Coaches' poll rewards Stanford with #1 ranking.

[huskeynut]

I think Texas moves up and will be ahead of Stanford.
1. ND
2. SCarolina
3.Texas
4. UCONN
5. Stanford

 

[LadyVols9]

Here's my AP poll:
1.ND
2.SC
3. UCONN
4.TN
5. TexasAM
6. Stanford

 

[RadyLady]

Here's my AP poll:
1.ND
2.SC
3. UCONN
4.TN
5. TexasAM
6. Stanford

Really? Tennessee and not Texas? Texas who beat Stanford? Boo boo or deliberate omission?

 

[bballnut90]

My guess for how the new poll will look:
1. Notre Dame
2. South Carolina
3. UCONN
4. Tennessee
5. Stanford
6. Texas
7. Texas A&M
8. Duke
9. Maryland
10. Kentucky

What my top 10 would be:
1. Notre Dame-good win on the road at MSU, no losses
2. UCONN-only loss was crazy overtime game at Stanford
3. Texas-huge win against Stanford on the road
4. South Carolina-struggled in game 1, rolled in game 2
5. Stanford-Huge win, then upset unexpectedly
6. Tennessee-2 blowouts, injuries are concerning though
7. Duke-2 good wins to start the year
8. North Carolina-2 wins over ranked teams
9. Maryland-3 blowouts
10. Texas A&M-good win at DePaul, near loss to UT Pan American (I've never even heard of this school...)

 

[easttexastrash]

Honestly, it doesn't matter where anyone is ranked now, as I'll be much more interested in seeing how teams are ranked at the conclusion of the non-conference schedule. But if you're arguing whether Notre Dame or South Carolina should be #1, then I think you should base it more on how the teams have played rather than how many WNBA players you believe are on each team's roster. Notre Dame did not look impressive in their win over Michigan State, but they won by basically the same margin by which the Gamecocks beat the Trojans, and the Spartans are top 20 whereas no one had the Trojans ranked highly given their losses to graduation and discipline. Plus Notre Dame won in East Lansing, but South Carolina won at home. The only other games on the two teams resumes were cupcakes. We'll know a lot more in early December, as South Carolina will have played their only early season challenge (@Duke) whereas Notre Dame will have hosted Maryland, UConn, and DePaul.

You don't care where anyone is ranked but you mention the Spartans ranking. It is very possible that by the end of the year S. Cal will be ranked ahead of Michigan State. I thought S. Cal looked just as good, if not better than MSU.

They eye test tells me that S. Carolina is the best team in the nation, at this point. That is just my opinion based on the strength of their starting lineup and the quality of players they bring off the bench.

 

[Orangutan]

Who's next? After watching Notre Dame and South Carolina this week, I am a firm believer that the Gamecocks should be the number 1 team in the nation. IMO, Notre Dame has 3 very good players (Lloyd, Allen and Turner) and then quite a few role players. South Carolina has 5 future WNBA players: Mitchell, Welch, Coates, Ibiam and Wilson. Cuevas is a freshman but I see her adding a lot to this team due to her speed. Next to Jefferson, she is probably the fastest player in WCBB this year.

So irrelevant since they can only get three on the court when it matters. They tried to do four and it didn't work at all. I guess there's an argument for their depth wearing down other teams but when it truly matters most teams are going to play their starters almost all game.

This is college basketball and a player like Mabrey, who is unsuited to the next level but has one elite skill at this one, might be just as valuable as having the 4th forward who will one day be a pro when you can only get three on the court at once.

I would put SC ahead of ND (narrowly) but that argument is so inane; it drives me nuts.

Oh, and this is going to sound like I'm pandering, but I would vote UConn #1. They would be favored against any other team in a game played on a neutral floor.

 

[VAUConnFan]

What my top 10 would be:
1. Notre Dame-good win on the road at MSU, no losses
2. UCONN-only loss was crazy overtime game at Stanford
3. Texas-huge win against Stanford on the road
4. South Carolina-struggled in game 1, rolled in game 2
5. Stanford-Huge win, then upset unexpectedly
6. Tennessee-2 blowouts, injuries are concerning though
7. Duke-2 good wins to start the year
8. North Carolina-2 wins over ranked teams
9. Maryland-3 blowouts
10. Texas A&M-good win at DePaul, near loss to UT Pan American (I've never even heard of this school...)

In the mid 70's, the UT Pan American men's team was coached by Abe Lemons who went on to coach at Texas. Abe Lemons was drop dead funny; You almost didn't care if he was a good coach because you always had a good time just listening to him. At an awards banquet I attended at which Lemons was the guest speaker, he told a story about how his wife asked him how much he loved her. Who, she asked, would be the first person he would try to save from a raging inferno, her or Marshall Rogers, his star player at Pan Am who once led the nation in scoring? Without hesitation, Lemons quipped that he could always find another wife, but Marshall Rogers is one of a kind. There is a story out, don't know if it's true, that Lemons, during a game, told Rogers to stop playing defense so that he could rest. Abe Lemons also coached a very entertaining style of basketball; Up and down high scoring pressure the ball full tilt action. There are a lot of great people/characters in the coaching ranks; None funnier than Abe Lemons.

