illinois (5-7, 0-3) | RPI = 313
  
• Boston (5-7) | RPI = 154
  
• No. 16 Ole Miss (11-2) | RPI = 28
  
• Dayton (10-3) | RPI = 32: Loss at No. 19 New Mexico (68-66)
  
• IUPUI (10-5, 3-0) | RPI = 61
  
• No. 13* FHSU (9-1)
  
• Washington State (10-3, 0-1) | RPI = 83
  
• Xavier (8-4) | RPI = 41
  
• UNLV (12-2) | RPI = 33
  
• Alabama (9-4) | RPI = 78
  
• UAPB (0-11) | RPI = 205
  
• Cleveland State (4-10, 0-2) | RPI = 221
  
• South Dakota (6-6) | RPI = 216
  
• Missouri (10-3) | RPI = 87
  
• No. 19 Texas A&M (9-3) | RPI = 18
  
• Colorado (8-4) | RPI = 220
  
• No. 2 Texas (12-0) | RPI = 5
  
• Oklahoma State (11-1) | RPI = 40
  
• Baylor (10-1) | RPI = 74
  
• No. 1 Kansas (12-0) | RPI = 13
  
• Nebraska (10-3) | RPI = 99
  
• Iowa State (9-3) | RPI = 120
  
• Oklahoma (8-5) | RPI = 112
  
• No. 20 Texas Tech (11-2) | RPI = 34: Win over McNeese State (76-75)
  

*Division II Top 25