Early Season POD Rankings

[SC_Flyer]

Disclaimer: If you aren't interested in PODS, then please ignore this post.

I went ahead and crunched the current Average POD RPIs, which appears to very much favor our Flyers. I found it interesting that the 6 teams with the hardest PODs also lost their first games of the season. We'll have to see how this plays out during conference play as I plan to update the data every so often.

2016-01-04  PODS
--------|----------------|---------------|
TEAM       Ave POD RPI     A-10 Standing
--------|----------------|---------------|
DUQ            76.6               8
LAS            93.2               8
GM            105.8               8 
SLU           107.2               8
UR            107.6               8
DAV           111.4               8 
VCU           112.8               1
GW            116.4               1  
SBU           117.2               1
URI           127.6               1
UM            129.6               1
FOR           132.0               8
SJU           155.6               1 
DAY           169.0               1  

[San Diego Flyer]

I don't know the numbers, but it felt like our OOC average was better than 169. We did well there. Shows we can do well against teams around that average. Like it or not, we simply have to win most of them, so it might as well be a tough pod and help us out.

[ruechalgrin]

The A-10 needs to rethink scheduling. Weak schedule in- conference hurts Dayton for NCAA selection and seed.

[shapanud]

Originally Posted by San Diego Flyer I don't know the numbers, but it felt like our OOC average was better than 169. We did well there. Shows we can do well against teams around that average. Like it or not, we simply have to win most of them, so it might as well be a tough pod and help us out.

SC_Flyer, correct me if I am wrong, but I think the data refers to the RPI of the teams that UD plays twice in the A10, not its non-con schedule. I think the 169.0 refers to the avg RPI of Duquesne, La Salle, Rhody, St. Bona, and Saint Louis.

Having an Pod with this poor of an RPI is not good for UD. Not enough chances for good wins and too many chances for bad losses.

	St Bonaventure SAINT BONAVENTURE Founded in 1858, St. Bonaventure University is a liberal arts college located on 500 acres in southwestern New York state. SBU offers 43 undergraduate majors, the most popular of which are elementary education, journalism, psychology, accounting, marketing, finance, and management. Total undergraduate enrollment is 2,000. Virtually all freshmen and most undergraduates live on campus. A founding member of the A10 Conference. Famous athletes include Bob Lanier. Historical nickname was the Brown Indians, but later changed to the Bonnies. Their mascot is a wolf.

	Rhode Island RHODE ISLAND The University of Rhode Island was chartered as the state's agricultural school in 1888. The school became the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1892. Located in southern Rhode Island, URI is a quintessential New England campus - rural in feeling yet close to the city of Providence, the state's capital. Linked to the city, the beaches, and nearly every corner of the state by both rail and public transit, the campus is easily accessible from Boston and New York URI currently offers 100 majors in seven degree-granting colleges. There are more than 12,000 students on the Kingston campus, about 3,000 in Providence, and a complement of about 700 faculty. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Rams.

	Duquesne DUQUESNE Duquesne University is a private, coeducational university, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania located on 48 secluded acres, on a bluff above downtown. Founded in 1878 as a Catholic college by the Order of the Holy Spirit. It is the only Spiritan institution of higher education in the world. Duquesne offers 10 schools of study and 100 degree programs to 6,000 undergraduates and 3,800 graduate students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Dukes.

	LaSalle LA SALLE In 1863, La Salle University was established through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which De La Salle founded 300 years ago. Located in Philadelphia, La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values. La Salle's main campus is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 130-acre park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can accommodate 2,114 resident students in its 12 residence halls, two apartment complexes, and 75 townhouses. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Explorers. Notable athletes include Tom Gola and Lionel Simmons.

	Saint Louis SAINT LOUIS Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.

[Whacker]

They appear to be trying to keep PODS regional. Dayton just got the wrong Philly team.

[CE80]

One reason we have the easiest pod is because Dayton does not have to play Dayton.

[ClaytonFlyerFan]

Originally Posted by SC_Flyer Disclaimer: If you aren't interested in PODS, then please ignore this post. I went ahead and crunched the current Average POD RPIs, which appears to very much favor our Flyers.

