NCAA Preseason Team Point Matrix
NCAA Preseason Team Point Matrix
So what would that look like if we threw every top 20 team's top 20 ranked wrestler at every weight together all on one stupendous table? I'm glad you asked. You would get the following point matrix:
The preseason NCAA individual rankings are out, from which we derive our team rankings. But how do we get those team rankings? Glad you asked.
The scoring rubric we use is very simple: 20, 16, 13.5, 12.5, 10, 9, 6.5, and 5.5 team points are earned for being ranked one through eight, respectively, which accounts for NCAA tournament placement and advancement points. Wrestlers ranked ninth through 12th get two team points, 13th through 16th get 1.5 points, and 17th through 20th get half a point each, for presumed advancement points. No bonus points are assumed for anyone.
So what would that look like if we threw every wrestler on a top 20 team who is ranked 20th or higher together on one stupendous table? Glad you asked that too! It would look exactly like the following point matrix:
That's a lot of numbers to digest but hopefully it brings some clarity to where teams in the top 20 are strongest and where they may be lacking. The number in each box is the team points the top 20 wrestler will earn according to our scoring system. The larger the number the brighter the shade of green the box is colored.
From our chart we can discern the secret to NCAA success: national champions. OK, so that's not much of a secret, but it bears repeating. Penn State has five wrestlers ranked first in the preseason polls; Ohio State has three. Penn State and Ohio State are your preseason co-favorites at the moment.
But things are far from settled. Iowa, for instance, has a lot of potential to move up the rankings, as highly rated recruits Alex Marinelli and Kaleb Young start the season low down in the rankings (as Mike Kemerer did at the start of last season) but have enough talent to finish the season as All-Americans (as Mike Kemerer did at the end of last season). And then there's the possibility of Spencer Lee having his redshirt ripped off and Pat Downey enrolling in the spring.
Nebraska as well has a cornucopia of young Cornhuskers waiting to prove their mettle on the mats.
We'll update our matrix as the season progresses and wrestlers jockey for position heading up to the big tournament. Until then, stayed tuned for more speculative fun as we wait for competition to officially begin.
The scoring rubric we use is very simple: 20, 16, 13.5, 12.5, 10, 9, 6.5, and 5.5 team points are earned for being ranked one through eight, respectively, which accounts for NCAA tournament placement and advancement points. Wrestlers ranked ninth through 12th get two team points, 13th through 16th get 1.5 points, and 17th through 20th get half a point each, for presumed advancement points. No bonus points are assumed for anyone.
So what would that look like if we threw every wrestler on a top 20 team who is ranked 20th or higher together on one stupendous table? Glad you asked that too! It would look exactly like the following point matrix:
That's a lot of numbers to digest but hopefully it brings some clarity to where teams in the top 20 are strongest and where they may be lacking. The number in each box is the team points the top 20 wrestler will earn according to our scoring system. The larger the number the brighter the shade of green the box is colored.
From our chart we can discern the secret to NCAA success: national champions. OK, so that's not much of a secret, but it bears repeating. Penn State has five wrestlers ranked first in the preseason polls; Ohio State has three. Penn State and Ohio State are your preseason co-favorites at the moment.
But things are far from settled. Iowa, for instance, has a lot of potential to move up the rankings, as highly rated recruits Alex Marinelli and Kaleb Young start the season low down in the rankings (as Mike Kemerer did at the start of last season) but have enough talent to finish the season as All-Americans (as Mike Kemerer did at the end of last season). And then there's the possibility of Spencer Lee having his redshirt ripped off and Pat Downey enrolling in the spring.
Nebraska as well has a cornucopia of young Cornhuskers waiting to prove their mettle on the mats.
We'll update our matrix as the season progresses and wrestlers jockey for position heading up to the big tournament. Until then, stayed tuned for more speculative fun as we wait for competition to officially begin.