Syracuse Is Ranked No. 1, Based On KRACH Rankings

KRACH was an acronym previously unfamiliar to me, but apparently it’s a rankings system used in college hockey. It’s similar to RPI in that it uses mathematic formulas that are designed to confuse, but unlike RPI, a win over an awful team won’t negatively affect the team’s ranking. In RPI “bad wins” can cause SOS to decrease, thus decreasing the team’s overall ranking. KRACH derives its rankings from wins and losses, giving more value to wins coming against teams that are higher in the KRACH rankings, but never penalizing a team for a win over a weak opponent.

Or at least I think that’s how this all works. Our Michigan State blog Only The Colors has a better explanation, along with the top 100 teams in college hoops based on KRACH. The top 10:

1. Syracuse 110.44 (9-0, SOS = 5.812)
2. Villanova 98.299 (9-0, 5.173)
3. Kentucky 73.479 (10-0, 3.499)
4.New Mexico 58.276 (10-0, 2.775)
5. Texas 57.524 (8-0, 3.384)
6. Purdue 54.108 (9-0, 2.848)
7. Georgetown 53.720 (8-0, 3.160)
8. West Virginia 42.984 (7-0, 2.866)
9. Kansas 36.192 (9-0, 1.905)
10. Missouri St. 36.119 (9-0, 1.901)