After decades of allowing selection committees to determine which teams received at-large postseason bids, the NCAA shifted its focus to data-based selections ahead of the 2024-2025 athletic season with the implementation of the NCAA Power Index (NPI).
The NPI considers a team’s winning percentage, strength of schedule, road victories, quality wins, and overtime results to quantify efficiency ratings. Rather than relying on the committee to determine which metrics were most important, NPI creates a consistent model for every NCAA sport.
“The NPI system lets the national committee adjust which metrics have more value,” said University of Lynchburg Director of Athletics Jon Waters. “That way, they standardize it across all 10 regions, so every year, each team is being viewed the same.”
As Division III athletics transformed, scheduling became essential to ensure each team could demonstrate its talent throughout the season.
“The hardest part with NPI is knowing what schedule to play,” Waters said. “I give our coaches a tremendous amount of credit for doing their research and homework to develop their schedule in a way that involves the right pieces.”
While improving a team’s overall record is essential, NPI placed greater emphasis on competition among top teams.
“The bottom line is that you have to win games that are against higher-ranked teams,” Waters said.
The University of Lynchburg volleyball team used its challenging nonconference slate to secure key victories and maintain a top-20 NPI ranking. While the Hornets played seven of their first eight games on the road, the travel ensured that Lynchburg could face premier competition throughout the East Coast.
“It felt like at the beginning of their year, it took us forever to actually watch them play,” Waters said. “They went to New Jersey and Pennsylvania; they were bouncing around into some of these tournaments where they could get the games they needed.”
When coaches schedule opponents, they must also consider which teams could improve in conference play. While Lynchburg benefited in the NPI by defeating other teams, the Hornets also earned an advantage as their former opponents racked up wins later in the season.
“You carry the math of the teams you played all year long,” Waters said. “If everybody you played in the nonconference was going to be a conference champion, and you beat them, you have a really good shot of your math being where it needs to be.”
The University of Lynchburg field hockey team also scheduled a slew of ranked opponents to improve its NPI status. While the team won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference title to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Hornets’ two ranked victories would have bolstered their chances of qualifying for the postseason.
“You’re missing a lot of school and on the buses all the time, but it makes it feel like a stronger program,” said sophomore midfielder Maddie Schuchter. “You feel privileged to do that because not many DIII programs are like that, and we have the wonderful type of coach who believes we need to make these trips to play harder teams.”
As NPI has inspired team travel, the Lynchburg athletic department has continued to fund opportunities for the field hockey team to compete at the highest level.
“As a women’s sport, being funded to go away is pretty incredible,” Schuchter said. “To go on a plane this year for one of the first times in Lynchburg field hockey history; wow, what a great time to be a part of that team.”
With the new system, school prestige and legacy have become less relevant as statistics dominate the process. For smaller programs, NPI can make the NCAA Tournament feel more attainable.
“It is definitely an amazing new technology and a new algorithm that makes this a fairer process,” Schuchter said. “It also gives other schools more opportunities to expand their programs and become more well-known as a school.”
As evidenced by the NCAA’s decision to use NPI for a second season, the stat-based ranking system has allowed both coaches and athletes to feel like their team’s performances throughout the season will be recognized.
“It’s much more professional and fair, and it’s nicer because if we work hard, it will pay off,” Schuchter said.
To learn more about the NCAA Power Index, click here.
