Last week we told you that each college basketball team’s record over the last 12 games is an important factor for the NCAA Tournament Committee when trying to decide between similar teams, and this week we look at another important factor: Quality Wins.

Of the teams that are currently in the RPI Top 50, 13 of them have at least five wins over other teams in the RPI Top 50. Thus, these teams should be secure and rather highly seeded, although the order of Top 50 wins below may surprise some people. At the other end of the spectrum, there are four RPI Top 50 teams with either one or no wins vs. other Top 50 teams and worse yet, there are three schools in the Top 50 with at least four losses to teams that are ranked worse than 100 in the RPI! These are obviously teams that may have some obstacles getting into the Big Dance if they don’t win their conference tournaments, and if they do get in, they could be prime fades from a betting standpoint.

But let us start with the good, as here are the teams with the most wins over fellow RPI Top 50 schools in order of such wins, along with their RPI Ranking.

MOST WINS vs. RPI TOP 50

4 – TEXAS (10): Despite ranking just fourth in RPI, the Longhorns are the only team in the country that has double-digit wins vs. the RPI Top 50. Is it any wonder that they are being picked by a lot of experts to reach the Final Four? Sure they have quite a few Top 50 wins just in conference play alone, most notably Kansas, but they also have impressive non-conference wins over Tennessee, UCLA and St. Mary’s.

1 – TENNESSEE (8): The Volunteers remain atop the RPI Rankings despite their loss at Vanderbilt this week, thanks to currently owning the second toughest Strength of Schedule (SOS) in the country. Granted, the SEC is down this season, but the Volunteers boosted their RPI by taking on some heavyweights in non-conference play, as they have wins vs. the likes of Xavier, Gonzaga, West Virginia and most recently then number one Memphis.

6 – XAVIER (8): The Musketeers may be a surprise to some people with eight wins vs. the RPI Top 50, but remember that they played one of the most challenging non-conference schedules in the country and lived to tell about it. Sure, a couple of their Top 50 wins have come in Atlantic 10 play vs. Dayton and Massachusetts, but Xavier also has nice non-conference triumphs over Indiana, Kansas State and Kent State.

13 – LOUISVILLE (7): The Cardinals are quickly becoming many experts’ dark horse candidates to reach the Final Four, and with good reason. Louisville has been toughened by playing in a Big East conference that currently has eight teams in the RPI Top 50, and they are getting hot at the perfect time, as they have won 10 of their last 11 games with the only losing being by just two points on the road over an equally hot Connecticut team.

2 – MEMPHIS (6): Yes, the Tigers came up short in probably their biggest test of the season vs. Tennessee last Saturday, and they do not score any style points for playing in Conference USA. Still, all six of their Top 50 wins came out of conference vs. Georgetown, Arizona, Connecticut, Gonzaga, USC and Oklahoma, so they certainly deserve credit for taking on all comers in the non-conference portion of their schedule.

10 – UCLA (6): Well, UCLA is playing like the best team in the country right now, especially on the defensive end. However, we still have our doubts about the Bruins, as five of their six Top 50 wins have come inside what we feel is an overrated Pac 10 conference, where each of the top teams’ RPI Ratings seem enhanced to us, probably from continuously beating up on the bottom half of the conference. Moreover, the Bruins’ only non-conference Top 50 win came vs. another overrated team in Michigan State.

12 – CONNECTICUT (6): Louisville is not the only team benefitting from the nightly wars in the Big East, as the Huskies will also be a very tough out in March, and they too may merit some longshot Final Four consideration. Connecticut has gone 11-1 in the last 12 games, and they are 5-1 on the road during this run, which is no easy feat in the Big East. Yes, five of their six Top 50 wins have come in the conference, but the other victory was a very impressive one on the road at Indiana.

14 – DRAKE (6): Drake was a great story early on, but the biggest knock people had against them was that they played a less demanding schedule than the upper echelon teams. Well, their six Top 50 wins suggests otherwise, and they made a major statement on Bracket Buster day by going on the road and winning at Butler. Also, remember that the Missouri Valley Conference cannot be considered a mid-major any longer, especially considering their deep NCAA runs lately.

