Florida comes up one spot to No. 6, Miami falls one spot to No. 7, South Carolina holds at No. 8 despite its loss to Florida, Pepperdine rises two spots to No. 9 and Duke holds firm at No. 10.
Florida State was the biggest climber of the week after going from unranked to No. 57 while Baylor also made a big move up from No. 66 to No. 50 after beating Northwestern.
DePaul took the biggest tumble dropping 15 spots from No. 57 to No. 72 after its previous ranked wins over Minnesota and Indiana were downgraded due to MN dropping 12 spots and IU dropping 7 spots.
The following teams moved up at least 7 spots versus the last rankings – movement in ( ):
#20 UCLA (+12)
#21 Tulsa (+7)
#50 Baylor (+16)
#52 UNLV (+12)
#53 Illinois (+15)
#57 Florida State (at least +19)
#67 Long Beach State (at least +9)
The following teams dropped down at least 7 spots versus the last rankings (still ranked):
#25 Texas A&M (-8)
#26 Arizona State (-7)
#61 Washington (-9)
#62 Washington State (-7)
#64 Rice (-10)
#70 Minnesota (-8)
#71 Missouri (-12)
#72 DePaul (-15)
#74 Utah (-9)
These 4 teams entered the rankings after being unranked and the reason why they moved up:
#57 Florida State – defeated #55 Boston College plus a past win over Old Dominion was upgraded after the Monarchs jumped 10 spots the previous week.
#67 Long Beach State – picked up a ranked win over Dartmouth plus a win over Hawaii who was ranked in the 96-105 bucket.
#73 North Texas – was idle last week however past wins over Penn and Louisiana Tech were upgraded when Penn came up 8 spots and LA Tech entered the rankings this past week.
#75 Nebraska – picked up a ranked win over Minnesota
These 4 teams dropped out of the rankings with last week’s rankings in ( ):
Arizona (71) – beat Sacramento State and UAB last week however previous ranked wins over San Diego and San Jose State were downgraded when both dropped out of the rankings last week. Arizona will probably re-enter the rankings next week with Long Beach State coming in this week.
Purdue (72) – lost to Michigan and unranked Michigan State
Xavier (73) – was idle last week however its ranked win over Indiana was downgraded when IU dropped 7 spots in the rankings.
Santa Clara (75) – lost to unranked St. Mary’s plus a previous loss to San Diego hurt more when USD dropped out of the rankings
Ranking Notes: My projections had most of the teams in the right order however my point totals were off on many. I spent a couple of hours trying to figure out what the problem was and then I noticed the teams that were off all had a couple of common opponents. I was able to figure out that there was a change in the rankings after they were published last week but the new updated rankings weren’t known to everyone. I talked to the the ITA this morning and they confirmed there was an additional result that was keyed into their system in the roughly 60 second window between when the rankings were run and when they were finalized. The result impacted the rankings of 13 different teams but the issue has now been correct and the 3/22 rankings were republished to reflect those changes which I’ve listed below.
Fresno State went from #38 to #34
Texas from #34 to #35
Oregon from #35 to #36
Northwestern from #36 to #37
William & Mary from #37 to #38
UC Santa Barbara from #69 to unranked
Louisiana Tech from #70 to #69
Arizona from #71 to #70
Purdue from #72 to #71
Xavier from #73 to #72
Winthrop from #74 to #73
Santa Clara from #75 to #74
Brown from unranked to #75
Here is the ITA’s release which breaks it down by conference affiliation.
Below I’ll breakdown the Top 7 looking at the 7 best wins that were used in the rankings this week along with other quality ranked wins. I also listed the point totals gained from the best wins and losses to come up with the computer score.
- 7 Best Wins (556.6): #2 Ohio State, #3 North Carolina, #7 Florida, #11 Pepperdine, #12 Virginia, at #19 Arizona State, at #29 USC
- Other Quality Wins: at #32 UCLA, #52 Washington, #65 Utah, at #70 Arizona
- Losses (7.0): None
- Computer Score: 556.6/7.0 = 79.51 (was 83.62)
- What’s Coming Up: #38 Oregon (4/1), #18 Stanford (4/3), at #62 Washington State (4/8), at #61 Washington (4/9)
- Comments: Cal continued to roll along but it faces its biggest test since the National Indoors when Stanford comes to Berkeley for the Big Slam.
- 7 Best Wins (524.1): #5 Vanderbilt (2X), at #9 Michigan, #11 Pepperdine, #19 Arizona State, #22 Georgia Tech, at #30 TCU
- Other Quality Wins: #34 Fresno State, #58 Tennessee, #62 Minnesota, at #66 Baylor
- Losses (7.3): #1 California, at #6 Miami FL
- Computer Score: 524.1/7.3 = 71.79 (was 74.81)
- What’s Coming Up: at Rutgers (4/2), at Maryland (4/3), Iowa (4/9), #75 Nebraska (4/10)
- Comments: The Buckeyes are back at this week facing a pair of unranked conference opponents. It’ll be smooth sailing until the Big Ten tournament.
