Commentary

Bilas Index: Spartans climbing

Behind Draymond Green, the Michigan State Spartans have risen to No. 4

Originally Published: February 19, 2012

By Jay Bilas | ESPN Insider

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Week 10 of the Bilas Index reflects some teams in free fall (Illinois and Connecticut), one rising fast (New Mexico), and some that are buoyed by the numbers but my eyes tell me different (St. Louis and Wisconsin). As we head toward Championship Week, there will be some subtle movement, but the real Mendoza line is around the mid-50s, where the selection committee will be focusing, usually by putting on a blindfold and pointing or by throwing darts at the at-large nomination board.

The Bilas Index, the most reliable metric for determining the accomplishment and tournament-worthiness of college basketball teams ever imagined by man or beast, takes into account such another steadfast measure of athletic competence: ESPN's Basketball Power Index (BPI). ESPN's team of pocket-protected super brains were locked in a lab for months creating the BPI, and despite the protestations of Vegas bookmakers, the big-brained analytics team decided to share the BPI with the world. The Bilas Index also uses statistical analysis from KenPom.com and Sagarin, which is then interpreted by my own flawless, surefire basketball assessments.

The Bilas Index is published every Sunday and is required reading for every member of the selection committee. When committee members come down from their ivory towers and out of smoky back rooms to walk among the unwashed masses, they do so primarily to gain access to the Bilas Index, which is quickly making the RPI and the committee itself as obsolete as the buggy whip.

Out: Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds, Ohio Bobcats, Pittsburgh Panthers, Wyoming Cowboys, Southern Miss Golden Eagles

In: Miami Hurricanes, Nevada Wolf Pack, New Mexico State Aggies, Drexel Dragons, UCF Knights

1. Kentucky Wildcats

With any criticism of Kentucky, we are simply looking for a wart on a supermodel. This is the most talented team in the country and it plays hard and together. Can the Cats be beaten? Sure. But I simply don't see it happening before the Elite Eight or New Orleans. You have to remind yourself that Kentucky is just an improbable Christian Watford buzzer-beater from being undefeated. By the way, Kentucky has Anthony Davis, and you don't. That is why Kentucky is No. 1.

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