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KenPom Rankings and schedule

R

rocket city poke

Well-known member
Wyoming now 150th in the KenPom rankings. Every other program (besides Tech, which is just there for the LInder buyout) on the remaining non-conference schedule has a lower KenPom ranking than Wyoming. San Diego State is at 30, CSU is at 62, UNM at 95, Utah State at 40, Nevada at 91, UNLV at 123, Hawaii at 98, BOise at 45. I like Sunny, but apparently we are paying these people these salaries because that is what similar programs in our conference pay their people, but the scheduling philosophy seems to be pad the record with some tomato cans to justify the AD salary of $555k a year and the coaches salary of $750k a year. It's not right and needs to be called out by either the media (who doesn't do much of anything in Wyoming) or some sort of backlash from the fan base.
 
The schedule was setup specifically to give this nearly all-new team some challenges, but still be able to come away with some wins. Sunny specifically said that the MW is a meat grinder, and we need these guys to be able to develop and be ready for it instead of getting their asses whipped throughout the non-con schedule and being beat down by the time conference play starts.

UNLV is currently in the FO phase of FAFO scheduling. They've already lost to KenPom #291 Tennessee Martin and #157 Montana, both at home. Coming up they've got:
  • @Memphis (#52)
  • vs. Saint Josephs (#115)
  • vs. Maryland (#57) - Players Era Championship
  • vs. Alabama (#18) - Players Era Championship
  • vs. TBD (minimum ranking of #71) - Players Era Championship
  • @Stanford (#85)
  • vs. Tennessee State (#227)
Every one of those schools (with the exception of Tennessee State) is ranked higher than both teams they've lost to. They're likely going to be 3-7 heading into conference play against Fresno State. I would much rather have a team that's gone through some adversity and won going into conference play than a team that has gotten beat down game after game.

Wyoming's schedule, by comparison is:
  • W vs. Northern State (NR)
  • W vs. Cal State Fullerton (#330)
  • W vs. Austin Peay (#235)
  • vs. Portland (#269)
  • @Sam Houston State (#178)
  • vs. Norfolk State (#244)
  • vs. Denver (#305)
  • @Texas Tech (#13)
  • vs. Dartmouth (#282)
  • vs. South Dakota (#299)
  • vs. South Dakota State (#163) - Neutral site
I'll guess the record going into the conference opener against Grand Canyon as 8-3. Wyoming is going to be a hell of a lot more resilient come conference play than UNLV. That doesn't mean they'll be better, but it does mean that they'll have more belief in themselves than the Rebels will.
 
Bryoming said:
The schedule was setup specifically to give this nearly all-new team some challenges, but still be able to come away with some wins. Sunny specifically said that the MW is a meat grinder, and we need these guys to be able to develop and be ready for it instead of getting their asses whipped throughout the non-con schedule and being beat down by the time conference play starts.

UNLV is currently in the FO phase of FAFO scheduling. They've already lost to KenPom #291 Tennessee Martin and #157 Montana, both at home. Coming up they've got:
  • @Memphis (#52)
  • vs. Saint Josephs (#115)
  • vs. Maryland (#57) - Players Era Championship
  • vs. Alabama (#18) - Players Era Championship
  • vs. TBD (minimum ranking of #71) - Players Era Championship
  • @Stanford (#85)
  • vs. Tennessee State (#227)
Every one of those schools (with the exception of Tennessee State) is ranked higher than both teams they've lost to. They're likely going to be 3-7 heading into conference play against Fresno State. I would much rather have a team that's gone through some adversity and won going into conference play than a team that has gotten beat down game after game.

