Rebels keeping close eye on RPI

Steve Addy

Thursday, Feb. 17, 2000 | 10:43 a.m.

When NCAA Tournament bids are doled out next month, one unlucky Mountain West team could learn that RPI means the same as RIP.

The team's Ratings Percentage Index might not be impressive enough to sway the NCAA committee, and its tournament dreams will almost certainly Rest In Peace.

UNLV and Brigham Young are fighting desperately to pin that fate on each other, but both teams might be unable to escape it. Because the new conference isn't included among the 35 automatic tournament berths this season, the prevailing wisdom is that the Mountain West will surely get one at-large bid, while having to scramble for another.

For now, most observers are assuming the first spot will go to Utah, leaving the second up for grabs between UNLV and BYU. That means the teams' clash on Saturday night at Provo holds greater importance than meets the eye.

Though the Rebels are 7-2 in the MWC and have a strong grip on second place behind Utah (8-1), fourth-place BYU still owns a superior RPI. On one unofficial list, Utah is 30th, BYU 40th and UNLV 41st, so Saturday's victor will gain the upper hand in the RPI, if only for a while.

The NCAA uses RPI as one of many factors to determine tournament worthiness and seeding. While the NCAA doesn't release its computations, its RPI formula incorporates a school's strength of schedule (50 percent), Division I winning percentage (25) and its opponents' strength of schedule (25). A top-40 RPI doesn't guarantee a tournament bid or favorable seed, but it doesn't hurt.

Nevertheless, UNLV coach Bill Bayno said he isn't sold on the RPI's accuracy or significance.

"I am not sure I agree with the RPI. From year to year, it varies in terms of how accurate it is," Bayno said. "You see some team lose four out of six and they don't drop very much. Then you see other teams and say, 'I know we're better than them,' and yet they're rated higher.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense all of the time. The good news is it's just one of the things (the committee) looks at."

But the lure of the RPI can be seductive. One well-traveled RPI website, collegerpi.com, is updated as often as three times a day to keep up with viewer demand. Many fans and media tend to regard the rankings as another Top 25 poll, only with all 318 Division I teams. (Hang on to your hats, UNLV fans, but next Tuesday's opponent, woeful 1-22 Florida Atlantic, is 317th.)

Even Bayno admits that the RPI watch can be irresistible.

"I look at it. I like to see where we're at," he said. "As long as you are in the top 50 or 60, you're in the hunt. But the bottom line is you have to win. It's simple. We've got to keep winning. (The RPI) is just one factor, that's all."

BYU coach Steve Cleveland pays even less attention to the ratings.

"I couldn't tell you what our RPI is right now," he said Wednesday. "I know it helps with seedings in the tournament, but I've been here three years, and I'm still not sure what all of that means. I'm more concerned with who's winning the games."

UNLV forward Donovan Stewart said, "I don't pay any attention to the RPI or the stats. I just look to see who we have to beat next."

Regardless of where the Rebels end up on the RPI list, Bayno feels the Mountain West deserves more than just one tournament bid, and of course he's pleading UNLV's case.

"I think our conference will get the appropriate respect," he said. "If you have 20 wins in our league, it'll be hard to keep you out. There are a lot of teams who have good wins and bad losses. We blew out Georgetown, and we beat Princeton at their best. I hope the committee will look at what we've done over the long haul.

"But if we don't finish strong, none of that matters."

The finishing kick starts Saturday at Provo.

* REBEL NOTES: Lou Kelly's broken right foot was put in a new cast Wednesday and it has begun to show improvement, but Bayno said, "Right now we don't expect him to be in uniform the rest of the year. Hopefully he can get back to practice." Bayno emphasized that the 6-foot-5 shooting guard isn't eligible to be red-shirted, so he'll have two years remaining. ...

Bayno returned to practice after missing Tuesday with the flu. No players are showing symptoms. ...

Hanno Mottola, Utah's leading scorer at 17.5 points a game, will miss one and perhaps two more games while recovering from a hand injury. The senior forward will sit out No. 21 Utah's Mountain West Conference game at New Mexico on Saturday and is doubtful for Monday's home game against UNLV. ...

When the Rebels play in the Maui Invitational next season on Nov. 20-22, they will be facing a superb field. The other teams are Arizona, Connecticut, Dayton, Illinois, Louisville, Maryland and Division II host Chaminade. UNLV will play three games. ...

Tickets are available for the Rebels' postseason banquet April 14 at the Las Vegas Hilton. The price is $45 per person or $400 for a table of 10. For more information, call 895-UNLV.