Good research.

I personally think this is the worse position for Dayton to be in. If you want to be the best, be prepared and ready for the post season, you need to be playing and beating the best teams, not the worse teams, multiple times.

[SC_Flyer]

Originally Posted by shapanud SC_Flyer, correct me if I am wrong, but I think the data refers to the RPI of the teams that UD plays twice in the A10, not its non-con schedule. I think the 169.0 refers to the avg RPI of Duquesne, La Salle, Rhody, St. Bona, and Saint Louis.

Yes, the Average RPI is just the average of the teams in one's POD. I think SD Flyer's comments were applying a bit of a transitive property and trying to point out that our OOC schedule was likely tougher than our POD and so we should be OK.

Personally, I would rather see our POD rank be somewhere in the bottom third tier, but preferably not the very bottom.

[frisco flyer]

Thanks SC flyer for crunching the numbers. Do these RPI represent the average for the entire A10 schedule or just the teams we play twice?

I agree with other posters that having the easiest schedule is not necessarily the best schedule. Having said that, if all goes well, we will have a chance for a couple of quality wins during the A10 tournament.

[sheg]

It's just bad luck that UD gets the two worst RPI teams this year, and doesn't get to face the best RPI-wise even once.

[podcast411]

With our Pods RPI this low - what is the magic number of Conference wins to get an at large?

My guess would be 13 wins - which would put us at 23 - 7 going to the post season tourn to be considered on the good side of the bubble. 14 Wins (24 - 6) puts us safely in. But that is really putting the cart before the horse - but still I think the weak pod last year hurt and could hurt us again this year.

[springborofan]

Originally Posted by podcast411 With our Pods RPI this low - what is the magic number of Conference wins to get an at large? My guess would be 13 wins - which would put us at 23 - 7 going to the post season tourn to be considered on the good side of the bubble. 14 Wins (24 - 6) puts us safely in. But that is really putting the cart before the horse - but still I think the weak pod last year hurt and could hurt us again this year.

The difference between our non con success this year vs ,sat year is night and day. 12-6 securely gets UD in as long as there isn't a complete meltdown in the A10 tournament.

[224]

Am I the only one that thinks this is good?

For once we are in the drivers seat headed into conference play. We don't need to prove anything by playing GW, DAV, RICH twice. We have already proven enough. Just don't choke. If we were 8-5 or 9-4 at this point I would wish we were in a tougher POD; but we aren't.

Since we had such a tough OOC schedule and our RPI is so high, playing the easier teams won't crush our RPI but *should* allow us to compile more conference wins and better position us for a higher NCAA seed. From a SOS standpoint, we have already played tough games so some easy games won't kill us.

The selection committee will reward us for our wins in OOC play vs Iowa, Bama, Arkansas, Monmouth and Vandy, along with a strong conference record. Not punish us for playing DUQ, LaSalle and SLU twice.

Selection committee will look at our cumulative RPI and conference record. Not conference POD RPI.

	Duquesne DUQUESNE Duquesne University is a private, coeducational university, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania located on 48 secluded acres, on a bluff above downtown. Founded in 1878 as a Catholic college by the Order of the Holy Spirit. It is the only Spiritan institution of higher education in the world. Duquesne offers 10 schools of study and 100 degree programs to 6,000 undergraduates and 3,800 graduate students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Dukes.

	LaSalle LA SALLE In 1863, La Salle University was established through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which De La Salle founded 300 years ago. Located in Philadelphia, La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values. La Salle's main campus is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 130-acre park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can accommodate 2,114 resident students in its 12 residence halls, two apartment complexes, and 75 townhouses. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Explorers. Notable athletes include Tom Gola and Lionel Simmons.

	Saint Louis SAINT LOUIS Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.

[keats '91]

I agree, before we strive to have the best SOS impacted by our pod, we need to ensure we have separated in the league standings. It does no good to have a good pod, but be at 50% in league play. We HAVE to be in top 3~4 of standings. And then the SOS becomes important.
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[AC91]

Lasalle 282
St Louis 255

That's it. right there. And UD will likely be stuck with the post-Majerus, killed-by-Crews SLU as long as both schools are in the A10.

