RPI is a weird number. And two weeks means very little about it. One of its big factors is strength of schedule. RPI is agnostic toward prestige or stature. This conference has played the third-hardest strength of schedule, so by virtue of having a 9-7 record, they're number one. I'll be totally honest: I'm not entirely sure of the secret formula to RPI. But this will change and go down into the 10-to-15 range by December.
Especially given today's games:
Temple 69, WMU 55 — Morning in Puerto Rico has to be a blur. Great weather, great culture ... and then you get inside the court and you're facing a team with incredible defense. The Owls had a narrow bench but kept WMU's eFG% to 37.3. The newly goggled Matt Stainbrook is starting to develop, or at least get the most opportunities, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Still a lot to work on defensively, though.
Iowa 88, NIU 55 — Well, that's better than almost getting tripled up at Purdue. But no more of these Big Ten blowouts, shall we? The Huskies did notch an 11-9 lead early on but clearly that was not meant to last. The positive out of this game was seeing perhaps the first step of many toward the development of The Egyptian Hammer, Abdel Nader. He took the bulk of the shots, finishing with 18 points, but only 8-for-19 from the field and didn't earn a single free throw with his 6'7" body.
Women's games:
No. 16 Purdue 54, BGSU 53 — Well, they've come a long way from the blowout game at Dayton. The young Lady Falcons were able to keep pace with this nationally ranked team but in the final minutes, both teams sputtered and Purdue was just a bucket better. No real stat gems shone in this one. It was a true team effort.
Michigan State 80, WMU 45
Today's men's games:
3:30 p.m. — WMU vs. Iona in Puerto Rico (ESPN3)
5:00 p.m. — Ball State at Indiana State
5:30 p.m. — Texas State vs. Toledo at Texas-Pan American Tournament
7:00 p.m. — Arkansas-Little Rock at EMU (MAC Sports Livestream)
7:00 p.m. — Miami at Xavier
8:30 p.m. — Akron at Valparaiso
Today's women's games:
7:00 p.m. — CMU at Robert Morris
7:00 p.m. — Morehead State at Kent State
8:00 p.m. — EMU at Green Bay