This is the NCAA basketball version of Weighted Wins. The system was originally developed with college football in mind. Visit weightedwins.com to check out the college football site.
The basic premise of "Weighted Wins" is one the average fan would readily accept. All wins are not equal. Defeating a highly successful team, one with a winning record, is more difficult than defeating an unsuccessful team, one with a losing record. Therefore, the system assigns a weight to each opponent. This weight is determined in a fair, unbiased, and systematic manner by considering a team's record and the records of its opponents. After the weights are assigned, teams accumulate weighted wins and weighted losses.
Unlike the polls and some of the computers, "Weighted Wins" starts all teams from the same position. Each team begins the season with 0.00 wins and a weight of 1.00. (Since wins in all major sports count 1 win, the weight of 1.00 was chosen for the starting point.) As the season develops, the weight of a team increases or decreases depending on whether the team wins or loses. A weight of 1.20 would indicate a relatively strong team and a weight of .85 would indicate a much weaker team. Weights usually range from a high of approximately 1.45 to a low of .55.
The value of a team's win is determined by its opponent's weight. Losses are also weighted and determined in a consistent manner.