HUNTSVILLE – In a first in not only program history, but for any Historically Black College and University, the Alabama A&M men’s basketball team is ranked in the top spot of the Division I College Basketball RPI rankings.
Head coach Dylan Howard and his team moved to the top of the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index on Monday, having a .875 rating. Gonzaga, ranked atop the Associated Press Top 25, is the next school with .816. No HBCU has ever been on top of the field at the Division I level.
Read: Alabama A&M shocks No. 11 Troy with early-season upset win
RPI is a quantity used to rank sports teams based on wins and losses. The Bulldogs are currently still undefeated at 1-0 after the season-opening win over Samford. Samford is 3-1, with the lone loss to the Bulldogs.
The index comprises a team’s winning percentage (25%), its opponents’ winning percentage (50%), and the winning percentage of those opponents’ opponents (25%). The opponents’ winning percentage and the winning percentage of those opponents’ opponents both comprise the strength of schedule (SOS). Thus, the SOS accounts for 75% of the RPI calculation and is 2/3 of its opponents’ winning percentage and 1/3 its opponents’ opponents’ winning percentages.
Due to COVID-19 protocols and precautions, the Bulldog program has recently paused all basketball-related activities.
Courtesy: Alabama A&M Athletics
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Go forth Bulldogs!