"Before this season tipped off, it would have seemed equally unlikely that this late-January edition of Power Rankings would feature Nebraska in the top five or Miami (Ohio) at all. And yet, that's where things stand after two of the three remaining unbeatens survived another week without a loss. Looking purely at efficiency-based metrics, which tend to be more predictive than résumé-based metrics, neither team fits the bill on paper."
"Miami (Ohio), meanwhile, entered Wednesday ranked No. 21 in strength of record and No. 28 in wins above bubble. We so often see how difficult it is for teams to win on the road in conference play, making the RedHawks' away victories at Kent State, Bowling Green and Toledo -- three of their biggest competitors in the Mid-American -- notable. They already beat MAC preseason favorite Akron and won at Horizon favorite Wright State in nonconference play, too."
Nebraska and Miami (Ohio) are among the few remaining unbeatens late in January despite differing efficiency metrics. Nebraska entered ranked No. 12 in KenPom and No. 19 in ESPN's BPI, while Miami (Ohio) was near No. 90 in both. Nebraska ranks top five nationally in strength of record and wins above bubble and owns notable wins over Illinois and Michigan State, including a road victory. Miami (Ohio) ranks highly in strength of record and wins above bubble and has key road wins at Kent State, Bowling Green and Toledo, plus nonconference wins over Akron and Wright State. Upcoming games for Arizona and Nebraska could leave Miami (Ohio) as the lone unbeaten.
Read at ESPN.com
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