Inside Higher Ed’s Academic Performance NCAA Bracket Is Out, And …

From the 2016 Inside Higher Ed academic bracket.

Every year, Inside Higher Ed attempts to counter our nation’s widespread sports insanity by publishing its own version of the NCAA men’s basketball tourney’s brackets, comparing teams according to their work in the classroom as measured by the Academic Progress Rate and, in the case of a tie, the Graduation Success Rate. If two teams still tie, IHE turns to their relative Federal Graduation Rates. (That’s right. There now exist analytics for every goddamn thing.) This year’s academic bracket is out, and … let’s just say IHE doesn’t foresee one shining moment for any of Philly’s teams.

In case you hadn’t heard, Villanova, Temple and St. Joe’s all made the tournament cut.

Sure, Temple and Villanova both win in their first games, against Iowa and UNC-Asheville, respectively. But the way the NCAA set up its Midwest bracket, the two Philly teams then face off against each other, with Villanova victorious. Before you buy the celebratory bubbly, go one bracket further: The Wildcats fall to Arizona (really? Arizona?!?) in the next round.

As for St. Joe’s, IHE predicts the Hawks make it through against Cincinnati in the first round of the West match-ups but drop their game against Holy Cross in the second.

On the plus side, IHE sees Arizona making it all the way to the quarterfinals before getting beaten by … its final academic champion, Texas, which along the way revenges St. Joe’s by whupping Holy Cross.

IHE notes, by the way, that only once has it correctly predicted the final champ according to its methodology.

Follow @SandyHingston on Twitter.