Jimmy Mac not an RPI guy

"Psst. Hey, I don't like the RPI. Pass it on."

Washington's student newspaper took time out from covering the Apple Cup-thing to talk with JMac about the upcoming NCAA tourney. After covering the basics, the article waded into the murky waters of the RPI.

"The RPI takes into account a team's winning percentage (25 percent of the formula), opponent's winning percentage (50 percent of formula), and opponent's opponent's winning percentage."

Is that accurate? So the RPI uses the same kind of logic that they tell you in college health classes to use before you sleep with someone. "Whoever you kiss, you're essentially kissing everyone they've kissed." Interesting. I had no idea the RPI was so...salacious.

"And this year, at least, the RPI does not like the Pac-12."

Yeahbut, since the RPI is an equation, it isn't capable of, you know, human emotion. Just like a Vulcan. Or Keanu Reeves. But the best stuff from the article is when JM blesses us all with his thoughts about the RPI.

"I think we're one of the top ten teams in the country. The RPI is a joke."

Well, let's remember that the RPI doesn't factor in what coaches think, first of all. Math is very funny that way.

"I looked at some of the teams in the top 10, and there's no way you can logically look at it and say, 'This schedule is stronger than this schedule.'"

I assume JMac has a better idea in mind? Something perhaps from the GM2 oeuvre?

"The coaches know."

And we all know coaches are infallible...

"They've been ranking five Pac-12 schools in the top ten."

To be fair, he has a point. Washington's RPI is 30 (snicker), and they're more realistically somewhere in the 9-15 range. So why the discrepancy?

"It's hocus pocus, and we need some people that understand the game."

Hocus pocus?

"It's very ambiguous. I'd like them to tell us, 'OK, here's how you should schedule.'"

Wait wait wait. Is McLaughlin, in his 10th year at Washington, the only guy to win a men's and women's NCAA title, saying he doesn't know how to schedule to help his RPI? REALLY?

"'Do we go to the east coast to play those teams?' he continued, referring to the RPI's more highly rated teams."

I'm gonna assume he's talking only about Miami, Florida, and Florida State, because there aren't any other "east coast" teams ahead of him in the RPI.

I'll tell you what you shouldn't do, Jimbo, is play only two teams in the top 100 in pre-conference tournaments. Oh wait, that's what you did.

"What if we don't have the money? We're cutting back on everything."

Yyyyeah, I'm sure the UW athletic department is cutting back on your ability to go to pre-conference tournaments featuring teams better than Prairie View A&M and Seattle...

"And what if you lose three seniors? How do you regulate that?"

There's a lot to assume here, because the writer doesn't bother to give context to that quote. I assume he means if you graduate seniors and don't want the new, younger team getting drilled by tough competition.

"It's got to be fair for the teams, the teams that develop and produce over the course of the year. And volleyball people know who they are. They should be rewarded."

The RPI is far from perfect, but using "volleyball people" can be just as ineffective. Some people can get entrenched in their views and base their ratings / rankings on names and reputations rather than actual results.

JMac has some good points, but it seems rather lame to claim he doesn't know how to schedule to benefit his RPI. The guy's been around the block. But he has a great volleyball mind, so I'd like to hear any ideas he has to improve the system.

"I dunno. I don't want to get all into it."

Really? It seemed like that's exactly what you wanted to do.