	LaSalle LA SALLE In 1863, La Salle University was established through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which De La Salle founded 300 years ago. Located in Philadelphia, La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values. La Salle's main campus is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 130-acre park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can accommodate 2,114 resident students in its 12 residence halls, two apartment complexes, and 75 townhouses. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Explorers. Notable athletes include Tom Gola and Lionel Simmons.

	Saint Louis SAINT LOUIS Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.

[Gazoo]

With all the data that gets crunched, I personally doubt the selection committee takes the time to full digest the concept of our pod. It will fall out in SOS and "bad losses" but I really doubt they're going to say "UD got lucky because when their schedule gave them a short turnaround it was for LaSalle and St. Louis (which were gimmies) instead of Davidson and GW."

Possible? Sure. It might even be said out loud in the room. But they've already got their minds made up based on other factors by that point IMO.

	LaSalle LA SALLE In 1863, La Salle University was established through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which De La Salle founded 300 years ago. Located in Philadelphia, La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values. La Salle's main campus is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 130-acre park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can accommodate 2,114 resident students in its 12 residence halls, two apartment complexes, and 75 townhouses. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Explorers. Notable athletes include Tom Gola and Lionel Simmons.

[SC_Flyer]

Originally Posted by frisco flyer Thanks SC flyer for crunching the numbers. Do these RPI represent the average for the entire A10 schedule or just the teams we play twice?

Yes, the Average RPI shown in the table is just the average of the teams in one's POD, not any of the rest. It simply shows a relative strength of each team's POD compared to the rest. I have crunched similar numbers in years past when Dayton actually had one of the toughest PODs for a couple of years.

[rollo]

When our pod stinks, the want-it-alls complain how it's going to kill our NCAA seed or opportunities and needs to be changed so the best play the best and improve our SOS!

When our pod is good, the want-it-alls complain how it's going to kill our NCAA seed or opportunities and needs to be changed so the best play the worst to improve our A10 record.

I see a pattern here*.

[SC_Flyer]

Originally Posted by 224 Am I the only one that thinks this is good?

I think it is a good thing too to be in the bottom third of this list, at least with our current record and SOS. As a comparison, here is the same table I generated at the end of February in 2014 when Dayton had the toughest POD:

2014-02-27
--------|----------------|---------------|
TEAM       Ave POD RPI     A-10 Standing
--------|----------------|---------------|
DAY            63.3               7
FOR            66.0              13
GM             69.3              10  
VCU            73.0               4
URI            74.3              12
SJU            80.0               2
DUQ            86.8              10
UR             92.0               5
LAS            94.5               9
SBU            95.8               8
UM            106.5               3
SLU           111.0               1
GW            114.8               5      

[rollo]

Winning the A10 is the only thing that matters to me, so I prefer playing the weakest POD and taking our chances with the rest of the league.

[SC_Flyer]

Originally Posted by rollo When our pod stinks, the want-it-alls complain

As an admitted complainer in the past, I much prefer the way things are setting up this year. The conference schedule is always hard enough, embrace the easier POD and just get in the dance.

[Figgie123]

Hey, SC_Flyer, can you add the average winning percentage of the pods in this list? Since the opponent's winning percentage is used for the 50% of RPI value, that might also help realize how good/bad these teams are going forward.

[San Diego Flyer]

Originally Posted by rollo Winning the A10 is the only thing that matters to me, so I prefer playing the weakest POD and taking our chances with the rest of the league.

We have postured ourselves with a stellar ooc to simply rack up wins whomever they might be. We don't need a tough pod.

[maddog07]

A loss to one of our weak pod mates will cripple our RPI. Lasalle is 280th. St Louis is heading there. Can't afford any losses to them. I see us going 12-6 in conference.
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	LaSalle LA SALLE In 1863, La Salle University was established through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which De La Salle founded 300 years ago. Located in Philadelphia, La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values. La Salle's main campus is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 130-acre park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can accommodate 2,114 resident students in its 12 residence halls, two apartment complexes, and 75 townhouses. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Explorers. Notable athletes include Tom Gola and Lionel Simmons.

