Category: college basketball 365

Perhaps a new rankings format…

On By @gtmoblueIn college basketball 365

Perhaps a new format…

Rankings and Polls: 

The current way things are done, with the preseason media polls and rankings, ie; the “beauty contest” methodology, is old, outdated, biased, and flat inaccurate.  It is based on the previous year’s output, so and so’s history as a major team, conference bias, individual voter bias, and hype.  Each year the polls are frontloaded with the perennial favorites and each year several of the favs tank.  However, it takes an act of congress to dislodge them from the polls and an avalanche of wins by unranked teams to enter the realm of the top teams.  This season ranked teams are falling like leaves in November, ten ranked teams lost just this past week, twenty or so in the last 2 weeks.  Perhaps now is the time for change.
“But we’ve always done it like this”.  This is what we know”.  

 A few folks have previously put forth ideas to improve the current setup.  

1)      Wait until after the nonconference portion of the season to assess which are the top teams.  
      In this way we have a 11-13 game history from which to assess SOS, RPI, W/L records, NPI/BPI, and the rest.  By waiting until December to initialize rankings real data can be used rather than, or in conjunction with,  solely what happened last season, eye tests, coaching resumes, and bias.  Who cares what a “so and so coached team” is potentially capable of…what have they done on the court this season.  It took 5 losses, including 3 in a row to finally knock Duke from the rankings this week.  However, using the current predominantly unscientific, preferential, and biased-based methods used by both the coaches and writers polls, Duke will be back in the polls by the following week, whereas a deserving newcomer such as Pitt, Valpo, St Marys, or even Arkansas LR will not get the time of day.
2)      Let the metrics decide who deserves to be ranked. 
Between Warren Nolan, Sagarin Rankings, Ken Pomeroy, Torval, StatsSheets, TeamRankings, RPI Forecast, Bracket Matrix, and several others, there is more than enough data to compile a metrics driven ranking solution.  Again, by waiting to allow the non conference portion play out, much of the data is available by then, and such rankings would be more accurate.  Now, that is not to say a data driven poll is infallible and such polls would be updated weekly as is done currently.  Several sites already use composite rankings using a handful of these source metrics and others. 
3)      RPI/SOS Stand-alone valuations.  
      Who is playing who?  How many cupcake games does it take to equal one quality game.  By using a 3 year or 5 year composite average RPI/SOS as a base one can assign a beginning December/January value to each team to rate a top 25-50 index.  Current in-year play and their current record then determines a teams up/down movement for the duration of the season.


Other notions for modification or changes in the ratings structure have surfaced over the last several years. None are perfect, including the methodologies in use today, but improvements are needed.

Appeal to Bluejays Fans

On By @gtmoblueIn college basketball 365
Appeal to Bluejays Fans – You can come home, again.


Courtesy Creighton Athletics


We are a fortunate group of people.  We have a great university and sports programs.  Creighton  has a passionate following in the community of universities.  Our fanbase is one of the top pillars of university support in several sports.  In this regard CU is the envy of many universities nationally.

Our online history is also good.  In the short 20 or so years of fanbased BBS’ and websites, we have been fortunate to have dedicated people found sites for our collective sports passions.  Many Creighton loyalists have built boards over the years for us: FreddyMac, Polyfro, Creighton Otter, and several others whose names I cannot remember.  In 2009, several independent boards coalesced into a joint venture, the White and Blue Review.  Also back then, the Bluejay Café (now known as BluejayBanter.com)- our major board, joined the Rivals.com group.  Both moves increased the CU profile nationally.  The main issue is that our boards continue to be small by comparison to other sites.  We need growth.

Other boards have come and gone since then, 10th St Blue, Bluejay Nation, Bluejays Basketball, Creighton Crazy, among others.  The Creighton.Scout.com (Bluejay Report) site has been inconsistent. 

To keep this short.  Our boards walk a thin line.  Providing services to the fanbase while fighting to grow and stay solvent.  Message boards with large memberships(10-20K) have higher baseline hit rates, even with low individual participation levels.  Small boards (1-2K) such as ours need high participation to offset a low baseline hit rate. If BJU/BJB/BJR can achieve/maintain active participation at high levels (30% to 50%, or more) of membership, their Admins/Mods can do a better job of policing problems and high site hit rates offer opportunities for new income.  Perhaps some of the talent from defunct sites would be willing to join/assist the Big 3 sites (WBR-BJU, BluejayBanter, Bluejay Report).  More importantly the fanbase needs to help by:

Joining our active sites (free-side or other)
Visiting regularly (site hits)
And by active participation on the boards (viewing is not enough)

Boards get infected by certain types of posters (sailors, pot stirrers, crabs in a barrel, haters, sunshine pumpers, negative nancys, hemingwayers, doom-n-gloomers) 
http://gtmos-bluenotes.blogspot.com.co/2015_09_01_archive.htmland in general by pervasive fanbase attitudes. Such things are countered by an active fanbase with diverse POVs and posts.  Boards need diversity and more than a 5-10% participation rate to remain healthy.  

If small boards such as our BJU/BJB/BJR can achieve/maintain active participation at high levels, their Admins/Mods can do a better job. The staffs will have more latitude in policing, enforcement, an excising severely problematic members (negative nancys, Stever20’s (pot stirrers), novelists (hemingways)and CU Final Fours/gtmo’s/WB77s (sunshine pumpers).  As an additional benefit, a high participatory membership will routinely check and counter wildcard members and trolls, and help to keep the board climate healthy from the doom-n-gloomers.

But the greatest single threat to any board/website is fanbase apathy.  When a board plummets into apathy…any wushock, stever20, dawgiestyle, our numerous anxious negative nancy’s, or other vermin rise to run roughshod, reek havoc, and have a fieldday.  Such boards implode and die.  Our fanbase is knowledgable, diverse, and opinionated – and ALL are needed to maintain and to improve our boards. There is no indication that 10th St or another defunct board can/will make a comeback.

Individually opting out only adds to the problem, not the solution.  Participation is the solution.  We currently have 3 good boards – high level participation can make them great boards.  High member participation rates are both critical and vital for our low membership Bluejay boards.  Someone can find the numbers/stats on websites health, but a lack of hits and lack of participation have been the death knell of numerous sites. 


Recent posts on the BJU and BJB lament the loss of many faithful Jays posters.  Whatever the reasons for past and present departees from our boards… I say to those who have left: “come back home”.  Technology is such that if a fan segment/individual is counter to your views – put them on ignore, but you must come back and participate.  Only you can help restore and/or better our sites by your participation.  Our sites are small and not nearly as bad as say the HLH site with numerous multisite “trolls” and rabble-rousers.  Our Admins and Moderators have to balance the needs of the site vs fan expectations and desires.  Your return home aids board needs in increased member participation as well as increases in overall numbers to be (remain) healthy.  You are required for the health and survival of Creighton Fanboards.

Loyal fan of the Jays…please join or return to our 3 main boards and actively participate.  You are part of the needed solution and we need you Now: to help our message boards grow, to be active, to bring your needed perspective and opinions, and to participate passionately.  

The Bluejays need you.  Come back home now.