- 7 Best Wins (521.3): #3 Georgia, #6 Miami, at #12 Virginia, #14 Wake Forest, #15 LSU, #17 Texas A&M, #28 Tulsa
- Other Quality Wins: #10 Duke, at #41 Syracuse, #42 Notre Dame, #48 Alabama, Florida State
- Losses (7.3): #1 California, at #9 Michigan
- Computer Score: 521.3/7.3 = 71.41 (was 70.43)
- What’s Coming Up: Louisville (4/2), #42 NC State (4/6), at #31 Virginia Tech (4/8), #55 Boston College (4/10)
- Comments: The Tar Heels missed out on being No. 2 but just .38 points and with the win over Duke coming into play next week I’d expect to see UNC move up to No. 2.
- 7 Best Wins (480.4): #9 Michigan, #12 Virginia, #13 Texas Tech, #16 Auburn, at #22 Georgia Tech, at #23 Kentucky, at #27 Mississippi State
- Other Quality Wins: #25 Clemson, at #39 Ole Miss. #48 Alabama, #58 Tennessee
- Losses (7.2): #4 North Carolina, #5 Vanderbilt
- Computer Score: 480.4/7.2 = 66.72 (was 72.51)
- What’s Coming Up: #24 Arkansas (3/31), #71 Missouri (4/2), at #15 LSU (4/8), at #25 Texas A&M (4/10)
- Comments: The Dawgs continue SEC play this weekend with both Arkansas and Missouri coming to Athens. Arkansas will give them a tougher challenge than Missouri but Georgia should win both comfortably.
- 7 Best Wins (501): #3 Georgia, #10 Duke, #12 Virginia, #15 LSU, #17 Texas A&M, #20 Stanford, #23 Kentucky
- Other Quality Wins: #31 Denver, at #37 Northwestern, #58 Tennessee, at #66 Baylor, #75 Brown
- Losses (7.6): #2 Ohio State (2X), #7 Florida, #8 South Carolina,
- Computer Score: 501/7.6 = 65.92 (was 61.64)
- What’s Coming Up: at #28 Mississippi State (3/31), at #36 Ole Miss (4/2), at #71 Missouri (4/8), at #24 Arkansas (4/10)
- Comments: The Commodores hit the road for the next two weeks with a trip to Mississippi this weekend.
- 7 Best Wins (466.7): #5 Vanderbilt, at #8 South Carolina, at #27 Mississippi State, #23 Kentucky, #25 Clemson, #26 Arkansas, #29 USC
- Other Quality Wins: at #39 Ole Miss, #56 South Florida, #59 Missouri, #66 Baylor, at Florida State
- Losses (7.5): at #1 Cal, at #20 Stanford
- Computer Score: 466.7/7.5 = 62.23 (was 56.69)
- What’s Coming Up: #15 LSU (3/31), #17 Texas A&M (4/2), at #48 Alabama (4/8), at #16 Auburn (4/10)
- Comments: The Gators have won seven in a row but they’ll have to keep the hammer down with LSU and Texas A&M coming to town this weekend. I think Florida’s win streak will be at 11 when they head to Georgia on 4/15 with that match playing a big role in determining the regular season SEC Champion.
Miami (12-4) drops one spot from No. 6 to No. 7 despite beating both Virginia and Boston College. The reason for the drop was due to Florida picking up a top 10 win on the road.
- 7 Best Wins (456): #2 Ohio State, #12 Virginia, at #16 Auburn, #18 Oklahoma State, #22 Georgia Tech, #33 Virginia Tech, #40 Columbia
- Other Quality Wins: #42 Notre Dame, #53 Boston College, at Florida State
- Losses (7.8): #4 North Carolina, #9 Michigan, #10 Duke, #13 Texas Tech
- Computer Score: 456/7.8 = 58.46 (was 58.63)
- What’s Coming Up: at #29 Clemson (4/2), at #19 Wake Forest (4/8), at #42 NC Sate (4/9), #40 Syracuse (4/15), Louisville (4/17)
- Comments: The Canes have played six of its last seven matches at home which means it’s time for a multi-match road trip. This weekend they go to Clemson and the following weekend its a trip to North Carolina to face Wake Forest and NC State.
