MVC/OVC Bracketology

‘Bracketeer’ Rocco Miller Breaks it Down

(St. Louis, MO) – MVC/OVC bracketology shows Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley Conference fans some hope for a fun NCAA Tournament. Award-winning bracketologist, Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) joined ‘Voices of the Valley’ to help us understand the process and gave us some good news about our favorite teams.

Rocco is a known commodity in the bracketologist world. His 2017 bracket included every team that was announced on Selection Sunday. He is one of two bracket experts to receive a 350 score (or above) from 2017-19. His Bracketeer.org website is overflowing with college basketball insights and isn’t limited to brackets and seedings.

We spoke before the conference games on Tuesday, so a couple of pieces of information won’t be 100 percent up-to-date. Rocco helped me (again) learn more about the process of building a bracket, the role of the NET and how to look at the closing weeks of the season. I insisted that we spelled out the postseason hopes of the OVC and Valley teams.

The Science of Bracketology

There are hundreds of so-called bracketologists and clearly some are more serious than others, some are more famous and most are throwing stuff at the wall and hoping it sticks. Miller first publicized his bracket in 2011. Rocco is ranked as the 22nd best bracketologist nationally. My friend Jesse Kramer (CatchandShoot) is 45th. Joe Lunardi (ESPN) 55th and Jerry Palm, who has appeared on this site is 100th. In other words, Rocco is better than everyone you know of!

Bracketologists are not apologists, they are predictors of what the committee will do. Rocco says it is a pain-staking process.

 

 

While the National Evaluation Tool (NET) has become the measurement we all look at, Miller says it isn’t the only metric in use. The Selection Committee uses SOR, KenPom, Sagarin and other predictive models, and they watch games. Miller says people’s understanding of the NET is a little confusing.

 

 

The confusing nature of the NET adds to our wondering about its use. Miller says ONLY the final NET number is factored into the data, that’s why every one of his twice-weekly brackets, he builds from scratch.

 

 

MVC/OVC Bracketology

Ohio Valley and Missouri Valley Conference fans want to know about their teams. Miller says each of the league’s have a team that has a legitimate ‘at-large’ opportunity to be in the national tournament. NET rankings for the Valley’s top five teams are good enough that multiple Quad One and Quad Two games are still on the schedule.

When Belmont visits Murray State (2/24), that will be a high-level game for each of those teams.

Miller says Loyola has a great chance to become an ‘at-large’ team if they lose at Arch Madness and if Missouri State would win the St. Louis-based tournament, the Bears could get a respectable seed.

 

 

Miller says Murray State is in better shape than the Ramblers. While stopping short of calling the Racers a lock for the NCAA Tournament, he believes they will be dancing in March.

 

 

Belmont is a different story. Miller says, ‘don’t shut the door on the Bruins’. Even without winning the OVC Championship, there is a path for Casey Alexander’s team to be playing beyond March fifth.

 

 

Miller says both conferences have legitimate chances to be ‘two-bid leagues’ this year!

Our entire conversation can be seen on YouTube and can be heard at Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts (winter storm internet problems in the ‘Basement Bunker’). MVC/OVC bracketology seems to give us NCAA Tournament hope.