Bulldogs take #22 NCAA RPI to SEC Tourney (2024)

Alright. They're playing ball in Hoover as this is researched and written. Mississippi State is watching and waiting, for a while in fact as the Diamond Dogs are booked for tonight's late game in the SEC Tournament. The weather looks good so no fears for a delayed first pitch on that front.

But Hoover being Hoover, there's always the chance nay the likelihood one of the first three games goes extra innings, another has 14 pitching changes, and the other ends up with a 12-9 or so score and tons of batters left on bases. Or something to delay start time for game-four.

Some years this might be an afterthought sort of contest anyway, but not now. Mississippi State knows it is headed to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs don't know what they have to do to begin their national tourney on Dudy Noble Field. Today's updated NCAA ratings power index of #22 epitomizes the fine line State sits on as conference tourneys get going.

This also is a six-spot drop from last week, when the Dogs were sitting prettier at #16 which of course is the number of teams earning top seeds and host rights. Simply playing lowly North Alabama, then by not sweeping lowest-SEC RPI Missouri, have knocked State down into a grayer area.

Now Coach Chris Lemonis' squad almost certainly needs to defeat rival Ole Miss tonight for what would to all intents be another league win and thus RPI boost back closer to hosting status. Lose tonight, and most expect State to be a #2 seed somewhere else. Then again just getting to double-elimination round play tomorrow might require knocking off 4th-SEC seed Texas A&M to be really confident Starkville will have NCAA baseball in town again.

If this is a lot of ifs well, that is the position the Dogs have played themselves into and not just in the final two weeks of the regular slate. Ordinarily a 17-win SEC season would make hosting probable. But State's non-conference schedule, which did not include any opponents from a power league, drags the RPI down automatically.

Losing a handful of those games is the bigger burden. So, as refreshing as it is to be back in the NCAAs after a two-spring absence, the Diamond Dogs are trying to avoid a little letdown that not hosting would bring. And, presumably, taking a hard look at future scheduling with RPI in mind.

Not that the non-league slate this year was a total washout. Congratulations to Air Force for jumping from third last week to the regular season title of the Mountain West by sweeping Fresno State…whom the Falcons just happen to face in the first round of the league tourney.

Austin Peay which took two from State ended up in a three way tie for the ASUN crown. Evansville tieed for second in the Missouri Valley behind potential #1 NCAA seed and host Indiana State. However, after leading the Southern Conference for most of this season Samford lost their series with Wofford and finished second

By the way, UAB ended up 26-27 overall and is #167 today so cancelling that game was a help to State's score.

And while Alcorn State had the third-to-worst RPI in the country at #303, the 5-24 Braves did NOT finish last in the SWAC! They came in one win ahead of #302 Valley State's 4-26!

Two more items at the bottom of the chart. Arkansas-Pine Bluff is #305 and dead last this year, yet the Lions did win five games. If we need any reminder how weird the RPI formula can be, winless (0-48 to be exact) Maryland-Eastern Shore came in at #304.

Mississippi State finished the regular season 27-16 against top-100 RPI teams; 32-21 against top-200s.

OFFICIAL NCAA RPI STANDNGS (+/- from last report)

22.Mississippi State (-6)

36-19, 17-13 SEC (3rd West, tie 5th overall, #5 SECT)

SEC OPPONENTS

1.Texas A&M (+1)

44-11, 19-11 SEC (2nd West, 4th overall, #4 SECT)