 

[EricLA]

So irrelevant since they can only get three on the court when it matters. They tried to do four and it didn't work at all. I guess there's an argument for their depth wearing down other teams but when it truly matters most teams are going to play their starters almost all game.

This is college basketball and a player like Mabrey, who is unsuited to the next level but has one elite skill at this one, might be just as valuable as having the 4th forward who will one day be a pro when you can only get three on the court at once.

I would put SC ahead of ND (narrowly) but that argument is so inane; it drives me nuts.

Oh, and this is going to sound like I'm pandering, but I would vote UConn #1. They would be favored against any other team in a game played on a neutral floor.

Interestingly, I think UCONN has 7 future WNBA players - KML, Stewie, Moriah, Kiah, Saniya, Morgan, and Kia. Perhaps Gabby Williams as well. Hmm. I guess that's 8 future WNBA players. I guess that makes UCONN #1 LOL...

 

[easttexastrash]

So irrelevant since they can only get three on the court when it matters. They tried to do four and it didn't work at all. I guess there's an argument for their depth wearing down other teams but when it truly matters most teams are going to play their starters almost all game.

This is college basketball and a player like Mabrey, who is unsuited to the next level but has one elite skill at this one, might be just as valuable as having the 4th forward who will one day be a pro when you can only get three on the court at once.

I would put SC ahead of ND (narrowly) but that argument is so inane; it drives me nuts.

Oh, and this is going to sound like I'm pandering, but I would vote UConn #1. They would be favored against any other team in a game played on a neutral floor.

As a neutral fan, not being a UCONN, ND or SC fan, I think SC is the best team in the nation. But, like my opinion, also have an elbow and...

This Mabrey you speak of is the same one who scored 3 point on 1 three pointer against MSU? Look at the box score of the MSU game and tell me where production is going to come from outside of Lloyd, Turner and Allen. And Turner will not have an open lane against SC like she did against MSU.

 

[Orangutan]

As a neutral fan, not being a UCONN, ND or SC fan, I think SC is the best team in the nation. But, like my opinion, also have an elbow and...

This Mabrey you speak of is the same one who scored 3 point on 1 three pointer against MSU? Look at the box score of the MSU game and tell me where production is going to come from outside of Lloyd, Turner and Allen. And Turner will not have an open lane against SC like she did against MSU.

Yeah, she had a bad game against Michigan State. But was 42.3% from the three last year, which is what I meant by "one elite skill".

The production should come from Reimer, Cable, and Mabrey. All of whom played poorly (well, Cable was decent on D) against Michigan State. But all of whom averaged 15-17 points per 40 last year (for reference Ibiam averaged 16.3 and Welch averaged 18.1, though I suspect ND played at a higher pace).

My observation was that the offense was way out of whack and that the ball movement was lacking, which I expect will be corrected. Mabrey is a player who struggles Tyler Phommachanh get her own shot and is most effective in catch-and-shoot situations, so she was especially effected by that.

Keep in mind that Allen did not shoot much last year so the answer to "Who will score besides Achonwa, McBride, and Loyd?" was also "Mabrey, Cable, and Reimer." Of course, Turner and Allen are not nearly as effective 2nd and 3rd options (yet) as McBride and Achonwa were.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

UConn is #1 in the Sagarin ratings and it isn't close.

http://www.rpiratings.com/womrate.php

 

[Gate81]

I want that #1 ranking back.

all you had to do was blink!

 

[easttexastrash]

Yeah, she had a bad game against Michigan State. But was 42.3% from the three last year, which is what I meant by "one elite skill".

The production should come from Reimer, Cable, and Mabrey. All of whom played poorly (well, Cable was decent on D) against Michigan State. But all of whom averaged 15-17 points per 40 last year (for reference Ibiam averaged 16.3 and Welch averaged 18.1, though I suspect ND played at a higher pace).

My observation was that the offense was way out of whack and that the ball movement was lacking, which I expect will be corrected. Mabrey is a player who struggles Tyler Phommachanh get her own shot and is most effective in catch-and-shoot situations, so she was especially effected by that.

Keep in mind that Allen did not shoot much last year so the answer to "Who will score besides Achonwa, McBride, and Loyd?" was also "Mabrey, Cable, and Reimer." Of course, Turner and Allen are not nearly as effective 2nd and 3rd options (yet) as McBride and Achonwa were.

It should be interesting to see how it plays out. It's just my opinion that SC has the most talent in WCBB and therefore is my pick as the number 1 team in the nation until they lose.

 

[Fightin Choke]

UConn is #1 in the Sagarin ratings and it isn't close.

http://www.rpiratings.com/womrate.php

Yup. That's because UConn was so dominant last season, and Sagarin's rating system employs Bayesian statistics, which require initial conditions as input. Sagarin uses last season's ratings as his initial conditions, so UConn started off this season far ahead in the ratings. As the season progresses, the effect of the initial conditions eventually becomes negligible, but it's effect is strong initially. Things won't really make sense in Sagarin until a month into the season. For example, Notre Dame was ranked 2nd before the Michigan State game, and the Spartans were ranked 18th. After the game, Notre Dame's rating dropped from 103 to 96 and they fell to third place, while Michigan State's rating fell 4 points and they dropped from 18th to 36th. How can both teams drop? Things are a bit wonky now.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Sagarin uses last season's ratings as his initial conditions

If that's the case, how is Princeton 18th overall, or South Florida 13th despite a loss?

