About the Star Maps :: The Mid-Majority

The Season 7 "star maps" on TMM's front page are a new way of visualizing the universe of small-conference Division I college basketball. Each of the Other 25 conferences is arranged as a constellation, and the distances between teams are as per actual physical geography. The brightness of the stars is based on teams' accomplishments in the past six seasons (2004-2010), a period narrowly defined as the "Mid-Majority Era."

In May 2010, a mailing list poll asked what team accomplishments are more important than others, and these poll results were fed into a computer formula. Points and multipliers were awarded for various factors, from NCAA Tournament wins to NBA Draft picks.

NCAA Tournament victories - 5
NCAA Tournament appearances - 5
Conference regular season titles - 4
Red Line Upsets - 4
NIT victories - 3
Leading conference in offensive or defensive efficiency - 3
20-win seasons - 3
NIT appearances - 2
Individual statistical leaders in conference (PPG or RPG) - 2
NBA Draft picks - 2
Other postseason appearances (CBI, CIT) - 1

Our three exceptions, Gonzaga, Xavier and Memphis, are not included. (Black holes?) The full methodology is explained here in a post about the daily TMM100 legacy countdown that we posted via Twitter over the summer.

Then, these numbers were fed into an advanced 21st Century computer graphics program by Robots in order to create the maps. The brighter the star, the more accomplished the team has been since The Mid-Majority began. Special thanks to Roni Lagin and Kraig Williams for their assistance on the project.

To view the luminosity numbers of your favorite conference, please utilize the pulldown menu below.

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