The power ratings have been updated to include the latest loss by Grace Bible College, but what you will find might surprise you. Grace Bible College is still the #1 team in the country. Why would something “as smart” as the computer not recognize what Kuyper has done by beating them TWICE! Well let’s answer that question below:
1. Grace Bible College is still number one because of the number of quality wins that it has. The only two losses have been to a very good Kuyper team. Kuyper’s loss to Great Lakes is really bad. The reason Kuyper is not number one is because they have a loss worse than their best two wins. Every game should count.
2. The other problem comes with how you use my rankings. They are not really to be thought of as “what-has-already-happened”. You should use them as a predictive tool. Think of it this way. If you were going to place money on a team, these rankings give you a picture of who would be the “safest” bet to win on a neutral court.
3. Every team has a bottom level of performance and every team has a top level of performance. These rankings try to determine what each team’s bottom level of performance is and their top level of performance. If the gap in performance is large than it deems the team “risky”. Grace Bible is not a risky team. They are amazingly consistent. If you are going to beat them you will have to raise your game to their level. Kuyper can raise their game to that level, but they can also bottom out by losing to Great Lakes.
4. The tournament is a one game-one-shot-one-kill type of environment. When measuring how a team will do in a tournament setting, consistency is crucial (i.e. The New York Giants). You need to find a team that can win multiple games in a row, therefore you find the most consistent team performing at a high level.
That is why Grace Bible College is still number one. That doesn’t mean they can’t lose, but it means that on an average day, on a neutral court… my money is still on Grace.
Having said that, well done Kuyper!
LOL I thought I wouldnt have anything fun to read untiul Soccer comes back. Kuyper is the BB version of OCU LOL now they will be faced with the thought of having to win a third time.
Except this one is a little more “justifiable”. The loss to Great Lakes is not a good loss. OCU didn’t have a loss. That was harder to justify.
Hoss.. OCU is bballs OCU… LOL
sorry Michael, my bad LOL ofcourse you are right
Grace lost to Kuyper… 2 times…
Okay why is it when Kuyper wins,especially against Grace,Kuyper gets bashed and is hated on?? It was an intense game..it was a defense game. Yes I go to Kuyper College. Having been at the game and seeing how it was played Kuyper has stepped up. I saw that Great Lakes game when it was home at Kuyper. We won that game. When it was away,yes we lost but every team has bad days. Just because we don’t have wins like Grace doesn’t mean we can’t get them,we have had shifts in players coming and going from our team this year. We can get those wins. We have improved since last season. Why are you dissing Kuyper for their hard work and showing that despite losses, they can be great at playing the game. It was a good game played by two very good teams,let’s leave it at that.
There is no dissing on Kuyper. They are a good team that deserved both their wins, but believing you can get quality wins and getting quality wins is two different things. The proof is in the deed. Without a doubt I believe that Kuyper has earned respect from everyone in the Grand Rapids area and the Midwest region, but until they challenge themselves with quality teams and earn quality wins, they will not be recognized.
How has Kuyper been bashed? Everyone is in agreement that Kuyper has a nice squad…no one has hated. The author even writes, “Having said that, well done Kuyper!”
After watching both games between Grace and Kuyper it is obvious what Grace’s problem is. They are playing like they some how deserve the win, like it should just be handed to them. Instead, of playing like they want the win and playing with heart. It is not a team out there. It seems like its every man for himself. Where did their great team chemistry go? Where is the heart Grace? Kuper played with heart and desire. You could tell they wanted it.
@Melissa- I don’t think anyone is dissing on Kuyper. Obviously Kuyper is a good team this year. Beating the 3-time defending champs is a statement in and of itself, but just like every other level of college sports a bad loss hurts a team worse than a good win helps them. Good teams are supposed to take care of business and when they don’t and they lose to a team that they should beat it hurts much more than a win against a team that they are ‘evenly’ matched with.
That being said, if I’m not mistaken Kuyper now has the inside track on the MW 1 seed. So, in two weeks we can throw power ratings and coaches polls out the window and we’ll get a chance to see the best teams play for a spot in the National Tournament!
