The Best MEN's NCAA Basketball Rankings 2012

Author: Larry Schaeffer, Retired, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Results are based on a simple linear statistical model where y = (Home Team Score - Visiting Team Score) is explained by (Month effect(Nov to March)) + Home Game Advantage Effect + (Conference of Home Team effect - Conference of Visiting Team effect) + (Home Team Effect - Visiting Team Effect) + residual term. Accounts for who has played who and where and when, and to which conferences they belong, and allows different home game advantage for each team (i.e. the advantage of playing at home). This is a mixed model analysis using BLUP (Best Linear Unbiased Prediction).

EPA for a team = Conference Effect + Team Effect.

EPA = Expected Points Advantage over opponents

HGA = Home Game Advantage over opponents

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Updated: 20120311 - LAST UPDATE FOR THIS SEASON. ENJOY MARCH MADNESS.

Number of Games in Analysis 11258

HOW TO PREDICT A FUTURE GAME: e.g.KENTUCKY vs MICHIGAN ST

1) At a neutral location

EPA KENTUCKY subtract EPA MICHIGAN ST = 4.2

KENTUCKY wins by 4.2 points.

2) At home for KENTUCKY

(EPA plus Home Adv for KENTUCKY ) subtract EPA MICHIGAN ST = 1.0

KENTUCKY wins by 1.0 points.

2) At home for MICHIGAN ST

EPA KENTUCKY subtract (EPA+Home Adv. for MICHIGAN ST ) = 4.4

KENTUCKY wins by 4.4 points.

