Welcome to STL Basketball: How Our Rankings Work
2025-11-28
Welcome to STL Basketball
This season, we're tracking every game for 118 St. Louis area high school basketball teams — from the MCC to the Metro League, from Class 1 to Class 6. Our goal: give the STL basketball community an objective, data-driven look at who's really the best in the metro.
How the Rankings Work
We use the RPI (Rating Percentage Index) formula — the same system used by the NCAA to evaluate college basketball teams. Here's how it breaks down:
- 25% — Your team's winning percentage
- 50% — Your opponents' average winning percentage (strength of schedule)
- 25% — Your opponents' opponents' average winning percentage
Why does this matter? Because beating a 20-win team means more than beating a 5-win team. A team that goes 15-5 against a brutal schedule will rank higher than a team that goes 20-0 against weak competition. The RPI rewards teams that play — and beat — quality opponents.
What We Track
Every game result from MSHSAA feeds into our system. We compute rankings for the STL area, by class, and statewide. Each team gets a full profile with their schedule, stats, and a week-by-week ranking history chart.
Rankings update when we update game data — typically after each night of games. Teams need at least 1 game to appear in the rankings.
The Season Ahead
The 2025-26 season tips off this week. We'll publish weekly write-ups breaking down the biggest games, upsets, and movement in the rankings. Follow along as the STL basketball landscape takes shape.
Let's go.