RPI WATCH: 2/6/2011

K-State's razor-thin victory not only was the difference between 4-5 and 3-6, but it also was the difference between a near-top 30 RPI and what would have been KSU's worst loss of the season (in terms of RPI).

I'm not quite sure how our RPI shot up seven spots, however, passing Texas A&M in the process.

Most of our non-conference opponents lost, some in embarrassing fashion.

However, certain key opponents posted important wins, and road wins are weighted higher in the RPI formula than home wins, so the combination of K-State's one-point success and those other opponents' performances apparently did it.

Follow the jump for a full accounting of Saturday's exceedingly busy action (with little emphasis on the Big 12 games, which will be analyzed in depth, as always, in tonight's BIG 12 OUTLOOK).

In honor of the crazy Utah State student section, we'll alternate the positives with the negatives and break this down a la Winning Team, Losing Team:

• Winning Team: Alcorn State's recent winning ways still are such a surprise to me that I somehow lost track of one of their four wins along the way. Oops.
• Losing Team: Welcome back to the pack, Colorado. We missed you.
• Winning Team: Baylor might have saved its season with its first signature win of the year.
• Losing Team: It doesn't get any more mediocre than Emporia State's 11-11 (8-8) record, nor does it get much uglier than its 93-67 loss in Omaha.
• Winning Team: Duke dispatched NC State and its soon-to-be-fired coach with relative ease.
• Losing Team: Bye, bye, Gonzaga. It was nice knowing you. Call me if you win the WCC Tournament.
• Winning Team: Big, big, big win for Florida, which now controls its own destiny in the SEC East.
• Losing Team: Iowa State is familiar with the ol' Gus Johnson standby: "Heart! Break! CITY!!!"
• Winning Team: Kansas is really good. Next topic.
• Losing Team: James Madison's home loss finished off its title hopes and left the Dukes on the verge of falling out of the RPI top 100.
• Winning Team: Has a simple layup ever meant more to a team and its rocky season than Jacob Pullen's did for Kansas State?
• Losing Teams: I gave up on Loyola long ago. Best left ignored at this point. Likewise with North Florida.
• Winning Team: Two road losses for Road Mizzou, followed by a big home win for Home Mizzou? Just another day in the life of Missouri, my friend.
• Losing Team: Hope you enjoyed your one week as a darling, Nebraska. Now go back to the basement where you belong.
• Winning Team: That was an absolute must-win game for Oklahoma State. Now the committee would like to see you actually win a road game, Pokes.
• Losing Team: I'm so glad somebody finally beat Oklahoma. I was worried the universe was about to implode if the Sooners had kept that winning streak alive.
• Winning Team: Texas Southern climbed back above .500 and has won nine of its 10 conference games.
• Losing Team: Presbyterian's just about finished, residing one spot above the RPI 200 range. Hard to believe this was a top-100 team at one point.
• Winning Team: Yay! One of our cupcakes, UMKC, actually won Saturday!
• Losing Team: Texas A&M is reeling. When you drop more than 10 points in the RPI in one day, it hurts.
• Winning Team: Bravo, Washington State. You did something instate rival Washington could not: Win in the state of Oregon. The win kept the Cougars at least theoretically, if not probabilistically, alive for an at-large berth. But they'll have to win at Arizona to do, I think.
• Losing Team/Winning Team: Is it possible to feel good about a double-digit loss? Because if it is, Texas Tech must feel pretty good about essentially outplaying Texas in its own arena after halftime.
• Losing Teams: Poor UNLV. The only thing worse than being Jimmered is being Jimmered twice. And Virginia Tech just doesn't ever want to leave the bubble, does it?

Overall Record = 16-8

Big 12 Record = 4-5

RPI = 31

SOS = 15

Signature Wins (RPI 1-30) = none

Quality Wins (RPI 31-100) = James Madison, Virginia Tech, Gonzaga, Washington State, Baylor, Nebraska

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

• James Madison (17-8, 7-6 CAA) | RPI = 93: Loss to VCU (66-70)
  
• Virginia Tech (15-7, 5-4 ACC) | RPI = 65: Loss at Boston College (56-58)
  
• Presbyterian (10-15, 4-9 Big South) | RPI = 199: Loss at Gardner-Webb (62-63)
  
• Gonzaga (15-9, 5-3 WCC) | RPI = 79: Loss to Memphis (58-62)
  
• No. 5 Duke (21-2, 8-1 ACC) | RPI = 8: Win over NC State (76-52)
  
• Texas Southern (11-10, 9-1 SWAC) | RPI = 193: Win over Prairie View (63-58)
  
• Emporia State (11-11, 8-8 MIAA*): Loss at Nebraska-Omaha (67-93)
  
• Washington State (16-7, 6-5 Pac-10) | RPI = 69: Win at Oregon State (61-55)
  
• Alcorn State (3-18, 3-8 SWAC) | RPI = 322: Win over Jackson State (81-75)
  
• Loyola-Chicago (13-11, 4-9 Horizon League) | RPI = 213: Loss at Detroit (71-81)
  
• No. 23 Florida (18-5, 7-2 SEC) | RPI = 14: Win over No. 11 Kentucky (70-68)
  
• UNLV (17-6, 5-4 Mountain West) | RPI = 28: Loss at No. 9 BYU (64-78)
  
• UMKC (14-9, 7-5 Summit League) | RPI = 176: Win at Southern Utah (71-68)
  
• North Florida (9-15, 6-7 Atlantic Sun) | RPI = 167: Loss to Belmont (67-69)
  
• Savannah State (5-17) | RPI = 279
  
• Oklahoma State (16-7, 4-5 Big 12) | RPI = 46: Win over Oklahoma (81-75)
  
• Colorado (15-9, 4-5 Big 12) | RPI = 87: Loss at No. 15 Missouri (73-89)
  
• Texas Tech (11-13, 3-6 Big 12) | RPI = 151: Loss at No. 3 Texas (60-76)
  
• No. 15 Missouri (18-5, 4-4 Big 12) | RPI = 30: Win over Colorado (89-73)
  
• No. 16 Texas A&M (17-5, 4-4 Big 12) | RPI = 32: Loss to Baylor (74-76 in overtime)
  
• Baylor (15-7, 5-4 Big 12) | RPI = 76: Win at No. 16 Texas A&M (76-74 in overtime)
  
• No. 2 Kansas (22-1, 7-1 Big 12) | RPI = 2: Win at Nebraska (86-66)
  
• Nebraska (15-7, 3-5 Big 12) | RPI = 91: Loss to No. 2 Kansas (66-86)
  
• Iowa State (14-10, 1-8 Big 12) | RPI = 144: Loss to Kansas State (85-86)
  
• Oklahoma (12-10, 4-4 Big 12) | RPI = 115: Loss at Oklahoma State (75-81)
  
• No. 3 Texas (20-3, 8-0 Big 12) | RPI = 7: Win over Texas Tech (76-60)
  

*Division II