Ben Howland and the RPI: 2008 - Present

by SonsOfWestwood on Feb 20, 2012 6:45 AM PST

Bumped. Check the numbers after the flip. Here is one lowlight: Ben Howland's record for games played outside LA area against RPI Top 100 since 2008: 6 - 23. GO BRUINS. - BN Eds.

This relates to the CBH stat thread started by Nestor this weekend and the follow up thread posted this morning. I just thought it was a little long for a comment box. I wanted to investigate how we fared looking at RPI over the last four years. I’m not much of a number cruncher but I picked some quick stats I found interesting. I'm sure more analytical minds can pick this apart and come up with some other things.

2008-2009

School	RPI	Result
Prairie View A&M	273	Win
Miami (OH)	80	Win
Michigan*	44	Loss
Southern Illinois*	146	Win
Florida International	217	Win
@ Texas	41	Loss
Cal St. Northridge	126	Win
DePaul**	205	Win
Loyola Marymount	320	Win
Mercer	182	Win
Wyoming	100	Win
La. Tech	180	Win
@ Oregon State	156	Win
@ Oregon	179	Win
@ USC	38	Win
Arizona	62	Win
Arizona State	30	Loss
@ Washington State	89	Win
@ Washington	14	Loss
California	39	Win
Stanford	106	Win
USC	38	Win
Notre Dame	77	Win
@ Arizona State	30	Loss
@ Arizona	62	Loss
Washington	14	Win
Washington State	89	Loss
@ Stanford	106	Win
@ California	39	Win
Oregon State	156	Win
Oregon	179	Win
Washington State**	89	Win
USC**	38	Loss
VCU*	50	Win
Villanova***	13	Loss

2009-2010

School	RPI	Result
Cal St. Fullerton	201	Loss
Cal St. Bakersfield	318	Win
Pepperdine	303	Win
Portland**	83	Loss
Butler**	7	Loss
Long Beach St.**	115	Loss
Kansas	1	Loss
Miss. State**	59	Loss
New Mexico State	58	Win
@ Notre Dame	50	Loss
Colorado State	128	Win
Delaware State	220	Win
Arizona State	69	Win
Arizona	88	Loss
@ California	22	Win
@ Stanford	164	Loss
USC	111	Loss
Washington	34	Win
Washington State	160	Win
@ Oregon	138	Loss
@ Oregon State	190	Win
Stanford	164	Win
California	22	Loss
@ USC	111	Loss
@ Washington State	160	Win
@ Washington	34	Loss
Oregon State	190	Win
Oregon	138	Loss
@ Arizona	88	Loss
@ Arizona State	69	Loss
Arizona**	88	Win
California**	22	Loss

2010-2011

School	RPI	Result
Cal St. Northridge	247	Win
Pepperdine	236	Win
Pacific	190	Win
Villanova*	44	Loss
VCU*	31	Loss
@ Kansas	1	Loss
Montana	122	Loss
Cal Poly	203	Win
UC Davis	301	Win
BYU**	8	Win
Montana State	264	Win
UC Irvine	297	Win
Washington State	71	Win
Washington	30	Loss
@ USC	73	Loss
@ Oregon State	210	Win
@ Oregon	117	Win
California	75	Win
Stanford	151	Win
@ Arizona	13	Loss
@ Arizona State	156	Win
USC	73	Win
St. Johns	25	Win
Oregon	117	Win
Oregon State	210	Win
@ Stanford	151	Win
@ California	75	Loss
Arizona State	156	Win
Arizona	13	Win
@ Washington	30	Loss
@ Washington State	71	Win
Oregon**	117	Loss
Michigan State*	54	Win
Florida*	9	Loss

2011-2012 (RPI through 2/17/12)

School	RPI	Result
Loyola Marymount**	92	Loss
Middle Tennessee St.**	36	Loss
Chaminade*	--	Win
Kansas*	5	Loss
Michigan*	15	Loss
Pepperdine**	261	Win
Texas**	39	Loss
Penn**	112	Win
Eastern Wash.**	208	Win
UC Davis**	343	Win
UC Irvine**	277	Win
Richmond**	136	Win
@ Stanford	98	Loss
@ California	31	Loss
Arizona**	59	Win
Arizona State**	229	Win
@USC	237	Win
@Oregon State	148	Loss
@Oregon	67	Loss
Utah**	278	Win
Colorado**	72	Win
@ Washington	60	Loss
@ Washington State	167	Win
Stanford**	98	Win
California**	31	Loss
USC**	237	Win
@ St. John's	141	Loss

* - Neutral Floor

** - Neutral Floor (LA area)

*** - Neutral Floor (but not)

Record vs RPI Top 25: 5 - 11

Record vs RPI Top 50: 11 - 26

Record vs RPI 51-100: 16 - 13

Record for games played outside LA area against RPI Top 100: 6 - 23

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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Comments

Holy crap

Amazing work. Thanks SOW.

by Nestor on Feb 19, 2012 2:24 PM PST via mobile reply actions

Thanks N

I really find that last stat extremely disturbing

"He has to want it because talent only takes you so far. How much you want it is the difference between good and great." - Rick Neuheisel

by SonsOfWestwood on Feb 19, 2012 2:48 PM PST up reply actions

Our athletic director could fund an on-campus football stadium by using this data to place a few bets.

