Coaches Poll is a Joke

[Rowdy831]

The more they disrespect what UCONN has accomplished the more the players will be motivated to prove them wrong. One team is clearly better than all the rest and that is SC. The rest have all had their moments and all have had some bad losses which is what is hurting UCONN. But really I like them being a little down in the polls, but I sure wouldn't want to play them with a place in the FF at stake and someone is going to have to do that.

 

[Bone Dog]

The more they disrespect what UCONN has accomplished the more the players will be motivated to prove them wrong. One team is clearly better than all the rest and that is SC. The rest have all had their moments and all have had some bad losses which is what is hurting UCONN. But really I like them being a little down in the polls, but I sure wouldn't want to play them with a place in the FF at stake and someone is going to have to do that.

The narrative of "disrespect" has been a potent motivational tool for some coaches. Adia Barnes used it to good effect two years ago to get Arizona to the NC game.

 

[Rowdy831]

If this is how it played out SC would have to beat UCONN and Stanford to reach the Final. I think SC would feel like the fix was in against them if that plays out. I still can't imagine UCONN not being on the top line based on the way they play and the teams they beat. They did have two bad losses but they were down to really 5 players.

 

[visitingcock]

…but if the season ends today, some school and coaches will
Use this as reason to raise a banner saying “unanimous #1 team”….
Not that it has happened before…oh wait, snap…it has

And if the season ended right now, we would PROUDLY wave that banner!

 

[Topdawg]

Most of the coaches were probably busy with their tournaments and just turned in last weeks input.

In addition to the UConn ranking not changing, I noted that Washington State which beat 4 teams, including 3 top 25 teams, to win the Pac12 did not even make the top 25.

 

[Boreifs]

Exactly, and unlike the Coaches Poll, net rankings are considered by the Selection Committee.

The NET rankings are just as ridiculous as the coach’s poll. Unbelievable

 

[toadfoot]

At least they're #2 in the NCAA Net rankings, so there is still hope that they nab one of the #1 seeds.

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Brother and I were discussing that last night. in particular comparing UConn as a #2 with Indiana the #1. In nearly every metric UConn is superior, NET ranking, top 25 NET wins, SOS, common opponents, etc. I suspect UConn will get a #2 seed but they certainly deserve a #1 ahead of Indiana, VT, Maryland or Stanford based on most of the metrics.

 

[toadfoot]

As information, the Selection Committee takes the following factors into consideration when seeding teams:

• SOS
• NET rankings/4 quadrants (replaces RPI)
• Entire body of work
• Recent performance
• Injuries (i.e. who’s out for the tournament and who is back)

From UConn’s perspective, SOS & NET are exceptional. At 29-5 with a number of wins over ranked teams, UConn’s entire body of work is solid.

Recent performance is a bit tricky. Are we talking about the last month of the season or the last 3 days? It’s certainly helpful that UConn closed on a high note with their performance in the BET.

Finally, the injury factor should work in UConn’s favor. In every game that UConn lost this season, Azzi was out for the entire game, with the exception of ND when she was out for the 2nd half. Caroline also missed several games that UConn lost. Everyone is back and the team should be as healthy as they have been all year for the start of the Big Dance.

I think you could make a case for UConn as a #1 seed. But quite frankly, I expect UConn to be no lower than a #2 seed. At that point, just like last year when UConn was a #2 seed, the Huskies have to go out and JUST WIN BABY!!!

Also, Juhasz missed both the ND & Maryland games and Nika missed the Maryland game. Think about that, Maryland at home beat UConn by 7 when UConn was without 3 starters.

 

[Buzzyboy]

As information, the Selection Committee takes the following factors into consideration when seeding teams:

• SOS
• NET rankings/4 quadrants (replaces RPI)
• Entire body of work
• Recent performance
• Injuries (i.e. who’s out for the tournament and who is back)

From UConn’s perspective, SOS & NET are exceptional. At 29-5 with a number of wins over ranked teams, UConn’s entire body of work is solid.

Recent performance is a bit tricky. Are we talking about the last month of the season or the last 3 days? It’s certainly helpful that UConn closed on a high note with their performance in the BET.

Finally, the injury factor should work in UConn’s favor. In every game that UConn lost this season, Azzi was out for the entire game, with the exception of ND when she was out for the 2nd half. Caroline also missed several games that UConn lost. Everyone is back and the team should be as healthy as they have been all year for the start of the Big Dance.

I think you could make a case for UConn as a #1 seed. But quite frankly, I expect UConn to be no lower than a #2 seed. At that point, just like last year when UConn was a #2 seed, the Huskies have to go out and JUST WIN BABY!!!

Beyond the fact that Azzi is a fantastic ballplayer and that Caroline is a highly talented player, as well ... the idea that those injuries left the Huskies with basically a skeleton crew, meaning a very small core of players were playing an incredible amount of minutes with little or no rest compared to their opponents ... it was so detrimental to their ability to perform at their peak level .... that's no longer the case so that definitely should be a consideration ...

 

[oldude]

The NET rankings are just as ridiculous as the coach’s poll. Unbelievable

I disagree. While I will acknowledge that the NET rankings are somewhat complicated, they are also completely data based, objective measures that currently have UConn #2 behind SC.

 

[Boreifs]

I disagree. While I will acknowledge that the NET rankings are somewhat complicated, they are also completely data based, objective measures that currently have UConn #2 behind SC.

In what world is ND ranked ahead of Virginia Tech, just to pick one flagrant example.

 

[hoopsfan22]

I disagree. While I will acknowledge that the NET rankings are somewhat complicated, they are also completely data based, objective measures that currently have UConn #2 behind SC.

