Latest RPI's and Rankings

Ken Pom: #10
Real Time: #10
Warren Nolan: #11
AP: #24
ESPN: #22
CBS: #25
DeSimone: #22

The numbers after the AU loss

Here are the rankings and RPI's for this week.

RPI:

KenPom: #15
Ratings.com: #15
Real Time: #15
RPI forecast: #15
Sagarin: #18
Warren Nolan: #16

Rankings:
AP: #17
ESPN: #15
CBS: #16
DeSimone: #17
Fox: #18
Massey:#20

2-1: Ole Miss holds off Florida

As the second season of basketball moves into full swing, the Rebels are off to a 2-1 start in SEC play. The Rebels regrouped after a slow start to lead the Gators at half by 9. At one point the Rebs were up by 15 but Florida wouldn't go away. Poor foul shooting by Ole Miss gave Florida hope but the Rebels walked off the court with a 2 point victory over the 2x defending National Champs.

Updated RPI's:

Ken Pom: 15
Real Time: 15
RPI Forecast: 12
Sagarin: 12
Warren Nolan: 14

Rebels move into ESPN's Power 16 at #14.

After 1-1, Where We Stand

After going 1-1 in our first week of SEC play, where do we stand. Here are the latest rankings along with our two opponents for this week (Florida & Auburn):

RPI's:

Ken Pom: #20 -----(Florida #76 Auburn #163)
Ratings.com: #19-----(Florida#76 Auburn#164)
Real Time: #20----(Florida#76 Auburn#161)
RPI Forecast: #12---(Florida#38 Auburn N/A)
Sagarin #12----(Florida#36 Auburn#161)
Warren Nolan#20 ----(Florida#85 Auburn#168)

Top 25:

AP: #18
CBS: #16
DeSimone:#16
ESPN: #15


Brackets:

Basketball Predictions: #4
Beating the Experts: #5
Bracket Express: #4
Bracket Project: #4
Bracetography: #6
Bracketology 101: #5
Breaking Down the Bracket: #5
Bryce's Bracket: #2

Please check back later this afternoon for the AP & ESPN polls.

Ole Miss is legit- We know

The rest of the sports world (minus the 13 teams we've beaten) have finally warmed up to Ole Miss. It wasn't a 14th win that woke the sports nation up, it was a 2 point loss in Knoxville. It really shouldn't be a secret to everyone at this point. Our schedule hasn't been the hardest but we've played some stiff competition. (Clemson, Winthrop, New Mexico...) But, since we are Ole Miss, it talks folks time.

Here are some of the reactions so far:

AOL: Ole Miss proves it is legit vs. Tennessee

"For my money, you just saw the two best teams in the SEC, hands down. I'll go
so far as to say that Ole Miss could be a Sweet 16 team this year. Not bad for a
team which hasn't been to the Big Dance since 2002."

ESPN: Ole Miss' numbers say the Rebels are no fluke.

"The Tennessee game was an introduction to that increased quality, and the
Rebels held up extremely well. They probably won't play in a tougher environment
all season. That's relevant, because all the Rebels need (assuming a win over
2-20 Presbyterian in their final nonconference game) is a repeat of last
season's 8-8 league mark and one win in the SEC tournament to get to 23-9, which
almost certainly would land them in the NCAA Tournament. "

ESPN: Tyler Smith keys the Vols' win over a scrappy Ole Miss team

"Any questions about Mississippi being for real went out the window Wednesday
night after the Rebels stared down Tennessee and took the Vols' best shot in a
sold-out, ear-splitting Thompson-Boling Arena. "

Rivals: Tennessee edges Mississippi in final seconds

"The surprising Rebels (13-1, 0-1), picked to finish last in the SEC West,
were pegged as the weakest of the unbeatens, but they gained plenty of respect
despite the loss. "

Updated RPI's after the game:

Ken Pom: #20
Real Time: #20
Sagarin: #11
Warren Nolan: #20

Kentucky is bad so the SEC is bad, right?

I do a news search several times a day to see what articles mention or discuss Ole Miss. This morning all the talk is about how the SEC is down. (See a list at the bottom of the blog)
The SEC hasn't performed as well in non-conference play as it has in the past but it also hasn't been terrible. It's 121-41 in non-conference play. Yes, the league is 1-9 against ranked opponents. Also, the RPI of the entire conference is low. However, if we replace Vandy with Florida and Ole Miss with Kentucky this year, I doubt the SEC would appear to be "as" down.
Just my opinion, but I am unanimous in it!