That last one looks almost like a sure thing.

by Fox 71 on Feb 19, 2012 5:40 PM PST reply actions

Yeah, but y'all know the last 4 years are just an aberration, right?

by Blue Me on Feb 19, 2012 8:58 PM PST reply actions

Adding Sagarin

since the RPI is an archaic statistical ranking method, and Pomeroy is now limited for non-subscribers…

UCLA Basketball 2009-2012
vs. Top 25: 4-18
vs. 26-50: 10-9
Other games: 63-23

These numbers are inflated by the 2009 season. That team was very good before it stumbled down the stretch (particularly after Collison’s injury in the last regular season game).

by bjgreen77 on Feb 19, 2012 9:01 PM PST reply actions

Wow. Just Wow.

This is really feeling more and more like that moment when you realize you have to break up with someone, and once you know it, all their faults become just more and more obvious; and you wonder how you never saw them all before.

Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi

by MexiBruin on Feb 19, 2012 10:15 PM PST reply actions

Yikes

That’s tough. I keep going back and forth on Howland, but that’s pretty damning.

by hicalliber on Feb 20, 2012 7:35 AM PST via mobile reply actions

I'm just curious

What is it that makes you go “back” or “forth” or whatever it is that swings you back to supporting him? It seems like this season has been nothing but bad news on top of terrible news, so I honestly can’t imagine that someone that thinks he needs to go would change their mind. If Shabazz signed with us, then I’d understand but not agree with people changing their minds.

by Tydides on Feb 20, 2012 10:31 AM PST up reply actions

It's not a valid argument to say that Howland's future depends on whether Shabazz signs with us

Anyone can keep a job indefinitely just by saying “but what if some contingency happens.” Let’s assume that Shabazz does not sign with us. Would the sentiment be that Coach Howland’s failure to deliver that prize means that he has to go? I doubt it, because the contingency theory will just keep going. “Yeah, we didn’t get Shabazz, but Mr. X (current Shabazz clone) is leaning our way. If we don’t continue with Coach Howland, Mr. X will go to Kentucky.”

How about looking at what Coach Howland has done with his last bunch of recruits? It isn’t pretty.

I think the “Yeah, but if we sign Shabazz….” argument is just an excuse to keep from addressing the real issues.

by Fox 71 on Feb 20, 2012 11:03 AM PST up reply actions

Trust me, I get it

Which is why I said I wouldn’t agree with it, but I would at least understand why people might flip because of it, because it would be a positive data point. That’s in contrast to pretty much everything we’ve seen this season which has just been almost exclusively negative data points.

by Tydides on Feb 20, 2012 2:10 PM PST up reply actions

I didn't mean to suggest you didn't get it, Ty

I’ve been hearing this excuse for so long I’m just getting tired of it. Usually at this time of the year, it’s “Well, if our pitching can just come around….” Here in Tampa, it’s “Well, if we just get some offense out of our shortstop.” OK, if Howland gets Shabazz and the next Michael Jordan and still has a louy year, then what?

by Fox 71 on Feb 20, 2012 5:26 PM PST up reply actions

I have to admit

I used to be one of those guys. “Look at the recruits” I said. Then Neuheisel happened. I don’t subscribe to the “recruiting cures all ills” argument anymore.

by Tydides on Feb 20, 2012 6:44 PM PST up reply actions

I go back and forth

Because I personally like Howland and I want to see him succeed. But the data points make it hard to keep pulling for him. It’s simply my emotions getting in the way of logic, that’s all.

by hicalliber on Feb 21, 2012 1:19 PM PST up reply actions

Got it

I think Bellerophon’s post from a while back captures this kind of sentiment. It’s really too bad it hasn’t worked out, because I think most of us like Howland as a person, just not as the caretaker of Coach’s program anymore.

by Tydides on Feb 21, 2012 1:36 PM PST up reply actions

Yep - we had the two most best guys in the world to root for in Coach Neuheisel and Coach Howland, but it just hasn't worked out.

by Fox 71 on Feb 21, 2012 2:25 PM PST up reply actions

As you know, most best is better than most or best. I think I need to check in to a clinic.

by Fox 71 on Feb 21, 2012 2:26 PM PST up reply actions

Only if others were as refreshingly candid as hicalliber

by Nestor on Feb 22, 2012 5:27 AM PST up reply actions

Howland will never be called "The Great Communicator"

During the debacle that was the St. Johns game on Saturday, CBS showed UNLV vs. New Mexico to some regions concurrently. I am aware that the transfers and defections have been well documented, but I have to comment further. When updates of the other game were shown on the “ticker”, Moser and Stanback were listed as UNLV’s top scorers. Gordon was UNM’s leader and had a career game. After our game mercifully concluded, I flipped to a FS affiliate and saw a preview for the BYU game featuring Matt Carlino, who was coming off a career high 30 on Thursday. What the hell is the matter with this coach? His stubborn nature and total failure to communicate (with props to Strother Martin there) has become literally intolerable. I stuck with Howland longer than most, but with every fiber of my being… HE NEEDS TO GO!

by pg29 on Feb 20, 2012 11:58 AM PST reply actions