What quality wins does Grace have that Kuyper does not? I only see one in Andrews University outside the NCCAA2.
I’m not a Grace fan but they definitely have more quality wins than Kuyper and a better season long body of work. Within the NCCAA D2, they have wins against #2 Valley Forge twice, #4 Clearwater, #5 Ohio Christian and #7 Florida Chrisitan. They also have 3 wins vs NAIA schools, a D3 win and many close games with ranked D2, D3 and NAIA schools.
If you look at common opponents in the non-conference its not even close. Grace lost to Cornerstone by 10 pts, Kuyper lost by 40 pts. Grace beat Andrews, Kuyper lost to them by 17.
You also have to look at Great Lakes since Kuyper lost to them. Grace beat GLCC by 41 and 20 pts. That is a really bad loss for Kuyper.
I give Kuyper credit for beating Grace twice but there really is a big difference in how these two teams have performed this season.
The only wins that matter are the ones inside the NCCAA. Thats were the ratings are determined. But outside the NCAA Grace beat Ozarks, who was rated in the NAIA top 20, Madonna, who is having a great year in the WHAC, and Andrews TWICE.
@ Melissa not trying to be rude or intrude I was at both games at Kuyper and the one at Great Lakes and the second time around Great Lakes just looked like the better team, they rebounded better they played harder and won. Even Kuyper knew after that game how good that GLCC team could be. Not to mention GLCC has some quality wins this year, they beat Marygrove at home, they beat an Oakland City team who had a 10 game home winning streak. But they also lost to Moody twice, there terribly inconsistent but if they can play like they did against Kuyper it will be fun to watch in two weeks.
Kuyper is a good team, they recruited well and built up well but they still have to do it year in, year out and keep building.
@MCCnetwork I agree with you,you make a very good point. I am curious to see regionals. And see where we go from here. Thank you
Forget the quality wins forget what Grace did against all the other teams…At the end of the day they lost to Kuyper twice!!!…Forget the computer ratings and the coaches rankings Grace Bible simply got outplayed hustled against Kuyper twice…Yes Grace beat the other NCCAA teams like VFCC twice and OCU KCU Clearwater Florida Christian…But at the end of the day they lost to Kuyper….So yeah Kuyper has a bad lost to Great Lakes..But teams have bad losses…If this was the NCAA Grace would of dropped the first time and definitely the second loss…But I end this saying what I said before…At the end of day forget the rankings and computer stuff aka( the computer stuff reminds me of money ball)…Grace got beat twice to the same team in a season..When’s the last time that was done?
I don’t think you can isolate a whole season’s performance to two games.
Sports fan,
You said, “..But teams have bad losses…”
Who is Grace Bible’s bad loss against?
If you are upset at the rankings, be upset at Kuyper’s scheduling. They have a very small sample vs the NCCAA. Grace Bible scheduled almost every top team on the road or a neutral site. That’s why games versus common opponents like Cornerstone and Andrews can help compare the teams.
Also, if this was the NCAA, Kuyper’s loss to Great Lakes would have completely dropped them out of the poll. It’s apples vs oranges. This isn’t the NCAA.
Nor can you isolate another teams whole season to one game (Great Lakes), at the end of it Kuyper beat Grace twice, once at each teams place, and therefore they should be ahead of Grace
Agreed that is why you have these results to compare as well:
MW Observer said it best:
“If you look at common opponents in the non-conference its not even close. Grace lost to Cornerstone by 10 pts, Kuyper lost by 40 pts. Grace beat Andrews, Kuyper lost to them by 17.
You also have to look at Great Lakes since Kuyper lost to them. Grace beat GLCC by 41 and 20 pts. That is a really bad loss for Kuyper.”
I think that explains my points.
True, but the loss to Cornerstone was last semester so that has to be taken into consideration, Kuyper is much better this semester, yeah the loss to Great Lakes was bad, but Kuyper did beat them a week earlier by 20 or so, and the 40 point win by Grace was last semester to a very different Great Lakes team, and you have to consider that as well.