21 – NOTRE DAME (6): Like UCLA, Notre Dame is another team on the “good” list that deserves a not of caution. Of the Irish’s six Top 50 wins, five of them have come at home vs. Big East opponents, and the sixth came on a neutral court vs. Kansas State early in the year before that freshmen dominated team started to gel. Notre Dame’s lack of a quality win on the road may come back to bite them in the tournament.

3 – NORTH CAROLINA (5): We feel that the Tar Heels are the best team in the country when point guard Ty Lawson is healthy, but we must admit that we are surprised at how few Top 50 wins they have had! The reason for that is that the ACC is more top heavy than usual this season, with a major drop-off after UNC, Duke and Clemson. Also, the Heels only two non-conference Top 50 wins came vs. BYU and Kent State, hardly a Who’s Who of the nation’s elite.

5 – DUKE (5): You can basically read our comments regarding North Carolina to determine why the Blue Devils have just five Top 50 wins. In some ways, Duke has been more impressive however, as they did beat North Carolina head-to-head on the road (albeit with Lawson out), and Duke’s two non-conference Top 50 wins have come vs. probably better competition, with wins over Wisconsin and Marquette.

17 – ARIZONA (5): Now the last two teams on this list may be a non-factor, as they may not even get into the tournament without winning their respective conference tournaments. That said, Arizona has the better argument to get in, as the Wildcats have the strongest SOS in the country. Aside from conference wins over Washington State (twice) and USC, all by double-digits, Arizona’s other Top 50 wins came out of conference vs. Texas A&M at home and UNLV on the road.

27 – OKLAHOMA (5): The Sooners are just 18-10 right now, and while they are also ninth in SOS, that still may not be good enough to get them into the Big Dance, especially if it comes down to them and aforementioned Arizona. Oklahoma did sweep Baylor, but they have come up short every time vs. the very top Big 12 teams. Their other three Top 50 wins came in n on-conference play vs. Gonzaga, West Virginia and Arkansas.

Now here are the teams that are lacking in Quality Wins, as well as those that have too many bad losses for our taste.

LEAST WINS vs. RPI TOP 50

19 – BUTLER (1): The Bulldogs carry the hopes and dreams of the Horizon League, but their soft competition this season may have them overvalued right now and ripe for an NCAA Tournament fade. Their only Top 50 win was vs. a Southern Illinois team that is a serious question mark to even make the Big Dance, and the Bulldogs blew a chance to enhance their status by losing at home to Drake on Bracket Buster day.

30 – UNLV (1): The Runnin’ Rebels are another team that comes up short in SOS, ranking just 81st in that department. Granted, their only Top 50 win was an impressive one, as they blew out BYU by 29 points, but they blew a late lead at home vs. Arizona, and they were handled easily by BYU in the rematch. We do not feel that UNLV merits an at-large berth despite their RPI Ranking.

32 – SOUTH ALABAMA (1): The Jaguars are far and away the best team in the Sun Belt Conference, but better prove that by playing their way into the Big Dance by winning their conference tournament. This is because their 22-5 record carries very little weight when you consider that they rank 133rd in SOS, and their only Top 50 win came at home vs. a Mississippi State team that has not impressed on the road.

49 – VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH (0): The Rams own the dubious distinction of being the only RPI Top 50 team at the moment to not own a single win over another Top 50 team! Commonwealth does rank seventh in the nation in defensive efficiency according to the Pomeroy Ratings, allowing just .90 points per possession, but that ranking drops to 33rd when adjusted for a weak schedule that ranks 145th in SOS.

MOST LOSSES vs. RPI 101+

45 – MISSISSIPPI (5): The Rebels may not make the NCAA Tournament for several reasons, as not only do they have these five bad losses, the worst of which was to 167th ranked LSU, but they also suffer on the recent form criteria, going just 5-9 after a 13-0 start. Thus, their RPI Ranking of 45 looks like a fraud. 

36 – ARKANSAS (4): The Razorbacks are another Top 40 RPI, 18-win team that is not guaranteed a tournament berth. After all, they have now lost four of their last five games overall, and they show a horrible loss on their ledger to an Appalachian State that has an RPI of 155.

40 – SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (4): The Salukis have been like night and day home and away this season, and at just 17-12, those road woes probably cost them a tournament berth unless they win the Missouri Valley Tournament. If that does happen, we do not feel Southern Illinois would be as dangerous in the Big Dance this year as in past seasons.