We Need to Chill on Kenpom

This one is going to piss some people off, but do remember—I know ball. Ya know, region champion coach (not a big deal). Okay, okay, here it goes…

We, as ball watchers, hold KenPom as the bible, and that needs to chill a bit. I get what you're thinking—"But champions always end up top 25 in KenPom, and it’s just taking stats." So am I saying stats are lies? NO. But here’s the thing; they sure as hell can be manipulated, boys. I mean, there’s some fishy ass shit with these rankings. Maybe they need some tweaks, but to me, a win or loss in November should be seen wayyyyy differently than one in February. Come on let’s take a deep dive.

Gonzaga...and remember, I’m a die-hard day oner... Adam Morrison, Blake Stepp, Matt Bouldin were badass MOFOs...but 11th... seriously? You’re telling me they’re 11th? Someone go watch a Gonzaga game and tell me you think they should be 11th...maybe 25th or 30th, but freakin’ 11th! And right behind them, Arizona at 12th?? What is going on? They are nowhere near being considered a top 15 team. Sorry. I get that this is supposed to be based on measurables, but how are we supposed to believe Kansas is 21st or Illinois is 25th? In what world, considering their recent games?

See, the true ball watchers...we know. We watch the games. This is a cry for help for the dudes thinking they’ve got the formula for their March Madness office pool when they’ve got Gonzaga or Arizona upsetting Auburn in the second round. This is a huge injustice to the boys who just can’t watch ball to the level some of us strive to out here.

Lastly, I think it’s unfair to mid-majors on the bubble. Teams like Pitt, UNC, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Illinois are going to get in or still have a shot because of "high metrics"...but if you actually watch them play, you might risk becoming physically ill. Meanwhile, teams like George Mason, UC Irvine/UC San Diego, Drake/Bradley, High Point, San Francisco, and others HAVE to win their conference. All of those teams have over 20 wins, and some play in solid conferences. So at what point does 17-14 in a power conference stop being enough compared to 25-4 in a mid-major?

Before you say, "Well, they aren’t playing the same competition," ahhh right...Virginia last year played much tougher competition than Yale, so of course, they made it further in the tournament, right? RIGHT?!? Ohhhhhh no, they had one of the worst shooting performances against… huh... another mid-major in Colorado State? Interesting…

Look, of course, come March, all bets are off and we can’t predict a damn thing. But maybe let’s start working with what we can control—and that’s picking the most deserving teams for the big dance. Let’s stop rewarding mediocre seasons!

Bet Recap: Cha-Ching Chet!

Bet of the Day:

02-24

Corey Kispert 15+ points +190

Domantas Sabonis 20+ points +110

IF you parlay odds: +509