They should just take the top 64 or 68 teams in the NET at the end of the season and round robin the teams across sites/regions and call it a day. No more selection committee, and their judgement, needed, and best of all no more human element at which to direct ire and complaints. Publish whatever algo is behind the NET calcs and everyone knows what they need to do to get into the tourney.

 

[oldude]

In what world is ND ranked ahead of Virginia Tech, just to pick one flagrant example.

NET is an objective measure of the entire season. It doesn’t weight recent performances more heavily or take injuries into account.

ND had more quality wins, both OOC & in conference than VA Tech, while winning the ACC regular season championship outright. ND’s seeding for the tournament will be negatively impacted by the loss of their starting backcourt as well as the bad loss to Louisville in the ACC conference tournament.

 

[#12in21]

It's a 6 game season. Rinse and repeat how we started out this season. If we have to knock off highly ranked opponents one after the other, it won't be the first time we've done it this year. Line 'em up however the committee decides to because our women play against the game not the jersey, they believe they can beat anybody and have the track record to prover it.

One thing is for sure ESPN doesn't get the rights to the 'Return of the Empire - from Storrs to Dallas'. That will be produced in house by UCTV, narrated by Brianna Mahn. Preorder today!

 

[oldude]

They should just take the top 64 or 68 teams in the NET at the end of the season and round robin the teams across sites/regions and call it a day. No more selection committee, and their judgement, needed, and best of all no more human element at which to direct ire and complaints. Publish whatever algo is behind the NET calcs and everyone knows what they need to do to get into the tourney.

Actually, I like that idea with the one caveat that they continue to include conference AQ’s, and just seed those teams by their respective NET rankings.

 

[#12in21]

And if the season ended right now, we would PROUDLY wave that banner!

Wouldn't be the first time

 

[Boreifs]

NET is an objective measure of the entire season. It doesn’t weight recent performances more heavily or take injuries into account.

ND had more quality wins, both OOC & in conference than VA Tech, while winning the ACC regular season championship outright. ND’s seeding for the tournament will be negatively impacted by the loss of their starting backcourt as well as the bad loss to Louisville in the ACC conference tournament.

Massey is as well. The Top 10 there, in my view, comes much closer to anyone’s reasonable eye test. It would be fascinating to actually understand why there is such a difference between two objective, data driven models.

 

[visitingcock]

Wouldn't be the first time View attachment 84836

We should all hope it’s the only and last tournament ever cancelled.

 

[oldude]

Massey is as well. The Top 10 there, in my view, comes much closer to anyone’s reasonable eye test. It would be fascinating to actually understand why there is such a difference between two objective, data driven models.

That’s a good question. Obviously, there is a difference in methodology. For whatever it’s worth, the NCAA as well as a coaches committee, approved swapping NET rankings over RPI.

 

[visitingcock]

They should just take the top 64 or 68 teams in the NET at the end of the season and round robin the teams across sites/regions and call it a day. No more selection committee, and their judgement, needed, and best of all no more human element at which to direct ire and complaints. Publish whatever algo is behind the NET calcs and everyone knows what they need to do to get into the tourney.

The problem is that the. NET ( I am told) does not include an SOS calculation. That is tacked on by the committee at season’s end and I don’t know how.

LSU questions (that are real) don’t get resolved by the unadjusted NET algorithm until the committee resolved issues.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Actually, I like that idea with the one caveat that they continue to include conference AQ’s, and just seed those teams by their respective NET rankings.

Unfortunately it would never work. CFB already tried it with the BCS, and instead of complaining at the humans ranking the teams, they started gaming the systematic part of the equation, or lobbying to reduce the importance of the math until the BCS was basically just back to where they started with human polls largely dictating the standings for post-season.

I am not sold that every conference tournament winner should automatically qualify. First I see conference tournaments as pointless, aside from the money making aspect, and unless you have a systematic way to place the auto-qualifiers since some of them will not be in the top 64/68, you will have humans deciding where they fit in. If you have to have conference tournaments, then I'd rather those 3-4 games just be a "last chance" for teams to improve their NET scores, and if they make the cutoff they are in, and if not, well they still have conference bragging rights.

 

[oldude]

The problem is that the. NET ( I am told) does not include an SOS calculation. That is tacked on by the committee at season’s end and I don’t know how.

LSU questions (that are real) don’t get resolved by the unadjusted NET algorithm until the committee resolved issues.

I don’t have a problem with the primary factors taken into consideration by the committee. The challenge comes when the committee has to weight one factor over another, which is purely subjective.

In the past, WBB was pretty cut and dried, at least for the top 20 to 30 teams. This year, more than any season ever, the committee will have a much more difficult challenge to seed 68 teams.

The one thing I would bet on is that there will be a whole lot of complaining from fans, coaches and pundits once the brackets are revealed.

 

[Boreifs]

I am anticipating a record number of upsets. The Covid fifth year has completely changed the landscape of the sport; with so many 23 and 24 year old women with five years’ experience competing, we are in for a wild, wild ride. That ride will become even wilder in the next two years as an enormous amount of first year players shut out of the Power Five by the lack of scholarships/playing time gravitate to mid major programs expecting to transfer once the Covid rule has expired.

 

[Urshurak]

I don't think we want the last #1 seed, do we? Wouldn't that put us squarely in South Carolinas side of the bracket?

 

[faithfulfan]

I didn't say that was my opinion, just what I think the selection committee will do. I agree with you. Don't shoot the messenger.

just disagreeing with what I think should happen, and what I think the committee will do!