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Check out everything you need to know about the college men’s volleyball bracketology so far this season and for the upcoming matches this weekend.
Conference RPI
Non-conference results are what ultimately determine a conference’s RPI ranking. The ranking is based on a conference’s combined winning percentage against NCAA opponents. Every conference match results in one winner and one loser, which in terms of conference winning percentage means it’s always guaranteed to be at .500. As a result, non-conference results are the greatest influence on a conference’s RPI rankings. Teams also benefit in their RPI ranking if they play in a league with a strong conference RPI because during the conference season they have an increased opportunity to play against teams with winning records and high RPI rankings. Below are the non-conference records for each NCAA Division I-II conference against other NCAA members this season.
| Conference | Record | Winning Pct. |
| 1. MPSF | 62-25 | .713 |
| 2. Big West | 61-32 | .656 |
| 3. MIVA | 49-38 | .563 |
| 4. EIVA | 43-34 | .558 |
| 5. NEC | 43-38 | .530 |
| 6. Independents | 31-34 | .477 |
| 7. ConfCarolinas | 15-37 | .288 |
| 8. ECC | 2-31 | .061 |
| 8. SIAC | 2-39 | .049 |
Strength of schedule
Strength of schedule is one of the criteria categories the selection committee uses to determine the NCAA Tournament field. In addition, a team’s strength of schedule is part of the formula used to determine the RPI rankings. Below are the teams projected to have the best strength of schedule at the end of the season. The projections are based on match results so far this season.
Projected end of season strength of schedule (as of March 14)
1. UCLA
2. Stanford
3. UC Santa Barbara
4. UC Irvine
5. UC San Diego
5. USC
7. Concordia
8. Missouri S&T
9. CSUN
10. Grand Canyon
11. BYU
12. Ohio State
13. Pepperdine
14. Purdue Fort Wayne
15. Lewis
16. Sacred Heart
17. McKendree
18. Loyola
19. Lindenwood
20. Ball State
KPI rankings
The NCAA men’s volleyball committee this season added the KPI as a selection criteria category. The KPI is a ranking system that evaluates every match result on a scale with the best positive result receiving about a 1.0 score and the worst possible result garnering about a negative-1.0 score. Among the variables used to determine a match result score includes opponent’s winning percentage, opponent strength of schedule, point differential, match location.
KPI rankings (as of March 13)
1. UCLA
2. Grand Canyon
3. Hawai’i
4. UC Irvine
5. Long Beach State
6. Ohio State
7. BYU
8. Pepperdine
9. Stanford
10. Loyola
11. Penn State
12. USC
13. Lewis
14. McKendree
15. Princeton
16. Ball State
17. Purdue Fort Wayne
18. Daemen
19. Harvard
20. George Mason
Record against teams under consideration
The category of record against other teams under consideration for the NCAA Tournament is a piece of criteria that historically has helped shape the NCAA Tournament field. Below are the records for some notable teams against teams under consideration, according to Off the Block’s latest bracketology projections.
Record vs. under consideration teams
Hawai’i (3-0)
Long Beach State (3-1)
UCLA (8-3)
Penn State (3-3)
UC Irvine (3-3)
Grand Canyon (2-2)
BYU (3-5)
Ohio State (1-3)
Fort Valley State (0-1)
Ball State (0-3)
Belmont Abbey (0-0)
Big bracketology matches this weekend
Below are the matches to watch this weekend that could have big implications on the bracketology at the end of the season.
| Match | Start time | Bracketology significance |
| Hawai’i at Long Beach State | 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday | This two-match series has major implications in almost every criteria category. If either team sweeps, it will be a big step towards locking up an at-large bid. |
| NJIT at Grand Canyon | 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday | No, Grand Canyon did not get eliminated from at-large contention because of two losses at the Outrigger Invitational. However, it needs to avoid an upset loss ahead of its series against UCLA in three weeks. |
| Ball State at Ohio State | 7 p.m. Thursday | Ball State is out of the at-large race and has a chance to dash any remaining at-large hopes for Ohio State. |
Is the strength of schedule correct? It’s hard to believe that both Long Beach and Hawaii, who are currently rank 1&2 and about to play conference games on the 2nd rank conference RPI ranking, are not on the list.
I don’t know the rest of the teams full schedule, and I know Hawaii has played some lesser known teams, but to have both Long Beach and Hawaii no where near the top 20 list is something that’s hard to believe.