Best regular season on the books?

[tacitus]

Someone asked awhile ago how this team compares to other great X teams. I started doing some research on that, but decided not to post because in 2015-16 I tracked a few records and after-the-fact felt as if I had jinxed the team.

Now that we have clinched at least a share of the Big East title, here are a few of the accolades of this historic regular season.

Note that this is only comparing regular seasons. Most teams are judged based on their late- and post-season performance (2003-2004, for instance). But I firmly believe that this has been our best regular season performance to-date. (And I have lofty hopes for the post-season.)


First Big East Championship!

Highest ever AP ranking at #3 in the land!


All-time lists:

Regular Season Wins

1) 17-18: 26 (Bring on DePaul!
1) 15-16: 26
1) 07-08: 26
4) 10-11: 24
4) 08-09: 24
4) 02-03: 24
4) 47-48: 24 (?)
8) 09-10: 23
8) 06-07: 23
8) 89-90: 23


WIN PERCENTAGE
1) 89-90: .886 (23-3)
2) 87-88: .880 (22-3)
2) 94-95: .880 (22-3)
4) 17-18: .867 (26-4) (outright 4th possible)
4) 15-16: .867 (26-4)
6) 02-03: .857 (22-4)
7) 96-97 .846 (22-4)
8) 85-86: .84 (21-4)
9) 07-08: .839 (26-5)
10) 92-93: .833 (20-4)


Weeks in AP 25
1) 17-18: 17 (will break record on Monday)
1) 15-16: 17
1) 08-09: 17
4) 02-03: 16
5) 96-97: 15
6) 07-08: 14
6) 97-98: 14
8) 16-17: 13
9) 89-90: 10
10) 11-12: 7


Weeks in AP 10
1) 15-16: 14
2) 17-18: 11 (12 on Monday, 13 maximum)
3) 97-98: 6
4) 07-08: 4
5) 16-17: 3
5) 08-09: 3
6) 11-12: 2
6) 02-03: 2
6) 58-59: 2


Final RPI ranking (Top 20 Rankings Only)
1) 17-18: 3 (current and expected)
2) 15-16: 8
3) 07-08: 9
4) 01-02: 13
5) 08-09: 15
6) 09-10: 17
7) 03-04: 20


Final KenPom (Top 20 Rankings Only)
1) 17-18: 14
1) 15-16: 14
3) 07-08: 15
4) 09-10: 18
5) 08-09: 20
6) 02-03: 20
7) 03-04: 20


Top 50 RPI Wins
1) 17-18: 8 (come on Baylor!)
1) 14-15: 8
2) 15-16: 7
4) 12-13: 5
5) A few with 4 or 3


Finally, since the RPI started in the late 90s and KenPom in the early 00s, there may have been a few other regular seasons that compare. Frankly, I do not believe so. We had some very talented teams in the past (mid 80s, early 90s, early 00s, etc.). But with the exception of beating UC when they were ranked #1, and a couple other regular season wins versus the blue bloods, our conference affiliations implied a comparatively easy SOS and few opportunities for big wins.

For example, Sports Reference (which is an excellent resource for historical data) ranks this season our best ever based on their "Simple Ranking System", which is similar to BPI and KenPom, without all the subjective adjustments for luck, etc.: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/xavier/ When you take into consideration our SOS, our record, and our average margin of victory, this has been our best regular season ever! Losing to DePaul (which we won't) wouldn't change that.

1997-98 was our second best season overall, 2015-16 was the third best season, and 2007-2008 was our fourth best season.

Of course, their ranking, like the BPI and KenPom also takes the post season into consideration. And big games and the post-season is all we fans collectively remember.

So bring on DePaul! Bring on the Big East! And Bring on the Dance!

[X-lucidity]

Nice post Tacitus. What last night taught me is that this is indeed one of the most wide-open D-! fields within recent memory. X looked dominant for stretches until they didn't. The Tarheels lay a huge egg Tuesday at home on Senior night versus an athletic but not overwhelming Miami squad. After X smashed Seton Hall last week, a fellow poster on this board mused that we really cannot get to excited about that because The Hall was easily the worst defensive unit seen in some time. OK, maybe, then explain how that same Pirate team throttled Nova for one of their worst offensive outputs of the season? Sure Nova missed some open shots as well but even Jay Wright admitted the game was a good ole fashion defensive rock fight.
Bottom line, X is pretty damn good and poised to contend legitimately for a Final Four. Or we could lose legitimately to Texas A&M in the 2nd round.... We have serious deficiencies on defense which will cause us to have to outscore folks at times. I do like our strengths though which are: rebounding and free throw shooting. (which both "travel" well) Our ability to score from multiple positions. Most of all, I like our lineup flexibility. X should be able to modify the playing time of our best nine to adapt well to take advantage of our opponents weaknesses or counter their strengths. It's wide open, why not us?

[Alpalpa]

Going back to 1963 (my first year as a fan in the stands) this is the best season I've witnessed, if for no other reason than they did it in the Big East. Now, let's win the Big East Tourney...next.

