Ratings Percentage Index

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Commonly known as 'RPI,' the Ratings Percentage Index is a rating system where NCAA basketball teams are ranked. This system has been in use since 1981 to aid in selecting and seeding of the teams appearing in the 65-team men's playoffs (see also, March Madness). It has also been used to aid in the selection and seeding process for the 64-team women's tournament since its inception in 1982. The weights are 25% winning percentage, 50% Strength of Schedule, and 25% opponent Strength of Schedule. The heavy emphasis upon strength of schedule is seen, by many, to give an unfair advantage to major conferences, which are allowed to fill several slots where smaller conferences may only get one slot. For the first time in 2006, the NCAA decided to release their RPI calculations weekly starting in February, and independent sources, such as ESPN or CNN/SI, also publish their own calculations which are often updated more frequently.

The RPI was updated in 2004 to account for differences in home and away games. A home win now counts as 0.6 wins, while a road win counts as 1.4 wins, while a home loss counts as 1.4 losses, while a road loss counts as 0.6 losses.

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