 

[bballnut90]

As a neutral fan, not being a UCONN, ND or SC fan, I think SC is the best team in the nation. But, like my opinion, also have an elbow and...

This Mabrey you speak of is the same one who scored 3 point on 1 three pointer against MSU? Look at the box score of the MSU game and tell me where production is going to come from outside of Lloyd, Turner and Allen. And Turner will not have an open lane against SC like she did against MSU.

Mabrey averaged 8.6 ppg last year off the bench for Notre Dame. She's much better than she showed last night. Right there, you have 4 strong offensive threats in Lloyd/Turner/Allen/Mabrey. Jewel Loyd ability to shoot from distance and beat you off the dribble makes her difficult to defend, Allen can create for herself, Turner might be the best freshman in the nation, and Mabrey is one of the nation's best shooters. Notre Dame and USC don't face each other, so if they meet it'll be in the NCAA tournament. Watching Notre Dame vs. Duke might be a good indication of how that match up would pan out, as both Duke and USC are incredibly loaded in the front court but lack depth in the back court.

 

[Tonyc]

It should be interesting to see how it plays out. It's just my opinion that SC has the most talent in WCBB and therefore is my pick as the number 1 team in the nation until they lose.

LOL SC has the most talent. Guess what UConn has 2 Stewie and KML who could be POY and MoJeff is an AA. The only team teams fear is UConn and UConn is feared by every team. Why don't good teams want to play UConn? Because theyre afraid of getting blown out. Losing to Stanford was a fluke. Stanford played great but they aren't a better team then UConn either is SC or ND. For me to rank Stanford number 1 playing a home game early in the season is crazy. They were 4/5 team in the polls. Now they lose so whats next. SC ND UConn Stanford or do they rank Stanford ahead of UConn which imo is stupid. Stanford lost to a team not in the top 10 in both polls and lost at home.

 

[RoyDodger]

Stanford will not go undefeated.

Didn't take long thanks to Texas.

 

[bballnut90]

My guess for how the new poll will look:
1. Notre Dame
2. South Carolina
3. UCONN
4. Tennessee
5. Stanford
6. Texas
7. Texas A&M
8. Duke
9. Maryland
10. Kentucky

New poll is out for AP:
1. South Carolina
2. Notre Dame
3. UCONN
4. Tennessee
5. Stanford
6. Texas
7. Texas A&M
8. Duke
9. Kentucky
10. Maryland

I was pretty darn close to what I thought it'd be! I'm guessing the coaches poll will look similar but have Notre Dame at 1 and USC at 2.

 

[VAMike23]

As a neutral fan, not being a UCONN, ND or SC fan, I think SC is the best team in the nation. But, like my opinion, also have an elbow and... This Mabrey you speak of is the same one who scored 3 point on 1 three pointer against MSU? Look at the box score of the MSU game and tell me where production is going to come from outside of Lloyd, Turner and Allen. And Turner will not have an open lane against SC like she did against MSU.

If I were game-planning ND, "making sure Mabrey is guarded closely on the perimeter" would not be all that far down the checklist. Yes Loyd is the centerpiece and Turner draws lots of attention but when Mabrey has open looks she is very dangerous.

 

[Tonyc]

The Polls don't mean a thing. UConn is the most feared team in WCBB. They are the team to beat and they are number 1. If SC ND and Tenn weren't feared and their coaches were confident then they would schedule each other during the regular season and not worry about not getting a one seed.

 

[UConnChapette]

If I were game-planning ND, "making sure Mabrey is guarded closely on the perimeter" would not be all that far down the checklist. Yes Loyd is the centerpiece and Turner draws lots of attention but when Mabrey has open looks she is very dangerous.

But has she improved the timing on her flops? If she can master the flop execution, then she will become a four point specialist.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

The Polls don't mean a thing. UConn is the most feared team in WCBB. They are the team to beat and they are number 1. If SC ND and Tenn weren't feared and their coaches were confident then they would schedule each other during the regular season and not worry about not getting a one seed.

If I'm not mistaken, don't the Gamecocks play at UCONN this season?

We also play Tennessee, Kentucky twice and Texas A&M.

 

[PalPa]

If I were game-planning ND, "making sure Mabrey is guarded closely on the perimeter" would not be all that far down the checklist. Yes Loyd is the centerpiece and Turner draws lots of attention but when Mabrey has open looks she is very dangerous.

You don't have to guard her real close, she falls down and stares at the ref whenever someone gets within two feet of her.

 

[Tonyc]

If I'm not mistaken, don't the Gamecocks play at UCONN this season?

We also play Tennessee, Kentucky twice and Texas A&M.

Yes you do. Your OOC schedule other then UConn and Duke is weak. UConns in conference is weak and that is something they cant control.