The loss to Andrews was big but if you look at Graces stats against Andrews, they were 14-15 at the line, outrebounded Andrews by 22, and their top two 3 point shooters were 10-17 or something like that, and Grace still only won the game by 1, and Kuypers loss came just two days after the emotional high of beating Grace for the first time in a few years.
I am just saying that I dot understand how you can say that Kuyper should be behind Grace after they beat Grace twice, both by at least 6 points.
If that loss would drop them out of the rankings then why didn’t MSU drop out of the rankings when they lost at Northwestern, because people realized it was a bad loss but they have enough good wins to balance it out, yeah Grace does not have any bad losses but in the end Grace still lost to Kuyper twice so they should not be ahead of Kuyper
These are power ratings, not standings. Kuyper is ahead of Grace Bible in the standings but in the power ratings they fall short for all of the reasons listed above.
I’m not a fan of either team but if I was like you, a fan of Kuyper, I might feel the same way. Those were awesome wins. They probably guaranteed Kuyper a trip to nationals. That’s what matters. I wouldn’t worry about 1 or 3 in the power ratings.
There are only 10 teams in the NCCAA Poll as opposed to the NCAA poll which is why MSU was still ranked after such a bad loss. Like I said, comparing apples to oranges.
@MW Observer I agree with what you said about the difference in standings and power ratings. You see the same thing a lot in the NCAA and Pros. The power ratings and standing almost never match.
If I had to be totally unbiased (which I’m not because I’m a Kuyper fan) I might even agree that Grace should still be #1 and Kuyper a close #2 in the power ratings. But Kuyper should be #1 in the standings. But comparing schedules all you want. The best (and sometimes only) comparison between teams is to have them play head-to-head. We’ve seen that twice. Kuyper has won both (including the first NCCAA-II loss ever on Grace’s home floor). That should count for something.
This is why grace has lost twice to kuyper because even though they lost they still get credit unlike kuyper who after beating grace has to listen how grace is still better and ranked higher. It gives kuyper more drive to win and prove the nation wrong.
This is why grace has lost twice to kuyper because even though they lost they still get credit unlike kuyper who after beating grace has to listen how grace is still better and ranked higher. It gives kuyper more drive to win and prove the nation wrong. They have more heart and more drive.
Also, I forgot mention this earlier, but Kuyper played at Grace without one of their starting guards and they still won
I can’t explain this any more than this:
Grace Bible College’s top performance: Beating #2 twice
Grace Bible College’s low performance: Losing to #3 twice
Kuyper’s high performance: Beating #1 twice
Kuyper’s low performance: Losing to #26
Somewhere in there is each team’s actual performance in any given game. The Team Power Ratings are an unbiased measure of consistency of performance.
In a playoff atmosphere the team that wins is usually the team that can play at the highest most consistent level. Not fluctuate wildly. That is why our Power Ratings work the way they do. That is why we rank teams the way we do.
zach ellens lol
Forget about other games and just look at head to head, its obvious Kuyper is a better team.
Great points by both sides. I am just happy we now have a little controversy in the standings. Looking forward to seeing this play out in the MW Regionals and finally in Missouri.
Not sure how I feel about this subject. Does it really matter 1 or 2 In the end we will see who the better team is in the tourny. To God be the Glory for both teams. 2 great schools doing well and witnessing as they play.
Man all the Hate For GLCC DANG!!! Once again they outworked Kuyper, they wanted it more and Kuyper didnt match their instenstity its why Kuyper has beaten Grace, they want it more
CCSN is going to give their *opinion* after every important game. All that matters is the W.
Cole is just providing more motivation.
haha… i think the word Swag is beginning to annoy me.
Isn’t the poll supposed to be who is the best team right now?
I think your power rankings should have GBC number one. But they may not deserve to be number one in the Coaches poll.
After the first loss to Kuyper, i said you can’t drop them. After this loss i said if the coaches dont drop them, im not saying anything nice about them until the year is over… coaches if you need some help ive done a little home work…
remember… this is who’s playing best at this moment. not who has the most potential.
