Commentary

Bilas Index: Hoosiers continue climb

Indiana leads the nation in 3-point percentage and sits just outside the Index's top 5

Originally Published: January 8, 2012

By Jay Bilas | ESPN Insider

Week 4 of the Bilas Index reacts to a week of upsets, road losses and head-scratching performances otherwise known as "conference play." Teams with middling résumés were able to win games against big shots that could very well cement spots in the at-large pool, absent incredible collapses moving forward.

To review, the Bilas Index is not a poll, and it is not your weekly snapshot (whatever that means). The Bilas Index is my ranking of the best teams in college basketball, No. 1 through No. 68, using valued metrics and about 1,300 grams of high-quality gray matter inside my skull. There are no snapshots or tugs at heartstrings. The Index uses part statistical analysis from Kenpom.com (which rates teams in a variety of areas using tempo-free statistics), the Sagarin Ratings (a more reliable and measured version of the dreaded RPI), and my lying eyes and good judgment (which is by far the most reliable measure on the planet; as the urban philosopher Young Jeezy notes, "Real recognize real").

Fear not, as the Bilas Index is improving, even in Week 4. Shortly I will be using the most reliable and useful metrics in the game, feverishly being finalized by my team of "mathletes." Ultimately, this metric will serve as a job killer, making obsolete any and all other measures and rendering the selection committee even more useless than ever. Think of all the time and money that will save the NCAA, which, of course, will be used for "student-athlete welfare" instead. You see, the Bilas Index is not just people helping people; it is mathletes helping athletes. You're welcome.

Everybody is going to lose games and leave us scratching our heads. Our job is to find the most consistent and best teams, not the teams that are never subject to getting beat.

Out: Texas A&M Aggies and Oklahoma Sooners

In: Dayton Flyers and Miami Hurricanes

1. Syracuse Orange