February 20 Update: Seven Number Ones

Today Baylor becomes the seventh team to be rated number one by the S-Factor this season. Here is the list of women's college basketball teams that the S-Factor has rated in first place this season:

1. Notre Dame (4 weeks)
2. Maryland (2.5 weeks)
3. Kentucky (2.5 weeks)
4. Louisville (1 week)
5. Tennessee (0.5 weeks)
6. Baylor (0.5 weeks)
7. Minnesota (!)(0.5 weeks)

There have only been two teams to top the AP poll this season, and neither of them are represented on this list. South Carolina has come close in the S-Factor, having been ranked 2nd for one week and 3rd for 5.5 weeks. But the S-Factor has not been so kind to the American Athletic Conference's Connecticut, which has only ascended as high as 5th place for a half-week and has spent most of its time in 9th or 10th place (2 weeks apiece).

In 2014 there were five teams that traded the first place ranking all season (Notre Dame, Connecticut, Stanford, Tennessee, and Louisville snuck in there once). In 2013 there were only three (Connecticut, Stanford, and then Brittney Griner's Baylor from Christmas to Selection Monday).
 
Now in:
Kansas State
Colorado State
Stephen F. Austin

Now out:
Tulane
Fresno State
Lamar

Conferences with multiple bids:
SEC: 9
ACC: 8
Big Ten: 7
Big 12: 6
PAC 12: 5
American: 2
Atlantic 10: 2

January 5 Update: Polls and Outliers

The table below shows the S-Factor in relation to the AP poll, the RPI rankings, and last year's S-Factor formulation.

Team	AP	RPI	2015 S-Factor	2014 S-Factor
South Carolina	1	12	10	8
Connecticut	2	2	7	4
Texas	3	8	4	5
Notre Dame	4	1	2	1
Baylor	5	13	17	14
Louisville	6	8	1	2
Tennessee	7	5	24	16
North Carolina	8	6	12	12
Texas A&M	9	36	19	15
Kentucky	10	3	5	3
Oregon State	11	29	13	18
Maryland	12	16	3	6
Duke	13	17	14	23
Mississippi State	14	35	11	10
Stanford	15	44	26	36
Oklahoma State	16	84	70	59
Iowa	17	10	8	11
Arizona State	18	4	6	7
Nebraska	19	26	22	31
Georgia	20	45	32	29
Syracuse	21	67	48	65
Princeton	22	19	44	32
Minnesota	23	15	9	9
Rutgers	24	53	63	46
Western Kentucky	25	23	51	43
Washington	26	18	21	25
St. John's	27	30	29	17
Florida State	29	28	18	24
Washington State	30	49	16	20
California	32	25	25	28
Ohio State	33	31	15	21
Northwestern	34	37	20	19
Green Bay	35	7	33	27
South Florida	38	20	31	22
George Washington	40	22	23	13

The S-Factor is in rough agreement with the voters of the AP regarding many of the teams, but there are some interesting outliers. The S-Factor ranks Oklahoma State, Syracuse, and Rutgers far below their positions in the AP poll, and this is mostly due to their poor RPI so far. Syracuse and Rutgers have no wins better than 63 RPI Arkansas so far, while Oklahoma State has feasted upon cupcake teams en route to the 275th most difficult schedule in the 349-team NCAA Division 1.

The S-Factor thinks quite highly of Maryland, Louisville and Minnesota. Maryland and Louisville rank higher than the AP poll mainly because of their three top-25 wins each. No other team has more than three top-25 wins, though Connecticut, Kentucky and Vanderbilt also have 3. Minnesota ranks highly because they've played and won more conference games than any other team in an elite conference. While it is most definitely a good thing to win conference games, this early Big Ten schedule just means that Minnesota's numeric advantage in the S-Factor will ebb by the time the season is over and they will fall more or less in line with the AP ranking.

Now in:
South Florida
Iowa State
Oklahoma
Wichita State
Western Michigan
Albany
Liberty
Southern U.
North Dakota St.

Now out:
Arkansas
Seton Hall
West Virginia
Indiana State
Akron
South Dakota St.
Maine
High Point
Prairie View A&M

Conferences with multiple bids:
Big Ten: 8
SEC: 7
PAC 12: 7
ACC: 6
Big 12: 5
Atlantic 10: 2
American: 2
Atlantic Sun: 2
West Coast: 2

January 2 Update: Minnesota?

Now in:
Gonzaga
Fresno State

Now out:
Syracuse
Colorado State

Conferences with multiple bids:
Big Ten: 8
SEC: 8
PAC 12: 7
ACC: 6
Big 12: 4
Atlantic 10: 2
Big East: 2
Atlantic Sun: 2

March 3 Update: The SEC Was Totally Bonkers This Year

Everybody, look how crazy this SEC tournament bracket is! Florida (RPI 65) is a 5-seed, LSU (RPI 12) is a 10-seed!  Five schools finished with a 7-9 record in the SEC this year, 6th through 10th place.  I have no idea what's going to happen in the SEC tournament, but I'm really excited about it!



Now in:
Fordham   (Fordham is one of four Atlantic 10 teams whose only top-25-RPI win is over St. Joseph's. St. Joseph's has an unusually high RPI for the number of middle-tier teams it's lost to.  Fordham is one of these teams, and will not be going to the NCAA tournament unless they win the Atlantic 10 tournament.)

Central Michigan    (The Chippewas played a harder non-conference schedule this year than Bowling Green and have the MAC's only top-50-RPI win out-of-conference (Dayton). Still, I don't think the MAC is a two-bid conference this year.)

Minnesota   (It finally happened. Charlie Creme has been calling it for weeks. Minnesota finally cracked into these rankings, despite the fact that their best win is against Chattanooga.)


Now out:
Florida   (Very big drop that has more to do with RPI rankings of Vanderbilt and St. John's tanking than because of their loss to Texas A&M on Sunday, which was expected. I would wager Florida still makes the field despite their poor RPI.)

San Diego   (Good riddance.)   

Creighton   (1. They beat Villanova, but Villanova is no longer a top-50-RPI team.  2. They beat St. John's, but St. John's is no longer a top-25-RPI team.  3. They lost to Marquette.)



ACC Teams:
(1) Notre Dame
(2) Duke
(3) Maryland
(4) North Carolina State
(5) North Carolina
(6) Syracuse
(10) Georgia Tech

AAC Teams:
(1) Connecticut
(2) Louisville
(11) Rutgers

Atlantic 10 Teams:
(6) Dayton
(10) St. Joseph's
(10) Fordham

Big East Teams:
(7) DePaul
(10) St. John's

Big Ten Teams:
(3) Penn State
(4) Nebraska
(4) Purdue
(5) Iowa
(5) Michigan State
(11) Minnesota

Big 12 Teams:
(2) West Virginia
(3) Baylor
(6) Oklahoma State
(8) Texas
(9) Iowa State

Conference USA Teams:
(7) Middle Tennessee State
(8) Southern Miss

MAC Teams:
(9) Bowling Green
(11) Central Michigan

PAC 12 Teams:
(1) Stanford
(7) California
(7) Oregon State
(8) Arizona State

SEC Teams:
(1) South Carolina
(2) Tennessee
(3) Texas A&M
(4) Kentucky
(8) Vanderbilt
(9) LSU
(9) Georgia

West Coast Teams:
(5) Gonzaga
(6) BYU