Wyoming's schedule, by comparison is:
  • W vs. Northern State (NR)
  • W vs. Cal State Fullerton (#330)
  • W vs. Austin Peay (#235)
  • vs. Portland (#269)
  • @Sam Houston State (#178)
  • vs. Norfolk State (#244)
  • vs. Denver (#305)
  • @Texas Tech (#13)
  • vs. Dartmouth (#282)
  • vs. South Dakota (#299)
  • vs. South Dakota State (#163) - Neutral site
I'll guess the record going into the conference opener against Grand Canyon as 8-3. Wyoming is going to be a hell of a lot more resilient come conference play than UNLV. That doesn't mean they'll be better, but it does mean that they'll have more belief in themselves than the Rebels will.
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I'd be disappointed if we are worse than 9-2 going into conference. Really, 10-1 is attainable.
 
Wyolie Coyote said:
I'd be disappointed if we are worse than 9-2 going into conference. Really, 10-1 is attainable.
Click to expand...
I won't be disappointed with 8-3, but I'd be ecstatic with anything better. I've got us on the fence against Sam Houston, Norfolk State, and South Dakota State. Texas Tech is going to be ugly, but hopefully less ugly than last season.
 
Again, i just don't buy any of that thinking. With the NIL and portal the rosters at most every program change yearly. The pay for coaches, administrators is apparently based on what other programs in our league are making. The taxpayers and legislature funds these programs with the idea that we are competing at that level, but with this type of schedule we really aren't. Again, I like Sunny, I like a lot of what he is doing. But this type of scheduling is just lowering the bar so he and Burman can look back at the end the season and say they had a winning record.
 
rocket city poke said:
Again, i just don't buy any of that thinking. With the NIL and portal the rosters at most every program change yearly. The pay for coaches, administrators is apparently based on what other programs in our league are making. The taxpayers and legislature funds these programs with the idea that we are competing at that level, but with this type of schedule we really aren't. Again, I like Sunny, I like a lot of what he is doing. But this type of scheduling is just lowering the bar so he and Burman can look back at the end the season and say they had a winning record.
Click to expand...
I'm not buying his explanation either. I mean, it sort of makes sense from a theoretical perspective, but the proof is in the pudding.

Last year we went 7-4 in the non-conference schedule and then flailed to a 5-15 conference record and 1st round exit from the conference tournament. I guess you could argue we would have won even fewer than 5 conference games if we would have faced a tougher non-conference slate, but I doubt many fans really care whether the team is winning 3,4, or 5 conference games - it's a bad season regardless.

The fact that we are at the point where we now basically have to assume a loss to any team with a KenPom ranking of #150 or better speaks to just how far this program has fallen. A top 3 MWC team likely finishes our non-conference slate with a 10-1 record. A top half MWC team likely finishes it 9-2. If we finish it 8-3 or worse, that's likely pointing towards roughly the 9th place pre-season spot we were tabbed for. That's probably 6 or 7 conference wins. That just isn't good enough.
 
Last edited:
rocket city poke said:
Wyoming now 150th in the KenPom rankings. Every other program (besides Tech, which is just there for the LInder buyout) on the remaining non-conference schedule has a lower KenPom ranking than Wyoming. San Diego State is at 30, CSU is at 62, UNM at 95, Utah State at 40, Nevada at 91, UNLV at 123, Hawaii at 98, BOise at 45. I like Sunny, but apparently we are paying these people these salaries because that is what similar programs in our conference pay their people, but the scheduling philosophy seems to be pad the record with some tomato cans to justify the AD salary of $555k a year and the coaches salary of $750k a year. It's not right and needs to be called out by either the media (who doesn't do much of anything in Wyoming) or some sort of backlash from the fan base.
Click to expand...
I think the fans have spoken. The AA is a morgue
 
Bryoming said:
I won't be disappointed with 8-3, but I'd be ecstatic with anything better. I've got us on the fence against Sam Houston, Norfolk State, and South Dakota State. Texas Tech is going to be ugly, but hopefully less ugly than last season.
Click to expand...
Having watched Norfolk State lately if Wyoming loses that game I will be disappointed. They have two really good guards but have not exactly started the season well
 
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