ESPN MBB BPI...is a joke

Submitted by Ihatebux on November 1st, 2018 at 9:56 PM

Ok I know it's early and I know ESPN is a joke, but cummon man.   ESPN BPI index has UM at #42!  Wisky is at #8, Moo U is at #16, Iowa !!! at #25,  Indiana #29, Purdue #36 and OSU at #37.   WTF kinda ranking is that.   7th in the B1G?   Why does ESPN exist?

UM Fan from Sydney

November 1st, 2018 at 10:03 PM ^

M has proven year after year that rankings don’t mean a damn thing. Basketball rankings are 100% worthless all season long. They do them simply for discussion and tv ratings.

Qmatic

November 1st, 2018 at 10:03 PM ^

We’ll just win the B1G tournament again. Winning by double digits over MSU again. And make a run in the NCAA tournament.

Izzo will flame out the first weekend for the 4th straight year, Fran will make the NIT. Indiana will be okay. And Greg Gard is Great Value Bo Ryan. Purdue has Carsen Edwards so they’ll be pretty good

MichiganTeacher

November 1st, 2018 at 10:11 PM ^

That index is always a joke. They should be embarrassed. At one point for about two seconds it irked me, but now I just have fun laughing at it.

mGrowOld

November 1st, 2018 at 10:15 PM ^

WHY ARE PEOPLE SAYING THINGS THAT MAKE ME MAD?

WHY CANT EVERYONE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR AWESOMENESS OR DIE IN A FIREY WRECK?  GO BLUE. WE ARE #1 ESPN NOT #42

ESPN IS BAD MCAY? BAD!!!!!!!

woo

Mr Miggle

November 1st, 2018 at 10:38 PM ^

We were 9th in the Big Ten last pre-season and even worse the year before that.

At some point they might want to figure out why they keep under ranking us by so much. I think Wisconsin was ranked very high last year too.  

Hugh

November 1st, 2018 at 10:45 PM ^

I like this rating. It makes great bulletin board stuff to motivate our team. I do not like high preseason ratings because the players might believe them and slack off. The only ratings that mean anything are those based on performance- not on speculation. ESPN really doesn't understand how Bellein develops players. They just believe that last season's record, personnel loses and recruiting ratings determine how a team will perform. They really don't believe that coaches do anything except design plays.

jgoodman

November 1st, 2018 at 11:23 PM ^

They haven't even played a game yet.  What is ESPN supposed to base their rankings on?  It's a complete shot in the dark right now.  Just chill.

rogerdorn

November 1st, 2018 at 11:25 PM ^

We should stop being angry at them, ESPN is a complete wasteland and all of their talent has been removed for sTepHen A sMitH hot takes. Coach B will make them look like fools again, just give it some time.

BursleysFinest

November 2nd, 2018 at 5:38 AM ^

Makes sense, 2 major factors in BPI, especially this early, is returning production and recruiting rankings of incoming freshman. 

I have no clue how good BPI is in its mid-season form,  but it's always going to under-rank a team that just lost Moe, Rahk, etc and a coach that consistently finds the diamonds in the rough in recruiting.  

Ihatebux

November 2nd, 2018 at 9:00 AM ^

Ok, that's a good theory.  I kinda thought the same thing, but the Fighting Izzos were a worse team last year, they lost as much as UM if not more and our recruiting class is as good if not better.   Sooo, that doesn't work.

Btw, if that was the way it worked Maryland would be ranked higher as their recruiting class was the best in the B1G and they have some talent left, but Turgeon is a moron so....

DCAlum

November 2nd, 2018 at 9:02 AM ^

We had a pretty highly ranked recruiting class--but the best player in the class (Iggy) was not ranked because of Canada (despite Rivals, etc saying that he'd be a five-star if they actually ranked him). So (in addition to the reasons you gave) we're actively underrated by any numerical ranking system because of a blind spot. 

Mr Miggle

November 2nd, 2018 at 11:09 AM ^

Rivals lists Iggy as a 5*. That wasn't a hypothetical, they just didn't give him a full ranking. 247 did and had him as a high 4*.

Any formula that ignores that is being sabotaged by somebody. Canadian players have made an impact in CBB in recent years. Trying to rank them isn't some new experiment though. Jevohn Shepherd was ranked by Rivals and Scout almost 15 years ago.

Bill in Birmingham

November 2nd, 2018 at 8:18 AM ^

Relying on a BPI at the first of November is like buying long term options on a company that has not finished its articles of incorporation. Or its business plan. Or knows what its product is.

Gr1mlock

November 2nd, 2018 at 12:22 PM ^

That's not true though.  There's a huge statistical correlation between pre-season ranking and final ranking.  Teams that start high get a big benefit of the doubt, even in losses.  Teams that start low need to "prove it" and drop a lot more if they lose because they got "exposed".  Yes, rankings have no bearing on how the team performs, but preseason rankings (at least AP type stuff, less so the preseason RPI/BPI which is more mechanical and also stupid) absolutely impact the team's eventual rankings.