| Rank | Avg | School | Previous Rank |
| 1 | 79.51 | California | 1 |
| 2 | 71.79 | Ohio State University | 2 |
| 3 | 71.41 | North Carolina | 4 |
| 4 | 66.72 | University of Georgia | 3 |
| 5 | 65.92 | Vanderbilt University | 5 |
| 6 | 62.23 | University of Florida | 7 |
| 7 | 58.46 | University of Miami (Florida) | 6 |
| 8 | 55.14 | University of South Carolina | 8 |
| 9 | 55.07 | Pepperdine | 11 |
| 10 | 54.92 | Duke University | 10 |
| 11 | 48.83 | University of Michigan | 9 |
| 12 | 45.07 | University of Virginia | 12 |
| 13 | 43.9 | Texas Tech University | 13 |
| 14 | 43.37 | Auburn University | 16 |
| 15 | 40.25 | LSU | 15 |
| 16 | 37.49 | Georgia Tech | 22 |
| 17 | 36.07 | Oklahoma State University | 18 |
| 18 | 35.79 | Stanford | 20 |
| 19 | 33.39 | Wake Forest University | 14 |
| 20 | 32.59 | UCLA | 32 |
| 21 | 31.82 | University of Tulsa | 28 |
| 22 | 31.74 | Wichita State University | 21 |
| 23 | 31.63 | University of Kentucky | 23 |
| 24 | 31.55 | University of Arkansas | 26 |
| 25 | 31.28 | Texas A&M University | 17 |
| 26 | 29.16 | Arizona State University | 19 |
| 27 | 27.95 | University of Southern California | 29 |
| 28 | 27.31 | Mississippi State University | 27 |
| 29 | 26.73 | Clemson University | 25 |
| 30 | 25.07 | University of Kansas | 24 |
| 31 | 23.04 | Virginia Tech | 33 |
| 32 | 20.84 | College of William and Mary | 37 |
| 33 | 20.47 | University of Denver | 31 |
| 34 | 20.45 | University of Texas at Austin | 34 |
| 35 | 20.28 | TCU | 30 |
| 36 | 20.02 | University of Mississippi | 39 |
| 37 | 18.65 | Columbia University | 40 |
| 38 | 17.52 | University of Oregon | 35 |
| 39 | 17.2 | Fresno State | 38 |
| 40 | 16.57 | Syracuse University | 41 |
| 41 | 15.88 | Northwestern University | 36 |
| 42 | 15.73 | North Carolina State | 43 |
| 43 | 15.48 | University of South Alabama | 45 |
| 44 | 13.46 | University of Notre Dame | 42 |
| 45 | 12.38 | University of New Mexico | 44 |
| 46 | 12.24 | Florida International University (FIU) | 49 |
| 47 | 11.94 | Georgia State University | 47 |
| 48 | 11.67 | University of Texas at Arlington | 50 |
| 49 | 11.63 | Dartmouth College | 46 |
| 50 | 11.62 | Baylor University | 66 |
| 51 | 11.26 | University of Alabama | 48 |
| 52 | 10.83 | UNLV | 64 |
| 53 | 10.15 | University of Illinois | 68 |
| 54 | 10.02 | Harvard University | 51 |
| 55 | 10.02 | Boston College | 53 |
| 56 | 9.9 | University of South Florida | 56 |
| 57 | 9.85 | Florida State University | NR |
| 58 | 9.85 | Old Dominion University | 61 |
| 59 | 9.75 | Princeton University | 60 |
| 60 | 9.46 | Indiana University-Bloomington | 63 |
| 61 | 9.42 | University of Washington | 52 |
| 62 | 8.27 | Washington State University | 55 |
| 63 | 8.2 | University of Tennessee | 58 |
| 64 | 8.14 | Rice University | 54 |
| 65 | 8.13 | UC Santa Barbara | 69 |
| 66 | 8.05 | Louisiana Tech University | 70 |
| 67 | 8.04 | Long Beach State University | NR |
| 68 | 8.02 | Winthrop University | 74 |
| 69 | 7.76 | University of Pennsylvania | 67 |
| 70 | 7.7 | University of Minnesota | 62 |
| 71 | 7.67 | Univ. of Missouri, Columbia | 59 |
| 72 | 7.22 | DePaul University | 57 |
| 73 | 7.13 | University of North Texas | NR |
| 74 | 6.8 | University of Utah | 65 |
| 75 | 6.75 | University of Nebraska | NR |
eligibility comes down to progress to towards degree, are players making enough progress towards degree with passed hours, it is possible Zhao had more than enough hours to keep her eligible or maybe she was doing online courses to maintain enrollment, but the GPA is a joke by NCAA at one point it was maintain a 1.8 GPA, in which most schools would have kicked you out by that time.
The enrolled part is a definite yes – I guess your grades don't come into play until the end of a semester/quarter but if your failing at that point you can't play.
For team eligibility do you just have to be an enrolled student with passing grades?
This is from the NCAA Championship manual: <br /><br />Student-athletes selected for the singles championships, both automatic and at-large selections, must have results for a minimum of 13 completed singles matches during the year, with a minimum of six matches in the spring, at the institution which the student-athlete will represent at the NCAA championships. <br /><br />Doubles teams selected for the doubles championships, both automatic and at-large selections, must have started a minimum of 10 doubles matches with the same partner during the year at the institution which the team will represent at the NCAA championships. Of the 10 matches, eight must be completed, with four of the eight matches completed in the spring. The tennis committee may entertain appeals to the minimum match number to review extenuating circumstances.
What is the NCAA rule on this? Is there a minimum amount of matches or enrollment to be eligible?
Not fond of the fact Zhao misses both fall and winter quarters and rejoins the team for only 5 regular season matches plus the Ncaas.
Watch out for Stanford…Zhoa is back for good, Davidson is healthy, Hardebeck is on a tear…If Yee can play anywhere close to the hype, they could contend for or win the title
Thank you for the time and effort you put into this. I particularly appreciated the breakdown of the top seven.