Do Rankings Really Matter Anymore in College Basketball?

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

Photo Credits to Georgia Elite Magazine

College Basketball fanatics, analyst and people who just watch the game, spend time trying to rank teams or players based on their skill set. Most of the times, experts predict things smoothly. However, there are times where the rankings make no sense.

For example, the North Carolina Tar Heels were inside the Top-10 before the beginning of the season and were granted a NIT berth. The Texas Longhorns were No. 1 overall with a 17-0 record but finished the season losing early in the tournament. The Kansas Jayhawks were the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament but feel to the Northern Iowa Panthers.

Do you get what I'm saying? The rankings are starting to become less prominent if you ask the players. I asked a selection of players, do rankings matter to you or something along that line.

Here is what each of them had to say.

2011 Recruit - Luke Mergerson 

"Not at all...as long as I make it to a good school."

2011 Recruit -Chris Jones 

"(Laughing) not much"

2011 Recruit - Tyler Adams

"I really don't pay much attention to rankings. Because once you get to college, none of those rankings are going to matter. What's gone matter is who worked hard and what you do in College.

2012 Recruit - Rapheal Davis 

"It doesn't"

2012 Recruit - Willie Clayton 

"Not that much because it's just something some thinks of you. Some players don't get to showcase themselves because their AAU team doesn't travel that much, but it's some really good talented ball players out there, they're just not getting noticed. That's why rankings don't matter to me. I played top ranked players and beat them out and they were ranked high."

2012 Recruit - D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera 

"Not at all"

2013 Recruit - Rodney Purvis, 

"They don’t matter to me at all. There useless!”

2013 Recruit - Kuran Iverson 

"They don't matter to me."

Illinois - Demetri McCamey 

"No I don't. If you can hoop it don't matter, because they will see you no matter what"

Florida - Patric Young 

"They matter little to none to me."

NC State - Ryan Harrow 

"They don’t matter at all."

K-State - Jordan Henriquez-Roberts 

"No"

K-State - Shane Southwell 

"Nothing."

Alabama - Trevor Releford 

"Don't mean anything at all."

Fresno State - John Ryan

"No I look at it as a motivator."

So I’m sure you get the point. Out of the players that decided to answer the question, how they were ranked recruiting wise wasn’t a big deal. Nonetheless, we still create them for the love of the game. Plus, everyone wants to be right! 

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