Canes RPI # 14, SOS #1

By Kartik Krishnaiyer
Canes Rising Staff

College Basketball is more about who you play than what your record is. Want further proof? Miami is currently 8-3, and 0-1 in the ACC but is ranked #14 in the RPI and has the strongest schedule according to the RPI in the country. These numbers are sure to take a hit in the next week with games against North Florida, NC Central and FAU on deck but its instructive to understand why Miami scheduled the way it did in November and December.

I've seen a decent amount of criticism of the Canes crazy tough early season schedule. But with a team made up largely of underclassman coming off an NCAA Tournament bid and a first round victory, the school made a conscious decision to schedule as difficult a "preseason" as possible. This gives the Canes a greater margin for error come February and March. It's entirely possible 8-8 in the ACC will see the Canes into the NCAA Tournament with a decent seed. Also a factor could be what Doug Gottlieb mentioned on the Miami-St John's telecast the other day: that Miami deserves the benefit of the doubt with regards to the Ohio State game since the Canes held a big lead when superstar Jack McClinton was ejected.