TEAM RANKINGS

RANKTEAMWINSLOSSESHome Advantage Expected Point Advantage,EPA
1KENTUCKY 32 2 -3.2 26.6
2MICHIGAN ST 24 5 -0.2 22.4
3KANSAS 26 6 -1.2 22.2
4NORTH CAROLINA 28 5 0.3 22.1
5SYRACUSE 31 2 -1.1 21.8
6OHIO ST 23 6 3.4 21.3
7DUKE 26 6 -4.4 21.0
8WICHITA ST 26 4 -2.2 20.6
9MEMPHIS 24 8 -0.2 20.3
10VANDERBILT 24 10 -6.9 20.3
11MISSOURI 29 4 -0.1 19.3
12KANSAS ST 18 9 -6.9 19.1
13WISCONSIN 23 9 0.6 18.4
14BAYLOR 26 7 -0.7 17.6
15MICHIGAN 24 8 -6.2 17.5
16IOWA ST 20 8 -5.1 17.2
17LOUISVILLE 25 9 -1.6 16.8
18CREIGHTON 28 5 -3.6 16.6
19MARQUETTE 25 7 2.3 16.5
20TEMPLE 24 7 -4.6 16.0
21INDIANA 25 8 3.3 16.0
22VIRGINIA 22 9 -2.4 15.9
23N CAROLINA ST 18 11 -7.6 15.9
24FLORIDA 23 10 3.4 15.7
25NEW MEXICO 27 6 4.6 15.7
26BELMONT 27 7 -1.3 15.6
27SAINT LOUIS 25 7 1.0 15.4
28UNLV 25 8 4.1 15.4
29LONG BEACH ST 20 7 -6.8 15.2
30ALABAMA 21 11 -1.9 15.2
31CALIFORNIA 24 8 1.6 14.9
32CINCINNATI 24 10 -2.3 14.8
33MIAMI (FL) 18 12 -1.5 14.6
34SAN DIEGO ST 22 6 -4.2 14.3
35ARIZONA 23 11 -2.9 14.1
36HARVARD 26 4 -4.8 14.0
37PITTSBURGH 16 16 -7.4 14.0
38IONA 25 7 -3.3 13.7
39PURDUE 21 12 0.9 13.7
40MISSOURI ST 16 15 -10.3 13.7
41GEORGETOWN 22 8 6.6 13.4
42MURRAY ST 28 1 -3.7 13.3
43OREGON 22 8 -3.8 13.3
44SOUTHERN MISS 25 8 -4.9 13.2
45SAINT MARY'S 27 5 0.5 13.2
46MID TENNESSEE 24 5 -3.6 13.1
47CLEVELAND ST 21 9 -7.1 13.1
48WEST VIRGINIA 18 13 0.5 12.8
49BYU 23 7 0.9 12.7
50LA SALLE 21 11 -0.8 12.7
51CLEMSON 16 14 -3.5 12.6
52STANFORD 21 11 -0.7 12.2
53TEXAS 20 13 5.6 12.2
54CONNECTICUT 20 13 2.2 12.0
55NEVADA 25 6 -8.5 11.8
56FLORIDA ST 19 9 7.0 11.6
57LOYOLA MARY 19 11 -10.3 11.4
58XAVIER 21 12 -1.4 11.3
59MINNESOTA 19 14 -0.8 11.2
60VCU 25 6 -1.5 11.1
61VIRGINIA TECH 16 17 -1.4 11.1
62WYOMING 19 11 -0.5 11.0
63NORTHWESTERN 18 13 -1.4 10.7
64TULSA 16 14 -3.0 10.6
65NEW MEXICO ST 22 8 -0.8 10.4
66OHIO 27 7 -1.1 10.4
67UCLA 19 13 0.2 10.3
68MARSHALL 20 13 -2.0 10.3
69RUTGERS 14 17 -5.3 10.2
70NOTRE DAME 22 11 5.0 10.0
71DREXEL 27 6 -1.5 9.9
72SOUTH FLORIDA 20 13 1.6 9.9
73BUFFALO 18 10 -3.1 9.9
74ORAL ROBERTS 26 6 -1.2 9.6
75MISS. ST 19 10 0.7 9.5
76SETON HALL 19 12 5.0 9.2
77DAYTON 20 12 1.4 9.1
78AIR FORCE 13 16 -10.7 9.0
79ILLINOIS 16 15 1.9 8.9
80ST. BONAVENTURE 20 11 3.5 8.8
81RICE 16 15 -5.4 8.7
82SAINT JOSEPH'S 20 13 3.3 8.7
83WAGNER 24 6 -2.8 8.6
84WASHINGTON 20 10 1.5 8.6
85KENT ST 19 8 -1.8 8.5
86VILLANOVA 13 19 0.5 8.5
87COLORADO 23 11 0.0 8.4
88GEORGIA TECH 11 20 -7.0 8.4
89GONZAGA 25 6 7.7 8.3
90LEHIGH 26 7 0.3 8.1
91TENNESSEE 18 13 4.3 8.1
92DAVIDSON 25 7 6.3 8.1
93MASSACHUSETTS 22 11 2.8 8.0
94MANHATTAN 20 11 -5.2 7.9
95OLD DOMINION 20 13 -3.3 7.8
96DETROIT 22 12 -2.4 7.5
97UCF 22 10 -0.1 7.5
98IDAHO 18 13 -8.1 7.4
99MONTANA 25 6 -1.2 7.4
100AKRON 22 11 4.4 7.3

CONFERENCE EFFECTS

Conf.No.Conf. NameConf. Effects
1 WestCoast 3.9
2 WestAthl 3.6
3 SunBelt 0.2
4 Summit 0.1
5 Southwest -11.0
6 Southland -2.9
7 Southern -1.1
8 Southeast 10.5
9 Patriot -1.3
10 Pac12 7.2
11 Ohio Valley -0.2
12 Northeast -2.1
13 MtnWest 9.9
14 MissouriVal 6.7
15 MidEast -4.7
16 MidAmerica 2.8
17 Metro 0.7
18 Ivy 2.7
19 Independ -8.6
20 Horizon 3.6
21 ConfUSA 8.1
22 Colonial 1.6
23 BigWest 0.6
24 BigTen 10.8
25 BigSouth -1.6
26 BigSky -1.5
27 BigEast 10.8
28 Big12 10.7
29 AmEast -3.5
30 ATLSun 1.9
31 ATLCoast 11.6
32 ATL10 7.3
33 Leftovers -17.8

Only the top 100 are shown.