[Xavier2005]

Yes, i think it is the best "regular season" ever...due to being in the BE etc. However, that will be diluted and downgraded , if they fail to do well in the NCAA Tournament. The BE tournament is not a factor..do not have to win it. Getting to the Elite 8 is important, but making the FF is most important. E8 they are among the best of X's teams ever. FF and they are the best ever.

[xu koop scoop]

Wouldn't dispute this at all if we beat DePaul Saturday. That 89-90 team was special to me. And we did beat Gtown for our 1st Sweet 16. We then played Texas & had a double digit lead at the half only to lose by double digits. The 04 team was special even though XU finished 8th in the A10 at 8-8 or 9-7.at The "special" part started at a noon tipoff in UD Arena to play UNDEFEATED #1 ST JOES in A10 tourney. We had to play the Bonnies the night before. The St Joes beatdown was over at the half. We shot 80% or so the 1st half & had a 30 pt lead or more during the game. My wife & I skipped work for that game. We then beat GW to reach A10 finals. We still had to win Final to get Auto Bid as most of season sucked. We lost to Duquesne twice. We got the Auto Bid & can't remember who we beat - was it Dayton? Smashing undefeated St Joes turned us into Superman. St Joes made the Elite 8 as did XU. We were a 7 or 10 seed & whipped Louisville in the NCAA. Then we beat #2 Mississipi St to reach Sweet 16. Next up a rematch from 1990 with Texas, who we beat to reach our 1st Elite 8. Duke took us out in a 3 pt loss & all think we'd have won if Anthony Myles didn't foul out with 16 minutes to go. He picked up his 4th foul & we left him in for Duke's foul shot & he fouled out going for the missed free throw. That Duke game remains our closest loss in an Elite 8 matchup.

[tacitus]

Yes, i think it is the best "regular season" ever...due to being in the BE etc. However, that will be diluted and downgraded , if they fail to do well in the NCAA Tournament. The BE tournament is not a factor..do not have to win it. Getting to the Elite 8 is important, but making the FF is most important. E8 they are among the best of X's teams ever. FF and they are the best ever.

Post-season matters most, and big games (particularly tourney games) are what we tend to remember.

IMO Elite 8 would make this the best team to-date in terms of overall performance when you add it all up: most wins, highest ranking (in every possible ranking), first BE championship, highest seed, and tied deepest NCAA run.

A Final Four would, of course, end all dispute.

[mumuskie87]

Think if they win tomorrow then it clinches best regular season, IMO
An outright BE championship with an 87% winning pct
But agree with previous post in that tournament success will either put this team as the best ever or not.
An early exit like 15-16 would be a huge disappointment

[tacitus]

UPDATE


First OUTRIGHT Big East Championship!

Highest ever AP ranking at #3 in the land!


All-time lists:

Regular Season Wins

1) 17-18: 27
1) 15-16: 26
1) 07-08: 26
4) 10-11: 24
4) 08-09: 24
4) 02-03: 24
4) 47-48: 24 (?)
8) 09-10: 23
8) 06-07: 23
8) 89-90: 23


WIN PERCENTAGE
1) 89-90: .886 (23-3)
2) 87-88: .880 (22-3)
2) 94-95: .880 (22-3)
4) 17-18: .871 (27-4)
5) 15-16: .867 (26-4)
6) 02-03: .857 (22-4)
7) 96-97 .846 (22-4)
8) 85-86: .84 (21-4)
9) 07-08: .839 (26-5)
10) 92-93: .833 (20-4)


Weeks in AP 25
1) 17-18: 18 (19 coming....)
1) 15-16: 17
1) 08-09: 17
4) 02-03: 16
5) 96-97: 15
6) 07-08: 14
6) 97-98: 14
8) 16-17: 13
9) 89-90: 10
10) 11-12: 7


Weeks in AP 10
1) 15-16: 14
2) 17-18: 12 (13 maximum)
3) 97-98: 6
4) 07-08: 4
5) 16-17: 3
5) 08-09: 3
6) 11-12: 2
6) 02-03: 2
6) 58-59: 2


Final RPI ranking (Top 20 Rankings Only)
1) 17-18: 3
2) 15-16: 8
3) 07-08: 9
4) 01-02: 13
5) 08-09: 15
6) 09-10: 17
7) 03-04: 20


Final KenPom (Top 20 Rankings Only)
1) 15-16: 14
2) 17-18: 15
2) 07-08: 15
3) 09-10: 18
4) 08-09: 20
4) 02-03: 20
4) 03-04: 20


Top 50 RPI Wins
1) 17-18: 8
1) 14-15: 8
2) 15-16: 7
4) 12-13: 5
5) A few with 4 or 3


On to post season records... first up Big East Conference Tournament Champions!

[kyzrex]

I don't see how anyone could deny that this IS the best REGULAR season ever.

[tacitus]

A chart I created to put this season in historical perspective. Like most of the predictive metrics the SRS will update as the season progresses.
https://i.imgur.com/Oyhp4xo.jpg