The Torvik rankings, better known as “T-Rank,” are a popular analytical system for evaluating a number of different factors for the college basketball landscape. For the first time ever this past year, the creator of the “T-Rank,” Bart Torvik, was invited to attend and officially become part of the March Madness tournament selection process in both men’s and women’s college basketball. His analytics, metrics, and model were used as a contribution piece for Selection Sunday.
One of the measurements done by Torvik is the evaluation of national talent projection. For Penn State, Torvik has the Nittany Lions coming in at #16 nationally, which put them at #6 for the Big Ten Conference. The Big Ten teams ahead of PSU are Oregon (No. 10), Michigan (No. 11), Illinois (No. 12), UCLA (No. 13) and Michigan State (No. 15).
This ranking may come as a bit of a surprise for a lot of readers, but in reality, it’s really not. Coach Rhoades and his staff have brought in the #26 ranked recruiting class in the country for this upcoming season, the highest ever in program history. These players include Kayden Mingo, Mason Blackwood, Ivan Juric, Melih Tunca, Reggie Grodin, Chris Lotito, Justin Houser, and Tibor Mirtic. They also have three returning players in Freddie Dilione, Dominick Stewart, and Eli Rice who all should be major contributors this year. Penn State also utilized the transfer portal by bringing in 2 versatile, veteran players in Josh Reed and Sasa Ciani.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.So when the official college basketball rankings come out, Penn State will not be ranked in the AP top 20. They are seen as a team that had a lot of turnover and is very young, and that is all true. But when looking at overall talent, potential and coaching, the Nittany Lions can surprise a lot of people this year. Just ask the reputable and well-respected Bart Torvik.