Arkansas-Democrat Gazette- SEC Slips, Slides while reloading
Daily Journal- As league play starts, SEC basketball has its skeptics
Cincinnati Enquirer- UK's struggles a drag on the SEC
Gatorsports.com- SEC hoops dealing with rare down season
Shreveport Times- Struggling SEC begins league play
Arkansas Sports- Perception is Reality For SEC Basketball

Latest Rankings

Here are the latest rankings/seeds:

AP: #16
ESPN/USA: #15
Basketball Predictions: # 8 Seed
Beating the Experts: #6 Seed
Bracket Express: #4 Seed
Bracketography: #6 Seed
Bryce's Bracket: #3 Seed
CBS Top 26: #17
College Hoops Net Top 50: #17
Fox Power Rating: #20
Ken Pom RPI: #21
Mike DeSimone's Top 25: #19
Ratings.Com RPI: #21
Real Time RPI: #21
Rivals Ranking the Coaches: Kennedy #21
Sagarin RPI: #9
RPI Forecast: #10
The Bracket Project: #5 Seed
Warren Nolan RPI: #21
ESPN Bracketology: #6 Seed

The list will be updated as more projections/rankings come out.

Games to watch this weekend

Here are games of interest for Rebel fans this weekend:

South Alabama v. Western KY : January 5th 8:05pm- Why? South Alabama has won 7 in a row. Western KY has an RPI of 115 and are 8-4. The Rebels' RPI will improve if S. Alabama keeps winning.

Central Florida v. Sam Houston State: January 5th 3:00pm- Why? Sam Houston St. has an RPI of 29 and Central Florida is 145. A victory at Sam Houston State will significantly boost Central Florida's RPI.

DePaul v. Providence: January 5th 8:00PM(ESPN Classic): Providence has a high RPI of 25. A DePaul victory will help boost the Rebels' RPI.

LeSalle @ Florida State: January 5th 7:00PM- Why? Florida State has an RPI of 35. A LeSalle Victory increases the Rebels' RPI.

Clemson v. North Carolina: January 6th 7:30pm(Fox Sports)- Why? North Carolina is one of the 6 unbeatens left. They also have an RPI of 2. A Clemson Victory will tremendously aid the Rebels.

Kansas v. Boston College: January 5th 12:00PM (ESPN)- Why? Kansas is unbeaten. Let's loose a few more of those.

Washington State v. Washington: January 5th 10:00PM- Why? Washington State is undefeated and playing at their instate rival. Will it be enough to remove them from the unbeaten list? Probably not, but we can hope so.

UMass v. Vandy: January 5th 4:00PM(ESPN 360)- Why? Will Vandy finally fall from the ranks of the unbeatens?

St. Mary's v. Texas: January 5th 6:00PM(Fox Sports/ ESPN Full Court)- Why? No 24 St. Mary has a chance to knock off #14 Texas and help the Rebels move up.

Historic 13-0/ RPI takes a hit

6600+ witnessed history last night at Tad Smith. This year's Rebels have the longest winning streak in Ole Miss basketball history. Congrats to the Rebs.

Even though we won, our RPI ratings did fall due to the poor RPI of Alabama A&M. Here is where we are now:

Rebels return home

The Rebels look to top another record tonight. A win and they have the longest winning streak in Ole Miss history. Alabama A&M is not Clemson nor New Mexico but they will come to Oxford looking to take down #18 Ole Miss. Andy Kennedy will have the Rebs ready to play as usual. Look for the Bulldogs from Huntsville to keep it close for a bit but the Rebels will pull away with ease.

Here are a few more predictions/projections and articles:

Bryce's Bracket: #4 Seed

CBS Bracketology: #6 Seed

Ole Miss named surprise team of the SEC by Fox Sports. Also, Ole Miss v. Tennessee is named the best early game of the season. They also predict Chris Warren will be All-SEC.

Ole Miss named a contender in the SEC West by ESPN.

ESPN breaks down the remaining unbeatens.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year from the Hotty Toddy Blog. May 2008 be filled with many wins in all sports. May 2008 bring a Sweet 16 or higher appearance, a trip to the College World Series and a winning season in football.

Here are some more basketball rankings out today:

Beating the Experts: #6 Seed
Bracket Project: #5 Seed