	Saint Louis SAINT LOUIS Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.

[Glen Clark]

Originally Posted by podcast411 With our Pods RPI this low - what is the magic number of Conference wins to get an at large? My guess would be 13 wins - which would put us at 23 - 7 going to the post season tourn to be considered on the good side of the bubble. 14 Wins (24 - 6) puts us safely in. But that is really putting the cart before the horse - but still I think the weak pod last year hurt and could hurt us again this year.

The only game that matters right now is UMass - Wednesday at 8:00 PM.

_____________________
Whether your glass is half full or half empty, you still have more to drink

	Massachusetts MASSACHUSETTS UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. UMass enrolls over 20,000 undergraduates and 5,000 post-grad students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Minutemen. Women's teams known as the Minutewomen. Sports achievements include NCAA Final Four appearances in men's basketball and women's soccer.

[SC_Flyer]

Per Figgie's request, this table adds the Average POD Win Percentage and sorts based on that column.

2016-01-05  PODS Sorted by Win Percentage
--------|----------------|---------------|
TEAM       Ave POD RPI      Ave POD Win%
--------|----------------|---------------|
LAS            93.2             73.6
DUQ            76.6             69.5
SBU           117.2             67.7
SLU           107.2             67.2
URI           127.6             66.7
UR            107.6             65.8
UM            129.6             65.3
DAV           111.4             64.7
GM            105.8             62.7
SJU           155.6             60.7
FOR           132.0             60.4
GW            116.4             60.3 
VCU           112.8             58.4
DAY           169.0             55.4 

[224]

Originally Posted by maddog07 A loss to one of our weak pod mates will cripple our RPI. Lasalle is 280th. St Louis is heading there. Can't afford any losses to them. I see us going 12-6 in conference. Posted via Mobile Device

RPI Forecast predicts a 14-4 record in conference play, which would be good enough for a final RPI finish in the 19-24 range and a SOS of 55. Also 5-2 vs Top 50. I can't find data from 02-03, but this may be our best finish since that year (if not better) when we were a 4 seed.

In comparasion, last year we finished 32 in RPI with 113 SOS. Last year we were 1-3 vs top 50.

In 2013-14, we finished 42 RPI and 52 SOS. 4-6 vs Top 50.

A bad loss certainly won't be good, but 1 won't kill us.

	LaSalle LA SALLE In 1863, La Salle University was established through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which De La Salle founded 300 years ago. Located in Philadelphia, La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values. La Salle's main campus is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 130-acre park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can accommodate 2,114 resident students in its 12 residence halls, two apartment complexes, and 75 townhouses. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Explorers. Notable athletes include Tom Gola and Lionel Simmons.

	Saint Louis SAINT LOUIS Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.

[rollo]

Originally Posted by Glen Clark The only game that matters right now is UMass - Wednesday at 8:00 PM.

If you live in a vacuum that's true, but since the RPI factors in your opponents and opponent's opponents wins/losses, there are about 100 other games that matter, too.

But don't let that get in the way of another stupor.

	Massachusetts MASSACHUSETTS UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. UMass enrolls over 20,000 undergraduates and 5,000 post-grad students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Minutemen. Women's teams known as the Minutewomen. Sports achievements include NCAA Final Four appearances in men's basketball and women's soccer.

[SC_Flyer]

I went ahead and updated the data as we are about mid-conference play (title of the thread changed too, but I didn't want to start a new thread just for this).

2016-02-01  PODS Sorted by Ave POD RPI
--------|----------------|---------------|
TEAM       Ave POD RPI      Ave POD Win%
--------|----------------|---------------|
DUQ            73.8             65.9
SLU            76.2             66.1
GM             88.4             61.3
DAV            94.6             61.5
GW             95.4             58.5 
UR             98.6             60.9
LAS           101.4             65.3
SBU           102.4             63.2
VCU           118.2             52.7
UM            119.4             58.3
URI           127.0             58.3
FOR           134.0             52.0
DAY           135.2             50.5 
SJU           151.4             49.1