Originally posted 01-11-2021, 11:12 PM
If you look at the 3 most prominent computer algorithm rankings -- KenPom, Sagarin & The NCAA NET -- there is quite a bit of agreement between the Top 10 teams or so:
So where do those schools stand in the human polls?
After that, things begin to diverge:
And then there is a final group: a group of three schools, which are Top 26 or better in each of KenPom, Sagarin and The NET, but not ranked in the Top 29 in either human poll; those schools are:
If you look at the 3 most prominent computer algorithm rankings -- KenPom, Sagarin & The NCAA NET -- there is quite a bit of agreement between the Top 10 teams or so:
- Gonzaga is No. 1 in all 3 models.
- Baylor is No. 2 in all 3 models.
- Six other schools -- Iowa, Villanova, Michigan, Tennessee, Illinois and Wisconsin -- are all in the Top 10 of all three models; and two more schools -- Texas and Houston are in the Top 10 in two of the three, and Top 13 in the other; the only other schools appearing in any Top 10 are Kansas (No. 8 in Sagarin) and Creighton (No. 10 in KenPom); both are in the Top 14 of the other two models.
So where do those schools stand in the human polls?
- Gonzaga is once again No. 1 in both the media (AP) and coaches' (Ferris) polls.
- Baylor is once again No. 2 in both.
- Villanova and Texas are Nos. 3 & 4, respectively, in both polls; so, right off, Texas is getting a human bounce from about #10 overall in computers to #4 overall in human polls.
- The same seven schools then appear Nos. 5 thru 11 in the both human polls, though not the same order: Iowa, Michigan, Kansas, Creighton, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Houston; so, again, we have teams jumping up a bit: Kansas from No. 13 in the computers to No. 6/7 human; and Creighton jumping from No. 14 to about No. 7 in human polls; Tennessee, which is No. 3 in Sagarin and No. 4 in the NET, falls the most amongst this group.
- Illinois, Top 10 in all the computer models, also falls a little lower with human polls to No. 13/14.
After that, things begin to diverge:
- KenPom and Sagarin both have Texas Tech, Virginia and West Virginia in their respective Top 16s; Texas Tech and West Virginia are comparable in the human polls, but Virginia is ranked lower; Louisville is in a similar boat.
- The NET favors Colorado (No. 11, and Top 25 in KenPom/Sagarin, but unranked in the human polls), Drake (No. 12, outside the Top 50 in KenPom/Sagarin, unranked but receiving votes in the human polls), and St. Louis (No.14, Top 40 in KenPom/Sagarin) -- which is ranked No. 24 in both human polls.
- Neither KenPom nor Sagarin have Clemson nor Missouri in their respective Top 17s (Sagarin has neither in its Top 30); both human polls have each school in their Top 17.
- Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon and UConn are all in the Top 30 of the computer models and the human polls -- though Ohio State and Oregon do better in KenPom/Sagarin.
- I know this will shock people, but the human voters really like Duke No. 19/23; the computers, not so much; Virginia Tech is in the same boat.
- Minnesota is ranked in both human polls (No. 19/23), but No. 33 in all the computer models.
And then there is a final group: a group of three schools, which are Top 26 or better in each of KenPom, Sagarin and The NET, but not ranked in the Top 29 in either human poll; those schools are:
- Arkansas (No. 25 in KenPom, No. 15 in Sagarin, No. 20 in The NET; but No. 35 in media poll and No. 38 in the coaches' poll;
- LSU (No. 24 in KenPom, No. 17 in Sagarin, No. 22 in The NET; but No. 39 in media and no votes in the coaches' poll, apparently on account of LSU being ineligible for the post-seaosn); and
- USC (No. 16 in KenPom, No. 26 in Sagarin, No. 16 in The NET; but No. 30 in both human polls).