Kuyper
Grace
Vfcc
OCU
Clearwater
Hillsdale
Manhattan
NCU
FCC
West Coast (bc i feel like i have to include the west)
Ozark
Crown (TN)
MBBC
the bottom four could be in any order…
i forgot Grace University.. they would be in
front of the bottom four, and probably FCC
blevins keep it real !GO VALLEY FORGE!
Real like Peanut butter?
I have no comment on CCSN’s Power Rankings except to say that what a team has done most recently should weigh more heavily than what they did earlier in the year. I don’t know if the computer takes that into account or not, but that should matter in any poll, computer polls included.
I will comment on the coach’s poll that will come out next Tuesday. I don’t think there is any way that Grace can remain in the top spot in next week’s coach’s poll. Grace’s “body of work” (the new catchy phrase by Jay Bilas and his imitators on this site) rightfully allowed them to stay at #1 after 1 loss to Kuyper @ Kuyper. I totally agree with that decision. A team should be allowed 1 blemish after 69 wins (and 3 national championships) in a row. But the fact that Grace lost a 2nd time to Kuyper…this time on Grace’s home floor….requires the coach’s to put Kuyper into that top slot. If Kuyper were outside the top 5, it would be a totally different story. But you are now talking about the #3 team beating the #1 team on 2 different occasions. Kuyper must be your new #1; Grace should drop to #2, and Valley Forge should drop to #3. The winner of the Midwest Regional Tournament should be the #1 seed in the national tournament. Even after 2 losses to Kuyper, I still expect Grace to win when it counts in the regional tourney and at nationals. But for right now, there is no question that Kuyper has earned the #1 ranking in the NCCAA II.
That’s The Scoop With Coop!
Rick Cooper
CCSN
Coop, I think even the guys at Grace would agree with your entire statement.
No talk of Dallas all year. They have been playing all year with 6 people. Dcc by far plays the toughest schedule out of any school in the nation. They played 5 NCAA d1 schools, and the rest NAIA team. Just because they don’t play to many game against nccaa teams nobody talks about them. These 6 guys are by far a better team than last years team that ha grace on the roaps. They have all American and player of the year Isaac Gonzalez who is having a tremendous season, and have replaced the loss of antoine Warren with malcom mcarty who is a 6’4 point guard and is a
beast. Keep sleeping on Dallas but they will go deep in the tournament. You can only play 5 guys at a time and I will put up dcc 5 against anyone in the country.
well… here’s the thing… 4 games in 4 days is tough for a 15 man crew… i ranked DCC pretty high at the start… so… there was talk at some point this year.. lol. But if DCC doesn’t beat Hillsdale i doubt they will get an at-large.
Blevins well put I have no complaints with those rankings you put. I would definitely say that there is no clear number one team in the country right now. But I believe Kuyper deserves the number one ranking. This is just a comment for the guy who said if a team lost in the NCAA to a bad opponent they would just drop out of the rankings thats not true. It depends where they were at in the rankings. At the end of the day which is my main point Kuyper beat Grace twice. Common opponents does play a roll but when you can beat a quality team in your division twice that says a lot about your program especially when all the other teams have failed to do so
Coop, as a Grace Fan I agree! Probably the best thing in lighting a NEW fire for Grace’s motivation was getting beat twice by a great Kuyper team. Now that Grace has been knocked off the mountain top, the energy and desire to climb back will be top motivation for the seniors. It’s no longer the complacency of staying on top for Grace, but the climb back up. A completely different mindset and work ethic for the Tigers than in the past and great new challenge for the coaching staff. Better to face it now than tournament time! Maybe history will show Kuyper won to early? But they sure proved the value of ‘wanting’ more than ‘keeping’.
By the way- yes, we do miss Allen for more reasons than physical talent.
Secondly- I agree wondering how Dallas will prevail. After all, they had a real shot at upsetting Grace last year-with Allen.
The most important person who will agree with Coop is Coach Bailey. The second most important is the entire Tiger team!