The AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll still reign supreme in college basketball, but many in the sport consider Ken Pomeroy’s rankings to be the gold standard.
Pomeroy has influenced coaches, oddsmakers and the game as a whole since making his rankings public in the early 2000s. Fast-forward two decades, and his tempo-based rankings are perhaps the best predictor of any single-game outcome in the sport.
That’s why it’s a big deal to see Florida ranked 28th overall in the KenPom preseason rankings.
“His ratings are derived from a proprietary algorithm, with the core centered on the Pythagorean calculation for expected winning percentage, made famous by baseball statistician Bill James,” ESPN explains. “Pomeroy’s formula is designed to be purely predictive, with an emphasis on margin of victory. He factors in offensive and defensive efficiency, tempo and even luck, but does not, however, take into consideration injuries or emotional factors.”
Florida’s KenPom ranking by the numbers
Florida’s net rating is 18.33, which can be found by taking the difference between a team’s offensive rating (110.6) and defensive rating (92.3). The Gators round out the top 20 offensively but barely crack the top 40 on defense at No. 39 among Divison I teams.
Pomeroy’s algorithm also considered tempo and luck. Todd Golden likes a fast-paced offense, and the Gators are ranked 23rd overall with a 73.6 adjusted tempo (possessions per 40 minutes, adjusted for opponent). Luck isn’t determined until games are played. The same goes for strength of schedule numbers.
SEC teams ranked inside KenPom top 50
Florida is on the cusp of a top-25 berth using Pomeroy’s system, but there are six teams ranked higher than the Gators on this list.
No. 3 Auburn and No. 4 Alabama are at the top of the conference with net ratings of 26.21 and 25.66, respectively. Tennessee is next up on the list at No. 13 with a 22.15 net rating, followed by Texas A&M (21.51) at No. 16 and Texas (20.05) at No. 18.
The closest team within reach of Florida is No. 25 Arkansas (18.41), and No. 32 Mississippi State (17.95) is on the other side of UF.
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