Tournament draw lookahead for area teams
Feb. 1—The final stretch is here.
On Sunday, the statewide boys basketball tournament draws will be finalized throughout Ohio.
And with that will be the official first test for a new method being used to determine the seeds within the Northwest district.
No longer will a coaches vote determine the seeding. For at least this season, the method being used is Martin RPI, an analytics tool specifically made for Ohio high school basketball, that will seed the teams.
Much like the football playoffs using Harbin points to determine the top 16 teams per region, the RPI will show the rest of the state what an analytically-determined bracket will look like.
The Northwest district is the first and only district to use the system this season. The rest of the districts across the Buckeye state will still have coaches vote amongst themselves to decide seeding.
The Martin RPI formula (martinrpi.com) takes 35 percent of a team's winning percentage; plus 35 percent of a team's average opponents' winning percentages. It then adds in 25 percent of a team's opponents' average opponents' winning percentage — and five percent of a school-size factor for playing teams in bigger, similar or smaller divisions.
Below is a glance at current rankings for three area districts that feature the nine Reflector area teams:
DIVISION II
Ashland district
1. Sandusky (16-1)
2. Shelby (14-2)
3. Lexington (15-2)
4. Bellevue (12-4)
5. Mansfield Senior (10-6)
6. Perkins (10-6)
7. Willard (10-8)
8. Ontario (9-7)
9. Norwalk (8-9)
10. Galion (6-11)
11. Clear Fork (6-11)
12. Vermilion (5-13)
Notable: The Crimson Flashes and Truckers are in one of the deeper districts in the Northwest. ... Case in point, if Norwalk were to win both games at Vermilion and Mansfield Madison this weekend, all but three of the 13 teams will be above .500 when the brackets are finalized. ... There are just five total losses among the top three teams. ... Seven of Norwalk's nine losses entering this weekend are to teams in its district, but four of those losses are by a combined 13 points. ... Willard is 2-3 against teams within the district. ... The matchup between two 14-2 teams, Shelby and Lexington, will come after the draw on Feb. 14.
DIVISION III
Norwalk district
1. Cardinal Stritch (14-3)
2. Ashland Crestview (16-2)
3. Genoa (13-4)
4. Huron (11-4)
5. Bucyrus Wynford (11-5)
6. Margaretta (11-7)
7. Western Reserve (9-7)
8. Oak Harbor (7-11)
9. Northwood (4-13)
10. Bucyrus (4-12)
11. Edison (2-15)
12. Milbury Lake (1-16)
13. Lakota (2-14)
Notable: The Roughriders and Chargers find themselves in one of the most balanced districts, with the top six teams already at 11-to-16 wins entering the weekend. ... Western is 1-3 against teams in the district, with the lone win coming in a 51-45 victory at Edison on Jan. 21. ... The Norwalk district also saw a lot of turnover, with just seven of the 13 teams returning from last season.
DIVISION IV
Willard district
1. Colonel Crawford (12-5)
2. Lucas (14-3)
3. Seneca East (12-5)
4. Mansfield Christian (12-4)
5. Monroeville (10-7)
6. South Central (8-9)
7. Danbury (9-9)
8. St. Paul (7-8)
9. Buckeye Central (5-12)
10. St. Mary C.C. (4-14)
11. Crestline (5-13)
13. Plymouth (4-13)
13. New London (2-15)
14. Mansfield St. Peter's (1-18)
Notable: The area's top district as far as teams positioned for success entering the weekend, with Firelands Conference foes Monroeville and South Central just on the outside of the top four. ... the Eagles own an impressive 8-1 record against teams in the district, with the one loss coming in the final seconds of a 62-60 setback in the Nov. 25 season opener at Seneca East. ... the Trojans aren't far behind with a 7-2 record against teams within the district, including a 52-44 victory at current No. 4 Mansfield Christian on Jan. 7. ... The Flyers own a 3-2 mark within the district, with a pair of losses to the Eagles and Trojans. St. Paul and South Central rematch a 49-46 S.C. win in Greenwich on Jan. 17 this Friday night in Norwalk.
