Let’s take a quick look at the 16 NCAA Regionals by RPI and see how the Columbia bracket stacks up to the rest of the tournament.
I used the WarrenNolan.com RPI calculator to rank each of the brackets by taking the average of all four teams in each regional. UCLA had the highest RPI at No. 1 and Prairie View A&M had the lowest RPI of any team in the tournament at No. 225.
Here are how the regionals ranked based on average RPI:
1.) Miami, Fl average RPI 37.75, Lowest RPI Stony Brook #79, Highest RPI: Miami #11
2.) Palo Alto Regional average RPI 41.00, lowest RPI:Fresno State #78 , Highest RPI:Stanford#12
3.)Tucson Regional, average RPI 41.25, lowest RPI: Missouri #73, Highest RPI: Arizona#13
4.) Tallahassee Regional average RPI 42.50, lowest RPI: UAB#102, Highest RPI: Florida State#3
5.) Charlottesville Regional average RPI 47.00, lowest RPI: Army #110, Highest RPI: UVA #7
6.) Waco Regional average RPI 49.25, Lowest RPI:Oral Roberts #104, Highest RPI: Baylor #5
7.) Eugene Regional Average RPI 49.75, Lowest RPI: Austin Peay #123, Highest RPI: Oregon #10
8.) Chapel Hill Regional Average RPI 51.75, Lowest RPI: Cornell #122, Highest RPI: UNC #4
9.) Baton Rouge Regional Average RPI 52.75, Lowest RPI: Louisiana Monroe #120, Highest RPI: LSU #6
10.) Columbia Regional average RPI 53.50, Lowest RPI: Manhattan #143, Highest RPI: South Carolina #8
11.) Los Angeles Regional Average RPI 56.75, Lowest RPI: Creighton #135, Highest RPI: UCLA #1
12.) College Station Regional Average RPI 65.50, Lowest RPI: Dayton #183, Highest RPI: Texas A&M #15
13.) Gary Regional Average RPI 66.00, Lowest RPI: Valparaiso #147, Highest RPI: Kentucky #14
14.) Gainesville Regional Average RPI 66.5, Lowest RPI: Bethune-Cookman #192, Highest RPI: Florida #2
15.) Raleigh Regional Average RPI 70.75, Lowest RPI: Sacred Heart #212, Highest RPI: NC State #9
16.) Houston Regional Average RPI 78, Lowest RPI: Prairie View A&M # 225, Highest RPI: Arkansas #17
Make what you will of this information.
One thing is certain and that is the Columbia regional will be worthing watching on ESPNU. You got a battle with in-state rivals Clemson and South Carolina going at it, and Coastal Carolina looking to make a name for themselves.
Look for a preview of the Columbia Regional later in the week.
