How to Understand RPI for College Basketball Teams

College basketball teams each year compete throughout the season to qualify for the championship tournament held at the end of the season. Thirty-four teams are chosen from an at-large pool of teams to compete in the tournament. One of the factors that helps or hurts a team's chances of making the tournament is each teams RPI or rating percentage index.

Instructions

    • 1

      Know that the RPI or ratings percentage index was established in 1981 as an additional tool for the NCAA selection committee to evaluate potential NCAA tournament teams' qualifications.

    • 2

      Recognize that historically the RPI has been more important for teams on the "bubble" or borderline of the NCAA tournament. In other words, the selection committee seems to use it more for the teams on cusp of receiving of an at-large bid. The selection committee also uses the RPI as a factor in seeding teams for the tournament.

    • 3

      Realize that the basic formula for computing the RPI is 25% of a team's own winning percentage or WP, 50% percent average opponents winning percentage or OWP, and 25% average opponents' opponents' winning percentage or OOWP.

    • 4

      Understand that in 2004 the formula was altered to weigh road wins higher than home or neutral wins. The following is the formula for computing a team's own win percentage; 1.4 times the number of road wins plus neutral court wins plus .6 times the number of home wins. The teams loses are computed in the reverse; .6 times the number of road wins plus neutral court wins plus 1.4 times the number of home wins. The two numbers are then divided to obtain the RPI win percentage for a team.

    • 5

      Compute the RPI for college basketball teams based on the formulas stated in the previous two steps.