Because the 2008 Black College Football Power Rankings were so popular, and by popular I mean respected by sensible folks and hated on by biased fans living in the past, I’ve decided to try my hand at applying a similar formula to black college basketball teams. The result is the 2008 Black College Basketball Power Rankings.
Just like the process of ranking football teams across the nation, there are some effective ways to measure just how effective black college basketball programs are, based on indisputable statistical evidence. But unlike the football rankings, I’ve excluded statistics on players who make the all-conference teams. Only 10-15 people can make the list, instead of the 50-60 that can make an all-conference football team. Fewer chances would imbalance the fairness of the stats, so we’re just going with conference championships, regular season performance, and revenues; all facts that can’t be judged or manipulated by impartial voters.
This is not a list to say who’s the best team in black college basketball, but it is a practical assessment of which teams statistically have a better chance of success this year based on last year’s achievements. The HBCU Sports Blog Black College Basketball Power Rankings are compiled with this point system based on 2007 statistics:
And in case you were wondering, I will be adding women’s basketball to this list. And should the spirit move you, the faithful readers, I’m willing to look into any other sports, men’s or women’s, that you would like to see compiled.
Here’s the formula.
Revenues
$100k = 1 Point
Regular Season Performance
Victory = 1 Point
Championships
Conference Champion – 3 Points
Regular Season Champion – 2 Points
Division Champion – 1 Point
I did not include post-season victories, as only one team (Benedict) progressed far through a national tournament. Also, I have not included the teams that participate outside of the MEAC, SWAC, CIAA and SIAC, or who play outside of the NCAA Division I or II level. That’s not to say that Xavier (La.), Tennessee State and other programs aren’t worthy, because they certainly are. It just means they aren’t in the NCAA, don’t play in an HBCU conference, or should not be measured against the D-I and II teams.
There’s no sure way to measure with perfect accuracy, but it is a start to analyze what makes black college basketball great, and what could make the sport better. As usual, comments, questions and hate can go to jarrett@hbcusportsblog.com.
And now, the list. As usual, the discussion will be going on in the forums.
