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SPORTS WORTH THE DROP?
from The Reveille 2-9-23
by Reveille
Column: Indiana surpassing LSU in the latest AP Poll makes sense
Despite remaining undefeated through the end of last week, No. 3 LSU was jumped in the latest AP Poll by Indiana, much to the disapproval of Tiger fans everywhere. While it isn’t atypical for an undefeated team in college sports to be disregarded when they undergo a drop in production, 23 straight wins including four against Quad I teams should justify a team to keep its spot, right?
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Well, not always.
LSU’s stellar start, continued success in SEC play and No. 2 ranking in point margin and scoring offense warrant a spot in the top five no matter what. That’s not even a question. But that doesn’t mean the voting committee can’t rule in favor of a team sporting a better track record, even if that record contains a blemish.
In this case, that team is Indiana. The Hoosiers are 22-1, have maintained a spot in the AP Top 10 since late November, just recently secured the Big 10 throne over Ohio State and should secure a one-seed in March Madness if their success continues.
There are arguments for why the Tigers should have remained at No. 2 but they lack context
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The Hoosiers possess a single unranked loss suffered at the end of 2022, which justifiably dropped them down a few spots in the rendition of the AP Poll that followed it. While they do hold the No. 3 spot in point margin right behind LSU, the Tigers, along with South Carolina, are in a league of their own when it comes to the stat line, each holding more than a 10-point lead over Indiana within the category. If the teams had schedules with similar levels of difficulty, the decision to place Indiana above LSU would be completely unjustified and warrant contention because of its single loss. That’s how incredible each of their seasons have been.
But that just simply isn’t the case, not even close.
LSU’s toughest opponent in terms of both the current AP Poll and NET rankings is Tennessee, which is interesting because that just so happens to be a team Indiana beat on the road back in November. It’s even more interesting because the Volunteers are the fifth best team the Hoosiers have defeated.
Ahead of Tennessee, the Hoosiers have wins over No. 8
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